ABR's full Kyrathaba Rising audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Kyrathaba Rising is a post-apocalyptic world in the 2200’s and which aliens, robots and humans reside. Discovering unstableness and treachery, the humans and androids break into two fractions. One small group of four travels into a parallel world that is virtual in a sense and filled with magic, kings, orcs and such. The other fraction, a much larger group explores going deeper into the underground system they have been forced to live in since the war of human vs alien seven years prior.

Within the book one is faced with two worlds, both fighting for the same right to life and freedom from alien domination. The aliens remain above in a space ship, waiting, patiently.

I found Kyrathaba Rising to be a book one cannot listen to in bits and pieces, rather one must devote longer periods of time because it is very technical in the first 30 minutes. A hardcore science novel, it is very richly devoted to details that creates a clear understanding of what is going on and establishes character development.

It was interesting to experience the mash-up of hardcore science and fantasy, creating a connection where one would not normally see it. The plot development and character development were well executed.

The narrator, Christine Padovan did a good job of narrating. If one listened closely one could distinguish the humans from the androids because the androids spoke with the ending of their words being drawn out.

Production was good as there were no issues and no distracting background noises.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who is a hardcore science fan.

Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.

Science fiction is not my normal go to genre for reading. Occasionally, though, I find a sci-fi book that piques my interest. Kyrathaba Rising by William Bryan Miller was one of those books!

Synopsis (from the author): 170 years from now, aliens decimate Earth. A relative handful of humans survive, hidden in deep subterranean enclaves that offer some protection from surface radiation. Although the main attack is now seven years in the past, one alien ship remains in orbit, and the conquerors are not content merely to let humanity lick its wounds...

What I liked: William Bryan Miller created a new world complete with the remnants of humanity, AI androids, terrifying aliens, and a cool immersion into a computer-generated reality. The story has a great plot (actually multiple plots), great characters, and lots of cool technology. The androids were pretty cool, too, and even had personalities. Filled with surprising plot twists and plenty of action and violence, it was a great read!

What I didn’t like: I’m not a fan of cliffhanger endings and Kyrathaba Rising definitely ended that way. For me, that, that was a disappointment. Other than the ending, though, there wasn’t much to dislike.

Overall impression: Excellent writing, great aliens, plucky humans, cool technology, and interesting androids all make for a great sci-fi book. I will be reading the sequel so I can get past the cliffhanger ending. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction!

My rating: 5 Stars

Kyrathaba is the name of a virtual reality world. Set in the future by nearly 200 years, humans exist in only subterranean remnants. The Earth suffered a devastating attack from aliens and what few humans are slowly dying out due to radiation poisoning. Sethra, a member of compound A-3, has found a way to enter Kyrathaba, and perhaps stay there indefinitely. Things look grim and Sethra, along with a few close friends, seriously contemplate the possibility that humanity as we know it may not be able to continue in their current form.

The story starts off with Sethra and Byron sharing a morning beverage of U Tea. Since they live in these completely enclosed underground capsules, everything, including their urine, is recycled. I am sure you can figure out what goes into the U Tea. Of course, I was enjoying my own morning cup of tea when I listened to this part of the book. And yes, I stared at my tea suspiciously.

So you can see that I was sucked into the straight-faced humor of the book right away. I enjoyed learning about the characters first, letting their current world unfold around me as Sethra and his friends went through their daily routine. Radiation poisoning is killing them off bit by bit. Even though they continue to reproduce as quickly as they can, attrition may well win out; humans are facing the very real possibility of becoming extinct. Compound A-3 has a regular security force who have a regular schedule. Their food is bland. The medical staff and care is the best they can maintain under such circumstances. And there are robots, which is the cool part in all this gloom.

While Sethra looks deeper into the possibility of long-term virtual reality habitation, Earth has a bigger issue. There’s an alien ship in orbit and it’s sole purpose is to monitor the remaining humans. I don’t think humanity could stand up to a second alien invasion. Meanwhile, the geoscientists explore drilling further into the Earth to escape the radiation and expand their living quarters. They discover an underground cavern with a clean water source. In exploring the depth and width of the water source, they make a very surprising discovery. I think this was the secondary plot line I enjoyed the most and want to learn more about. So many questions!

Kyrathaba itself is a Dungeons and Dragons kind of world; there’s magic, Orcs, plenty of sharp weapons, and paragon points to be earned. This magical world complimented, rather than contradicting, the science fiction tone of the larger story. I don’t always enjoy scifi and fantasy melding, but in this case it was done very well. The story had a good mix of characters, both male and female characters having crucial roles to the plot. Plus we had a range of ethnicity and ages. Definite plus!

My one criticism lies in the use of radiation poisoning to be the initial driver of the plot. I did radiological work for several years, dressing in yellow Tyvek, full-face respirator, nasal swabs, etc. To make it very simple, you either have a radiation source emitting radiation or you have radioactive particles that you have ingested or inhaled. For the first, you put shielding between you and it and you should be good. Shielding can be lead, several meters of earth, etc. And compound A-3 had all that in place between it and the surface of the contaminated Earth. The story didn’t really mention the possibility of the population all repeatedly inhaling, imbibing, or ingesting radioactive particles. Basic HEPA filters would take care of this problem and would be the first solution for signs of radiation poisoning. Also, with enough radiation to be causing prolonged radiation sickness over generations, then we would see the electronics failing left, right, and center. Electronics do not hold up well in the glow of radiation. At the best, they get buggy and stay that way. In this tale, we have a lot of cool tech and all of it was working just fine, showing no signs of electronic wear due to prolonged exposure to radiation.

But if I wasn’t such a know it all, the radiation threat would probably work just fine. Over all, I enjoyed the tale and the multiple plot lines. I really want to know what is in that big cavern pool of water! I want to know what happens to Sethra and his friends in the virtual world of Kyrathaba. There are enemies every where it seems, human, alien, and potentially something else. Indeed, there is plenty of worth in this book to propel the reader into the next installment.

The Narration: Padovan did a decent job of narrating. Her characters were each distinct. In fact, she did most of the book with a geek accent which was well suited to many of the characters as they were half raised by their computer implants. Her male voices could use a bit more masculinity, but that is my only negative comment.