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    Hollow World
    Hollow World
    Hollow World
    Audiobook12 hours

    Hollow World

    Written by Michael Sullivan

    Narrated by Nick Barbera

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    THE FUTURE IS COMING...FOR SOME SOONER THAN OTHERS Ellis Rogers is an ordinary man who is about to embark on an extraordinary journey. All his life he has played it safe and done the right thing. But when he is faced with a terminal illness, Ellis is willing to take an insane gamble. He's built a time machine in his garage, and if it works, he'll face a world that challenges his understanding of what it means to be human, what it takes to love, and the cost of paradise. Ellis could find more than a cure for his disease; he might find what everyone has been searching for since time has begun -- but only if he can survive the Hollow World.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateApr 15, 2014
    ISBN9781470381509
    Hollow World
    Author

    Michael Sullivan

    Enter the Author Bio(s) here.

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    Reviews for Hollow World

    4/5

    126 ratings20 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A fantastic si-fi with many heartwarming moments and great consistency throughout! The narrator is equally impressive!
    • 2/5
      I love Michael’s other books, but this one was difficult to finish. I felt like it was preachy and the plot line was very predictable.
    • 4/5
      “You’re unique—truly unique. You have hair—and it’s two colors. Your skin sags, and has all those great creases, like a beloved knapsack that has been taken everywhere and shows evidence of every mile. No one else has that.” This is going to be a slightly biased review because I’ve read pretty much everything Michael has published and loved most of it. That combined with the fact that Michael is immensely approachable and a very straight-forward person makes for a mixture I can’t resist. You might want to read another of Michael’s books first, though, to find out if you like his style. Hollow World, while definitely a Sullivan, is maybe not the best introduction. For that, I’d like to recommend his Riyria books to you. That said, bias or not – this book was very interesting, exciting and entertaining. In “Hollow World”, Ellis Rogers, a 58-year old man with a difficult family history escapes his wife of 35 years and his best friend, Warren, when he receives the news that he’s terminally ill. Using a DIY time machine built in his garage, he jumps 2000 years into mankind’s future. I have a few (minor) gripes with Hollow World: I’d certainly have enjoyed to get to “see” a bit more of the world itself. Yes, we get introduced to some individuals (voxes, wonderful!) but I know for a fact that Michael has a real knack for world building (read Legends of the First Empire if you don’t believe me) and I wish he’d used it more extensively. When we reach the main part of the story (a bit too early), we’re strongly exposed to “god and country”, “Old West” and “Good old times” stuff. Again, yes, it’s intentional but it’s going slightly overboard for my taste. Especially when Ellis Rogers – who seemed mostly sane till that point – picks up on the religious stuff I rolled my eyes. I also wished for Michael to be a bit bolder about Ellis and Pax. There’s a lot to be said for not making things too easy and even at some key moments (“You recognised me!”) even the daftest old-fashioned guy should come around to see what’s happening. On the other hand, the way Michael describes the relationship between Pax and Ellis is believable and – considering Ellis’ past experience – it's probably much to ask for him to embrace what’s going on. Plus: The door is not closed to more stories from Hollow World, I think. It has a lot of potential yet and I'd like to read more of it, especially about Ellis and Pax and humanity at that point of its development because the philosophical issues beyond the shallow religious meandering are still to be explored more fully. Maybe taking up just a little fewer major topics in one book would be good because, as Michael writes in the afterword, Hollow World encompasses “liberal versus conservative, gay rights, religion, and God” and it’s hard to do justice to all of those within the confines of a single novel. And, honestly, there’s nothing to argue about equality (not “gay rights”, Michael). Trying to tell anyone whom they’re supposed (or not supposed) to love has nothing to do with “dualities” but is simply infringing on other people’s turf – just ask Pax. Anyway, one conclusion still holds true after reading a less-typical Sullivan: When I look at my "Favourites" shelf on GoodReads, I see Paul Auster, Isabelle Allende, Thomas Mann, J. R. R. Tolkien and Michael J. Sullivan - it's just that only the last one never disappointed.
    • 2/5
      Was initially promising but became a thinly veiled political treatise. Very preachy.
    • 5/5
