The Boy Who Fell from the Sky: The House Next Door, Volume 1
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The Boy Who Fell from the Sky: The House Next Door, Volume 1 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Jule Owen (Author, Publisher), Daniel Burns (Narrator)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 1,035 ratings
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The world is falling apart in 2055. Floods have devastated London on the eve of the First Space War. With the city locked down, 16-year-old Mathew Erlang is confined to his house with only his cat, his robot and his holographic dragons for company.

Desperate for a distraction from the chaos around him, Mathew becomes fascinated by his peculiar and reclusive neighbour, August Lestrange. Mathew begins to investigate Mr. Lestrange, turning to the virtual world of the Nexus and Blackweb for answers. But as he digs deeper, Mathew realises that Mr. Lestrange doesn't seem quite human.

When Mathew accidentally finds himself trapped in Lestrange's house, he opens a door and falls 400 years into the future. Unwittingly, he starts to destabilise the course of human history.

The Boy Who Fell from the Sky delves into a future where climate change and technology have transformed the world. It is the first book in The House Next Door trilogy, a young adult dystopian science fiction action adventure.

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  1. Listening Length
    7 hours and 7 minutes
  2. Author
    Jule Owen
  3. Narrator
    Daniel Burns
  4. Audible release date
    February 24, 2016
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Jule Owen
  7. ASIN
    B01C4TB684
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 7 hours and 7 minutes
Author Jule Owen
Narrator Daniel Burns
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date February 24, 2016
Publisher Jule Owen
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B01C4TB684
Best Sellers Rank #295,309 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#106 in Time Travel Science Fiction for Children
#693 in Teen & Young Adult Time Travel Fiction
#741 in Children's Time Travel Fiction

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
1,035 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

MIamzlvr
5.0 out of 5 stars A profound look at the future with real and believable characters. Wonderfully written.
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2016
Verified Purchase
Wonderful HOT LIST Novel from WATTPAD, the future of new writers. From the Authors Synopsis: The world is falling apart in 2055. Floods have devastated London, on the eve of the First Space War. With the city locked down, sixteen-year-old Mathew Erlang is confined to his house with only his cat, his robot and his holographic dragons for company.

Desperate for a distraction from the chaos around him, Mathew becomes fascinated by his peculiar and reclusive neighbour, August Lestrange, and begins to investigate, turning to the virtual world of the Nexus and Blackweb for answers. But as he digs deeper, Mathew realises that Mr. Lestrange isn't a normal man at all.

When Mathew accidentally finds himself trapped in Lestrange’s house, he opens a door and falls four hundred years into the future. Unwittingly, he starts to destabilise the course of human history.

The Boy Who Fell from the Sky delves into a future where climate change and technology have transformed the world. It is the first book in the House Next Door trilogy, a young adult dystopian science fiction action adventure.

The book is well written, characters are real, believable, the plot tight, the dialogue complete and wonderfully entwined with twists and turns not expected. The characters are group of teens as well as adults. There is an appeal to both young adults and adults alike. Unlike many stories on Amazon and Create Space the editing and proofreading is flawless so you won't see grammatical or punctuation errors at every turn.

This book takes a great look at some controversial subjects bringing you to the end wanting more and there is more. This is a series of books and I can't wait until I see the end. I am enthralled by the story wanting to know what happens, will have to wait until the next two books are available.

A profound look at the future.

***I am grateful to have received this product for a discounted rate in exchange for my personal, honest, unbiased and non-compensated review.
Please if you found this review helpful in making your decisions, please press the “Yes” button below.
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JCurl
4.0 out of 5 stars I fell through the crack.
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2016
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A boy falls into a forest. This reminds me of the opening to Predators.

Then we follow the goings on (not really exploits) of Matthew <s>Erling</s> Erlang in the not too far future. London has been flooded in parts, and this has caused day curfews to be put in place except for a select few people. Matthew's mom is one of those people that has to leave for work every day (in a hired car), but Matthew has to stay home and do his school work and attend class and lectures virtually.

And then things get bizarre.

There were many cool technological advances that appear to be where we are headed. How cool would it be to program a couple of dragons that are pretty much autonomous, at least in the VR world in which they are created? 3D printing is ubiquitous and capable of more than just the plastic-type material available now. This is exciting to read and imagine!

