Posted on June 3, 2018 Posted by John Scalzi 22 Comments
The sequel to The Dispatcher may have been announced in this New York Times article about audiobooks. And before you ask, yes, there will be a print/ebook version as well, some time after the audio publication.
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A wish of mine has come true. Thanks you, Mr. Author!!!! (Though, sadly, I see I will have to wait for the ebook–I absolutely hate audio books.)
Ooh, yay sequel!
At least from the outside, the timing and mode seems slightly accidental, but I am very much looking forward to it. Hope Quinto comes back, I was impressed with his performance.
I love audio books, they get me through my hours drive to work in a flash! Looking forward to this.
Oh, good! (Especially about the print book/ebook version, from my perspective–but good that the story will exist at all.)
I can’t say I hate audiobooks; I just don’t use them. To me, the authorial voice is in my head, not my ears.
I read a ton of books, probably at least two or three a week. I read them at breakfast, while walking, in the doctor’s waiting room, on the john. (Those commas are there for a reason, by the way, and I recognize that they wouldn’t be necessary in an audiobook.) I can pick them up and carry on where I left off, read at my own speed, double back to check on something I missed, or skip over a dull or uninformative stretch. All those are harder on an audiobook.
Other things being equal, I prefer a print version, because skipping forward or backward, or checking a reference, is so much easier (do audiobooks even have footnotes or references?). But for fiction, the convenience of an ebook is greater. Have you ever tried to read Neal Stephenson in bed? Or standing up in the Metro?
Nice. Enjoyed that story a lot. Will be looking forward to this
Yay, I liked that audiobook a lot! :-) But (though I will get the audiobook) I’m glad you’re not leaving non-audiobook people out in the cold forever.
Sequel! Sequel!
Adding my voice of support for Zachary Quinto as the narrator again. He was excellent and compelling at dramatizing your story.
I dislike audio books because they never sounds like what I “hear” in my head when reading a normal book. Stuff like “he said” and such being read out loud seems to break my immersion. I guess I kinda edit that out when I read. Good news about a followup to that great story.
I’m excited there will be a sequel and relieved it will also be available in print. I have some auditory processing issues that mean I have to work harder to follow an audio version and therefore my attention is more likely to wander (and as said above, it’s harder to backtrack to restart at the right place than in print). Also, I can read much more quickly than a narrator speaks, which is a big plus when I can’t wait to find out what happens next!
I think it’s great that more reading material is available in audio – that’s a boon not only to people with long car rides, but those with dyslexia or vision impairments. I hope that the NYT isn’t right that the pendulum’s moving to audio-only, because that would exclude those with hearing impairments or receptive language issues. Having both visual (ebook and/or print) and audio is important in making content available to as many people as possible.
I am an immersive reader. I listen to the audiobook while also reading the ebook. Using my Kindle Fire 6, the two versions are synced and the kindle ebook lines are highlighted and pages turn with the audiobook narration. Since adopting this system, My reading speed and comprehension has increased.
When out for a walk or working in my yard, I happily listen to the audiobook version sans ebook.
I’m picky about my audiobooks, and I am THRILLED to hear that there is a sequel coming! Really enjoyed the first one!
I liked the audiobook, but I had sdooooooooo many issues with Audible.com’s website. Sigh.
Sequel? Dragging my 50 year old ass off to man-squee at the top of my lungs
Very glad to hear about this! I really enjoyed The Dispatcher and have been hoping that you’d return to that world.
I’d also like to add my thanks to the others above for your efforts to publish your work in many formats. I, too, have auditory processing issues plus some hearing loss, and any book that is released in an audio-only format is one that I will never experience. So I am very glad to know that while it may take a little longer, this book will indeed emerge at some point in a print format. Thank you!
Awesome! A, I love audiobooks. B, being blind, it’s often hard to get ahold of brand new books in Braille when they first come out. So, audiobooks let me have access to the new books at the same time as everyone else.f
Excited about the sequel! I have become an avid audiobook reader in the last few years … for commute time, when i am doing tediuos chores at work, when i am doing various chores around the house, when i take daily walks. My daughter is five, and since she came into my life, it’s been harder to sit still and read for any length of time.
I do still read visually, but I live it that audio has become so available as well.
Dat John Harris cover art, tho. <3
The Dispatcher was the first (and only) audio-book I’ve ever listened to, and I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the sequel.
Yay! A sequel! I was hoping there would be one. Or two. Or six.