7th Son: Book One - Descent
7th Son: Book One - Decent is the 28th title to be listed on Podiobooks.com!
Three weeks ago, the U.S. president was murdered by a four-year-old boy.
Today, seven men stare at each other in a locked conference room. Kidnapped and brought to this underground facility, the strangers are sitting in silence, thunderstruck. Despite minor physical differences, they all appear to be the same man, with the same name … and the same childhood memories.
Unwitting participants in a secret human cloning experiment, these seven “John Michael Smiths” have been gathered by their creators for one reason — to capture the mastermind behind the president’s assassination.
Their target? The man they were cloned from; the original John Michael Smith, code-named John Alpha.
Soon our heroes — John, Jack, Michael, Kilroy2.0 and the others — realize the president’s murder was merely a prologue to Alpha’s plans. As the mystery deepens and the implications of Alpha’s scheme are slowly revealed, the clones decide to stand against John Alpha. The outcome will unearth a conspiracy larger than they could have ever imagined.
Descent is the first novel in J.C. Hutchins’ 7th Son thriller trilogy.
July 1st, 2006 at 1:23 am
The first podcast book that I am going to listen to.
Btw, it doesnt seem to support resuming (using getright 6).
What other views are there ofthis book?
What are the best software for listening/downloading podcasts? (i m a total newbie)
July 1st, 2006 at 6:45 am
The audio books you’ll find on this site are comprised of simple .mp3 files, not proprietary audio-book format. That means that they will run in most audio book players, but also work just fine on anything that plays .mp3 files — including iPods.
Having said that, it appears that Getright 6 is a file downloader, and not an audio player of any kind.
You only need two things to listen to a podcast:
1) A podcatcher (also called a podcatching client, receiver and a dozen other names)
2) An .mp3 player.
For simplicity sake, install iTunes from Apple. It works on both PC and Mac clients. Once installed, subscribe to a book and click the “Add to iTunes” link. You’ll have to click a few more times in iTunes, but it should start downloading the first chapter. You can listen right there if you want, or you can move the .mp3 to a portable player.
Leave iTunes running, and you’ll have your second episode of the book in a week. Or you can go back to your My Subscriptions page and change your download frequency if you like.
Play around with it for a bit. And enjoy the book!
July 1st, 2006 at 9:37 pm
Hey, thankx evo.
But getright is working fine for me. (The new version, i.e. 6 supports Podcasts). My computer is too old to support iTunes. anyways, This is a very good book (Ive heard till chapter 5). I recommend it to everyone. At first I thought it would be confusing, but it ain’t. 5/5
July 5th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
One of the few podiobooks that I have the “I can’t wait for it” problem.
JC leaves you hanging in just the right places at the end of each podcast. I think he might be part soap-opera writer. JC’s writing easily brings on the “mind movies” most booklovers know about.
His voice is almost too clear for reading aloud (sometimes you can hear him try to make sure the word is pronounced perfectly, but no biggie.) He has no accent to overcome (my Texas twang frustrates my Californian husband sometimes) and he doesn’t overuse five dollar words.
The recordings are all clear and sound levels are high enough that you don’t have the problem of turning your sound up all the way and then getting blasted with the music at the end of the podcast.
All in all a 10 out of 10.
(Can’t wait until the next episode dude!)
July 21st, 2006 at 9:44 pm
Absolutely wonderful. I can’t wait for each installment of the story, which is unusual for me with audio books. Great story, great characterizations/voices, and great audio quality.
July 29th, 2006 at 12:22 pm
I just Finnished this podiobook.
Wow, you have a real gift for story telling.
August 20th, 2006 at 1:56 am
The story was good but serverly incomplete. Ther are some very baffleing things in this story that dosen’t fit. Why does the 7th Son project have a HUGE SuperComputer array to store his memories to age 12 and John Alpha only needs a oversized briefcase to store soneones totality. It makes the story flow if you don’t bother to think. You finished the book with to many unanswered questions and things hanging.
I ended up very disappointed.
August 23rd, 2006 at 5:39 pm
Not to quibble, Ken, but this is part 1 of a three-part trilogy. I’m sure any baffling questions you might have will be answered over Books 2 and 3 (I hope
).
