Transmentation/Transience by Darkly Lem, Narrated by Dion Graham (Audiobook)

Dropped underground, a novice is in the middle of a routine training assignment. However, what transpires results in the deaths of many Burel Hird and, ultimately, the exile of the leader of the exercise, Malculm Kilkaneade. Disgraced Malculm’s traveling rights have been revoked, but by whom? It would seem that factions are overstepping their authoritative boundaries. Infringing upon those mandated by the council. Speaking of the council, conspiratorial rumors run wild in an attempt to seize control. Duncan, our old council leader, is nearing the end of his reign and destined to relinquish his title. On another note, can old adversaries bring word of a covert plan of assassination in time?

I exhale… again, I exhale! In for four seconds, hold, out for four seconds. This was intense. Dion Graham, the narrator of said novel, was fabulous. I mean it, he was tremendous. Breathing life into several characters and making each voice's inflection unique in its presentation. The Simulacrum places individuals into foreign bodies, thereby creating different-looking and sounding individuals trying to attain access and uncover and/or implement agendas according to their origins. Sound complex? You are correct. After listening to half of the novel, I was lost. Specifically so in the beginning. However, as with any great story, the tremendous world-building aspect, while challenging, drew me in. I suppose any story with this much depth will be compared to Game of Thrones, and yes, even I will admit there were similarities. There is a soup-like density in the pages. Clam chowder, or perhaps you are a person who relishes a homemade stew. It brings that in spades.

After racking my brain for the first five hours and feeling like I had been thrown into a corn maze in a loop of frustration, I found a clear path. Subtly, I gathered my feet, seizing the moment to run out and escape, and yet… I wanted closure; no, I needed closure. I had fought tooth and nail with this beast of a book, and I wanted redemption in the form of a mutual understanding. This story got the best of me, I admit. As in a great sporting event, the tides had turned, and I found myself trading blow for blow. No, scratch that, I was winning. The novel spoke to me, and I responded in kind. The subject matter became clearer and more concise, and before I fully understood, I found myself engaged. How?

This turn of events shocked me. Perhaps one piece of advice I have learned over the years is that those books that belie an ease sometimes become the favorites, for you feel as if you have conquered something. The story takes on a special meaning within your heart, resonating wholeheartedly. Darkly Lem, a conglomeration of five authors creating this fabulous work of fiction, seamlessly directs you through the catacombs of deception and time travel. Further begging the question, who is speaking? Which character is talking right now? Oftentimes, a switch of bodies occurs and leaves you lost and abandoned, only to pick you up by the bootstraps and provide you the answers later, all while planting a firm hand on your backside and sending you on your merry way. What was once a mere nuisance soon quickly becomes a part of the novel’s charm in discovery. Mentioning discovery, this world is dense, vast, and viscerally challenging. Numerous places and groups, all connected but on the periphery, vying for political strength. Untapped resources, a sought-after prize, and an open-ended source of conversation within the Burel Hird council, offering an origin of contention within its ranks. Not everyone puts on a happy face behind closed doors, and secret alliances look to sway the balance.

As the time has arrived for me to give this rich novel its score, I am met with sadness. I will miss my daily walk with Dion Graham and his special storytelling ability. This begs the question: Is this the best way to consume this mammoth of a story? Something I asked myself multiple times, if I am honest. The narration is fabulous; however, I did wonder if a physical copy might allow me to backtrack more when I got lost. That said, Dion Graham brings such personality to each character that I believe that listening to this is a great choice. Drum roll, please, maestro…. I am giving this 5 out of 5 stars, shockingly! If you love demanding world construction with that political intrigue, something similar to Julius Caesar in the “Ides of March,” then this novel will surely have you covered. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing Audiobooks for the ARC through NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion.

✧ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰʀᴇᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ, @DarklyLem @blackstonepublishing

➤ 𝚂𝚈𝙽𝙾𝙿𝚂𝙸𝚂

From bestselling authors Darkly Lem comes Transmentation | Transience, a sweeping multiverse adventure perfect for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and The Expanse. Across thousands of worlds, competing societies of interdimensional travelers clash over power, knowledge, and survival. When a training mission goes wrong, intelligence officer Malculm Kilkeneade is blamed, Roamers of Tala Beinir and Shara are caught in an assassination plot, and rival factions within Burel Hird ignite a conflict that could send shockwaves across the Many Worlds.

