Sleeping Gods Boxed Set

Books 1-2

By: Ralph Kern

Narrated by: Shaun Grindell, Jeffrey Kafer, Michael Kramer

Endeavor

Since we first looked at the stars, there has been a silence, no signs of alien life, and no one who has tried to speak to us. It is an enigma that a long-dead scientist called the Fermi Paradox.

"Where are they?" A brave crew will take humanity's first starship, Endeavour, on an epic journey that spans light years and centuries to solve this mystery. As Commander Tom Hites and his crew searches amid long-abandoned worlds and ancient relics, the question they seek to answer becomes: "Where are they now?"

Erebus

The sparsely populated moon Io is destroyed in a terrorist attack. Hundreds are dead in the cataclysmic explosion. Thousands become refugees as the shattered remnants of the moon threaten the Jupiter Alliance. Billions throughout the solar system are wondering, "Where next?"

Those responsible must be found and brought to justice. The explorer ship Erebus is reassigned from its mission and sent to Jupiter to investigate this atrocity with Trent's international team onboard. And what Trent discovers among the relics of the alien Sleeping Gods will change humanity's place in the universe forever.

©2013, 2015, 2016 Ralph Kern (P)2021 Tantor

As a set, it was so so

The first book was great with the scientific exploration and Michael Kramer reading. There were some spots that it was odd but overall a good book. The second book didn’t seem to have any more than a passing mention of the first book, had no real science and the reader wasn’t nearly as good. The third book was just thrown in and wasn’t very good at all, although that might have been because I spent the whole time trying to figure out how it tied in to the other books. Overall I will give it three stars because the story and performance from the first book carried the load.

Was this an AI?

All stories were somewhat pedantic however, the first two had some interest and we’re worth a listen. Third book I did not make it through past halfway, got even more pedantic and predictable. And unless something changes at the end, I can’t figure out how to even related to the first two.

Horrible choice for a bonus book

Really enjoyed the books of the sleeping gods trilogy. That was interesting switched over to the bonus book. It completely threw me off and discussed me with the writer of that book.

Gripping Even Though It Is Long

The first two books in this box set are set in the same universe but feel very different. I like them both. The first is a very solid Sci-Fi story which drops clues for the next. The second is almost like a murder mystery in the beginning.

Endeavor, the first book, is of exploration sprinkled throughout with different narratives from multiple perspectives, some very distinctive, that tell an overall story. Even though it doesn't answer everything by the end it definitely feels like a complete book. I enjoyed hearing about all the various discoveries.

Erebus, the second book, pinch zooms at a period of time referenced in the first book. You learn more about some of the places referenced before and see some discoveries not mentioned in the first. There was a building sense of menace through the whole book. Some of the ideas in the first book are central to how that menace will be averted. I didn't feel the ending left me satisfied however.

The bonus content book feels like it's written by a completely different author. It's a pretty good example of a space opera, which is not my favorite genre. Though it starts slow, the author grips you very well by the middle. I thought it explored the loss of comrades and the cost of war very well.

A Decent Read for Most of It.

Expansive scientific perspectives of the first two stories makes them worthwhile, following popular science fiction themes. The second story strings the reader along for most of it by omitting facts that really weren't worth the frustration to hold back, then it ends with massive cliff hangers that never are resolved.

The third felt like a big waste of time and the narration was weirdly misplaced, even though I like this narrator's other work.

Why call the stories a set when they're basically unrelated though. That is annoying.