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The Digital Meltdown

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The Digital Meltdown

By: Roger Ley
Narrated by: Craig Bowles
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About this listen

Scientist Dr. Martin Riley hopes to solve the world's plastic pollution problem and get very rich in the process, but the bacterium Ideonella Sakaiensis has its own agenda. Riley engineers a new strain of bacteria to tackle the ever-growing plastic pollution crisis. Initially, he is hailed as a hero and awarded a Nobel Prize, but the bacteria attack all the plastic on the planet, destroy the internet and bring an end to the Digital Age.

Meanwhile, Mary Lee, commander of the International Space Station, orbits overhead, a mute observer of mankind’s struggles on the planet below. She quarantines the Station to protect her digital companions, Jackson, and Mother, but isolates herself from humanity. Mankind stands at a tipping point as the digital era ends and technology returns to the age of steam. Can humanity recover, or will this be a final extinction event?

©2023 Roger Ley (P)2023 Roger Ley Dystopian Genetic Engineering Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Fiction Scary Thought-Provoking

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Listener received this title free

This isn’t my sort of book but I was giving a chance to listen to it for free.
I am grateful I was because this story is very well written and the characters are easily imaginable and I ended up wanting to listen to it in one sitting.
The author really has you laughing and also keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.
I recommend you read or listen to this book, I feel you will not be disappointed.

A thought provoking story

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Listener received this title free


i have all of roger audio books all of them are very good 5 out of 5 for them all

Wow

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Listener received this title free

Fantastic story that wonderfully manages to be current, futuristic and then throw in a return to the past! Incredically thought provoking and slightly scary as it feels like it will become true. You really should give this a listen.

Thought provoking, topical and a great story

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Listener received this title free

Engaging plot & well described characters. Highlighted by the great narration.

Thanks for the complimentary copy.

Engaging

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Listener received this title free

NOTE: I was given a free copy of this book to review. This has not influenced the honesty of the review.

I enjoyed this prequel to the Harry Lampeter series very much and it answered a number of questions that the original series left unanswered. It explains how we get from where we are now to the state of the world of Harry Lampeter.

It is quite a different style to the main Harry Lampeter series, but enjoyable none-the-less.

The narration was generally good. No complaints worth writing about,

I would definitely recommend reading this before starting the "main" series.

Different to the others - but good nonetheless.

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Listener received this title free

This is not a funny book, it has moments of humour, but it's not a Harry Lampeter novel. The Digital Meltdown is a prequel to the Harry Lampeter, it provides the backstory to the Age of Steam and establishes the context in which Harry Lampeter operates. We already knew from the Harry Lampeter books the bare facts of the Digital Meltdown, but here we meet the people involved in and affected by the Meltdown. As expected Roger Ley peoples the story with believable characters brought to life by Craig Bowles's narration. Some of these characters don't have happy stories and all live through events that demand more than some can give. At times I was quite moved.

The book is plausible and doesn't demand any suspension of the reader's beliefs. It rather raises questions about the the world in which we live and how we live in in it. It shows the fragility of all we think we know. I really enjoyed the way AI is portrayed and the possibilities it raises. Although the book visits some dark places, it is ultimately hopeful and optimistic. I enjoyed it and felt satisfied at the end.

Plenty of food for thought

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Listener received this title free

This book is a prequel to the Harry Lampeter books, describing in detail how the collapse of our civilization happened. It goes into detail about the origins of the Riley bug which did all the damage, and is a sombre commentary on messing with gene editing, causing uninteded consequences (as outlined in the Lampeter books). It is a much more serious book than the Lampeters which was a bit of a shame, very little humour, but a well thought out story with plenty of supporting science, although a few of the scientific explanations were a bit 'iffy'. The narration was good, but a few of the accents missed the mark somewhat.

Prequel to Harry Lampeter

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Listener received this title free

This book is a prequel to the Harry Lampeter books but is completely different. When I finished the book I wanted more as the characters were so engaging, I could have done with a complete new series based on them - they were so good and interesting. The stories were brilliant - I loved the ending especially (dont want to spoil it) but you will know when you get to it.

Oh and the narration, what can I say, just brought the characters to life.

Absolutely brilliant

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Listener received this title free

This is amazing to learn the story of how the Riley bug started and affected different people throughout the world, and space

Amazing

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Listener received this title free

This is a review given in exchange for a free download.
I found the book very enjoyable despite it being a bit predictable from the start. It was quite scary how believable the story was and how vulnerable we are as a civilisation.
Characters were very well portrayed and I particularly enjoyed the AI Jackson and his development.

I wasn’t that impressed with the narrator. It just felt a bit stilted at times and not quite as natural as most others I have listened to.

I can imagine the book would be better read rather than listened to.

Generally a good read and well worth reading.

Very enjoyable read

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