      This is the best futuristic time travel novel I have ever read. The world Sullivan imagines is completely believable yet fantastic at the same time. I really appreciate how he incorporates so many weighty themes while keeping the story entertaining and fast-paced. I cannot recommend this book enough.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book, the authors choice of words and how he described the scenes were superb.
    • 2/5
      I was hoping that I'd like this book, but it was not meant to be. It started out well enough, but the story moved into a direction I just didn't like.
    • 5/5
      This book is a real surprise. I'm not a sci-fi reader, I usually enjoy fantasy, thrillers and historical novels, but I picked it after reading the wonderful Riyria series by mr. Sullivan. He has just a way to write about tales that I wanted to try something else from him, and something new for me altogether. The summary of Hollow world is intriguing, and I started to read the book four days ago. I was literally hooked with the tale, and the characters. The world is beautifully depicted, and you can't help but want to know more, also the main character is not your average twenty-something guy with many talents and a typical brilliant future or impending tragedy ahead of him, Ellis is just like your middle aged guy next-door, with average skills and a knack for science, who had led an average life, with average fulfillment and above average tragedies, simply put a guy you can fully relate to. He finds himself in a particular and dire condition, but he decides to chance the future, to have a future, and from this choice, seasoned with thrilling and fantastic elements, you follow him on Hollow World. There are many new things to discover, and he'll face challenges which to me feel like a true self-discovery journey, which is very interesting given his age. The tale also mixes elements which are not original, I mean there are many science fiction novels and classics which delve into the possibilities of the future, but the structure of the tale is absolutely fascinating, and gave me a wonderful time reading. Also, there are personal themes intertwined with the plot, and reflections on beliefs, human condition and struggles of the self represented, in my opinion, by the different views of two separated characters. Some themes are dear to the author, but I never felt a pressure of answers, I simply enjoyed the discovery. I like it when an author shares seamlessly, and in a well structured book, his opinion, but without pushing. This is definitely a solid story with much background and entertainment, the kind of tale I like to read about, the downside is that a science-fiction book is a gamble, and I'm sure the story could have been further developed (note the further, which doesn't mean better, because I like it the way it is), maybe spanning a couple of books. But the plot is conclusive and I was satisfied by the ending.
      Also read the before and after word, there is a lot to learn about self-publishing and traditional publishing, the role of great women and about the creation of this book, I feel there's real added value in reading about the behind the scenes, and I appreciate the way the author relates to his readers. Don't miss this book!
    • 5/5
      For those of you missing the days of classic science-fiction this is a must read. Mr Sullivan takes a simple concept (as did H.G. Wells in 1895) and asks "what would it be like" in the future, and proceeds to send Ellis Rogers 2,000 years down the road to find out. On his journey Ellis Rogers must re-evaluate who and what we are, and what the impacts are of individuals on society - or more importantly societies impact on the individual.

      But rather than just a philosophical yarn Mr. Sullivan weaves a solid story line together with engaging characters (both human and non) and and interesting look at how technology and genetics might change our view of everything.
    • 5/5
      I found this book to be absolutely amazing. Michael Sullivan had my attention the whole way through, even when there didn't seem to be much going on. The best part of this book was the overall theme. It's a book about the future, but it's not a dystopian future. Instead it's an Utopian future with dystopian elements. I read/listen to the book as an audiobook. The narrator, Jonathan Davis, did a great job in bringing the characters to life. I couldn't recommend this book enough.
    • 5/5
      MAYBE SOME MINOR SPOILERS
      Bear with me on this review, I don't write a lot of them.
      This book was a good change of pace for me. I'm usually not a time travel book person. I love the idea of it and will watch tv shows and movies all day long, books just not so much. I was pleasantly surprised by the story and characters. I feel like too many books have characters with problems that no one in real life could ever have.
      Ellis Rogers seems a bit like the crotchety, not quite old man. In reality though he's just a man with self doubt, a desire to change his life, and to escape things from his past. The way that humans evolved didn't seem that far fetched. Humans always seem to be tinkering with things that might be better left alone. This book makes you think it could happen this way one day. The world that is described seems so picturesque.

