Ardulum: First Don (Volume 1)

Listener Reviews

1. 5.0(1)

   Loved it!

   I'm an odd scifi fan. There is some I can't get into at all. And some that just pulls me in. Ardulum is one that pulled me in. Adalant amuses me to no end. I truly adore her. The interactions between the crew are interesting. To imagine being with the same people on a single ship for so long, it feels pretty logical for them to love/hate each other.

   A key to scifi is the science. Here it involves trees which I found utterly fascinating. JS Fields takes a deep knowledge of tree science on earth and sends it to the stars in such a unique way I found myself trying to figure out the science when I wasn't listening to the book.

   I highly recommend the series for scifi fans, and for people curious about scifi. It will take you on an amazing journey.

   Donna Butterfield · June 4, 2022

2. 4.0(1)

   Rogue Sci-Fi Adventure

   The beginning few chapters I was very confused. I thought the young slave girl in the 1st chapter was the same woman in next chapter. But there was two different characters, Neek and Em.

   Three rogue crew of Mercy’s Pledge is transport ship, smart ass captain, young newbie man, and Neek the pilot. They all work well together in a crisis. Interaction with other aliens sometimes gets them in trouble.

   I really like how Neek was disillusion to believe her homeworld would treat her, and her crew well after bring god-child home. Neek never learned how corrupt politics works after been exiled. Her naiveté cost her greatly. Especial to her crew too. I like how writer showed Em, the slave child's thoughts and feelings by torment seeing her mother beatings.

   The last few chapters felt a little bit rush with different actions happening at once. I was trying to keep up which characters was hurt or who who’s.

   I was told lesbian love story is “very, very, very slow burn” played out in series. There’s no sex, or love story in this book. Just good Sci-Fi space opera!
   Note: I received this book from author for my honest review.

   Debra Dale · February 8, 2022

3. 5.0(1)

   Very different but in a good way

   I love how imaginative J.S. is. Their brain made a story like I’ve never heard before. If you like space adventures give this one a chance. You won’t regret it and Lynn’s narration will keep you hooked.

   Lucia Wright · February 16, 2020

4. 4.0(1)

   Great Beginning To Epic Space Opera

   This creative, unique and fun space opera is well worth your time. And if you love a series that goes on for a couple of books then this one is a great addition to your colleciton

   Queen James · December 31, 2019

5. 5.0(1)

   Great Scifi fantasy

   While the story was a bit slow to unfold it was a goid story with interesting characters. I hoped to keep listening. Sequel?

   Tem Per · December 5, 2019

6. 5.0(1)

   Complex and thoughtful

   If the story hadn't kept me listening the narration would have. It was a fun, suspenseful, and thought provoking journey wrapped up in a wildly creative package. I absolutely loved it.

   Alexandria Ferris · August 31, 2019

7. 5.0(1)

   Awesome Adventure !

   I really enjoyed listening to this story. I had a hard time keeping track of who was who because I didn't realize that there was a third gender and the pronouns confused me. Once I figured it out, the book held me captive from then to the end. I really liked how the narrators (Lynn Norris) put feeling into each character-she did a great job! I could totally see this book on the big screen. Lots of action and some suspense wrapped in Scifi makes for a great adventure. I fell in love with Neek and Em and am looking forward to seeing how this relationship develops over time. I just bought the next in the series. I'm excited to continue on this Journey.

   David Clark · December 16, 2018

8. 5.0(1)

   A whole new sci-go experience!

   I tend to stay firmly planted in the romance genres, but sci-fi was my first love, even as a child. Lots of novels in this genre have a tendency to stick to humans or humanoid aliens that really have no differences from us other than their homeworld, but Fields had no such notions here! Sure, Neek May have been humanoid herself, but the accompany stook (I’m sorry I don’t know the spelling of that) and telepathy set her and her people aside from normal. Every other alien species mentioned was unlike any I’d read of before too! Right away I knew I was in for a creative novel. I was very impressed with the real science used in Ardulum. I was caught somewhere between “man where did they come up with this” and “I think I’m actually learning something”, but I say that in the best way. As another reviewer said, it was accessible science, which added that much more to the story. They even went so far as to describe the inner workings of certain injuries, which told me the research that went into making the book believable. Details like those aside, I appreciated the clear plot. It never dragged or left me skipping sections, and any sudden twists were just unexpected enough to have me wanting to hear another chapter. I loved Neek’s come-at-me attitude, though I’ll admit I’m still a little lost about her past and what /exactly/ happened that led to her getting the boot from Neek. Now, I’m trying not to give away any spoilers not in the “dust jacket” of the book, so I’ll move onto narration. Lynn Norris. That woman made my ears fall in love with her from the first word, and I’ll likely look into listening any book she narrates until there aren’t any more. She offers such a variety of tones, accents, inflections, emotions, and just pure talent when it comes to narrating, I’ve contemplated writing myself just to have her narrate. I was given a copy of this book for review, but all views are my own!

   Lisa Peoples · August 13, 2018