Entanglement

The Belt, Book 1

By: Gerald M. Kilby

Narrated by: Steven Jay Cohen

Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

You can run, but you can’t hide - not even in space.

Commander Scott McNabb, of the science vessel Hermes, is three years into a five-year-long survey of the asteroid belt. It’s an excruciatingly dull mission, yet it keeps him far away from the agencies that are chasing him down. However, his fortunes change, along with the other four crew members, when they discover a derelict spaceship in orbit around a binary asteroid. Scott’s share of the salvage would be enough to clear his name and start a new life.

But the ship contains an experimental quantum device, lost while en route to Europa, and ownership of this technology could fundamentally change the balance of power within the solar system. Now that word is out of its discovery, the Hermes finds itself being hunted down by the very people from whom Scott has spent so much time and effort hiding.

If Scott wants any hope of a new life, then he’s going to have to fight for it. Yet, after a lifetime of running and hiding, he’s not sure if he has what it takes - maybe he really is just one of life's losers. Then again, there is a deep river of rage welling up inside him, born out of a lifetime of countless accumulated injustices, each one inching him ever closer to the edge - and this could be the one that finally makes him snap.

©2018, 2019 Gerald M. Kilby (P)2024 Gerald M. Kilby

A wonderful world, or should I say worlds

I have been given this book free of charge in exchange for my Unbiased review. For those of you who do not believe that the reviews are unbiased check out Rogue, the last book I receive free in exchange for review, the book was awful and the review reflected it. Now the narration on this book, The voices given to everyone in this story were near perfect, this narrator and I have a long history, he's slow paced and sometimes doesn't show enough inflection, however this book didn't require a lot of it and he showed just enough, I LOVE HIS QI VOICES! well done. The story... wow way to bring the solar system to life! Just enough Syfi to keep you in awe, but not so much that your wondering is the person who came out of the transporter really the same person if the molecules they were made up of are still on the ship? Enough action to keep you constantly listening and WANTING to listen more. Very well done and I can't WAIT to get started on the next book in the series. Happy listening

Love Europa stories!

Got this because I love when stories go to get interests towards Europa. The EVS scientist part of me finds however they decide to make the composition or whatever interesting. I feel this book was a little less on the science part of science fiction, but the character's opening and reader of the story made it totally worthwhile. The book has a short time, but that does not mean it was not used wisely, so it is fine this book isn't 15 hours long.

All of the characters are equally shaped as molded as the main character but the main is the only one with a backstory that you really need to know in-depth. Good listen! Give it a shot.

A boring story hurt by no understanding of space

The author prefers to use flowery and verbose language rather than giving the story meat. The crew are misfits who aren't very smart and prefer to "wait and see what happens" rather than to try and prepare. That combined with a clear lack of understanding how space works makes this book too dumb for my taste.

Another Great Space Adventure Book!

I loved the characters in this book. It was like watching a good sci-fi show and it was an fun adventure. The narrator was an awesome addition and portrayed the different characters quite well. Looking forward to book 2.

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

space Opera

although I enjoy the book it was a slow start to get to the action. once there it was hard to believe that the characters where so naive and had not thought of a better with a better plan with all the time they had. knowing that bad thing where around the corner. by the end the storyline had gotten much better and the characters had seem to have developed better. it was just a long introduction to getting in there that made the book slow at the beginning. I will definitely take a chance on reading the next book and hopes that now the development of the characters has happened the next story inline will be stronger.

Good space opera

Pretty interesting story about the crew of a space survey vessel embarking on an unexpected adventure.
The narrator was good enough, making sure to sound different for most of the characters. He pauses sometimes in the middle of sentences, as if turning a page, but that's not really a problem for me as listener.
It's more or less a standalone story, but with an (expected) ending that made me continue with the next book right after finishing this one.

I FLEW Through Entanglement

I haven’t picked up a really good Sci-Fi book in a while and it’s books like Entanglement that make me question that. My biggest issue with Entanglement is honestly how to spell it. I’ve already written in three times in this review and I’ve honestly misspelled it every. single. time. Apparently, I’m not good at Englishing sometimes.

The story (see what I did here, I’m not going to type it again unless I have to) was about a group of not-so-normal astronauts who were sent out for five years to survey one of the asteroid belts. They are is three years into a five-year-long survey when they come across a ship, but unfortunately for them, it isn’t just any ship, but one that is classified with classified cargo onboard.

This jumpstarts an insanely fast-paced story that has the crew of the Hermes bouncing all over space running from space pirates, governments, and more.

I’ve had Kilby on my TBR pile for far too long and I’m a little disappointed in myself now. Entanglement was a fantastic book from beginning to end and it really kept my attention. Every time I sat down and had nothing to do for more than five minutes, including waiting for my wife to come in from the kitchen – I would put this book on. I ended up flying through it in about 2-3 days and I’m glad I did. It was a fascinating read from beginning to end.

