
Man in the Empty Suit
- Author Sean Ferrell
- Narrator Mauro Hantman
- Publisher Blackstone Publishing
- Run Time 9 hours and 1 minute
- Format Audio
- Genre Crime and mystery fiction, Dystopian and utopian fiction, Fiction: general and literary, Romance: time travel.
Click to open directly in the xigxag app.
Titles Purchased
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- Over 20
Price p/Title
- £7.99
- £6.99
- £5.99
- £4.99
- £3.99
Listen to a sample
What to expect
Say you're a time traveler and you've already toured the entirety of human history. After a while, the outside world might lose a little of its luster. That's why this time traveler celebrates his birthday partying with himself. Every year, he travels to an abandoned hotel in New York City in 2071, the hundredth anniversary of his birth, and drinks twelve-year-old Scotch (lots of it) with all the other versions of who he has been and who he will be. Sure, the party is the same year after year, but at least it's one party where he can really, well, be himself.
The year he turns thirty-nine, though, the party takes a stressful turn for the worse. Before he even makes it into the grand ballroom for a drink he encounters the body of his forty-year-old self, dead of a gunshot wound to the head. As the older versions of himself at the party point out, the onus is on him to figure out what went wrong—he has one year to stop himself from being murdered, or they're all goners. As he follows clues that he may or may not have willingly left for himself, he discovers rampant paranoia and suspicion among his younger selves, and a frightening conspiracy among the elders. Most complicated of all is a haunting woman possibly named Lily who turns up at the party this year, the first person besides himself he's ever seen at the party.
For the first time, he has something to lose. Here's hoping he can save some version of his own life.
Critics Review
“An arresting setup—the same character is
simultaneously the murder victim, suspect, and investigator—and Ferrell
exploits it carefully…[presenting] the reader with some ugly truths about life
and owning up to who we really are. Ferrell himself has jokingly called it the
time-travel book of 3102, but I wouldn’t suggest waiting that long.”
“Out of this intriguing premise Sean Ferrell
proceeds to spin a dark hybrid of Paul Auster and the film Memento, complete with a mysterious love interest…Best of all,
however, is the evocation of mid-twenty-first century New York as a melancholy,
dilapidated place high in entropy, cluttered with ruined buildings, and weirdly
infested with parrots.”
“Ferrell’s novel satisfies as both a tale of a
four-dimensional conspiracy and as a stark meditation on solitude.”
“[Man in the Empty Suit
has] an ingenious setup…both Looper
and Man in the Empty Suit track the
trajectory of a pained, lonely man who learns what it means to sacrifice for the
sake of another’s well-being.”
“Man in
the Empty Suit has a clever enough premise that it could be straight out of
a Philip K. Dick or Kurt Vonnegut novel.”
“A genre-bending read that’s part noir and part
sci-fi…[A] speedy story.”
“This is trippy book; a great read…Ferrell spins
a web of lies, deceit, and self-loathing, sprinkles it with intelligent humor
and wit, a dash of love and loss, and presents it to the reader on a silver
platter.”
“Ferrell has written a brain-teasing, paradox-defying, time travel mystery in the tradition of such pretzel-bending-logic classics as Fritz Leiber’s The Big Time and Robert A. Heinlein’s ‘By His Bootstraps.’”
“Full of imagination and head-scratching
conundrums…It should definitely appeal to those who enjoy offbeat [sci-fi] and
mystery fiction.”
“Engaging and thought-provoking…It will also
appeal to readers of Stephen King’s 11/22/63.”
“Narrator Mauro Hantman recounts this offbeat, paradoxical
saga with convincing, amusing, and disturbing portrayals of the nameless
protagonist’s many selves. It’s particularly amusing to hear Hantman’s delivery
of his younger and elder selves criticizing each other. The verbal contrast he
provides for the protagonist and grumpy, alcoholic Phil, who become friends, is
striking. An uncommon plot and unconventional writing make audio the perfect
vehicle for sample this oddball adventure—a treat for those who like
mind-bending fiction.”
“A tour de force. Ferrell’s skill in plotting is
matched only by his ability to bring fully formed characters to life. A moving
and brilliantly executed puzzle of a novel.”
“Ferrell’s humor and invention will draw you in,
and the real emotion in his writing will keep you reading. A clever premise
that deepens into a surprising and moving story about fate, identity, and how we
shape our own lives and the lives of those around us.”
“Exceptional…for any sci-fi fan who enjoys a
challenge.”
“Enter a mysterious woman with parrot tattoos, a
post-apocalyptic Manhattan, Vonnegut-sharp humor, and Hemingway-spare prose,
and you’ve got some seriously good sci-fi.”
“Man in
the Empty Suit is a rich, complex novel…A slightly sinister, brooding tale
of death and lost love.”
“Zips along in a smirking
way.”
“A cerebral, noirish, and
very unusual novel…A challenge for me to put down. This one made me think about
it long after I was finished.”
More from the same
Narrator
About xigxag
Enjoy the best audiobooks on xigxag, an innovative, user-friendly audiobook platform that makes it easy to find, purchase, and enjoy your favorite books in audio format. xigxag’s flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less – affordable prices and the best audiobook deals with no subscription required. Give the perfect gift with our audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.
xigxag’s commitment to sustainability and ethical practices ensures a guilt-free listening experience from an exceptional digital book platform – an exciting alternative to big tech. Enjoy audiobooks from the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service and a leader in audiobook innovation.
Search effortlessly, read honest audiobook reviews evaluating both the book and the narration, and discover hidden gems. Download or stream top audiobook titles anytime, anywhere and get the best possible listening experience on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Experience the future of audiobooks today.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.