I didn’t want to post my long-winded review here. If anyone would like to read it, please visit my blog at:
http://pgholyfield.blogspot.com/2006/08/nature-of-podcast-novels-and-review-of.html
Short version… I loved it. Get this podiobook now.
August 28th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
They explained that they built the supercomputer not knowing how much memory they needed and that later they found that they had built much more than they needed. I bet that this extra computing power will come into play in the sequels.
September 2nd, 2006 at 1:54 am
Great book. Looking forward to Book Two starting.
September 26th, 2006 at 4:18 pm
Looking forward to the second book. Despite a few logical flaws and some questionable creative choices, I found the story extremely entertaining and, really, isn’t that what it’s all about? I’d recommended it to anyone who asks.
November 12th, 2006 at 3:53 pm
I’ve tried really hard to get into this book, as it keeps popping up for mentions in all sorts of places. I’ve subscribed three times, but it just doesn’t work for me. It’s too laborious to get going. We have to go over similar events and thoughts for seven people, then they meet, and we have to find out what they are thinking, and then the plot moves on…
There’s too much telling, and not enough showing. Too much straight narration and description of what’s going on. I prefer a style that’s faster paced.
December 28th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
The 7th Son books are my favorite of all of the podiobooks that I’ve listened to. They are complex and compelling and manage to combine characterization with action. If I’ve had one thing to quibble with regarding many of the podiobooks that I’ve listened to it is that they tend to focus on a series of events without much characterization. There are a few notable exceptions and I think that they are the best of what have been offered. In addition to the 7th Son Trilogy those would be Matthew Wayne Selznick’s Brave Men Run, Bill DeSmedt’s Singularity, and John Lenahan’s Shadowmagic. I’ve purchased Selznick’s Brave Men Run, have ordered Singularity, and will purchase the 7th Son books and Shadowmagic as soon as I hear that they have been published.
January 17th, 2007 at 7:04 am
I was just directed to this site by a friend who highly recommended this series. I d/l the whole thing & just listened to the prologue and 1st 2 chapters. WOW. As a writer myself, I am very impressed! Reading the outline, I had concerns about how the author was going to effectively differentiate among the characters, but the fact that they look alike hardly enters my head as I am listening, because their individual characters are so crisply drawn. The story is already busting along at a great clip and I am totally hooked! It’s going to kill me to wait till I have time to listen to more! And heaven help me when I finish book 1, and #2 is IN PROGRESS??? Aaaagh!
January 22nd, 2007 at 2:47 pm
I found the story to be interesting and some of the tech aspects well thought-out (I am hoping some loose ends are covered later on), but I’m actually starting to hate the clones. Even if you were created in a government lab and are part of a memory/clone project, wouldn’t you fight for you freedom more adamantly. They may have given you life but they have no right to it. You shed your parents after a fashion, even if you have a good relationship with them. They were just too submissive. Too willing to give everything up on someones word. To willing to be slaves to people who claim right to them. Better to die on your feet than live on you knees.
February 13th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Really great book. It is the first podibook I have listened to.
In chapter 14/15 podcast you had the Marine clone looking at a Sergeant’s shoulder to check on his rank. NCO’s have their rank on their sleeves and on their collars. I would go with the collar. All rank is displayed there Enlisted, NCO and Officers.
I am enjoying the book. Is it in print somewhere. LuLu maybe?
Keep up the good work.
February 13th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Really great book. It is the first podibook I have listened to.
In chapter 14/15 podcast you had the Marine clone looking at a Sergeant’s shoulder to check on his rank. NCO’s have their rank on their sleeves and on their collars. I would go with the collar. All rank is displayed there Enlisted, NCO and Officers.
I am enjoying the book. Is it in print somewhere. LuLu maybe?
Keep up the good work.
March 23rd, 2007 at 5:38 am
Unxplaindfires said
“Better to die on your feet than live on you knees.”
That’s easy to say when the guns NOT pointed at YOUR head!
Besides, remember all this stuff happens to them in just a day and a half. They haven’t had time to completely digest everything!
Anyway, JC and Scot Siegler are my favorite storytellers of all time! I love this book, and can’t wait for the rest!
