The Arrival

The Evaran Chronicles Prequel

By: Adair Hart

Narrated by: Michael Pauley

Jake Melkins is a few months away from turning 21. By the Seceltor Empire's laws, he will have to go to a breeding camp, or directly into slavery. Neither choice appeals to him. All this changes with the arrival of a space-and-time-traveling being known as Evaran at the space-station-turned-rest-stop that Jake lives on.

To make things complicated, Greecho, the slaver who abducted Jake as a kid, has arrived at the station. He and his crew, along with his 22-year-old human pet, Kathy, are about to go on a slave run to Earth.

Evaran has decided to interfere and free Jake and Kathy. That decision will lead him to Earth, where he will need to deal with the consequences.

©2016 Adair Hart (P)2016 Adair Hart

A great Sci-Fi story

What did you like about this audiobook?

This teaser gives a glimpse of Evaran, who's different, but tuff. I really liked his character, and it sparked an interest in me to listen to the other stories about him

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

I haven't listen to book one or two in The Evaran Chronicles; however, after listening to this prequel, I'm definitely interested in listening to the other stories in the series

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

The author really did a great job developing this world, and creating unique characters that are both likable, and some that are not so likeable

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Nothing

Do you have any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com

Bring on the rest of the series

Would you try another book from Adair Hart and/or Michael Pauley?

This was an amazing start to a new sci-fi series for me, I would try other books by the author and narrator

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Michael Pauley performed a great narration

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Boom.

Appreciated intro and backstory

This short prequel provides some very appreciated introduction and backstory to Evaran's character and realm. The "science" is definitely fiction, and not well explained, but fairly typical for this genre. Some of the grammatical usage I encountered in this book surprises me.

Michael Pauley's performance is quite satisfactory. His voice characterizations are distinct and appropriate. It is the cast of characters that will draw readers back to this series.

NOTE: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Good Short Story - Evaran Prequel

This is a prequel to the Evaran Series and was just as good as the other books in the series. The biggest drawback for me was the length. I thought this book had a solid plot and story but could have been much longer and could have gone into much more detail than it did. Having said that, it was still a good listen.

Narration was as solid as the other Evaran books.

If you are just starting with the Evaran series, don't stop with this book. There is much more to come...

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author, publisher, or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review. I was NOT required to write a positive review and this reflects my honest opinion of the work.

A Captivating Teaser!

I haven't listen to book one or two in The Evaran Chronicles; however, after listening to this prequel, I'm definitely interested in listening to the other stories in the series.

The Arrival is a well written short story that introduces us to harsh world from another galaxy where humans are captured, and treated as a commodity. The author really did a great job developing this world, and creating unique characters that are both likable, and some that are not so likeable.

This teaser gives a glimpse of Evaran, who's different, but tuff. I really liked his character, and it sparked an interest in me to listen to the other stories about him.

Michael Pauley's performance as usual is awesome! He really does a great job portraying different types of alien beings!

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom dot com."

A fun start to a great series!

I really enjoyed the intro to this series! A quick introduction into the world of Evaran! Definitely helps getting into the other books.

Evaran Chronicles Prequel

This is a prequel for the Evaran Chronicles that was written after book one and two of the series but I feel like it is a great place to start the series for new listeners. Evaran is a traveler from the future and he seems to be on a mission to learn more about other people and cultures while also searching for 2 specific humans.

In this story, humans are treated as slaves or breeding stock unless they are lucky to live on earth (where humans do not know about aliens). But even on earth they are subject to being abducted and taken as slaves. One such slave is Jake. Jake lives on a space station, assisting an alien who helped raise him, while he awaits his 21st birthday at which time he will be taken to a breeding camp. The majority of the story revolves around Evaran interfering to prevent Jake from being sent to a breeding camp.

I thoroughly enjoyed Michael Pauley's performance and production. He must use some kind of computer manipulation to make some of the voices because I just don't think anyone is capable of creating those sounds naturally. But it is a really cool effect. I do not know if this is his usual type of performance but I look forward to finding out!

I am definitely planning to listen to the other 2 books in this series because I am interested in learning more about Evaran's story.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Everan has a soft spot for humans!

Remember that old 70's show Kung Fu, where Caine travels the old wild west with nothing but a pack and a stick? (Loved that!) Well mash that up with some Starman vibes, and a dollop of Dr. Who -- (and maybe a bit of Lost in Space) -- and you have some idea of this new series.

Everan is a man, (but not a human man), who has been alive for 500,000 years. He has a belt full of tech, and a time traveling spaceship, complete with a robot companion. At least part of the time, he's busy catching criminals and dispensing justice.

He's clearly an entity who's seen it all, done it all, (and wasn't particularly impressed the first time). He isn't moved emotionally, but is measured and steady in his responses when faced with danger, the way someone of his vast age should be. But he isn't omniscient.

In this one, he rescues a couple of human slaves from nasty alien slave traders, playing a minor con that results in the female slave being rescued. The way it's written, Everan doesn't appear to know what the consequences of his actions might be, and that "anything can happen" note added to the weird, moody tension throughout the book.

The author has written in a spare and minimalist way, with little description provided for characters or scenery. That consistent lack of prosey description provided a sort of mental 'green screen effect,' which allowed me the freedom to decide how everything looked -- which was a fun exercise for me. (I don't know if that was intentional, but if it was, it was kind of brilliant.) Others may prefer more detail.

So far, I'm definitely interested in continuing and have begun the 2nd book which is really good, too. I hope this premise lives up to it's potential, and maintains the alien-ness of it's main character as the series progresses. I'd also like to see Everan become a little less bumbling and absent minded when it comes to the danger his friends are in. A little less human, full stop. Either he's this long lived superior being, or he's just another dope with fancy gadgets who has to resort to brute force when things get tense. (Personally, I'm not interested in the second choice.) It would be far more original if Everan had a big brain.

The reader: Michael Pauley is new to me, but I thought he did a great job with the material -- until he came to the dreaded action scene at the end of the book. At that point, he became over-emotive and read the material WAY too fast. His performance highlighted the lack of description and the spare descriptions of the characters, despite his valiant efforts to instill some excitement. Still, I'd happily buy other books narrated by him because, overall, I think he's good.

All of the characters are well served by this reader, and the dialogue is great. So is the pacing and the tone of the book. And Everan has a strangely innocent POV that I found intriguing -- and most important, it kept me listening.

For a two hour book, that's impressive.

Highly Recommended -- at least for this first book. (I'll let you know about the 2nd!)

Evaran’s first visit to Earth

This is an excellent prequel novella. A very different story without Dr. Snowden and Emily or even “V”.
We finally learn about “U4” and what happened to her.

I certainly would not spend a $15 credit but at less than $5 it is well worth the purchase price for the adventure and the history of Evaran and “U4”.

I know that most of my reviews come from “free” books but I actually purchased this one myself and voluntarily left this review.

Eagerly anticipated and well worth the wait

Evaran's back story revealed to some degree. Wonderful character. Great world building...galaxy spanning yet flows without the need for in depth explanations, similar to Star Wars in that sense. Narrator does a great job with the story. I look forward to more tales of evaran. I received this audiobook from the author narrator or publisher for free via audiobookblast in exchange for an unbiased review