      All in all Michael Sullivan gives you a solid and fun book about time travel with believable characters, some good twists, and a unique and beautiful take on our future environments. I would and have happily recommended it to a few people!
    • 5/5
      Ellis Rogers has a crappy life. Still grieving his son’s suicide, unhappy in his marriage, 58 years old and never getting ahead as an engineer—it couldn’t get any worse, until he gets some really bad news. He’s got a degenerative pulmonary disease and can’t expect to live much longer.So he decides to take a flying risk—literally and figuratively—by using the time machine he’s constructed in his garage to skip ahead a couple of hundred years in hopes that there’s a cure for what ails him. So, what are the odds that he found the error in a theoretical physicist’s calculations and corrected it? Or that a machine made from recycled car parts and milk crates with an iPad will work?It really doesn’t matter, because Ellis ends up two millennia in the future. And what might be just another time travel story then takes a huge and creative twist, as Ellis witnesses a murder in a future were our descendants have supposedly genetically-engineered themselves free of violence.Teaming up with Pax, a genderless therapist who deals with trauma, to solve the murder, Ellis uncovers a plot to destroy the Hollow World. Full of plot twists and great character development, Michael J. Sullivan’s novel offers several unusual perspectives on gender, work, individuality, our propensity toward violence, and what makes us human.Oh, and the idea of a middle-aged protagonist with health problems? Such a nice change from the typical young, gorgeous and able-bodied heroes of science fiction.Sullivan includes an author’s note in which he addresses the unlikelihood of time travel possibilities; it’s really unnecessary, though, as the time travel isn’t the point here. The story takes off as a mystery/thriller and as an exploration of what it means to be emotionally healthy. The key is in the character development, and Hollow World has that in a big way. Hollow World is one more piece of evidence that Tachyon Publications is bringing some original and fascinating science fiction to readers.
    • 5/5
      Even though I am a fan of fantasy fiction I have not read any of Mr. Sullivan’s previous novels. I only read this one because the book cover and description sounded interesting as I was browsing for advanced reader copies. I am very glad I did pick this up. The book opens with the main character Ellis finding out he has a terminal illness and does not have long to live. He also is in a loveless marriage where his wife and him share the same house, but have separate lives. The one thing Ellis does have going for himself is the intelligence to take a design for a time traveling machine and figure out how to make it actually work. Ellis hopes that he can travel to the future where his disease can be treated and where he can try and start a new life. The world he finds when he travels 2000 years into the future is not at all what he expected. Humanity has taken some different directions. The author covers a number of social, political, and environmental issues in the book. What I liked is he made me think about them, but did not do it in an overly preachy way. The book really reminded me of a lot of the science fiction I read and fell in love with as a young teen. I also enjoyed the well-placed pop culture references. Working in a library I thought it was particularly funny for me the part about how they would read from one of the few surviving print books from the past to an appreciative crowd only to find out the title was Second Chance by Danielle Steel! Of all the books to survive…This is one of those books with a simple premise that takes only a few moments to tell someone about, but would not come close to describing the experience of reading it. Highly recommended for fans of old school science fiction.
    • 4/5
      Ellis Roger’s world is falling apart: his son has committed suicide, his wife blames him, and he has just learned he is terminally ill. He has built a time machine in his garage and plans on going 200 years into the future in the hopes that, by that time, they will have discovered a cure for his disease. To his own amazement the machine works but it takes him a bit further than planned – he ends up 2000 years in the future in a world he could never have anticipated.As author Michael J Sullivan points out, the time travel in the book is more a means to an end, ie the future world, so don’t expect any real science or even any pretence at it (his machine is made from old plastic crates). Rather, Hollow World is more about world building. It is also a surprisingly hopeful view of man’s future despite the fact that much of the story revolves around a murder mystery. In this tale, Sullivan looks at some pretty heavy issues