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After On  By  cover art

After On

By: Rob Reid
Narrated by: Sean Kenin, January LaVoy, Felicia Day, Patrick Rothfuss, John Hodgman, Tom Merritt, Jesse Cox, Leo Laporte
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Publisher's summary

The definitive novel of today's Silicon Valley, After On flash-captures our cultural and technological moment with up-to-the-instant savvy. Matters of privacy and government intrusion, post-Tinder romance, nihilistic terrorism, artificial consciousness, synthetic biology, and much more are tackled with authority and brash playfulness by New York Times best-selling author Rob Reid.

Meet Phluttr - a diabolically addictive new social network and a villainess, heroine, enemy, and/or bestie to millions. Phluttr has ingested every fact and message ever sent to, from, and about her innumerable users. Her capabilities astound her makers - and they don't even know the tenth of it.

But what's the purpose of this stunning creation? Is it a front for something even darker and more powerful than the NSA? A bid to create a trillion-dollar market by becoming "The UberX of Sex"? Or a reckless experiment that could spawn the digital equivalent of a middle-school mean girl with enough charisma, dirt, and cunning to bend the entire planet to her will?

Phluttr has it in her to become the greatest gossip, flirt, or matchmaker in history. Or she could cure cancer, bring back Seinfeld, then start a nuclear war. Whatever she does, it's not up to us. But a motley band of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and engineers might be able to influence her.

After On achieves the literary singularity - fusing speculative satire and astonishing reality into a sharp-witted, ferociously believable, IMAX-wide view of our digital age.

Narrated by Sean Kenin and January LaVoy, with:
Felicia Day: NETGRRRL.COM
Patrick Rothfuss: Special Field Operative Brock Hogan
John Hodgman: Charles Henry Higgensworth III
Tom Merritt: voice of The New York Times
Jesse Cox: Whistle Blowings Blog
Leo Laporte: voice of The San Francisco Chronicle

©2017 Rob Reid (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Enter a near-future Silicon Valley that is hilariously, creepily, mind-bogglingly fantastic, yet at the same time all too believable. It might turn out this way. No, really, it might! Along with After On's diabolically ingenious plot, there are crazy-plausible web startups, delicious parodies of social media, and a surprisingly convincing theory of human consciousness." (Chris Anderson, head of TED)
" After On is smart, hilarious, and properly cynical about our connected world. The story unfolds in surprising and fiendish ways, and while you're laughing you'll learn enough to confound a wily MBA, manipulate a board of directors, and maybe even outfox a superintelligence." (Ken Fisher, founder and editor in chief, Ars Technica)
"Rob Reid doesn't write science fiction; he writes future history. After On is the best account I've read of how superintelligence will arrive and what it will mean for all of us. Hilarious, frightening, believable, and marvelously constructed - After On has it all." (Hugh Howey, New York Times best-selling author of Wool)
"Reading After On is like attending a master class in nearly every major issue haunting not only the tech industry but society itself. Only the professor is also a stand-up comic with a perfect ear for the foibles of Silicon Valley's most sacred cows. Part AI thriller, part arch social commentary, and part rollicking farce, After On will leave you smarter about just about everything the human species needs to work on if we're going to outlive our own creations - and our obsessions with them." (John Battelle, co-founder, NewCo, Federated Media, and Wired)

What listeners say about After On

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Wow!

You need to listen to this. I just finished the book. More capable people will write better reviews soon. I want to do what I can to help this story get heard. Story, production, and performances were among the best I've heard and I've listened to more than 350 audible titles. Awesome job!

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45 people found this helpful

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All-too-real commentary on web culture

If you could sum up After On in three words, what would they be?

Irreverent, Confident, (wildly) Entertaining

What was one of the most memorable moments of After On?

Rob Reid grabs you from page 1...inviting you on a ride that's both sobering and laugh-out-loud funny

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but sadly, I couldn't do it in one sitting, but it is a remarkably engaging read

Any additional comments?

I was fortunate to read Mr. Reid's achingly funny and charming Year Zero last year, so I've been anxiously awaiting this one. What I found was a more confident, patient story teller who wasn't just about entertaining, but leading the reader on a journey...the irreverent humor is still there, and I laughed audibly and often, but I felt that I had witnessed an amazing maturation...I think this will thrust Mr. Reid more firmly into the national (and international) consciousness!

