Audiobook Hawksbill Station by Robert Silverberg in the ListenBook app

Want to listen to the audiobook Hawksbill Station written by Robert Silverberg
ListenBook is here to help!

In ListenBook you can listen Hawksbill Station and any other audiobooks you download from the internet.

ListenBook is the easiest and most convenient app for listening to audiobooks
in MP3, MP4, OPUS, OGG, FLAC, AWB, M4B, M4A, WMA, AAC formats
on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad!

Download fo free audiobook Hawksbill Station by Robert Silverberg and listen anywhere on your iOS devices in the ListenBook app.

Book description

Hey, you won't believe the audiobook I just finished-Robert Silver Scholastic's Hawksbill Station. Picture this: a mid-21st-century sci-fi plot where, because politics got too dull, the justice system decides to send a gaggle of political prisoners to the late Cambrian era via time-travel. And not just anywhere-the place is called Hawksbill Station, a prison camp set among the first "trilobites, early marine life, and the occasional angry sea-urchin" that your granddad's geology book would have made a living from.

Now, let's unpack the premise: the newest arrival, a man who knows too much about something called "Up Front," deflects questions about his crimes and his knowledge with the kind of smoothness a barista would use to dodge the question of why the coffee tastes like regret. Naturally, the inmates, which include a former senator, a disgraced scientist, and a disgruntled poet, decide to play detective. Imagine a group of time-travelling prisoners with less patience than a colony of barnacles on a ship, trying to crack a conspiracy that would make even the most skeptical of us go "Hmm."

The audiobook itself is an exercise in vocal endurance. The narrator does a great job with the low-voiced grunts of the inmates, but when the story drags into an extended dialogue between the prisoners about the ethics of time-travel, the voice begins to sound like a bored teacher lecturing on a subject with no relevance to the rest of us. And the pacing? You might get a slight headache, because the book oscillates between a slow-moving exposition of the Cambrian setting and the sudden "plot-whip" that has the prisoners realizing the mastermind behind the time-travel scheme might be...a guy in a lab coat from the future? It's a little too much "Beneath the surface of the lake" with the occasional splash of "Hold on, you're still there."

Silverberg's prose is classic-long, descriptive, and occasionally a bit dense, which is a hallmark of his style. But when you're listening, that density can turn into a lull, especially when the narrator tries to explain how the Cambrian Era is basically the Jurassic of the 500-million-year-old world. The audiobook is 12 hours of pure, unfiltered, voice-over, and you'll realize you're either an extreme time-traveller or a very patient person. The novella version, which is a short-form version of this story, is a better option if you only have the time to listen to a few hours.

In a world where we're all searching for the next big dystopian thriller, Silverberg's Hawksbill Station feels like a satirical time-machine: the idea of using time-travel as a prison is a clever jab at the justice system, but the execution feels like a bit of a parody of itself. The audiobook's humor comes out of the way it highlights the absurdity-how do you even explain the concept of a "prison camp" to a 500-million-year-old creature? The narrator's deadpan voice helps the irony sit, but the story can be, at times, as confusing as a museum exhibit on trilobite fossils that you're told you can understand only if you've read the entire Earth's history.

All in all, if you're a fan of Silverberg's larger-than-life descriptions, are ready for an audiobook that will challenge your patience, and don't mind a few moments of awkward silence when the narration gets a bit too descriptive, Hawksbill Station is an intriguing listen. But if you're after something that feels fresh, tight, and punchy, consider the novella or perhaps another of Silverberg's more recent works. Either way, it's a reminder that even in the far future, people will still be trying to escape their political fates-by traveling back to a time before smartphones and even before the concept of "Up Front."

Trusted by over 100,000 users across the globe

What is ListenBook?

An app for listening to audiobooks on iOS
Supported on all iOS and iPadOS devices
Able to play audio files that other audiobook apps can't play
Download cover from the Internet.
Supports live audio processing. Built-in equalizer, speed change, volume boost and more features.
Automatic pause in case you fall asleep. To continue playback just shake your phone.
Playback history.
Control audio playback from the lock screen, control center or from the companion app on the Apple Watch

Why ListenBook?

Lots of ways to download audiobooks. Choose the most convenient one for you!
Speed up books voiced by slow readers
Increase the volume of quiet audiobooks
Detailed statistics of your listening progress
Convenient bookmarking system
Smart sleep timer with automatic volume control
Control with Apple Watch and Apple CarPlay
Supports iOS desktop widget
You don't have to finish one book to start another. The progress is saved independently for all books

How does it work?

1

Download audiobooks from any site in any of the supported formats.

2

Add audiobooks to the app using any of the many download methods available.

3

Listen to audiobooks by controlling playback from your phone, headphones, Apple Watch or CarPlay.

Playing a wide variety of audio formats

Works on all devices with iOS 13 and newer

Huge amount of features for a small price

Frequent updates to add new features and improve existing ones

Advanced playback controls

Live sound processing

Changing the timbre of the reader's voice and noise reduction

Translated into more than 20 languages

App for those who love audiobooks

ListenBook has the features you need no matter what you are listening to

Listening to fiction

If you love listening to fiction audiobooks, ListenBook has features to make the process easier.

Edit book data: title, author, cover
Use equalizer to make the sound comfortable for you
Adjust the playback speed
Enjoy dark and light app themes
Supported formats: MP3, M4B, AWB, FLAC, OGG audio files and many more (must be DRM free)
Auto-Bookmarks make it easy to find your place
AirPlay support allows redirection of audio output.
VoiceOver support
Dark mode for night owls

Listening to audio lectures

Convenient bookmarking system helps you mark the most important places.

Unlimited bookmarks for each audiobook
Put your own cover on the wager
Share your audiobook with friends
Lock-screen control
Customise app with extensive options
Sleep timer with shake to reset, set custom notification sounds, and a few unique options
Auto rewind depending on paused time, customize rewind times to your liking
Removing background noise from recordings made in classrooms and meetings
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice for a better listening experience

Every day, thousands of people download ListenBook to listen to audiobooks.

Now it's your turn to listen to audiobooks without distraction!