This is the greatest book I've ever read

I have never been more affected by a story. A masterpiece. The pacing of the narrative is deliberate and the collision of interstellar precognition with old-world prophecy is delightfully told. I remain intrigued by the universe the story was told in, and blown away by the dynamism of the characters portrayed.

20 people found this helpful

Wonderful on so many levels.

What other book might you compare Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard to and why?

Although I will say that as a sci-fi book, which bits that take place in space, there's little to no tech discussed at all. You could call it sci-fantasy, but aside from precognitives, telepaths, and the idea that you can summon the dead by way of calling on their memories, there's nothing Fantastical about it either. The book feels more like a mystery and a political thriller, and the closest thing I can think of to it would be "The End of All Things" by Scalzi.

Which character – as performed by J. G. Hertzler – was your favorite?

The voice-actor's best is perhaps with Senator Bish, getting the tone of voice right. Or perhaps Magda's. Both were complex, tonally.

Any additional comments?

The characters are lovely, most of them unpleasant, but still lovely. By the end I adored one of the characters, and hope to more of him with the author's writing. The prose is a welcoming, slow tide that sweeps you along on a pleasant river. The setting is enjoyable, although we only get one deep look at the rich culture of Barsk, at the race of fonts, despite the galaxy being filled with so many races. That's alright, as the plot is so heavily tied in with fonts, their culture, history and the resource on their planet. The fact every race seems to be prejudiced against the font strained my suspension of disbelief, but it comes up in the end that there's a real and legitimate reason for this that satisfied me.

Honestly I can't find anything negative to say about this book, beyond that I don't have more of it already.

13 people found this helpful

A MUST-HAVE audiobook!

Would you listen to Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard again? Why?

I love listening to Audio Books on my daily commute, and frequently re-listen to favorites. I have read the BOOK version, and was chomping at the bit for BARSK to come out as an audiobook!

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character Jorl is my favorite, but Pizlo is growing on me.

What does J. G. Hertzler bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

J. G. Hertzler's voice is a joy to listen to, and his vocal interpretations of how some of the characters sound is AMAZING! He has brought this book to life, and given me a new appreciation of this tale.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Jorl's conversation with his late father is particularly moving.

Any additional comments?

At the heart of the very best Science Fiction lies social commentary. In Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard, Lawrence M. Schoen crafts a far-future post-human civilization which examines many of prejudices that exist in our world today. Difficult topics such as suicide, genocide, the afterlife, social taboos and prejudices, both social and physical, have been woven into this tale of 'raised mammals' fighting to possess koph, a drug which allows users to speak to the dead. The problem is that koph is native to the planet Barsk, where the Fant, a race of despised, evolved-elephants have been exiled because they are so 'different'. Yet even this ostracized race has internal prejudices that further divide them. This is truly a though-provoking read, filled with twists and an ending which caught me off guard. I sincerely hope Lawrence Shoen is hard at work on a sequel because I want to find out what happens next! If this isn't worthy of a HUGO award, nothing is!

9 people found this helpful

Intriguing concept

This is not a book that reaches out and grabs you from the first few words. You have to let it wash over you and draw you in, and then you are hooked. The clues are there, but don't hit you over the head, so they build up organically. Even so, the end is something of a surprise, and all in all it was all very skillfully done.

I'm not one of those reviewers who treats a review like a book report where I have to prove that I read the whole book, but rather one who comments on the quality of the writing and the extent to which the reader/listener is drawn in and entertained and even prompted to think a little. On those terms, I would say this book is a winner on all counts, including narration.

3 people found this helpful

The books' Graveyard

What disappointed you about Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard?

Firstly, the narrator does a very bad job of separating the characters. At no point in the book did I have any certainty of who was speaking. I am 80% of the way through the story don't care who does what to whom because I just don't care enough about the characters. None of the scenes are separated by any meaningful scene descriptions, so not only do I have no idea of who is talking but no idea of where they are either.Secondly, the author does a very bad job of making it seem real - the world building is just enough to sell the book, but not enough to sell the story. Brilliant young creatures who have magical abilities make contact with their dead relatives and don't once ask how they are doing, whats going on etc - just get in, and get out and leave the reader wanting more. Very little believable in these relationships and skills behind them.

Other readers seemed to have loved it - so go for it if you have not read a fair amount of Sci-fi.

I will probably not try another of this authors writing. Perhaps this should be filed as young adult fiction.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I will not finish the book because my credit can be used elsewhere better.

How could the performance have been better?

The book is well read, but lacks everything an audiobook needs to be believable. The performance could have added character dimension to this book, but instead did not separate the voices / characters so it was VERY VERY VETY difficult to know who was speaking - and eventually I could no longer care who was speaking in order to hold the story together. No voice changes - the death of an audiobook.

9 people found this helpful

Boring

Boring. It's all I can tell you. Animals talking to dead animals. The story doesn't make a lot of sense. I listened for 3 chapters and finally gave up. I returned the book.

2 people found this helpful

Great Sci-Fi

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

Solid story that offers new ways to look at our universe, how we affect those around us and the concepts of immortality and re-incarnation.

What did you like best about this story?

Both original and familiar. Easy read.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the main character realized he had gotten so many things wrong, but still kept his composure and secured his place as the hero of the story.

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

no, but it was very enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

Sometimes I wish we could drop the term Sci-Fi and replace it with Literary Science. Much of what we call fiction is a visionary description of a future or a natural phenomena not yet proven or generally understood. There are concepts in this book that I believe fit in that category, particularly that we leave symbolic 'pieces' of ourselves, like dust, on the people and places we visit during life. I found the book's discussion of 'nephrons' offered tools to better consider these concepts.

4 people found this helpful

A fresh new breath of a story!

Where does Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

For me, what sets a book above others is that it's a new baseline in the story. Something I haven't read about before. Wizards and magic, that's not new, but can be great. Barsk on the other hand was something new from the start on for me. And what makes a book really great for me is if it can paint pictures in my mind. That I can see the characters and the surroundings playing like a movie in my head. And of course, the story needs to be catching and exciting.

Barsk is just this. All of it. I love the characters, and hate a couple too. There is something new and fresh about the story and concept that drew me in from the start. With great care Schoen spins a tale that kept me driving slower and longer than I needed too (listening to the audiobook). With the plot twisting and turning ways that I didn't expect I had to force myself to put it on pause and out of the car more than once.

That the narrator, J.G. Hertzler has a voice that is plesant to listen to was of course also a pluss.

4 people found this helpful

Good book, interesting characters... But...

There is nothing wrong with this book, but the strange concepts of telepathic elephants and otters and just all the animal characters is just too strange for me and I'm a fan of ZOO. I just could not get into this world.

1 person found this helpful

refreshing

a good story, well crafted and delightfully different. I enjoyed the characters and their embrace of their unique technologies.
the reading could have been smoother

2 people found this helpful