Less exciting is the governmental parties making plays for things and using tragedy and disaster to their own ends. That could never happen in our world, right?

I was about to hand out 5 stars for this book until the end of the book. Then I discover this is the first in a trilogy, and the book just stops. There is one statement that's supposed to just wash away all the questions raised along the way, or so it appears. I'm not satisfied at this ending at all. At least the second book can be obtained for free. Definitely want to read on.

[first posted on Goodreads, same day]
6 people found this helpful
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Teresa H
5.0 out of 5 stars A captivating glimpse of the future
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2015
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Some books transport the reader into a new reality—this is one of those stories. From the opening chapters on, it was clear the author had done her research. All of the technology, the political environment and the state of global climate were a realistic portrayal of the future that’s already unfolding.

Overall, it was an easy read with an interesting cast of characters. I think there’s appeal for both teens and adults. The book takes a critical look at some weighty subjects, like technology’s impact on privacy, government control, and the devastating impacts of climate change, but it’s packaged in a way that makes it engaging and accessible. The present tense narration lent to the sense of immersion in the story, and I found it to be a fitting choice for a novel that takes place in the future. Mathew was the classic “unlikely hero” sort, with a good balance of creativity and adventurousness to make him endearing. His weaknesses and flaws make him believable, but he’s also driven.

Because this book presents a fully realized future vision, there is a fair amount of exposition at points in the novel. I found some of this exposition to be a bit heavy-handed, breaking away from the scene to explain functionality or design specifics. Though I would have liked some of that information to be more smoothly integrated into the narrative and action, I was fascinated enough by the content that those cutaways weren’t overly distracting.

The story is not complete with this one volume, with the end begging for an immediate read of the next volume. But, I am greatly looking forward to going along for the ride with this trilogy!
15 people found this helpful
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JuniorMI2011
3.0 out of 5 stars The Boy Who Fell From The Sky? Well worth the read..... seriously it was good... okay check it out for yourself.
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2016
Verified Purchase
The young Asian-English main character was well developed. We got to feel what his life was in a non-post-apocalyptic Great Britain. Now we assume that technology has taken major leaps and bounds and not all for the good. The time when he fell from the sky was a bit rough to adapt to. The author could of better described the incident leading up to his falling through the Darkroom door. And I was a bit disappointed that we had to go half way through the book before he fell from the sky. Not sure if it was meant as a prologue or not. But all in all I was happy with the book and went out and purchased the second in the series. I am looking forward to seeing what the Dragons end up doing to him.... :-p
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A breathtakingly complex, always believable dystopian trilogy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 23, 2024
Verified Purchase
Jule Owen’s ‘House Next Door’ trilogy should be compulsory reading for anyone who doubts the looming perils of our world’s encroaching climate disaster. This dystopian trilogy ranges between the years 2055, 2092 and 2472, and illustrates in graphic, dramatic detail what the possible consequences of ignoring human-made climate change could be.

Mathew Erlang is a fifteen-year-old living with his mother, a cat and a domestic robot in London, 2055. As the story opens he is playing in his bedroom with two computer hologram dragons he has created for his robotics class. I am a huge fan of dragons, whether virtual or otherwise, so from this point on I was hooked. Mathew is at home because a mysterious All-Day Curfew means he cannot go out to school, while his mother must head off to work in the company of an armed guard. From here the story gradually opens out to offer us a picture of climate-ravaged London and the society that has resulted from changes to the urban and natural environment as a result of global warming.

Over the course of the trilogy, we see how society gradually breaks down and reorganises itself as a result of the political forces at play in conjunction with rapidly developing technology and the effects of our heating planet on the population. The mysterious house next door provides a compelling element of intrigue that is skilfully woven into the narrative, a key that unlocks the entire trilogy (trying not to leave spoilers here). What I was most impressed by was the breathtakingly complex, always believable research and plotting that has gone into this trilogy.

