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Sunfall

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Sunfall

By: Jim Al-Khalili
Narrated by: Rupert Farley
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About this listen

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Sunfall by Jim Al-Khalili.

From renowned theoretical physicist, broadcaster and author Jim Al-Khalili, comes this thrilling debut novel drawing on cutting-edge science and set in a near-future full of dazzling technologies.

2041 and the world as we know it grinds to a halt. Our planet seems to be turning against itself - it would appear that the magnetic field, that protects life on Earth from deadly radiation from space, is failing . . .

Desperate to quell the mass hysteria that would surely follow, world governments have concealed this rapidly emerging Armageddon. But a young Iranian hacktivist stumbles across the truth, and it becomes a race against time to reactivate the earth's core using beams of dark matter.

As a small team of brave and brilliant scientists battle to find a way of transforming theory into practice, they face a fanatical group intent on pursuing their own endgame agenda: for they believe mankind to be a plague upon this earth and will do anything, commit any crime, to ensure that the project fails . . .

And so bring about humanity's end.

©2019 Jim Al-Khalili (P)2019 Penguin Audio Adventure Science Fiction Fiction Scary

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Critic reviews

Excellent, exactly how good science fiction should be: gripping story, beautifully told, while at the same time being scientifically well-informed. (PROFESSOR RICHARD DAWKINS)

Reminiscent of vintage Arthur C. Clarke . . . has a chilling, nail-biting authenticity. (JAMES LOVEGROVE)
The Day After Tomorrow meets Neuromancer . . . When the planet's magnetic field fails, the naked sun threatens to deliver an extinction level event now – and every century – unless a high-tech near future humanity can save itself. Sunfall is sizzling stuff. And the best informed techno-thriller you are ever likely to read. (STEPHEN BAXTER, author of the Xeelee sequence)
All stars
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Ok so some of the plot might be a bit familiar. It did keep me interested until the end.

If you like Daniel Suarez, you may well like this.

Hope he writes more fiction

Really enjoyed this

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Very informative and gripping story! Highly recommended! Great read for thriller and science enthusiasts alike. You do not need to know much about science to understand it either and gives great real world knowledge about our planet and sun! Can not recommend enough great outing from what I believe is the first fiction book by Al Kahlili

Gripping and informative

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I’m no Earth or Sun scientist, so I don’t know whether the science in this novel holds up. But the story is well written and gripping.

Good yarn

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Bit scary as all sounded quite feasible to me, but a good easy read. Enjoyed the references to previous sci-fi desaster stories, also it had enough science to keep it interesting and a few twists to keep it exciting. Enjoyed it very much.

Thanks ProfessorJim, looking foward to the next one if you have time between writing it and actually saving the world ;0)

The Prof pulled it off!

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The scientific reasoning seemed just too implausible and there to support the plot, rather than the plot being around accurate science. e.g. no manual abort, lack of explanation how the energy release would drive core flow in just the right way. Kind of enjoyable though, characters were good. Much of the science and futurology was interesting.

Science seemed dubious

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Great for your spring or summer holiday...or long winter days. It's just to far fetched to really be imagined. Narration was excellent and that's what holds it together. Enjoy .😊

Story is far fetched but a great listen.

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Enjoyable, spoilt for me by narration feeling a little "wooden" and the story slow to get going , other than that a very good story...

enjoyable

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As you would hope and expect, Jim's science is immaculate - covering a little understood and intriguing aspect of our planet's behaviour, its irregular swapping of North and South magnetic poles. As this reversal is "overdue" in geological terms, the phenomenon provides an excellent opportunity for exploring what its consequences might be for our modern world. I heard Jim say that all his speculations in this novel are based on sound scientific principles and I feel I have learned quite a lot from this book, while enjoying the fiction as the drama unfolds.

While science is fundamental to the book, I think there is a good balance between this and the storyline that provides for decent page-turning action. I can readily imagine a movie script-writer turning this into a high-tech blockbuster (though it might end up dumbed down). The narration is okay too, though for my ear sometimes lacked pace and confidence in the scientific elements. For a first novel, I think this is a fine result and I hope Jim finds the time and interest to write more fictional works that bring new scientific ideas to a wide audience.

Great Science, good Fiction

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I always enjoy Jim Al-Khalili's bbc broadcasts and was very impressed at his managing to create an entertaining story out of such an unlikely topic..

Clever and entertaining

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it's really refreshing to read a story where you can rely on the science being believable

some of the language is a little twee, was it never get in the way of a great story and a performance where you can almost hear Jim himself reading the novel

great story great performance

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