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Greg Hickey
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Our Dried Voices: A Dystopian Novel Kindle Edition

by Greg Hickey (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 out of 5 stars 120 ratings
A future society about to collapse. A reluctant hero alone in the world. When he suspects sabotage, will he abandon his newfound friend to save humanity?

Samuel has grown accustomed to the mindless routine of the last human colony. Life is good for him and the other survivors: prefabricated meals three times a day, a freshly made bed each night, and hours in between with nothing to do but play and relax. But when the machines that regulate their community begin to malfunction, Samuel and the other colonists face a test for the first time in their existence.

Aided by his determined new friend Penny, Samuel struggles to repair each breakdown. But when they discover a group of shadowy saboteurs behind the colony’s mechanical failures, Samuel and Penny fear their idyllic community is not alone.

Facing a treacherous journey to confront their attackers, can Samuel rescue the colony if it means leaving Penny behind?

Our Dried Voices is a thought-provoking, instant classic dystopian novel. If you like false utopias, societies harboring dark secrets, and prophetic visions of humanity’s future, then you’ll love Greg Hickey’s perfectly engineered new world.

Buy Our Dried Voices and experience this unique dystopia today!
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  1. Print length
    236 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    March 28, 2017
  5. File size
    2.4 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dystopian lovers should give Greg Hickey's Our Dried Voices a read. This may become their favorite book of the year." - Readers' Favorite

"Excellent new YA dystopian novel." - Foreword Reviews

"Everything about this book is amazing... What really drew me in is the awful truth, the terrible reality of what could potentially befall mankind. As we advance technologically, we begin to take advantage and feel a sense of entitlement. What we have today was difficult, if not impossible, to achieve merely ten, twenty, or thirty years ago. What Hickey provides is a possible scenario, answers to several 'what-if' questions, a horrifying reality in which man achieves all it can before allowing itself to dwindle into a poor shadow of its previous glory." - The Celebrity Café

"This is a thought-provoking type of story that lingers a while after you close the book... Even before he distinguishes himself from the rest of the herd, Samuel becomes interesting to the reader due to the author's excellent development of the character." - Infamous Scribbler

"This dystopian portrait of an infantilized humanity, while a similar vein to Ira Levin's This Perfect Day or Ayn Rand's Anthem, manages to be a beast all its own." - Author J Trevor Robinson

"A frightening look into a future that could possibly occur." - Never Enough Books

A selection of comments from Amazon reviewers:

"This is a unique and wonderful story about the far future... OUTSTANDING!"

"If you are a fan of utopian/dystopian literature, then this novel is for you!"

"This story calls to mind Huxley and Wells' work, is frightening, exhilarating, and ultimately hopeful."

"Recommended for fans of H.G. Wells' Time Machine and [Aldous Huxley's] Brave New World."

"Our Dried Voices feels like the lovechild of George Orwell's 1984 and Ira Levin's This Perfect Day."

"Thought-provoking, vivid, and mysterious. This book drew me in instantly and I ended up reading the entire thing within a day!"

"Our Dried Voices is a fascinating dystopian novel, both compelling and thought-provoking."

"Like nothing you've read before."

"This is a very unique book, which had me hooked from the beginning."

"A quick and enjoyable read by Greg Hickey, that will leave you thinking."

"MUST READ."

"I didn't want to put [it] down. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars."

"Once I'd started reading, I didn't want to put this book down. Packed with multiple ingredients--dystopian sci-fi, intriguing mystery, a growing emotional bond--Hickey has skilfully written a tale of simplicity that simultaneously addresses many thought-provoking and timely themes."

"This book really got under my skin. Hickey creates a believable dystopian future that makes me both marvel at, and at some level fear, the advances of technology and science."

"Entertaining and engaging from cover to cover!"

"Well written with extraordinary descriptive passages that makes one feel part of the narrative."

"An easy read and hard to put down."

"The twists and turns within the book demonstrate the human spirit's essential need for individual thought, feeling and action."

"Highly enjoyable, and one I didn't want to put down until I finished."

"Easy read. Great for a flight or lying on the beach."

"Creative, entertaining, fascinating and thought-provoking."

"I still find myself thinking about the story days later. The novel is well-written; it reads like a classic."

"You'll finish reading and need to marinate in it for a few days so properly soak it in."

"You'll want to flip right back to the first page as soon as you've finished!"

"A story that will stay with the astute reader for long after the final page has been turned."

"If you are looking for an original sci-fi story, with good characters, great character growth, and a little bit of mystery then I would definitely take a chance on this one!"

