Nimbus

By: Alexander Jablokov

Narrated by: Colby David Elliott

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Peter Ambrose is a struggling jazz musician who earns some extra income installing brain prosthetics on the side. One day, someone from his hidden and forgotten past turns up dead - and Peter has to reluctantly go out and find out who might want to eliminate the surviving members of the Nimbus Project.

Nimbus is both dark and funny, a blend of science fiction, noir, cultural satire, and suspense.

"A terrific book...compelling...irresistible...entertaining...a real winner.... There is poetry in Jablokov's prose. He makes each character come to life." (New York Review of Science Fiction)

"Thought-provoking...an engrossing, introspective novel packed with action and plenty of neat futuristic touches." (Publisher's Weekly)

©1993 Alexander Jablokow (P)2012 Alexander Jablokow

Thrilling from the first word to the last!

I was taken in completely with the premise of the story. The narrator, Mr. Elliott, carried me through the world without hesitation or doubt. The main character, Peter Ambrose, is trying to figure out who is killing his old cohort and why. Peter is convincing in his flaws and mistakes through the story; he is the imperfect everyman who is everything but average. In a world where memories are altered every day, knowledge can be uploaded into the brain, and people are never who you think they are, this novel might cut too close to the truth in half a century. If you liked, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep," you should read "Nimbus" as a fun companion to Philip K. Dick’s classic. Peter is not as likable as Deckard, but I found myself enthralled with Peter’s weaknesses. And while few people can compare to Dick, Jablokov does a great job of writing an exciting story.

There was a moment during "Nimbus" when I paused and asked myself, “Is this our future?” Any novel that makes me stop the story in order to ponder possibilities is one I will certain listen to again. There were many moments when the ideas engendered by the story gave me pause later in the day.

As a narrator, Mr. Elliott brings a lot to this noir story, filled with gritty characters and shadowy motivations. Each character is unique without being distracting, and convincing for their role in the plot. Mr. Elliott's range of voice acting is magnificent and at the same time subtle enough to transport my suspension of disbelief. Action scenes are exciting and chase sequences reminiscent of “The Third Man.” I have listened to many narrators and Mr. Elliott ranks among my favorites. I look forward to listening to more of his work.

Without hesitation, I suggest this novel to science fiction and detective noir aficionados.

This was a wonderful surprise!

I was not familiar with this author, having never read any of his work. This was recommended to me by a friend. While this is definitely hard core science fiction, that should not be a deterrent. It's actually one of the positives about the story - it allows for a great deal of world building, and a lot of back story. I like knowing the scope and history of the books I am listening to. I enjoy the depth.

I love Ambrose. I can see where he is maddening, but he is very appealing. The reader captures what and who he is perfectly. He is very short, curt, and precise in his reading of Ambrose - it brings Ambrose to life, for me.

I also really like the timbre of his voice. The language used by Jablokov is frankly, if you love words, just delicious. The reader does a wonderful job of conveying that deliciousness. He is not overly affected, either.

The reader is Colby Elliot. I am also unfamiliar with his work, and was pleased at this introduction. I have had even some of the old favorites of my library ruined by what I felt was a poor choice of a reader. That's not the case here. Elliot gets these characters, and does a wonderful job of bringing them alive. You don't always find that - a reader who truly gets the characters he or she is reading, but Elliot does.

So this work gets two thumbs up from me, for both the story itself, and the person who read it.

Did Thomas Pynchon Read "Nimbus?"

When thinking about a work, I always consider the year or time period it was written. In this case, 1993 is interesting because it happened just before the internet took off. The story takes place in 2030, just a few years from now. So, I spent a lot of time noticing futuristic tech, like brain implants and new faces, while noting the absence of the internet and devices that we know actually came to dominate life since then. That was fun.
I detected a lot of Thomas Pynchon influence. The story has a lot of similarities to Inherent Vice, and I wondered if Pynchon had read Nimbus before writing it. Did Jablokov in turn influence his idol? Also a little Monkey Wrench gang feel, with some radical environmentalists. And, of course, there is the Phillip Marlowe style noir aspect throughout. I like all of these things, so this book was right up my alley.
The narration by Colby David Elliot is excellent, as always. I would rate his narration skill right up there with Wil Wheaton. You won't go wrong with Nimbus, and it's worth it to check out more Jablokov as well.

Why??!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

RECOMMEND??? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! First, I rarely look at the extremes of reviews. Especially the "Ones" because I believe they are too severe. When I started listening, I thought the pace of the narration was set at 2X. It was not. So I set it at 1/2X. Then it DRONED, but at least I could follow the storyline better. But, as I said, it droned and I finally had to set it back to normal speed or fall asleep.The narrator speaks with NO PUNCTUATION, NO CHANGE OF INTONATION, and NO CHANGE IN CHARACTER VOICE. The story -may- be good, but it is so awful to listen to that I don't care about the story anymore. I've quit listening to the book.

What did you like best about this story?

Nothing. I had a hard time caring because the narration is so awful.

Which character – as performed by Colby David Elliott – was your favorite?

None of them. I could not tell the difference between one character and another because their was no change of "voice" by the narrator.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Don't See Me!

Any additional comments?

I wish I could get my credit back.