This science fiction novella is a mystery set in the near future. Holly Winseed wakes in a hospital bed and gradually learns that she is a Provisional Replica - a clone of the Original Holly. Provisional Replicas can be created only if the Original has been convicted of a terrible act. In this case, Original Holly has murdered her scientist husband Jonathan and is on the run. Replica Holly has 4 days to track her down and kill her. If she accomplishes her mission she can petition to have Jonathan revived and the two of them can continue with their former lives. If she fails, she dies and Jonathan stays dead. First, Holly needs to figure out if her Original is really guilty.

The book had some really interesting concepts. The replica idea was nice, but I’ve read that before. However, I had not encountered themes, sort of virtual reality bubbles that you can create for yourself. You can visit a crowded beach and adopt a theme that makes it appear that you are there alone. Everything in your daily life is colored by the theme you have chosen. There were other entertaining world building touches. I can see an entire novel expanding on this world, maybe featuring Holly’s “handler”. Both Holly’s were relatable characters. The book has some action sequences and a little philosophizing. The conclusion of the mystery was satisfying.

The Original is currently available as audio only, so I’m sure the producers focused a lot of attention on the quality of the audio. I thought that the narration by Julia Whelan was quite good. Unfortunately, there were a couple of annoyances in the audio. First, there were unusually long breaks between sections/chapters. Since I was listening to an ARC, maybe that will be fixed in the final copy. Second, there was music that seemed to crop up randomly and was underlying the narration. It didn’t enhance anything and was just distracting. It was like trying to watch television while listening to music. I wanted to yell at them to turn the radio off. Underlying music works for me in movies, but it didn’t work well here.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.

You quickly realize that this is the future, we have cloned back up bodies and food printers, we go through life with our own personal themes overlaid in reality. Nanites maintain and renew us while robots keep our bland cities clean and windows washed.

Holly wakes up and is in for a bad week, she is a clone of herself set on a mission to kill herself.

What is even real in this world?

I could have enjoyed another four hours of this story but it still is fully formed even in its brevity.

A quick nanotechnology infused whodunnit for fans of sci-fi, thrillers and mystery.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance audio review copy of The Original in exchange for an honest review.

I have actual chills, the sound design and narration here were so well done.

The Original is a sci-fi like you've never seen before. Huge chunky books full of world building? Forget it. We jump right into the action along side Holly as she wakes up to the realization that she's been created as a replica of her original self with exactly 4 days to locate and kill her original. If Holly succeeds, she can take her place. If she fails, she dies. It should be an easy decision, really. Holly's original apparently committed the worst crime Holly could possibly imagine. The problem is, Holly can't imagine a world where she could have possibly done it.

Over the course of 4 fast paced days, Holly unplugs from the illusion she spent her original life hiding behind and hunts for herself and the truth. Did her original do what they said she did? Did someone else? Does it matter.

I was obsessed from beginning to end. I loved all the little details about how, where, and why the government hides things from its citizens and Holly was such a wonderful protagonist to follow because she was just as lost as I was.

I'd definitely recommend giving this a go whether or not you're a Sanderson fan.

The Original is a 4-hour audiobook from Brandon Sanderson and Mary Robinette Kowal.

It takes place in a world different from either authors' previous series where citizens tailor every aspect of their environment and appearance using augmented reality (AR). The main character, Holly, wakes up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there, and as she learns her situation, has to figure out what reality to believe.

As expected from these two authors, this novella has great worldbuilding explained organically as Holly navigates her situation. This world is different from anything else Sanderson or Kowal have written. Since everything is enhanced by AR, it is almost impossible to tell what is real, and original items are disappointingly dull and underwhelming. I loved how propulsive the action was and how many nods there were to noir detective fiction as Holly continually made mistakes trying to solve this mystery.

Julia Whelan is a consummate audiobook narrator and provided an excellent reading experience. Each character was distinct, and Holly's exasperation as she was continually thwarted really came through.

This audiobook had several music cues which were very unusual. I dislike the majority of music in audiobooks since it often makes the narration more difficult to hear and understand. The music in this book was understated. For example, a scene in a nightclub had soft base thumping underneath the narration. Music in audiobooks often reduces the quality of the book, but in this case the music did not detract from the text.

I really enjoyed this story and would be interested in reading more in this world.