The Houses of the Curious, Part 1

The Augmented Echo

De: J.W. Bowie

Narrado por: Alexandra Hunter

Decades ago, a band of neural-augmented rebels, the Seventy-Seven, and their leader, Arthur Lannius, helped liberate a remote mountain town from the Perpetual Corporation in a great machine war. Eventually defeated, the Seventy-Seven scattered, and Lannius went into exile without a trace...except for a child.

When memories of a stranger burst into her mind, Aurora learns that her past is more than it seems. After discovering her hidden neural augmentations, she awakens an old surveillance drone and reignites the dormant war. Following the signal, Perpetual's mercenaries attack, forcing Aurora and her friends flee into the futuristic world beyond.

Pursued by Perpetual for the memories that she holds, Aurora must choose a side in a secret war fought by machine armies and a pantheon of fantastic digital beings. Questioning both friend and foe, she wrestles with the memories buried in her mind as the key to a war fought across time.

From award-winning author J.W. Bowie comes a new sci-fi adventure that will forever change the way you look at time and imagination.

©2018 John Bowie (P)2023 John Bowie

5⭐

"The Houses of the Curious" by J.W. Bowie is a captivating gothic mystery that masterfully blends suspense, supernatural elements, and psychological intrigue. Bowie's atmospheric writing immerses readers in an unsettling world where each house holds dark secrets waiting to be revealed. Alexandra Hunter’s exceptional narration enhances the experience, perfectly capturing the novel’s tension and mood, and bringing the characters and their emotions vividly to life.

I also want to extend my thanks to Mr. J.W. Bowie for providing me with a code for the book, making this memorable reading experience possible. Overall, "The Houses of the Curious" is a must-read (or listen) for fans of gothic mysteries, with Hunter’s narration elevating it to a truly unforgettable experience.

Got better and better

This story includes a lot of interesting Sci-Fi ideas such as AI, robots, neural interfaces, human augmentation, and time travel in a corporate-controlled dystopia. The beginning felt slow but the story kept getting better as it went along and the ending left me wanting to know what happens next. Overall, I think the book is a good introduction of the characters, world, and ideas, and future books in the series could be even better now that the foundation is laid.

Speaking in generics to avoid spoilers. The first act of the book seemed like a pretty stereotypical story where the protagonists are thrust into an adventure as bad guys pursue them. The second act had a lot of world-building on the ideas I mentioned earlier. The final act had some epic moments and reveals. There are some mentions of time travel throughout the book but it is not until the final act that it makes sense how it fits into the story. With that late reveal I think the story would be better without the mentions of time travel early on since the story is also already juggling many other ideas.

Alexandra Hunter is a good (not great) narrator for the audiobook and is a great fit for voicing the main character. I don't really have any complaints about the performance but also nothing glowing to say.
Note: I received this book for free broken into two parts. This review and references to different acts of the story covers the entire book of "The Houses of the Curious" and not just part 1.

A good start for a series

Full disclosure, I got this book for free with a coupon, and I think that should be noted when writing a review. I enjoyed the story, and I think some of the minor characters actually deserved some more development since they had qualities that were hinted at but not fully explored. The author created an interesting and weirdly plausible take on the concept of time travel that I haven't seen before. The beginning is a bit slow, but it picks up nicely. The world-building is intriguing. I would like to have seem a bit more of it. All in all, a good listen and a fun start to what could be a strong series.