The Tangled Stars
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The Tangled Stars Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
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This new novel from an Aurora Award-winning author presents a sci-fi caper of high-stakes interstellar travel.

More than a century ago, the network of MASTTs, the space-time tunnels that made interstellar travel possible, violently collapsed, the backlash destroying a lot of the solar system's space-based infrastructure. Cooper "Coop" Douglas, a thief and conman is in serious debt to outer-system crime-lord Eric Galioto. While trying to salvage a valuable chunk of a space station destroyed by the backlash, Coop makes a startling discovery: MASTT Primus, the tunnel that used to lead to New Earth, is open again. That raises an intriguing possibility: Coop could flee the solar system and his debt to Galioto and make a new life—and possibly fortune—around another star.

Accompanied by his first mate, the wisecracking, AI-uplifted, genetically modified cat Thibauld, Coop sets out to "liberate" the solar system's only remaining functioning starship from an Earthside museum, enlisting the help of Laysa Grey, a former-lover-turned-cop on Luna. Along the way, he is pursued by Galioto and dogged by law enforcement and thugs.

And beyond MASTT Primus, the tangled stars await . . .

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  1. Listening Length
    14 hours and 20 minutes
  2. Author
    Edward Willett
  3. Narrator
    Wayne Mitchell
  4. Audible release date
    October 18, 2022
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
  7. ASIN
    B0BJ8GRTN8
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 14 hours and 20 minutes
Author Edward Willett
Narrator Wayne Mitchell
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date October 18, 2022
Publisher HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0BJ8GRTN8
Best Sellers Rank #416,352 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#372 in Humorous Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#3,699 in Humorous Science Fiction (Books)
#5,408 in Space Opera Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
14 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars AI & a Cat!
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2023
I received an ARC for The Tangled Stars. All opinions are my own.

Genre: Sci-Fi

I was attracted to this book for the sassy cat and AI. The best combo.

Somehow, I didn't realize this was a space opera. I'm ready for more creative and fun books like this. :)

Happy reading!
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Mike Reeves-McMillan
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent start to a promising series
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2022
I came for the space opera heist, but stayed for the voice, which is the kind of wry, noirish, bantering voice I particularly enjoy.

The heist, as it turns out, is not the main focus of the book; it goes off, certainly not without a hitch, but with no more of a hitch than anything else in the story, taking up a relatively small portion of the runtime. The whole book strikes me as having been written according to the principles of Bickham's book Scene & Structure, which propels the characters through the story and keeps up an excellent level of tension as they constantly face obstacles and challenges. The crime boss who is the main antagonist gets a viewpoint, and is thoroughly despicable, but not at all a cartoonish villain; cutting to him every so often and showing us something that he's doing that the protagonists don't know about and that will be bad for them, or alternately vice versa, makes the most of the literary technique of dramatic irony to maximize both the drama and the irony.

I've thought for years that having a character who was a combination of an advanced AI with a domestic cat would be fun, and it turns out that I was right. But he is far more than comic relief, becoming a key player in the unfolding events.

Everyone, in fact, is more than just their archetype plus their plot role; the characters are three-dimensional, they all want things which they can't have and strive to get anyway, they all have backstories that inform the action, their relationships with each other are important, and in general the character side of things is expertly handled. Add that to a well-paced and twisty plot and just the right amount of worldbuilding (a lot of the technology is sufficiently advanced to be indistinguishable from magic because, as the character with the first-person viewpoint advises us, it was created by AIs and humans don't understand how they did it, which is a great handwave), and this becomes an all-around triumph. One of the many moments of "Oh crap, what next?" comes at the end, priming the reader for the next volume, and I will be eagerly awaiting it.
2 people found this helpful
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ehoward29
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun sci-fi caper
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2023
Cooper "Coop" Douglas has been a part of many things in his past: questionable trading, Pre-salvaging (which is a kind of stealing) and conning/lying/misdirecting almost daily, but never has he stumbled upon something so big that it could change the universe forever. In THE TANGLED STARS, by Edward Willett, "Coop" has evidence that the MASTT space tunnel system that imploded and rocked the universe over a hundred years ago is beginning to reform and he wants to take advantage of it to pay off his debts and reset his status in the universe. Each plan he makes seems to not go quite right and he has to make a new plan, with each one more dangerous than the last. Can Coop, with the help from his AI enhanced cat, an old flame, and a motley crew of other pirates and criminals, prove to all of existence that the MASTT system is in the early stages of viability again and reap the benefits he so desperately yearns for, or will he get caught and imprisoned or killed in the process?
Willett has created a vibrant, intricate future with very specific details that really enrich the story. Coop is great as a lovable scoundrel who tries to do the right thing, even though can't help but be a little greedy along the way. The book settles into a rhythm, where a problem in the plan causes Coop and his group to make a new plan, then a problem arises and another new plan must be created and so on. A little repetitive, but the unique solutions and twists in the story keep it fun. Coop's old flame, Laysa Grey, is along for most of the ride and I wanted to get to know her a little better; she seemed a mystery in her motives at times and other times almost wishy-washy in her convictions. The supporting characters, human and AI both, added colorful layers to the plot throughout the book.
Willett's book is really one long mission for a man to find his way to a better life and I really enjoyed going on that mission with Coop Douglas.
One person found this helpful
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Anthony Avina
5.0 out of 5 stars A Thought-Provoking and Action-Packed Sci-Fi Epic...A Must-Read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2022
This was a fantastic, action-packed, and dynamic reading experience for longtime sci-fi fans. The author did an incredible job of capturing the rich atmosphere that honed in on the heist dynamics that the narrative promises while also hitting the witty charm that great sci-fi thieves who are thrust into the role of a “hero” are known for. The author’s attention to detail on the technical aspects of the laws and physics of this narrative’s space travel and sciences was engaging to get lost in and added to the mythos that the author established early on in this read.

The story found a perfect balance between thoughtful character development and world-building. The dynamics between the protagonist and his allies, including an AI-minded cat, added a human element to the overall narrative, while the multiple POVs between the protagonist and the antagonist gave a well-rounded, three-dimensional view of the characters and their motivations. Yet it was the rich mythology and universe-spanning story that the author brought to life that kept me invested in the book, as its use of imagery brought this story to life perfectly.
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