11-01-08

9hrs 43min

Abridgement

Unabridged

Genre

Fiction/Science Fiction

As low as $0.00
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11-01-08

9hrs 43min

Abridgement

Unabridged

Genre

Fiction/Science Fiction

Description

“[An] entertaining mix of hard SF and romance…has all the right pieces for a taut thriller.” Publishers Weekly

Charon was the most ruthless—and brilliant—criminal of the twenty-first century, a practitioner of illegal robotics and android research. He is dead now, and General Thomas Wharington believes his team of experts has deleted all the electronic copies that the megalomaniacal inventor created of himself. However, one major problem remains: Alpha, the only android survivor of Charon’s cybernetic empire.

Outwardly indistinguishable from a human woman, Alpha has superhuman strength and speed, and perhaps even more deadly capabilities still unknown. Thomas’ superiors want her dismantled and studied, but to Wharington, it feels like murder. He stalls for time, a move that could prove disastrous. Alpha escapes from an escape-proof compound, kidnaps Wharington, and takes him to one of Charon’s hidden installations. Charon might be dead, but Alpha continues to carry out her late master’s orders, and she refuses to elaborate on what those orders entail.

Meanwhile, her behavior is becoming more human, or so it seems. Is she developing emotions and a conscience, or is she just learning to counterfeit them as a means of carrying out her enigmatic orders? And do those orders include Wharington’s death sentence?

Praise

“[An] entertaining mix of hard SF and romance…has all the right pieces for a taut thriller.” Publishers Weekly

“With a wonderful machine-like quality to her voice, Hillary Huber reads the futuristic story of Alpha, a robot who is struggling to escape her programming and be more human...The rest of the characters are just as believable, whether human or android. The listener will be caught up in the struggle over whether machines that are outwardly indistinguishable from humans deserve the same rights as their human counterparts. Fans of authors such as Isaac Asimov will enjoy Asaro’s ability to create authentic characters.” Audiofile

Details
More Information
Language English
Release Day Oct 31, 2008
Release Date November 1, 2008
Number in Series 2
Series Display String The Sunrise Alley Series
Release Date Machine 1225497600
Imprint Blackstone Publishing
Provider Blackstone Publishing
Categories Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adventure, Space Opera, Science Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Fiction - All, Fiction - Adult
Author Bio
Catherine Asaro

Catherine Asaro writes science fiction, fantasy, and romance in six series and three stand-alone novels. The Quantum Rose won the 2001 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and The Spacetime Pool won the 2008 Nebula Award for Best Novella. She grew up near Berkeley, California. She earned a BS degree in chemistry with highest honors from UCLA, an MA degree in physics, and a PhD in chemical physics from Harvard University.

Narrator Bio
Hillary Huber

Hillary Huber, a Los Angeles–based voice talent with hundreds of commercials and promos under her belt, was bitten by the audiobook bug in 2005. She now records books on a regular basis and has been nominated for several Audie Awards and won numerous Earphones Awards.

Overview

Charon was the most ruthless—and brilliant—criminal of the twenty-first century, a practitioner of illegal robotics and android research. He is dead now, and General Thomas Wharington believes his team of experts has deleted all the electronic copies that the megalomaniacal inventor created of himself. However, one major problem remains: Alpha, the only android survivor of Charon’s cybernetic empire.

Outwardly indistinguishable from a human woman, Alpha has superhuman strength and speed, and perhaps even more deadly capabilities still unknown. Thomas’ superiors want her dismantled and studied, but to Wharington, it feels like murder. He stalls for time, a move that could prove disastrous. Alpha escapes from an escape-proof compound, kidnaps Wharington, and takes him to one of Charon’s hidden installations. Charon might be dead, but Alpha continues to carry out her late master’s orders, and she refuses to elaborate on what those orders entail.

Meanwhile, her behavior is becoming more human, or so it seems. Is she developing emotions and a conscience, or is she just learning to counterfeit them as a means of carrying out her enigmatic orders? And do those orders include Wharington’s death sentence?

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