
Odds Against Tomorrow
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Narrated by:
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Kirby Heyborne
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By:
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Nathaniel Rich
About this listen
New York City, the near future: Mitchell Zukor, a gifted young mathematician, is hired by a mysterious new financial consulting firm, FutureWorld. The business operates out of an empty office in the Empire State Building; Mitchell is employee number two. He is asked to calculate worst-case scenarios in the most intricate detail, and his schemes are sold to corporations to indemnify them against any future disasters. This is the cutting edge of corporate irresponsibility, and business is booming. As Mitchell immerses himself in the mathematics of catastrophe - ecological collapse, war games, natural disasters - he becomes obsessed by a culture's fears.
Yet he also loses touch with his last connection to reality: Elsa Bruner, a friend with her own apocalyptic secret, who has started a commune in Maine. Then, just as Mitchell's predictions reach a nightmarish crescendo, an actual worst-case scenario overtakes Manhattan. Mitchell realizes he is uniquely prepared to profit. But at what cost?
At once, an all-too-plausible literary thriller, an unexpected love story, and a philosophically searching inquiry into the nature of fear, Nathaniel Rich's Odds Against Tomorrow poses the ultimate questions of imagination and civilization. The future is not quite what it used to be.
©2013 Nathaniel Rich (P)2013 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Editorial reviews
Critic reviews
What would have made Odds Against Tomorrow better?
A better story-line. I avoid sci-fi and dystopian stories, but this one somehow made it past the radar. Not exactly sci-fi, but the monster hurricane that destroys NYC is close. (Hurricane Sandy was a blinking neon sign throughout.) Most of the book had an active plot-line that kept you engaged, until the last quarter, when it petered out. Protagonist is an uninteresting, unpleasant and unlikable person with little character development. I don't know what the point of this book is, or what message the author was trying to send.Has Odds Against Tomorrow turned you off from other books in this genre?
Yes, once I figure out what the genre isWhat does Kirby Heyborne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I don't know, I didn't read the physical bookWhat character would you cut from Odds Against Tomorrow?
Mitchell, the protagonistAny additional comments?
Avoid. I may ask for a refund.Dystopian Sci-Fi that putters out at the end
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Quirky risk-noir
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Struggle
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Is there anything you would change about this book?
Speed up the last third of the book.What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
Mitchell's character and obsessions are the most interesting. The details of settling the swamp are less so.What does Kirby Heyborne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He's a fine reader, but I don't think I would feel differently if I read the book.Could you see Odds Against Tomorrow being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
No.Any additional comments?
Interesting conceit. Mitchell's rise in the world of greed and finance is well done and fun to read. There's no great life-changing message, but the book was entertaining and diverting, perfect beach reading.Amusing, but slows down at the end
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Would you consider the audio edition of Odds Against Tomorrow to be better than the print version?
I didn't read the print version. No way of telling.Would you recommend Odds Against Tomorrow to your friends? Why or why not?
Yes. Compelling dytopian story, in a crowded field of them.A unique take on this topic, with a compelling set of characters.What about Kirby Heyborne’s performance did you like?
Kirby rocked this. One of the best performances of the year. He OWNS the principals.The performance of this book is equal to the writing. Very impressive.Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The post storm scenes of NYC are moving,and paint a grim, accurate picture.Any additional comments?
Scott Simon interviewed the author on Weekend Edition in mid May , and I found the conversation compelling and worth the listen. This is an excellent credit investment.And the forecast for tomorrow is....
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What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
A re-write ....What was most disappointing about Nathaniel Rich’s story?
The story is just soft, in one paragraph you go from one life changing decision to another without any progression or sequencing.Have you listened to any of Kirby Heyborne’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No... The performance was good.You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Not really.Stay away
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Great audio book
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The apocalypse, statistically speaking.
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Smart, subtle cli fi
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