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tamagojin88's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
h3dakota's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this short story! I'd have been even happier with a longer one. Can't decide which was better: the story or the narrator! ❤️
ogreart's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the matter-of-fact tone that the author used in this book. It was interesting to see the impossible treated so casually by the characters. Made it more fun.
librarian_of_trantor's review against another edition
3.0
Not much depth to this story but it was goofy and fun. The protagonist, a 14 yo boy, struggles with typical adolescent issues (boy-girl, bullies, parent) while repairing rips in the space time continuum in Savanna GA (because he is a genius, of course). Then (small spoiler) he falls through one into an alternate universe where he lived with his birth father instead being adopted. And learn some important lessons about life from the experience.
It is an Audible Audio original so there is no written version. They added sound effects, like birdsong, to add verisimilitude. That led to an interesting occurrence for me. I was listening to it on my phone. The teen aged protagonist had just told a woman to "fuck yourself" in grocery store, then a phone rang. With the way they were doing sound effects I expected the character's mother to answer the phone with it being a call from the store about her son. But it rang for awhile and I realized that it was actually my phone ringing. (Old fashion phone ring is the ring tone for my 94 yo mother.)
It is an Audible Audio original so there is no written version. They added sound effects, like birdsong, to add verisimilitude. That led to an interesting occurrence for me. I was listening to it on my phone. The teen aged protagonist had just told a woman to "fuck yourself" in grocery store, then a phone rang. With the way they were doing sound effects I expected the character's mother to answer the phone with it being a call from the store about her son. But it rang for awhile and I realized that it was actually my phone ringing. (Old fashion phone ring is the ring tone for my 94 yo mother.)
kay_slayerofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was kind of AWESOME
It's really amazing how much info can be gleaned from a well written short story. In no way do I feel unsatisfied. The concept, the back story, the why and the conclusion were all there. And I thoroughly enjoyed it.
4 stars
It's really amazing how much info can be gleaned from a well written short story. In no way do I feel unsatisfied. The concept, the back story, the why and the conclusion were all there. And I thoroughly enjoyed it.
4 stars
ryanpfw's review against another edition
3.0
Wally Roux, Quantum Mechanic would have benefited from a longer running time.
Spoilers.
The central plot is that Wally Roux, a fourteen year old black child adopted by a single white woman, is transplanted from Maine to Savanah, Georgia, where he notes failures in the space time continuum, which he is able to repair with his trusty quantum-based tools.
I was unclear what type of genre this story would fit into, whether it be comedy or science fiction. It seems to veer into coming-of-age poignancy, and I was convinced Wally's use of science fiction was a defense mechanism to allow him to process racism and his place in the world. The story spends a lot of time on a love interest plot line that ultimately doesn't go anywhere, redeems a character believed to be a one-dimensional bimbo who is in the end quite layered, and veers back towards science fiction in a very well-done plot line about the road not traveled.
The ending is abrupt, and while I'm a fan of surprises and fakeouts, I'm not sure it worked well here. A genre shift can be exceptional, but I was left confused as to what I just listened to and wishing there was more, not because it was so good but because it might have grounded the plot. The narration is exceptional as is the production, but it did too good a job of being vague about what it was trying to say.
Spoilers.
The central plot is that Wally Roux, a fourteen year old black child adopted by a single white woman, is transplanted from Maine to Savanah, Georgia, where he notes failures in the space time continuum, which he is able to repair with his trusty quantum-based tools.
I was unclear what type of genre this story would fit into, whether it be comedy or science fiction. It seems to veer into coming-of-age poignancy, and I was convinced Wally's use of science fiction was a defense mechanism to allow him to process racism and his place in the world. The story spends a lot of time on a love interest plot line that ultimately doesn't go anywhere, redeems a character believed to be a one-dimensional bimbo who is in the end quite layered, and veers back towards science fiction in a very well-done plot line about the road not traveled.
The ending is abrupt, and while I'm a fan of surprises and fakeouts, I'm not sure it worked well here. A genre shift can be exceptional, but I was left confused as to what I just listened to and wishing there was more, not because it was so good but because it might have grounded the plot. The narration is exceptional as is the production, but it did too good a job of being vague about what it was trying to say.
dolcezzina21's review against another edition
5.0
Great narrator! Amazing voice, fun and pleasant to listen to. Deeper than I expected. A solid 5.
cojack's review against another edition
5.0
Another short (2 hours) audible freebie that impressed me. The story is a great mix of coming of age and sci fi. Wally Roux is young physics genius who can actually fix glitches in the space-time matrix, but living his day-to-day life as black teen at a mostly white private school is harder. He doesn’t fit in for so many reasons. The story is utterly charming and touching. It tackles race, puberty, bullying, adoption, socio-economic issues, and family dynamics. The narration by William Jackson Harper (who plays Chidi on The Good Place) was fantastic. It was like a one-man stage show, really. Great YA short story.
elzabetg's review against another edition
5.0
What a marvelous little book! And the narration was perfect.