Audiobook review: Bobiverse Book 1-3 by Dennis E. Taylor, narrated by Ray Porter

A robot
in space
(a man in space)

We are legion (we are Bob) Bobiverse, Book 1

It's sunday morning. My head is spinning from a lack of self-control at the bar the day before. "I could start a new audiobook today?", I thought. So I did – and I finished it later that same day (briefly interrupted by a nap). The voice of Bob, narrated by Ray Porter, was the only voice I heard that day – and it was great. I was completely sucked into the wonderful world of We are legion (We are Bob). The story is set in, well, today at first, then the future and in a lot of the space around the solar system. It's a book about being an A.I. with endless possibilities – and endless challenges – Bob acts on these challenges like any sane and intelligent person would, and I think that is why the book is so enjoyable. It's pleasant and enticing, and easily worth spending a full sunday listening to. But it's not really as absurd as it could have been, and you don't really get the emotional attachment to the characters as you could have, essentially being immortal A.I.-clones of Bob they're rarely in any real peril, and not very unique – although they all have their own variant personality, they're all very much Bob.

From the description (and the title) of book one, I was expecting a kind of silly sci-fi adventure with bits of Claptrap from Borderlands or Wheatley from Portal 2 robotting around being silly – that's not what it is.

It's a book about exploring, about dealing with unforeseen challenges very unique to the situation of being a Bob and it's about being the only humane not-human in an unforgiving part of the galaxy. A lot of "We are legion (we are Bob)" is spent setting the stage – as with any good book, we need a proper "why?", and we get it – and the anticipation that follows (and keeps you listening).

We are legion (we are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor is definitely worth a listen, but be prepared to want to continue directly into the second book.

For we are many: Bobiverse, Book 2

It's monday, I'm home from work and the first thing I do is put on the second book of Bobiverse – I deliberately cook food that aren't noisy and binge through the first half before bedtime.

Book 2 pretty much continues directly from where book 1 left off. I often find that the first book (or movie) of a series is just a long introduction to the action going on in book 2, and the big bang ending in book 3. This book is no different – but we also get to dive deeper into the explored space, half of the fun of these books is experiencing the very different planets, extraterrestrial life and sci-fi technologies the Bobs discover, disrupt or invent.

Now it's tuesday – I cook the same no-noise food as the day before, and bingelisten through the second half of Bobiverse, Book 2 to a cliffhanging ending that makes me wish I didn't have to go to bed. and could start book 3 immediately. But life's not fair that way.

All these worlds: Bobiverse, Book 3

It's wednesday, and having tired from the previous two days meals I make a new low-noise emitting food – at this point my own inner dialogue is beginning to sound like Bob – I'm certain this amount of bingeing is not completely healthy.

In book 3 the Bobs start interacting more directly with non-robotic lifeforms – which in a sense is interesting enough, but that's not what makes these books great. "Human" drama doesn't align well with the mission statement of "be a robot and explore space" – it sort of drizzles down the sci-fi part of it somehow.

During the books some of the Bob-clones call the non-robotics "ephemerals" – meaning something that is lasting for a very short time – and therefore not worth spending your time or energy on. As a listener of the books I sort of felt the same way. Leave the drama and lets get to exploring new planets!

Thursday. The depressing realization that this'll be the last evening with Bob until the next book is released.

The second half of book 3 concludes the 3-book series – they're more books to come, but with this third one puts a satisfying punctuation mark on many of the different storylines unfolding in the Bobiverse.

Bobiverse books as a whole

Dennis E. Taylor has written a great series, and created a compelling little universe of Bobs. The books are a pleasure to hear narrated by Ray Porter – who, by the way, sounds like a hybrid of James Spader and Seth MacFarlane. At times the book can be a little difficult to follow as the names of the different star systems Bob visits seams to be pulled directly from the notes of a mad atronomers database (they may in fact be the real scientific names of the stars, I really don't know). Dennis E. Taylor is a science fiction nerd like any other, and he pulls in a lot of references to other litterature or tv – a lot from Star Trak – which is just an added bit of fun. Especially if you get the references.