like religion, politics, homophobia, and individual rights versus the common good.This is quite a departure from Sullivan’s Riyria Series. Sullivan, himself, admits he was taking a big chance moving from fantasy to sci fi but it definitely pays of. One thing it does have in common with the earlier novels, though, is the fact that the novel is more character- than plot-driven. There are very few major characters but those there are are extremely well-drawn. Ellis is extremely likable as a man suffering from guilt as well as disease and Pax, in particular, will appeal to readers. Some may find the novel a bit slow but for those who enjoy stories with well-drawn characters, interesting world-building, and a more contemplative style which inspires a great deal of thought about many of the issues we face today, Hollow World is definitely worth the read.
    • 5/5
      I am a big fan of Sullivan’s Riyria novels, so I was curious when I saw this science fiction novel by him. I got a copy of this book through NetGalley for review. This was a very well written and fascinating novel and I ended up enjoying it a lot.Ellis Rogers has built a time machine in his garage. Of course he hasn’t tried to use it, he doesn’t even think it will work. However, when he finds out he is dying from a terminal illness and that his wife has been cheating on him...he decides what has he got to lose? If it doesn’t work he’ll be dead in a few months anyway. So he tries it...and it works. However the world and time he lands in is completely different from what he expected….he may have been a bit off on his time calculations.This was a very well done sci-fi novel. Ellis Rogers ends up in the Hollow World. This world is a bit of a dystopian society where somethings are great and others not so great. Being that Ellis is a Darwin and an “original” he immediately becomes a bit of a celebrity. The Hollow World has no disease and everyone lives for ever. The main purpose of everyone in the Hollow World is to try and be different from everyone else, this is a major driver in why people in the Hollow World do what they do. The concepts of murder and death are foreign to these people.When Ellis witnesses a murder in the Hollow World he is immediately drawn into the investigation...after all he is a savage that comes from a time when people died all the time so he must be an expert. The majority of the book ends up being a murder mystery/thriller of sorts.The world-building is really well done and intriguing. We are introduced to a world where people have everything (health, food, whatever they want) and are struggling to find meaning. We are also introduced to the Geomancers that keep the world stable. All of it is very fascinating.The characters are well done and have a lot of depth to them. The people of the Hollow World are different but as you read on you realize despite all the evolution they still have many of the same problems with finding a purpose in life that we do now.I am not going to talk a ton about plot because it is hard to do that without adding too many spoilers here. The why and when behind the Hollow World is well filled out though and the way Sullivan fills the reader (and Ellis) in on this is very cleverly done.Overall I really enjoyed this dystopian science fiction thriller of a novel. It is completely different from anything I have read from Sullivan before, but the excellent world-building and likable characters as still present. The plot is creative and has some excellent twists and turns in it. I definitely recommend this book to sci-fi fans and to fans of Sullivan’s other works. It was an excellent read. I can’t wait to read the first book in his First Empire series which Sullivan is working on writing now.
    • 3/5
      Pros: interesting future world, some interesting philosophical discussions, tense climax Cons: uneven pacing, overuse of pop culture references When Ellis Rogers hears that he is terminally ill with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, he decides to use the time machine he built in his garage. He says goodbye to his best friend and learns a devastating secret about his wife, who’s been cold towards him after the suicide of their son.But he goes much further into the future than he intended, and the future is very different from what he’d pictured.Sullivan begins his book with an author’s note, where he explains that the science he uses to explain time travel is meant to be taken much like that of H. G. Wells, a means to an end. If you’re looking for hard SF and detailed explanations of how everything works, this is not the book for you.Like The Time Machine, the book’s an exploration of humanity, and toward the end especially, there are some interesting philosophical discussions. There’s also a murder mystery to solve, which provides most of the plot based elements of the book.I enjoyed his look at the future. It’s quite unique, and