Book description
Edward McKeown's "Hidden Stars" serves up space opera with all the subtlety of a laser cannon to the face, and somehow that's exactly what makes it work. While the author dangles Shasti Rainhell over yet another existential crisis in the vastness of space, you can practically hear the audiobook narrator's voice cracking under the weight of McKeown's relentless plot contrivances.
The beauty of this fourth installment lies in how it gleefully ignores the concept of character development fatigue. Here's Shasti, supposedly rebuilding her life (again), only to be dragged back into Mandela's web of suicidal missions. It's like watching someone escape a toxic relationship only to immediately fall into an identical one with better special effects.
McKeown's greatest strength is his commitment to absurdity. A warship from the galactic core? Check. Robot body philosophical debates? Absolutely. Mikhail Vaugh randomly appearing to chaos-ify everything? Why not? The audiobook format actually enhances these ridiculous moments, turning what could be eye-rolling scenes into legitimately entertaining theatrical performances.
The real charm killer is how seriously everyone takes their own melodrama while the plot hurtles forward like a freight train powered by deus ex machina fuel. Shasti's romantic interest in a linguist feels as forced as her previous dozen relationships, but there's something endearingly honest about McKeown's refusal to pretend his characters aren't puppets dancing to the tune of convenient plot devices.
If you're looking for nuanced science fiction, keep looking. But if you want three credit hours of explosions, philosophical robots having identity crises, and Shasti Rainhell once again saving the universe while wearing approximately three too many plot armor pieces, this audiobook delivers exactly what it promises: beautifully narrated nonsense.
Demand Chopper
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Feral Cookie
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Goldman
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Kamikaze Grandma
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Twine X
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Thrasher
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Irish Dze
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Blinker
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Hidden Tree
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Sugar Domino
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Low Voltage
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Instant Star
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Treasure Devil
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High Woo
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Stallion Patton
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Pop Bee
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Father Abbot
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Sir Squire
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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
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
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