Firstborn

A Time Odyssey, Book 3

By: Stephen Baxter, Arthur C. Clarke

Narrated by: John Lee

The Firstborn, the mysterious race of aliens best known as the builders of the iconic black monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey, have inhabited the writing of science fiction master Arthur C. Clarke for decades. In the first two books of his acclaimed Time Odyssey series, Clarke and co-author Stephen Baxter imagined a near-future in which the Firstborn seek to stop the advance of human civilization by employing a technology indistinguishable from magic. That fate was narrowly averted, at an inconceivable price. But now, 27 years later, the Firstborn are back. This time, they have sent a "quantum bomb" speeding toward Earth, a device that human scientists can barely comprehend, let alone stop or destroy. But when shocking new insights emerge about the nature of the Firstborn and their plans, an unexpected ally appears from light-years away.©2007 Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Firstborn

Agreat final chapter in the trilogy by Arthur C Clark and Stephen Baxter! Ir leaves you wondering what may have been written if there were another book in the series.

John Lee's narration is first class.

The story is in keeping with Clark's reputation for prediction and imagination. some parts, such as Chicago in 1890 iin a parallel universe is contrived and silly.

The end to the Trilogy!

What did you love best about Firstborn?

The way the story all tied together. The three books are very different but the main message seemed to be the indomitable strength of the human spirit to never give up.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Give it a happier ending? Then it wouldn't be the same book though, right?

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

He is always wonderful, his nuances on different words and characters he portrays are certainly his greatest strengths.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending. Three women coming together, all I can say without being a spoiler.

Any additional comments?

Arthur C Clarke was able to take all of his works and tie them into this trilogy. The firstborn from 2001 and the space elevators from Fountains of Paradise and even a bit of Rama thrown in.
I am very happy I took the time to listen to this trilogy, it helps me to remember that maybe humans aren't the greatest things in the universe, but we may be the most tenacious!

Very slow, not much happens

The third book of a trilogy should be the payoff book. This seemed more like a filler book. The first two were better.


Spoiler
No resolution, horrible ending for a finale.

First Born, Arthur C. Clark

A bit hard to follow, but very interesting seeing that I am reading it in 2021 and Mr. Clark's many predictions concerning technology have certainly come to pass save the technology yet to come. I am certain he was a time traveler himself.