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How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.33) - 12 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In this fiercely original novel, Charles is a time-traveling repairman working in the off-kilter Minor Universe 31. He helps clients return to their biggest mistakes, which they incorrectly believe they can repair. But they can't-and that's bad news for Charles, who once accidentally ran into and shot his future self. ". a triumph, as good as anything in Calvino or Stanislaw Lem. I wish I could travel back in time with a copy and fraudulently publish it under my own name."-Lev Grossman, New York Times best-selling author
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"Not really hard sci-fi (is meta sci-fi a genre?), but interesting concepts and great character development, even though the main character isn't particularly likable. Everything about this book is self-referential. "
— Phoebe (4 out of 5 stars)
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“A brainy reverie of sexbots, rayguns, time travel, and Buddhist zombie mothers…Packed with deft emotional insight.”
— Economist (London) -
“Glittering layers of gorgeous and playful meta-science-fiction…Yu is a superhero of rendering human consciousness and emotion in the language of engineering and science…A complex, brainy, genre-hopping joyride of a story, far more than the sum of its component parts, and smart and tragic enough to engage all regions of the brain and body.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“A funny, funny book, and it’s a good thing, too; because at its heart it’s a book about loneliness, regret, and the all-too-human desire to change the past.”
— Tor.com -
“Compulsively rereadable…Hilarious.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“There’s some really beautiful descriptions of time travel worthy of a Murray Gold–scored Doctor speech.”
— BookRiot -
“A whimsical yet sincere tribute to old-school science fiction and quantum physics…A fascinating, philosophical and disorienting thriller about life and the context that gives it meaning.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Awards
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A BookRiot Pick of Books to Read If You Miss Doctor Who
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe Listener Reviews
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" A missing-father novel, done in a pleasantly fresh way. Yu uses his slyly deconstructed time-travel narrative as an armature for a slowly boiling account of growing up with a complicated father. "
— Tom, 6/17/2011 -
" Infinite time loops are sexy. Oh Lord, I think my geek level just rose about 200%. "
— Sumayyah, 6/17/2011 -
" Wonderful,refreshing and thought provoking read,most definitely note the influence of Douglas Adams <br/>Highly recommend<br/> "
— Sandy, 6/11/2011 -
" I thought I was going to enjoy this book. But then I didn't enjoy it. Some books are like that. "
— Heather, 6/8/2011 -
" Made it onto the NYT's best books of the year list, but not my favorite read. While the concept is interesting, the narrative did not get compelling until the last third of the book. Even science fictional novels need to have some kind of plot momentum. "
— Julia, 6/7/2011
About Charles Yu
Charles Yu is the author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, which was named one of the best books of the year by Time magazine. He received the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Award for his story collection Third Class Superhero and was a finalist for the PEN Center USA Literary Award. His work has been published in the New York Times, Playboy, and Slate, among other periodicals.
About James Yaegashi
James Yaegashi has appeared in numerous Broadway and off-Broadway productions, film, and television roles. He was also a popular radio disc jockey in Japan. He is a four-time winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award for audiobook narration, and his voice-over credits include a featured role in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.