On Venus, the Council of Matriarch rules. The society of immortals govern themselves with the iron guidelines of the Manifesto, but the rest of the population is not so controlled.Among the floating cities in the upper atmosphere, living space is at a premium. Among the working-class citizens, life is a grind of day-in and day-out drudgery, with nothing to look forward to but the inevitability of old age and death. Jackson Harding time-shares a bunk in a communal dormitory, his only dream is to someday afford a room of his own. A new opportunity at work might give him the opening he longs for, if he can survive the dangerous work environment long enough to capitalize on it.The tensions among the desperate workers are growing to near-riot proportions, but for the matriarchs and their immortal sons, life continues as normal. The daughter of an immortal, Leila Everard is about to have her own coming of age ceremony, where if everything goes well, she will join the matriarchs with her mother. An accident sparks a chain of events that drag the orderly, structured life of the matriarchs into the grimy desperation of the common citizens. In this riveting sequel to The December Protocol, nobody is safe. The promise of a life everlasting means nothing if you can’t survive until tomorrow.
Devin Hanson (1983-present) was born in Beaverton, Oregon. After a childhood spent programming computers and playing Dungeons and Dragons, Devin’s career took a random turn to counseling. It was during his years as a counselor that he developed his insight into the human condition and renewed his interest in writing. Currently, Devin works as a web developer, spending his free time creating tales of fantasy and science fiction. Devin has recently escaped Los Angeles and has moved down to San Diego.
After a long career in law enforcement, Rhett switched gears and applied his vocal talents (not to mention the manners and voices of thousands of people he met including celebrities, state and federal dignitaries, numerous presidents and foreign heads of state) into becoming a versatile and notable audiobook narrator. He has honed his acting skills through workshops with Steven Tobolowsky, Willie Garson, VO Peeps’ Anne Ganguzza and Kalmenson & Kalmenson Casting Agency in Burbank, CA. His audiobook skills have been sharpened through workshops and seminars with Scott Brick, Jeffrey Kafer, PJ Ochlan, Hillary Huber, and Sean Allen Pratt. Rhett’s has been favorably reviewed by Audiofile Magazine for his work on “The Blood of Emmett Till”. He is noted for his smooth calm, consistent delivery that is easygoing and relaxing to listen to over a long period of time.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Rhett Samuel Price. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
For Amazon best-selling author Devin Hanson, the question is not how to achieve immortality, the question is what happens when we do?Throughout the entirety of history, humanity has fought against sickness, old age, frailty, even death itself hoping for eternal life. Countless legends and stories share the same hunt: extend our lifetimes beyond the impossibly brief moment we have. Hanson imagines life beyond those legends and stories – a solar system where humanity has discovered the secret to immortal life, at an extreme cost. What horrors await a society that rests an economy on the most scarce resource man has ever known – eternal life?Join The December Protocol in following three characters uniquely affected by the most amazing technological change humanity has ever experienced. Min, an ageless Earth-born marshal older than the very Martian colonies he fights to enforce a brittle and bleak law upon. Angeline, a young girl terrified by the social and scientific necessities prompted by the promise of eternal life. Marcus, a man brought to his knees by that emperor of all maladies, cancer, willing to pay the ultimate price for perfect health through immortality.The December Protocol rockets the listener into the late 24th century and raises thrilling questions about how far mankind would go to preserve the most precious gift we’ve ever received: immortality.
Devin Hanson (1983-present) was born in Beaverton, Oregon. After a childhood spent programming computers and playing Dungeons and Dragons, Devin’s career took a random turn to counseling. It was during his years as a counselor that he developed his insight into the human condition and renewed his interest in writing. Currently, Devin works as a web developer, spending his free time creating tales of fantasy and science fiction. Devin has recently escaped Los Angeles and has moved down to San Diego.
After a long career in law enforcement, Rhett switched gears and applied his vocal talents (not to mention the manners and voices of thousands of people he met including celebrities, state and federal dignitaries, numerous presidents and foreign heads of state) into becoming a versatile and notable audiobook narrator. He has honed his acting skills through workshops with Steven Tobolowsky, Willie Garson, VO Peeps’ Anne Ganguzza and Kalmenson & Kalmenson Casting Agency in Burbank, CA. His audiobook skills have been sharpened through workshops and seminars with Scott Brick, Jeffrey Kafer, PJ Ochlan, Hillary Huber, and Sean Allen Pratt. Rhett’s has been favorably reviewed by Audiofile Magazine for his work on “The Blood of Emmett Till”. He is noted for his smooth calm, consistent delivery that is easygoing and relaxing to listen to over a long period of time.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Rhett Samuel Price. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
Q&A with Narrator Rhett Samuel Price
When did you know you wanted to be an audiobook narrator?