May 9th, 2007 at 3:32 am
Wow, this is the first book I’ve listened to from this site. I’m very impressed. The author has a great speaking voice (I’ve attempted to listen to audiobooks read by people with annoying voices - it’s not worth it!) and the book itself is quite good.
Definitely as good or better than most of the paper books out there these days.
May 13th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
This was the first podiobook I listened too and was please that it was well written. Though I strongly disliked the language that the author seemed to feel was necessary it hasn’t detered me from subscribing to book 2 of the trilogy.
July 16th, 2007 at 10:51 am
I liked it vrey much it is the best thanks to j.c.hutchins and podio books .com
for this great book i cant stop listing to 7thson j.c.hutchins is #1
July 18th, 2007 at 7:47 pm
Think of this first book as “character development”. Some chapters (and a few characters) are slow but still very entertaining. It is impressive the narrator was able to act so many voices without confusing the listener. The second book more then makes up for any dislike one might have in this first book.
Analysis: Highly Recommended!
September 18th, 2007 at 11:05 am
I think the book is good. The core concept was very good and the story execution made it believable with only a minor suspension of belief. I was not a fan of the loose ending that I felt was a negative payoff.
September 18th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
Codazen,
I think you must not realize that there are two other books in the series…
November 18th, 2007 at 6:29 am
I have completed all 3 books. They are all good reads even with the problems.
First, the problems set for the clones have an immediately obvious reason. I bet myself that when all was revealed my solution would be correct and for once I was right. I expect that authors having the advantage of creating the situations would make it a bit harder.
Secondly, the “size” of a computer has nothing to do with the physical size. Has the author ever seen a Cray of the Cray-1, Cray-2, X-MP, Y-MP, C90, T90, etc.? I have. I worked for Cray for 7 years. They are small in physical size. Computers that would be larger in physical size are SLOW because of the laws of physics. I wish that authors, including this one, would research technical topics before writing. A few minutes on the internet would be enough.
Thirdly the US would NEVER ask the UN for permission for such a project. Even contacting the UN would result in a security breach.
Finally, a personal quibble. I find that the introductions at the beginning of each chapter are tedious and waste my time.
I have been reading a number of the Podio books and they are usually well done. The 7th Son series is, in spite of the problems, well worth reading. The sound quality is great and the narration well above many other books.
November 29th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
Hi Keith,
I appreciate your comments! However, you have not completed all three novels, as — at the time of your posting — two episodes remain to be released in Book Three.
Best,
–J.C.
January 8th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
HI
I listened to the first book when it first came on podiobooks but when I realised it was a three parter I decided to got the lot before coming back to them.
I have just started listening again, repeated book one and now well into book two. I listen at work for most of the day so I’m tearing through them lol.
I’m really enjoying the story and see it as almost an action movie in the head. More seven 001’s than one 007. I think it would transfer well to TV.
I do however have a couple of problems.
The intro and the outro.
I listen using ear buds and when set to a good listening volume for the narration I find the music painfully loud.
Also some of your guest readers for The Story So Far, leave a lot to be desired.
On the whole though I’m really enjoying myself and have recommended the books to friends.
Thank you J.C. Please keep on doing what your doing so well
Sue
January 10th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
7th Son is one of the most original and compelling pieces of fiction I have ever had the pleasure of reading/hearing. It kept me guessing and it never failed to keep me interested. The characters are multilayered and more likable than many characters I have encountered in fiction. 7th Son is a great mish-mash of science fiction, action, and espionage. If you are reading this review and wondering whether or not to listen to 7th Son…well, JUST LISTEN TO IT NOW!
March 18th, 2008 at 7:56 am
At first, the cacophony of Johns and Michaels were confusing to me. However once I worked that out -uh somewhat, I had a complete blast! JC Hutchins actually had me talking to my PDA at the characters, warning them of things lurking around the corner, danger, etc.
The production and arrangement was fantastic. What struck me the most was the commraderie among the other authors of this genre. I think it wonderful the cross promotion. And if the other authors have stories as exciting and interesting as this 7th Son series is shaping up to be, then please welcome another podio fan. Awesome job JC!
September 1st, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Loved all 3 books, but this is not why I write..
If I had a choice of a father to read to me before bed every night. J.C. would be the guy. Great narration, eagerly awaiting more..