About the Author

Greg Hickey was born in Evanston, Illinois in 1985 and raised in Winnetka. After graduating from Pomona College in 2008, he played and coached baseball in Sweden and South Africa. He is now a forensic scientist, endurance athlete and award-winning writer. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Lindsay. Read more about Greg at www.greghickeywrites.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XXNRYLG
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 28, 2017
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 2nd
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.4 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 236 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1940368016
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 out of 5 stars 120 ratings

About the author

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Greg Hickey

Greg Hickey

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Author of entertaining stories for smart readers. Download the short novel The Theory of Anything for free on the author's website.

Greg Hickey wrote his first novel, Our Dried Voices, while spending a year in Sundsvall, Sweden and Cape Town, South Africa, playing and coaching for local baseball teams. That novel was published in 2014 and was a finalist for Foreword Reviews’ INDIES Science Fiction Book of the Year Award.

Today, he still loves sharing stories while staying busy with the other facets of his life. Following twelve-plus years of work as a forensic scientist, he is now a full-time author. After his post-college travels, he once again lives in his hometown of Chicago with his wife and daughter.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
120 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this dystopian novel to be a great read for all interests, with one mentioning its fascinating timeline. Moreover, the book receives positive feedback for its scientific content, with one review highlighting its in-depth knowledge of scientific theory. Additionally, customers appreciate the character development, with one noting how well the roles are defined.

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ReadabilityScience contentCharacter development
9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, with one mentioning its fascinating timeline and another describing it as a philosophical adventure that really gets under the reader's skin.

"...This book will catch you early on, it sets the stage by listing humanity's achievents then delves right into the off world colony and its lead..." Read more

"...and by the time I figured them out, her role was well defined and well done. The mystery elements were also not quite up my alley...." Read more

"...I think the author successfully took on the task of writing a compelling story with little dialogue...." Read more

"...This book really got under my skin. Hickey creates a believable dystopian future that makes me both marvel at, and at some level fear, the advances..." Read more

4 customers mention "Science content"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's scientific content, with one review highlighting its in-depth knowledge of scientific theory and another noting how it sets the stage by listing humanity's achievements.

"...After wonderous achievements in science, medicine, and human evolution, human kind relocates a group to a near by world "Pearl" to colonize..." Read more

"...the big picture explained at the end of the book is a powerful treatise on the human condition and where our race may be heading in the next few..." Read more

"...makes me both marvel at, and at some level fear, the advances of technology and science. It starts a bit slow, but then I could not put it down...." Read more

"...the author is obviously very intelligent, and has an in-depth knowledge of scientific theory...." Read more

3 customers mention "Character development"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one noting how the roles are well defined and another mentioning the important context provided.

"...was never an object, and by the time I figured them out, her role was well defined and well done...." Read more

"...Although it is only a few pages, it provides a very important context for the characters...." Read more

"...that brilliantly builds tension and suspense, propelling the characters through the quest for truth...." Read more

Fabulously fun read!
4 out of 5 stars
Fabulously fun read!
"That's where I'm going. That's where it ends. That's where I will find answers." In a world where every disease is cured, the human population skyrockets and they are forced to colonize a new planet (Pearl). But what appeared as a promising start for the next era of human civilization completely devolves. Samuel, one of the colonists, is one of the first to notice that something is wrong. Very wrong. In his society, everything from food preparation to bed-making is fully automated. When his world is thrown into chaos, Samuel decides to do something about this. In a world where the most basic thinking is shunned and abhored, what in the world is Samuel supposed to do? Apparently, the answer is everything. Overall - this one was pretty dang good! The plot felt fresh and exciting, the characters were underdeveloped (but in a good way!) and the overall theme was fabulous. I liked the alien-ness of Samuel's world - I think the author did a great job of creating a new world and a plausible future. After all, once all of disease and war has been eliminated, what is left? I found it interesting how the author took that concept to the extreme - that without conflict and something to fight against, that humans will devolve and lose that quintessential difference between us and animals. Samuel and Penny (his assistant of sorts) begin as severely underdeveloped characters but you watch them overcome the saboteurs, their personalities do take shape and become more fleshed out. I think that if the book continued a bit longer, they would have become well-rounded (fingers crossed for a sequel!). That being said, I do feel that there was a bit too much time spent on the tasks for Samuel to complete. Each task did reveal a bit more of the inner-workings of this fantastic colony (which was definitely cool) but I would have preferred for him to "escape" quicker. Then, the extra page space could've been used for Samuel entering more of a leadership role...but hey that could be addressed at a later time (*sequel*) (*hint* *hint*) Overall - really enjoyed this one. Entertaining and engaging from cover to cover!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Projectile
    5.0 out of 5 stars who like a child begins to experiance critical thinking after years ...
    Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Just when you think human nature has evolved along with the trials and tribulations of life and vast experiance comes "Our Dried Voices" a story that tells how humanity expanded and relocated amongst the stars to escape its short sighted eventual demise. After wonderous achievements in science, medicine, and human evolution, human kind relocates a group to a near by world "Pearl" to colonize and begin anew with all that it has learned about progress.

