The first book was interesting at the start, although light on detail, artificially enforced by a “lockdown” on the main character’s memories, but as the books progressed, the plot became very predicable. I found myself getting angry at the characters for not seeing obvious consequences or options and for behaving not only two-dimensionally, but like teenagers. The main character is jerk, behaving like a child that can’t control their emotions and physically bullying not only weaker characters, but their “friends,” too. Quentin’s only saving grace is his will (perhaps overblown) to sacrifice himself for his “friends” or the cause. And when he survives, the process feels contrived. I spent too much time wondering what the author was trying to do and not in the story. The plot and character issues broke my suspension of disbelief.

The performance was reasonable, given the limitations of the characters and their emotional swings. I could not, however, tell who was who when Simon and Teagan spoke, their voices were too similar.

I listened to the first three books because I am compulsive that way, but could not bring myself to start the fourth. I am a huge sci-fi fan. I love that it can deal with complex issues and ideas. I also understand that not every title is going to be a literary classic. These books had promising ideas and themes (artificial life, human/machine slavery, cataclysmic loss, etc.), but ultimately failed to meaningfully engage them. I do not understand why this title is so highly rated.