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The Downloaded  By  cover art

The Downloaded

By: Robert J. Sawyer
Narrated by: Brendan Fraser, Luke Kirby, Vanessa Sears, Colm Feore, Andrew Phung, full cast
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Publisher's summary

In 2059, two vastly different groups of people portrayed by the compelling trio of Brendan Fraser (Academy Award winner), Luke Kirby (Emmy Award winner), and Vanessa Sears (Dora Award winner) undergo cryonic suspension. While their bodies are frozen, their minds, still active and awake, are uploaded into a massive quantum computer. The first group are all astronauts, about to leave Earth on a one-way interstellar colonization mission. The second group consists of convicted murderers and volunteers who elect to serve their sentences in a virtual-reality prison. But while both groups are suspended, a global cataclysm devastates most of the Earth, and their cryosleep is extended by more than 500 years.

Now available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.

©2023 Robert J. Sawyer (P)2023 Audible Originals, LLC.

A look behind the scenes.

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About the Creator

Robert J. Sawyer is considered one of Canada’s bestselling science-fiction authors. He has won multiple awards and is the only Canadian and one of eight novelists to win three of science fiction’s best novel awards of the year, including the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. (He’s won the top science fiction awards in the United States, Canada, France, Japan [three times], Spain [three times}, and China). Mr. Sawyer’s published 24 novels and other work have been translated into 20 languages: Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, Galician, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, and Turkish. Some of his notable works include the Audible Originals Hominids (Hugo Award Winner), The Terminal Experiment (Nebula Award Winner), Humans, the WWW trilogy, Hybrids, Calculating God, Starplex, Quantum Night, and many others. Some of his TV credits include Flashforward, the ABC series adapted from the novel of the same name, and Star Trek Continues. He is also known for his expertise in blending science and technology with philosophical and ethical questions, making his work very popular among readers who enjoy science fiction that explores the human condition. You can learn more about Robert J. Sawyer here.

About the performer

Brendan Fraser is a Canadian-American actor most recently known for winning the Academy Award for his role in The Whale. He’s also appeared in The Mummy trilogy, George of the Jungle, Encino Man, and School Ties. Brendan also appeared in critically acclaimed films such as Gods and Monsters and The Quiet American. His recent television credits include Doom Patrol (HBO Max), Professionals, and Trust (FX), to name a few. You can learn more about Brendan Fraser hereand here.
Next up for Brendan: Killers of the Flower Moon starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro and directed by Martin Scorsese.

About the performer

Luke Kirby is an Emmy-Award-winning theatre, film, and television actor who has performed on stages in Toronto and NYC over the years in productions of Troilus and Cressida, Jump/Cut, Defender of the Faith, Judgment Day, and more.
Luke starred opposite Michelle Williams in Sarah Polley’s film Take This Waltz and opposite Samuel L. Jackson in The Samaritan. More recently, Luke starred as Ted Bundy opposite Elijah Wood in No Man of God.
In television, one of Luke’s favourite roles was in the critically acclaimed miniseries Slings & Arrows opposite Rachel McAdams. He has also had regular roles on HBO’s Tell Me You Love Me, Sundance TV’s Rectify, and Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in the role of Lenny Bruce.

About the performer

Raised in Deep River, Ontario, Vanessa Sears is a Dora Award, Toronto Theatre Critics, Broadway World, and Critic’s Pick Award-winning artist. She has starred on stages across Canada including the Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, the historic Winter Garden Theatre, and many more. Vanessa has also appeared in numerous films and television programs, including Suits, CBC’s TallBoyz, Lifetime’s Too Close for Christmas, Sex/Life (Netflix), and more. You can also see Vanessa starring in 14 Love Letters as well as Royally Wrapped for Christmas.

What listeners say about The Downloaded

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very good narrators, makes you think.

Very good story. Leaves you pondering upon the human nature. Excellent narrators. I recommend highly.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Far left atheist drill

leave out the far left or far right politics. please. just want to be entertained not lecture to about the author's agenda. telling the reader that the convict attempted rapist is like the people that refuse the COVID shot is just insane and hateful on the author's part

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Eye Awakening

Well done and eye awakening. It’s If only we can escape our current real life situations with as much luck as did our survivors. The idea isn’t far fetched and likely already halfway there. What we all need to get here most of all, are the general lessons learned. What our current civilization needs to wake up and acknowledge. It’s a great story. Great narration. Love the Dolby Sound. Put on those AirPods or the like. Well worth the listen. Very immersive. 👍👍

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Story

Before I started listening to the book, I was thinking it was going to be similar to the show Upload. However turned out not to be like it at all. However this is an awesome story with awesome characters on what could happen if you were asleep for hundreds of years while the world collapsed around you.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Spellbinding

Loved it. Loved the characters. Loved the story. Loved the performances. Bring this to the silver screen. Love to sell a great movie made from this!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Cool Story

Good story line and narrators, worth the listen! Brendan Fraser was great! Hopefully there’s a sequel!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Worth the listen!

Good story, premise is tight. Vivir acting is believable and taut with emotion. I recommend

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic

Such a dynamic story! Loved the interview layout, it really brought the story to life.

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2 people found this helpful

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It ended all too soon.

I read the description of this story and thought it might be good. After I made the purchase I was disappointed to see that it was only a little longer than 5 hours. I was pleasantly surprised as I enjoyed the story immensely, it just ended all too soon.

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2 people found this helpful

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Really enjoyed it

I was a little put off at first, but I stuck with it, until it started making sense. The story was interesting and written well enough that I could picture the scenes as I was listening. The voice actors did a good job and kept my attention.

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2 people found this helpful