allowed him to examine several aspects of modern day society. And for those of you who like questions of gender… without spoiling anything, his future has some surprises.The pacing is uneven. Chapters full of character interactions and learning about life in Hollow World are suddenly interrupted when the mystery reappears. I sometimes had trouble transitioning from the laid back enjoyment of the former scenes to the intensity of the latter. It’s surprisingly easy at times, with all that’s going on, to forget the mystery is even there. The book comes to a pretty tense climax. Everything focuses and the pacing evens out for the final chapters. This was a personal pet peeve, and I’m not sure to what extent it will annoy others, but Sullivan threw in a LOT of modern pop culture references, which I found distracting. Especially since I didn’t understand most of the references he used. For example, instead of saying that the gram (basically a TV show) Ellis watches is a documentary, he says, “This was a multi-part series similar to a Ken Burns documentary or something produced for the History Channel.” While I know what the History Channel is, I’ve never heard of Ken Burns. I read something once that a classic is a book that can transcend time. Once you have specific references to current culture the chances of someone being able to pick the book up and read it without problem 100 years later is doubtful. I could have used some end notes to explain some of the references, as will people less in the loop than I am. Luckily for me Sullivan tended to use several references in a row, so if I didn’t understand one reference, often another would suffice to clue me in. It was an interesting story with some thought-provoking moments towards the end.
    • 5/5
      Hollow World harks back to classic scifi like H.G. Wells' Time Machine, fiction that dealt with big issues in the context of a rollicking adventure. Sullivan is a wonder at presenting moral and philosophical issues in an entertaining way, and making the reader see both sides of each issue. But the book is not dry at all. After a bit of a slow beginning, the adventures are exciting and the characters are people we can really care about. The ending was a little drawn out, but all in all this book is a wonder.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book. The time travel into the future reminded me of "The Time Machine", but was much better developed in attention to detail. That is my biggest complement to the book. Each idea in the story is well thought out and described. The biggest shock is about gender and sexuality. I will let new readers discover the details on their own. I think it is safe to say people of all political and social beliefs will be slightly offended by this book. I liked that I might not agree with every opinion expressed by the characters in the book. The protagonists in this story are flawed: they make mistakes, are afraid, cannot predict the future, and don't know their own minds.I would say the part I liked the least is toward the end when Ellis is not aware that he should not trust some "friends." I found it frustrating, and it seemed to go on for more pages than I liked. But, it set up some interesting resolutions that made the ending unexpected and dramatic.The afterward has interesting information from the author about the writing process of this story. Also he shares an in-depth description of some realities and challenges around book publishing today. I very much enjoyed that afterward. I think this book would appeal to people who can tolerant heroes who are old, tired, weak men. Readers should be open to unusual social relationships. If this is you, get this book and read it and enjoy.
    • 5/5
      Hollow World was easily one of my top reads of 2013. I was fortunate to receive the ebook version early because I was a backer in the Kickstarter campaign, a project I pledged my support to as soon as I found out about it because I am a fan of the author. At the time I had just finished reading his Riyria Revelations series and was still coming off from the high, so I was pretty keen on the idea of seeing Hollow World take off.First, though, a bit of history: in his afterword, Michael J. Sullivan writes that he first took this project to Kickstarter because while everyone he spoke to about it loved the concept behind the book, the general consensus was that this kind of story just wasn't marketable. The science fiction landscape these days is dominated by space operas, military sci-fi, or books from established franchises. It seemed there was very little room left for Hollow World and its good old cross-genre time traveling tale about a 58-year-old man dying from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, who decides to journey into the future in the hopes of finding a cure. To be honest, reading about the reasons why Sullivan ultimatedly decided to crowdfund