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Jali: The Short Story Collection cover art

Jali: The Short Story Collection

By: Chris Beckett, An Owomoyela, Nikesh Shukla, Lauren Beukes, Ken Liu, Paul Cornell, Ellah Wakatama Allfrey editor -
Narrated by: Clare Corbett, Damian Lynch, Sophia Nomvete, Laurel Lefkow, Prasanna Puwanarajah, Liz Sutherland-Lim
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  • Summary

  • Written for audio format, this collection of six science fiction stories draw on themes of arrival, discovery and destination. Commissioned especially for Audible, and narrated by outstanding performers, these stories evoke the traditional storytelling of West African Jali as the unknown and distant are brought to life for audiences.

    In this collection Chris Beckett and An Owomoyela use the theme of 'discovery' to shape tales of searching; Nikesh Shukla and Lauren Beukes consider 'destination' in stories of finding a home; and Ken Liu and Paul Cornell each discuss 'arrival'.

    Jali is one of three short story collections written by our favourite best-selling novelists and emerging authors, and curated based on the themes of arrival, discovery and destination. Bard collates contemporary fiction while Skald features six crime stories.

    This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 6 episodes to your Library now.

    ©2018 Audible, Ltd. (P)2018 Audible, Ltd.
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Episodes
  • Ep. 1: When Will We Get There?
    Apr 10 2018

    Victoria is the 'wild card' pioneer on a ship that carries all the hope for the future of humanity. Every seven weeks Victoria and one of her shipmates (on an all-female crew) is woken up. For several days they conduct inspections of the ship and its precious cargo of seeds and embryos – and converse with the ship AI, Athena. When the ship tells Victoria that it has identified a planet that could be their new home it also sets her a moral dilemma that will have lasting repercussions.

    The award-winning Chris Beckett interrogates the nature of happiness, purpose and duty.

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    57 mins
  • Ep. 2: The Star That Sings in Darkness
    Apr 10 2018

    On a century-old journey Keihi is woken up by her ship. She has been travelling the stars, seeking a possible new home for the inhabitants of Earth. But she has been travelling for so long, with so many disappointments, that she doubts there is still anyone left at home for her to report to.

    When her ship wakes her, it is to the view of a strange star, one that is shielded by an engineered 'second skin'. And the star is trying to communicate. What happens when the discovery you have been hoping for comes in an unexpected form? What happens when you have forgotten how to hope?

    A bold emerging voice in the SF field, An Owomoyela's prose is faultless, beautifully crafted and boldly imagined.

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    56 mins
  • Ep. 3: Anuj
    Apr 10 2018

    In this story Nikesh Shukla introduces a new superhero for our times. Anuj is a good boy from a nice family who have sent him from Amenebad to Bristol to study law. All he wants is to work hard, get his degree, and maybe find some friends along the way. But weeks into his trip he realises nobody seems able to see him.

    A meeting with fellow classmate Cynthia leads Anuj to ask: is he becoming invisible or is he being erased? With characteristic humour and a keen social message, Shukla uses the classic superhero story to interrogate what it means to be a stranger in a strange and unwelcoming land.

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    25 mins

What listeners say about Jali: The Short Story Collection

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

It's Jali Good

I'm not usually keen on the short story format but while I waited for the brave Audible support team to wrestle my latest pre-order from the cantankerous beast that is their database I thought I'd give it a try. It's actually not bad at all which even for free content is important because after all there is little more valuable than your time.

I particularly enjoyed the first two which were both stories of humanity trying desperately to find a new home but each took a very different approach to the theme. When Will We Get There felt like a complete character's story and The Star That Sings in Darkness seemed more of an episode about a character and a situation that I would happily hear more about. The idea of one woman alone searching the stars in a tiny rig definitely smelled of further possibilities.

Juraj was very short and felt akin to an excerpt from a Luke Smitherd novel but at just 27 minutes didn't feel greatly satisfying, I wanted to discover more about Juraj and how his abilities would be exploited. Internal Architecture was the only one where I didn't enjoy the narration as much as the others but is one of the most complete stories. The aftermath of a disastrous collision for the Earth which impacted on South Africa.

Finishing off were the near fable-like The Magic Flute and naturally "A Conclusion". Jali is a nice little package and while to be fair I am definitely no expert in short stories it kept me entertained well enough while I awaited that pre-order, and given how impatient I was for that particular book Jali did a fine job of keeping me distracted.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Some good, some average stories

Except 1st story and the story by Ken Liu, the rest of the stories are average.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Eye Opening and Beautifully written.

This really made me think about how it must feel to be a minority in another country. Especially one hostile to you.

It’s very well written and it grips you from the first word to the last. If you’re going to listen to any of these short stories, “Anuj” is the one you need to hear.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Thoughtful set of stories

Interesting and thought provoking set of stories. Good performances that bring the stories to life.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

For a nice collection

It was very interesting and I very much enjoyed the all of them I do hope you can give us more.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • NJ
  • 27-02-20

A great selection of stories.

This collection has been fantastic on several levels. The variety of stories themselves mean that I have been introduced to new authors; some really deep philosophical questions are raised so as well as being entertaining, they are also thought-provoking; and they are very well read by the narrators. An absolute joy!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Poor collect of stories with no satisfying endings

A very poor collection of stories, most start with an interesting premise but none seem to have any interesting development or stratifying endings. The performances are fine but I started losing interest in the stories half way though the collection. I will have to be more careful will my selection next time

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

parts aren't really scifi

parts shouldn't be included in a sci-fi book, full chapters, but other parts are good

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Definitely worth downloading

I was looking for something to bridge the gap while I wait for credit day. So pleased with this series. Strong short stories and really engaging; I recommend downloading if you're looking to scratch that story itch.

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