The Original

by Brandon Sanderson and Mary Robinette Kowal

Julia Whelan (Narrator)

In the near future, humans choose life—for a price. Injectable nanite technology is the lifeblood that flows through every individual wishing to experience the world through the lens of their own theme. While death from mortal wounds is still possible, life is made easier in a socially liberated society where automation and income equality allow passion pursuits to flourish over traditional work. Renewal stations are provided to every law-abiding citizen for weekly check-ins, which issue life-sustaining repairs in exchange for personal privacy. But what becomes of those who check out, of those who dare to resist immortality and risk being edited under the gaze of an identity-extracting government surveillance system?

When Holly Winseed wakes up in a hospital room, her first thoughts are of her husband Jonathan. But he isn’t there. And her near-term memory seems… disjointed. A team of government agents wastes no time with pleasantries telling Holly that she is a Provisional Replica, created in the aftermath of her Original’s conviction for murdering their husband Jonathan. Now she has one week to hunt down and kill her Original. If she succeeds, she’ll assume her Original’s life. If she fails, her nanites deplete and she will die. Holly’s progress is monitored by an assigned contact that feeds her information as she confronts the blank, robotic world around her, discovering that others view life through the theme of their own choosing.

With her newly implanted combat and deduction skills, Holly fends off both attacks by terrorists and doubts about her own trustworthiness as clues lead her to her Original – and to the truth about Jonathan. In the end, one body remains and one walks away. Although questions persist, one thing is certain: Life will never be the same.

• ISBN13: 9781980062899
• Publish Date: 14 September 2020
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Imprint: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Edition: Unabridged
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 3 hours and 24 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Initial thoughts: I'm not really into novellas, so it's probably a good thing I didn't realise how short The Original was until after I had already borrowed it via Overdrive. In any case, I really enjoyed this one for the philosophical conundrum it explored: how do you beat yourself? That's the premise as Holly, the protagonist, is a provisional replica, ie. a clone, of an "original" human. Her job is to find her original and kill her as punishment for murder.

At the same time, The Original explored the ethics of cloning and whether or not replicas were as natural as humans born into the world. Instead of DNR orders referring to "do not resuscitate," the stood for "do not replicate." That was because generally people who died could essentially live on with their memories, personalities, etc in cloned bodies. I'd always been fascinated with such thought experiments during philosophy classes back in high school and university, so facing that in a fictional work all the more piqued my interest.

I also really liked the imagined near futuristic setting. The intersection of reality and simulation was very vivid, and I enjoyed how simulated realities could lead to a roomful of people who each experienced the same surroundings differently according to their preferences. The setting was a great parallel to Holly grappling with truths vs. lies as she set out to outwit and find her original.

As expected, Julia Whelan did a wonderful job narrating The Original, given that she is a seasoned narrator. Since this audiobook was considered a performance, it included sounds to bolster the atmosphere. an't say I cared very much of the pounding sounds that underscored the high stress situations. I found that very distracting to the point that it did inhibit my enjoyment for certain sections. Although, there were parts that give listeners insights into the background sounds and music for people who chose to rely on simulations as opposed to those who chose to take in the surroundings as they naturally were. In those cases, I did think it added to the listening experience.

Confusing but good.