Hollow World came as a surprise to me, especially after just having finished the book. Yes, the story is undoubtedly very different than what is typical in the mainstream right now, and Ellis Rogers would not be what you would call a traditional protagonist. Yet the character's adventure through time is no less extraordinary. Hollow World tells the tale of a man who has played it safe his whole life until he has nothing left to lose, and what he finds in the far, far future is way more than just the freedom from his illness. It's a great time for speculative fiction right now, with what I've noticed is an increased interest in cross-genre novels and so many great and original ideas having found their way into being published in recent years. I thought surely -- SURELY -- this book could have found a place. In any case, thank goodness for small press and self-pubs as well as sites like Kickstarter, because Hollow World is probably my new favorite book by Michael J. Sullivan, right up there with Heir of Novron. I think his style suits a book like this very well, with its modern character and simply astonishing setting. The story was compelling from page one, with its masterful introduction to Ellis in the moments after he first receives the life-altering news about his disease. Both character development and world building are Sullivan's greatest strengths, and it was easy to establish a connection with Ellis right away. But that feeling of "Oh wow, this book is something REALLY special" did not hit me until later, when we actually find ourselves in Hollow World and the breathtaking version of the future that the author has created. It's obvious that Michael J. Sullivan drew inspiration from The Time Machine, and he even makes mention to H.G. Wells' classic in his Author's Note. How Ellis Rogers managed to travel forward in time in a disembodied old van seat surrounded by a stack of plastic milk crates isn't the point of Hollow World -- it's the storytelling, its fascinating concepts and the heartfelt emotions it invoked, that will make this book stay with me for a long time. Authors of time-travel fiction have long speculated on the future of our planet and humankind, and Sullivan has accomplished something truly amazing with Hollow World, mixing together elements from many different genres including science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller and suspense, action-adventure and even a bit of romance. This confluence of ideas from so many different genres is likely what made the book such a tough sell to publishers to begin with, but its multiple facets is actually what I enjoyed the most. In fact, Hollow World is like a study in pluralities. There are some heavy subject matters within, from interpretations of God and religion, to sociological discussions of hive mind versus individuality, harmony versus chaos. It asks questions like, when does a utopia become a dystopia, and does it matter from whose perspective we look at? Is it worth it to trade comfort and security for freedom? Or how about sacrificing peace and happiness for a sense of accomplishment? Is there a middle ground? Why can't we have it all? Even though I thought I knew the answers, reading this book was an eye-opener. Ellis Rogers' journey to Hollow World changed his understanding of life and love, making him rethink all the things he always thought he knew, and I found myself naturally immersed in his experiences. At certain points, the story made me so angry I wanted to smack the main character upside the head; at others, I was so moved that I was almost in tears. Whether or not you'll find yourself shocked, disturbed, ecstatic, annoyed, or deeply touched (I was all of these and more), Hollow World is character driven story packed with humanity and emotion.I rate this book highly based on pure enjoyment factor; Hollow World is so many things, but without a doubt, the best part about it is also its most obvious duality: that is it at once a light and entertaining read, but also heavy on important issues and philosophy. Most important of all, this story will make you feel and think. I absolutely loved it.
    • 5/5
      Michael has a way with words like a great artist has a way with creating a painting. The plot starts out purposely slower at the start and builds to a perfect pace. Each character feels well fleshed out, layered, 3-dimensional. His ability to world-build is amazing. The attention to detail and delivery is exquisite. Every piece fits as it should and for reasons that make perfect sense. As you take this trip along with Ellis you connect with him and his experiences. Some points are thought provoking while not detracting from enjoying the read, and parts will elicit an emotional response.
      Come along and discover Hollow World, you won't regret it.

      I received an ebook copy in return for backing his kickstarter. This in no way influenced my review.