    This book will catch you early on, it sets the stage by listing humanity's achievents then delves right into the off world colony and its lead character "Samuel", who like a child begins to experiance critical thinking after years and generations of cerebral atrophy. Following Samuel as he experiences problem solving, thought, and caring for others, which makes for one of the enjoyable aspects of this read.

    A quick an enjoyable read by Greg Hickey, that will leave you thinking...
    2 people found this helpful
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  • H.R.R. Gorman
    4.0 out of 5 stars For Fans of Classic Sci-Fi
    Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book is billed as inspired by classic sci-fi like Wells's The Time Machine or Huxley's Brave New World. I absolutely agree that if you like The Time Machine, this book is probably up your alley. Our Dried Voices takes a similar idea from The Time Machine - i.e. that humanity will collectively devolve into helpless, mindless creatures kept safe by old humanity's successes - but there's plenty of new, different ideas that you won't be bored.

    If you're looking for a more modern comparison, I'd like to point you to Liu's Three Body Problem. Hickey's Voices is similar to Three Body in that it's an extensively explored setting that builds with slow exactitude to its final reveal. Liu's book is probably 4 times the size of Voices, but there's a lot of explanatory shpiels that build on each other. It's got that classic sci-fi "boring" to it that I and many fans of the old stuff enjoy. At times it did get excessively dry, but the book was short enough that it didn't become too tedious.

    Another good point in Voices' favor is the high-quality editing. Though at times the book did fall into purple prose, the sentence structure, spelling, and logical flow of the book was good. I hate that this is something I have to grade in indie books, but I am happy to say that this one did it right!

    The reasons this isn't five stars, though...

    This book, like Brave New World, is what I would call "artsy fartsy". It has a semi-experimental structure wherein the characters say very little. Without much dialogue, it was hard for me to really get into Sam or Penny as fast as I wanted to. I could see what kind of feeling (a sort of "awakening" where the mains go from ignorant to curious) this sort of narration achieved, but it made it somewhat difficult for me to get into the book. They were inoffensive, perfectly fine characters, though. Penny was never an object, and by the time I figured them out, her role was well defined and well done.

    The mystery elements were also not quite up my alley. Some of the mystery was easy enough that I questioned what the main character was thinking, some of it was a stretch even after it was explained, and some of it didn't make sense how the character put together the clues.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Dystopian implications for our advancing technology
    Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Our Dried Voices begins with a timeline of events spanning the next two and a half centuries, giving the reader a unique in-depth look into how this fictional colony comes into being. With diseases cured and most essential needs automatically taken care of, this book paints a dreary picture of what an automated, futuristic world would mean for the complex minds of humans.

    I felt a Philip K. Dick vibe from the writing style and concept of this book (possibly because I had just finished The Man in the High Castle before coming to this one) which I found interesting and easily consumable.

    One issue I had with the book was that the historical timeline to give background to the actual story was so in-depth that I had high hopes for the complexity of the story. I can tell Hickey did the necessary research to make the events which lead to this world, but found myself enjoying the complexity of the timeline more so than the complexity of the story itself. In a way, it was like reading two separate stories. Especially because the timeline focused on medical and technological advances which weren't directly related to the story.

    That being said, I think the author successfully took on the task of writing a compelling story with little dialogue. Also, the big picture explained at the end of the book is a powerful treatise on the human condition and where our race may be heading in the next few centuries.

    I would recommend this book to dystopian readers or writers who would like to understand how much research goes into writing such a story. It certainly helped me.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Sofia
    5.0 out of 5 stars Scary and inspiring at the same time
    Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I am normally a huge consumer of young adult fantasy series, and was afraid this book would be too heavy to get through. I was wrong. This book really got under my skin. Hickey creates a believable dystopian future that makes me both marvel at, and at some level fear, the advances of technology and science. It starts a bit slow, but then I could not put it down. Not many books makes me ponder existential questions but this really left me wondering what it is that makes us human beings. And how important some things are to thrive as a person and as a society. Would recommend!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Tony Konstant
    4.0 out of 5 stars Invited me to participate rather than simply read...
    Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    A philosophical adventure more than anything. Throughout the course of reading this book I felt compelled to consider and question the actions of the characters and the situations they found themselves in. Whether the intent of the author or not I felt like I participated in the story rather than simply read the words as they were written. That made this novel a unique experience for me and one I would love to have more often when reading.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Hmmmmm
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Well, the author is obviously very intelligent, and has an in-depth knowledge of scientific theory. The plot presented an interesting argument that a perfect life free from strife and difficulties by it's very nature would lead to an existence that would ultimately be unfulfilled.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • J Reynolds
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
    Reviewed in Australia on May 4, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Ideas i had not read before.Interesting while showing a world hard to imagine but understandable as the beginninga are seen right now.I found the ending abrupt and no surprise though.
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