From the very first story I told around a campfire at my childhood best friend’s home. I loved recounting the tale of “The Chicken Heart that ate Cincinnati.” Although I took a slight detour in another life profession, I also knew I would return to telling stories.
How did you wind up narrating audiobooks? Was it always your goal or was it something you stumbled into by chance?
I took an audiobook narration course with Patrick Fraley and guest instructor Scott Brick. I had been working with Pat on doing commercial VO work and he suggested audiobooks. From taking that class, I received my first offer to produce my first audiobook.
A lot of narrators seem to have a background in theatre. Is that something you think is essential to a successful narration career?
No, I don’t think you need a background in theatre, but you do need a passion for learning the fine art/craft of acting. Anyone can read a book. And that’s what it will sound like, someone just reading. But to bring an audiobook to life, learning how to act and constantly honing that talent is essential.
What type of training have you undergone?
I was fortunate in my former career to have been an on-air traffic reporter for KABC-TV, channel 7, Los Angeles, and numerous radio stations throughout southern California. I had no teleprompter and often had to go live with realtime events and provide a narrative or story of what was happening. To help with this, I took classes with Kalmenson and Kalmenson, Nancy Wolfson and Pat Fraley. I also took acting classes with Willie Garson and Stehen Tobolowsky. For audiobooks I trained with Pat Fraley, Scott Brick, Sean Allen Pratt and Paul Allen Ruben.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts of narrating an audiobook?
A wonderfully edited book. A poorly edited book.
What about this title compelled you to audition as narrator?
The initial description of a society living on mars caught my eye. But when I read the audition, the first paragraph sucked me into the story and I could wait to read more. Devin does such a beautiful job of providing rich characters and worlds, you can’t help but want to follow their story.
How did you decide how each character should sound in this title?
I didn’t have to decide. Devin provided everything needed in the text and they spoke to me form the page.
Has anyone ever recognized you from your voice?
Yes. All the time. Even more so when I was on-air. People would give me odd looks, but if I spoke to someone and they could hear me, I would get, “Hey! You’re that guy ….” I have a few audiobook fans who say they would recognize my voice anywhere.
How does audiobook narration differ from other types of voiceover work you’ve done?
Audiobook narration is a long haul. You are not with the listener for 15, 30 or 60 seconds. You are with a listener for hours at a time. You have a much more intimate relationship with them, and sometimes, you maybe the only one there when they might be going through a troubling time in life. You are providing the listener with an escape from reality by staging a play just for them.
Bonus question: Any funny anecdotes from inside the recording studio?
Yes. It’s about my favorite director. Max. Max was my 13 year old Shitzu poodle. (He passed away just last year.) He was with me from the very start and would lay down underneath my table in the studio by my feet while I was recording. Now, what made Max my favorite director? Well, while recording, if I was doing well, rhythm was correct, accents were on spec, pacing was right, I could record, and record, and not hear a sound from him. But as soon as something went wrong, I would hear this loud snoring coming from under the table. I mean loud! At first, I thought he was just falling asleep (in reality he was, I was boring him to death) but then I realized it was his way of telling me, “Hey! You’re not reading it right, get a clue!” And you know what, when I would go back and listen to the passage where he started snoring, Max was always 100% right!
Devin Hanson (1983-present) was born in Beaverton, Oregon. After a childhood spent programming computers and playing Dungeons and Dragons, Devin’s career took a random turn to counseling. It was during his years as a counselor that he developed his insight into the human condition and renewed his interest in writing. Currently, Devin works as a web developer, spending his free time creating tales of fantasy and science fiction. Devin has recently escaped Los Angeles and has moved down to San Diego.
After a long career in law enforcement, Rhett switched gears and applied his vocal talents (not to mention the manners and voices of thousands of people he met including celebrities, state and federal dignitaries, numerous presidents and foreign heads of state) into becoming a versatile and notable audiobook narrator. He has honed his acting skills through workshops with Steven Tobolowsky, Willie Garson, VO Peeps’ Anne Ganguzza and Kalmenson & Kalmenson Casting Agency in Burbank, CA. His audiobook skills have been sharpened through workshops and seminars with Scott Brick, Jeffrey Kafer, PJ Ochlan, Hillary Huber, and Sean Allen Pratt. Rhett’s has been favorably reviewed by Audiofile Magazine for his work on “The Blood of Emmett Till”. He is noted for his smooth calm, consistent delivery that is easygoing and relaxing to listen to over a long period of time.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Rhett Samuel Price. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
