Discovery of the Saiph

Saiph, Book 1

By: P. P. Corcoran

Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

The TDF Marco Polo embarks on its maiden voyage outside Earth's solar system, leading to the discovery of an extinct civilization destroyed by orbital bombardment. Deep underground is a mysterious library of alien secrets.

The Terran Republic unravels the clues, forcing its politicians, scientists, navy, and marines to engage in an epic journey of space exploration, space battles, and combat behind enemy lines. They must rally their forces to defend the Earth as they discover The Others are coming.

©2014 PP Corcoran (P)2015 Tantor

Well thought out and executed

Would you listen to Discovery of the Saiph again? Why?

Yes:
There were several characters and locations that I did not get a good enough handle on to fully appreciate the story

What was one of the most memorable moments of Discovery of the Saiph?

"Kill that son of a bitch"

Which scene was your favorite?

There were several scenes that could vie for that distinction. as such it was just a very good listen

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book forced you to tag along mentally on a few levels

Any additional comments?

I think that I caught a couple of nods to Honor Harrington. Could have been a coincidence but probably not.

Really great book

Starts off a little slow while they setup the story, however it quickly picks up once they find the Saiph database. Author builds an interesting universe with different alien races and a nemesis race that will have to be faced in future books. A great book! Very much looking forward to books 2 and 3.

Ok story impossible science

If your science level is third grade or if you can overlook totally bogus, unbelievable science then the characters and the storyline are reasonably interesting. The author clearly either has no science background or doesn't care, but the science is impossible in the universe as we understand it. This is true for the physics, genetics, evolutionary sciences, psychology, basically across the entire board. It is also strange to me that a supposedly planetary government and military would be so anglophilic. Almost all of the leaders are either American or British commonwealth.
With those negatives I do think the narrator did a reasonable job. At least average, maybe a little above average. Despite the annoying science issues I did find the characters interesting and did manage to finish the book. Not sure I can recommend it unless you just want a feel good story that is easy to listen to. If so it is worth the credit.

Good start, but subsequent books don't whispersync

Where does Discovery of the Saiph rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

An enjoyable space opera...I think if you like the genre, you'll like the book.

Any additional comments?

Good start, but subsequent books don't offer whispersync deals...wish I'd have caught that, kind of a deal killer for me...

The story was fast moving with great battles.

Great ideas using fold space and faster then light theory. Great battles while drawing you into the new worlds and species.

Lacking but still entertaining

As far as the story goes, it's rushed. lots of time jumping in the beginning. Stone skipping on water kind of jumping. Once the story gets going it's ok but very predictable. It lacks a lot but it's still entertaining. There were quite a few times I felt a little offended on Evan Currie's behalf. I mean, just because you change a few notes doesn't mean you wrote a new song. It seemed to walk a very thin line, Ice ice baby

Narration was alright. There seemed to be some opportunities for diversity in character voices that weren't taken but there might be reasons for that.

-1 star for everything it could have been but didn't have time to be. -1 star for everything it borrowed from Into the Black.

Good Space Opera

Good light space opera, perfect for making the miles go by on your summer trip. Story is kinda predictable but thats pretty forgivable. The author does conversational material very well, his characters conversations sound believable. Very little florid (Clive Cussler type) verbiage. Big problem with use of language. Confuses "DESTROY" WITH "DECIMATE" with "DEVASTATE". Also, if ;you are going to write science fiction, learn that the plane that the planets rotate around their star is the "ECLIPTIC" not the 'ELIPSIC" . These and other glaring usage mistakes are found throughout the book. Thus three instead of the four stars I would normally have awarded. Looking forward to the sequel although not looking forward to these same usage mistakes. I suspect its way too late to correct them now.

Enjoyable listening...

What made the experience of listening to Discovery of the Saiph the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed this audio book as the author kept it simple without a lot of filler, but plenty of action. Maybe not for the sophisticated reader, but great for me.

The reader didn't have a great variety in his voice, and the women sounded like men, otherwise his reading was ok.

Great story

Love this book. Great story line, interesting plot. About to start the next book now.

Engaging Story

Would you listen to Discovery of the Saiph again? Why?

Yes, I'd enjoy it enough to listen in again in a couple of years. The story moved quickly between the important parts, balancing some character development without spending excessive time on it.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The parts with military crews sacrifice themselves for the great good was a little moving, Good to see the good guys dying. Makes the story a bit more 'believable' even if the military discipline seems a bit too perfect.