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31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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be patient

Very good story and some brilliant ideas shared here. But, be patient. There are some very odd storylines early in the book that if you don't know that they are going somewhere can be a serious turn-off. Just roll with it and after a while it makes sense and is justified- but don't dump it (as I almost did) because of the distractions. It is worth it.

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Annoying Sound Effects Accompany a PC wet dream

Would you try another book from Rob Reid and/or the narrators?

Yes, I will give Reid one more shot. I loved Year Zero, but this was weak sauce. It took HOURS to get moving and even then never really went anywhere worth going.

I would give any one of the narrators another listen.

What do you think your next listen will be?

The nearest palate cleanser I can get queued up.

Would you be willing to try another one of the narrators’s performances?

Yes, but not together. Full cast audiobooks are rarely done right. In this case the different voices didn't mesh well and the sound effects were way overdone.

What character would you cut from After On?

The ones that appeared between "audible presents" and "audible hopes you enjoyed...."

Any additional comments?

Holy crap, all aboard the liberal dreamboat. We've got anti-Israel sentiment, anti-gun ownership, poor 'ol womens just can't get ahead in a man's world, gender confusion, the implication that sluts shouldn't be shamed but the successful sure should, oh and don't forget some sympathy for the useless millennials. It's rare to hear so much stupid shoved into one book. I wonder if Reid and "David Wong" hang out at the same She-Man Man-Hater's Club.

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17 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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great story - unbelievable cast of narrators

I wasn't sure about this at first having never read the author and it turned out to be a fantastic find! unique plot, well developed characters (over the top at times but I think it adds to the satirical nature of the novel) and a truly exceptional cast of narrators (Especially Ms La Voy but that is to be expected). The interwoven time line was a little confusing for me at first but that's me and I was able to catch on quickly (hint that you probably don't need but helped me, the vignettes tell you the time line your on) . Don't let that deter you though, the book made me laugh and the characters, however satirical, will have you caring for them. For me, this audio book has joined the ranks of my two all time favorites, Anansi Boys and The Martian. Enjoy!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book with great performances!

What did you love best about After On?

Rob shows us the near future in a very thought provoking novel...leavened with humour and wit.

What did you like best about this story?

Extrapolating current trends into future history is always the goal of Science Fiction, and this book does that very, very well.

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15 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A radio play

The story is whimsical and thought provoking. The production is more radio play than audio book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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So I searched for the Amazon reviewer Higgensworth

Would you listen to After On again? Why?

Yes, I enjoy Rob's writing and the fact that this ties in to Year Zero makes it that much more enjoyable.

What was one of the most memorable moments of After On?

I found the reviews written by Charles Higgenworth III from Boston. Massachusetts. And not only are they word for word, but the date is correct as well. Excellent work.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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I'm still Hyperventilating!

This is fiction right? RIGHT?! I went from being paranoid to laughing my head off from one sentence to the next. The performers were excellent and the story believable which I believe is a sign of good fiction. If you are an above average paranoid about your on-line privacy I would not reccomend listening to this story. If you can keep it together till the end it's well worth the listen.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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AWFUL PRODUCTION - REALLY B-A-D!

Rob Reid only wrote one novel before this and I love it. It is one of my favorites and I have not only read it, but reviewed it and recommended it to other people who ALSO loved it.

I didn't read this book. I got it as an Audible download because I have trouble reading text these days.

I don't know if the book is good or not. You certainly could not tell from this production. Music behind narrators. 5? 6? narrators ... with sound effects and REVERB ohmygod.

This was the worst audio listen I've ever experienced. I've listened to bad narrators and narrators who never got the names of the characters right or managed to tell the story without going around some kind of emotional bend. But this was dreadful from start to whenever I said 'STOP! I can't stand one more minute of this rubbish." I returned it.

It's a long book and I don't know that I'll ever be able to read it in print. I am incredibly disappointed and angry. This is a book I pre-ordered and waited for with excitement and enthusiasm. And it was too awful to listen to at all.

It may BE a good book. I have no way of knowing. But the production was as bad as it gets. I sure hope this isn't a trend.

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8 people found this helpful