➤ 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚄𝙶𝙷𝚃𝚂
Transmentation | Transience by Darkly Lem dives into a sprawling, ambitious multiverse packed with corruption, conspiracies, and identity crises. The world-building is rich and detailed—sometimes a little too rich, like being handed a hundred-page manual before you're allowed to enjoy the ride. It can feel overwhelming at first, but once you find your footing, the payoff is worth it. The wide cast of characters keeps things moving, though occasionally they blur together, and the neutral, almost clinical writing style made it a little harder for me to fully connect with the story.

Still, considering this was a five-author team effort, it’s impressively cohesive and clearly pushes at the edges of what sci-fi can do. Even if it wasn’t a perfect fit for me, readers who love intricate worlds, political intrigue, and mind-bending multiverse adventures will find plenty to appreciate—and maybe even a few new existential crises to ponder.

DNF at 25%. I found this hard to follow, and it didn't pique my interest. Dion Graham is a gorgeous narrator though. Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone for an early audio to listen and review.

I was provided an ALC of this book through NetGalley. Thank you to Darkly Lem and Blackstone Publishing for letting me listen to this book and all opinions are my own.

I believe this is a first book in a series and there is a lot going on in sense of world building , very interesting ways of travel through universes that are soo different in atmosphere, species, laws of physics and other matters. So many people, places, and plots to keep track of, with many threads and details you have to remember and brings you to a great ending to this book.
I really enjoyed the writing style and the beautiful world building. There are also many ethical and other themes that are woven in this book. I loved most of the characters and I have found a few to dislike completely.

This would be above 4 stars - more like 4.3 for me mostly because it tries to do so much although it is a relatively ok sized listen, at once and it can be confusing with jumps between the stories, but then again our characters are doing the same through the book.
The narrator for this book was excellent and made it easier to follow and I hope he will be doing the follow up novels, which I will be surely reading when they become available.

This book is a wild ride of massive proportions. This is science fiction meets the west wing. It's one of those stories that you try to explain to a friend only to fall down a rabbit hole of details.
The team that is Darkly Lem has stitched together a mind bending story of travelers jumping from body to body across universes. The story focuses on the lives of several operatives on different sides of a multi-universe power struggle.

I really enjoyed the world building and the character development in this book. Getting used to the terms and culture of travelers was a small hurdle at the beginning, but before long it seems oddly easy. There is a good amount of action and a lot of political intrigue.

I think the only real issue I had was near the end. I don't want to post to much and spoil the plot, but there is a lot of time in the book dedicated to three characters that have a fateful encounter in the very first chapter. I didn't feel like their story went anywhere of value in this volume. I enjoyed how their various encounters unraveled more of the mechanics of the Simulacrum, but there just wasn't much payoff for all their maneuvering.

I really enjoyed the weird journey of this book. This is a very different kind of sci-fi story and I'm really happy with the final product. I look forward to what comes nex.t

I was provided both an ALC and ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

Dion Graham was a fantastic narrator! I enjoyed the different voices he gave the the various characters and he did different accents as each character moved from world to world at times. Such a fantastic performance!

This is perfect for fans of Caldwell Turnbull's No Gods, No Monsters and the Convergence Saga. Turnbull is a member of the author who make up Darkly Lem, the other authors in the collaboration are Josh Eure, Craig Lincoln, Ben Murphy, and M. Darusha Wehm. This didn't feel like it was written by multiple authors, and felt like a cohesive effort by the five members that make up Darkly Lem. If you enjoy that style of writing and storytelling you will enjoy this sci-fi, speculative fiction. This touches on politics, philosophy, environmental factors, corruption, self-reflection, and more.

Overall I really enjoyed this. It is strange in the best way, and while the pacing is a bit slow that fit the plot as it develops and the characters move about the multiverse. It is told from several different perspectives, but I had a hard time telling the characters apart and perhaps that was by design. There is a definite undertone of self-reflection by the characters as they move from place to place and they question their own identities. A major part of the plot is that characters can travel the multiverse and they inhabit different "husks" in different worlds. Their consciousness travels, while their "prime body" stays put, but don't quote me on that I'm still not 100% clear on that point. Some people have the ability to travel on their own, while others can move multiple people at once and the characters visit something akin to a train station to travel. It wasn't always clear if the character was another person when they traveled or if they were themselves, and that was a bit confusing for me. This is one of those books that I feel like upon re-read I would really understand the world and the science much better. I enjoyed the various characters once I got comfortable with their plotlines and motivations. There is alot going on and I was left with that feeling of "What did I just read?" when I was done. With this book that is meant as a huge compliment to the authors as I want to start over and dive back in because this book was so intriguing and interesting. I want to pick up on all of those things that I missed the first time through and pay closer attention to certain characters. I believe this is the beginning of a series and will 100% continue on.