I particularly liked Commander Scott McNabb – he was one of your antihero types. He was running from debt. Debt you later find out had nothing to do with him. He’s also a slight pushover and his crew knows it. The scenes about halfway through when they start to respect him were particularly enjoyable to me.

Overall, I thought that Entanglement was a super enjoyable read. I’m not sure what will happen in the next book(s) but I have a pretty good idea where it’ll start. Kilby is a master science fiction writer.

Steven Jay Cohen narrated this one and absolutely crushes it. He was able to voice each character differently without feeling forced. I particularly liked his voicing of both of the QI (think AI but in quantum instead of regular computers). These were two characters that weren’t in your face for the full story (especially Solomon) but he still voiced them in unforgettable ways.

I won’t get too into it or spoil it, but I love that the one QI’s name was Solomon. It’s an excellent use of what that name is associated with and I tip my hat to Kilby for it!

A Compelling Introduction with Lots of Personality

I received this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Entanglement is book one in The Belt series, written by Gerald M. Kilby and narrated by Steven Jay Cohen. It follows Commander Scott McNabb and his crew. The characters are full of personality, the story is entertaining and there are plenty of twists and turns. Although it remains somewhat simplistic and shallow throughout, it makes for an engrossing adventure. And Cohen is the perfect narrator for the job.

Over the course of the roughly six and a half hour book, Scott and his crew explore new regions, run from bandits and fight for survival, He commands the Hermes, and his crew includes a washed up marine, a doctor, an engineer, a mechanic and a Quantum Intelligence (AI). The characters are all unique and vibrant. They regularly spar with Scott, and they never take an order without sharing their opinions. Although the relationships between each character are certainly compelling, Scott is the only one who gets a solid backstory. Despite this, Aria, the Quantum Intelligence, is the strongest character in the book. She aides the crew in various ways, and her dialogue and convictions are fascinating. Her banter with the crew is excellent. The story itself moves quickly enough to remain interesting. The crew travels to the edges of the galaxy on a search and retrieve mission. Following a few setbacks, they travel to two distinct locations. Although it can seem somewhat predictable, Kilby tells a fresh story here.

Cohen is the perfect narrator for Entanglement. He speaks clearly and moves at a comfortable pace. His sentences flow in a rhythmic pattern, and he knows how to convey emotion. Kilby uses "said" frequently throughout the book to point to the speaker in each passage. However, Cohen uses a unique tone for each character, which makes this seem redundant. He does a great job with every aspect of his narration, and I'm eager to hear more of his work.

Kilby's written a fun, action-packed adventure. His characters are believable ad likable, and his story never gets boring or convoluted. He does a fine job preparing the reader for book two, Cohen adds to the experience by using voices that expertly match characters and emotions that fit each situation. Overall, I highly recommend Entanglement. I can't wait to start on book two!

Good enough to make me read the second one

I received this book for free, but the review is left of my own accord.

The crew reminds me a bit of the crew of the Serenity, the Nostromo, or the Bebop. The description of the ship reminds me a bit of the Nostromo itself. The story itself could definitely fit into Firefly. So if you like Firefly, this book might be for you.

The story was good. It sets up several possible courses the series could follow, though I felt like the events could have been stretched out a bit more if only to give more time for world-building. The idea of humanity stretched to these multiple worlds and ready to fight each other for this prize is good, but more detail or history could have been given.

The character development is good, but feels a little rushed. But still, I like the progression of the characters and am eager to see how they grow from here. I'm hoping some of the side characters from this book might get more screen time in the sequel so they can also get some development.

My biggest complaint about this book is pretty minor. It's that the climactic events of the book have similarities with the climax of The Martian. I'm trying to be vague so as not to give anything away, and I understand the pigeonhole the similar situation puts the characters of both stories into so I cant complain too much. It was just that once the character in this book had her epiphany, I knew exactly what was going to happen. Like I said, pretty minor.

Read this book if you like Firely and Serenity.
Read this book if you like Cowboy Bebop.

Good story

I liked this book, you get some of the back story of the main characters but it doesn't go and give you their entire life story just what you need to understand the characters. The story itself was good the author didn't try to take the situation and make it into a starwars style book, the characters all the the reactions that you would have if you were put in the situation, they didn't automatically have all the answers to resolve the story. You have characters that are flawed and don't have experience dealing with what is going on. The only thing I didn't like was some of the voices, sometimes I couldn't tell who was talking, but once I focused on the story and voices instead of just the voices it wasn't an issue, the book and narration flowed well and I didn't try to find the plot and just enjoyed the story, it ended well and set up the next book.
I listen to audiobooks through out the day and enjoy good books I think this is one of those.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.