I am annoyed with myself for not having read this series sooner. I initially found the opening chapter of The Boy Who Fell from the Sky hard to get into, and so after several attempts, the book lay dormant in my phone literally for years. I finally pushed on into Chapter Two and am so glad I did! This is where the story truly took off for me and I was passionately swept up in Owen’s dystopian universe.
The future world Owen has created is believable, complex and vast. It is clear that she has undertaken thorough research into and has a passion for the science underpinning her speculative world. While the genre is YA, the quality of writing, characterisation and believability mean this story will also be hugely enjoyable and even educational for adults too.
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Alien Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars I love books about the future
Reviewed in Canada on July 21, 2017
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Goodreads Synopsis:
The world is falling apart in 2055. Another flood has devastated London and it’s the eve of the First Space War. With the city locked down, sixteen-year-old Mathew Erlang is confined to his house with only his cat, his robot and his holographic dragons for company.
Desperate for a distraction from the chaos around him, Mathew becomes fascinated by his peculiar and reclusive neighbour, August Lestrange. Mathew begins to investigate Mr. Lestrange, turning to the virtual world of the Nexus and Blackweb for answers. But as he digs deeper, Mathew realises that Mr. Lestrange doesn’t seem quite human.
When Mathew accidentally finds himself trapped in Lestrange’s house, he opens a door and falls four hundred years into the future. Unwittingly, he starts to destabilise the course of human history.
A 1984 for a new generation, The Boy Who Fell from the Sky delves into a future where climate change and technology have transformed the world. It is the first book in The House Next Door trilogy, a young adult dystopian science fiction action adventure.

My Review:
Mathew seems older than he is. Although I was confused by the first few chapters of the book, I found the story interesting and couldn't wait to see what happened next. I love books about the future, especially ones with well thought out worlds and even though this book seemed like one big conspiracy theory, I enjoyed it a lot. I kept saying, okay just one more chapter. Robots are everywhere. It's the year 2055, and there's a war gong on. This was such a good read. I wasn't sure hat I was getting myself into but I'm glad I picked it to read next. It's so exciting and keeps me guessing. I really did not want to put it down. Not only did I like the world it was set in, I really liked reading about the kind of tech they have. It seemed plausible and really helped make me feel like I was reading about something in the future. It's an easy read and I didn't feel too old to be reading it while I worked my way through it. I definitely will check out the next book in the series and recommend you check this book out if you haven't already! Thanks for reading.

Check out this review and more at my blog!
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)
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Mark Peaty
5.0 out of 5 stars The future is much warmer, more humid, and less democratic than now
Reviewed in Australia on January 19, 2016
Verified Purchase
He really does fall from the sky; luckily he lands on his feet. This is a well written, good yarn. The teenage protagonist lives in the middle of the 21st century where climate mayhem due to global warming is well under way. The author skillfully double tracks the two main threads of this first instalment of his saga: one thread is the exiting tale of how, where, and when he quite literally falls from the sky and what happens next, the other tells how his life in high tech, dystopian London where unprecedented, catastrophic flooding is tipping the goverment towards martial law, leads to his fall. Adults as well as young adults should find this story interesting because the characters are credible, the plot is complex, there is plenty of action, and there is science in the fiction. There might even be some relationships developing in the sequel.
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CathyInCanada
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the journey
Reviewed in Canada on January 9, 2017
Verified Purchase
Slow start, to me, but necessary and definitely ties together well later on. Interesting concept to the storyline. Very enjoyable.
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Pilar Knoke
4.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2015
Verified Purchase
I have thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the next installment. The author expertly portrays a future world that is very close to what could happen in reality. Issues we face at the moment, such as Climate change, as well as advances in technology are interwoven into the background of the story and have a ring of truth to them where you can feel the author has done her research well. I felt the theme fairly reminiscent of a futuristic version of 1984 with a twist of the original Planet of the Apes film (I am imagining the scene where Charleston Heston realizes he hasn’t landed on a different planet, but rather in the future). The story is certainly compelling and the main characters is well drawn out. The only criticism I would have is that the book is almost too short. I can only hope that the next installment in the trilogy will give us a better glimpse of the characters that have been briefly introduced in the first book, including Mathew’s father, as well as his mother’s story. Overall, I would give this book a 4.5 star review, it is greatly entertaining and I had to fight my own tiredness against the desire of wanting to read on.
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