A fast-moving read set in near future where there has been much scientific advancement. Well developed characters, relatable and grow throughout the book. An interesting concept that a lot of sci-fi readers will enjoy.

Life on Earth is dying from a mysterious cause, people are dying of hunger. Looks like all hope is in outer space. Yet, the Moon is only the first step. This book was a hard read and I mean this in a good way. After a pandemic and various other “scares” this hit home a bit too close. 100% feels like a running commentary on the times that we live.

I warn you this is a plot driven book, not character driven.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
Globally, societies are falling apart. The Earth is unable to support the human race and is dying. Everyone in the story is facing the end of everything that they know. A colony is set up on the moon, watching what happens back on Earth.
While the ideas of this book are interesting, there are so many of them in one book. The book keeps jumping back and forth between different people facing different elements of the story. This book could have really been two or three different books that are interconnected by time and setting. If this was done, it would have made the overall story easier to follow.
There are so many things that happen and are just summed up. There is also a large cast of people. Because of the multiple plots happening on Earth, and the Moon plot, things are easily confused.
Another issue for me was the auto narration, which was very flat and did not help.

Book received for free through NetGalley

Read 83% of the way into this book but kept starting and stopping and ultimately forgot about it. Figured it was better to review as is. It was written and narrated well just not my cup of tea.

The cover needed some work to show what the book would encompass, though maybe it was a draft cover for the purpose of review perhaps. The book and narration were a 2.5/5 for me. Would like to see what the author goes on to write next 2.5/5

I did not finish Entropy. I do think this would appeal to those who are more into the science part of science fiction, but it was difficult for me to get into this book.

DNF at ~ 10%

4 stars for the compelling sci-fi story, -1 stars for the auto-narration by "Archie"

I am a self-proclaimed sci-fi nerd, so I chose this book because it ticked so many of my boxes: dystopian but realistic near future, space travel and colonization, impressive but not over-the-top new tech. We are presented with the disappointing 2060s we expect, viewed by readers in the currently chaotic economy, politics and climate of the 2020s. An ambitious but plausible story, and overall I liked it.

But the choice to auto-narrate this novel is a killer for those of us who chose the audiobook. "Archie" put a soggy, gray blanket over the entire story, ruining any enjoyment we may have gotten from it. I've heard BBC News reports that had more inflection. Terrible choice, my publishing friends.

3.5 stars

The year is 2066 and the Earth is experiencing dire troubles. There's flooding of landmasses, bad air, contaminated water, disappearance of wildlife, shortage of food, and other difficulties. The lack of food in particular causes mass unrest in the United States, with riots, violence, rape, killing, looting, and so on. Worse yet, it appears the entire planet is dying, and won't sustain life of any kind for much longer. In the circumstances, a new religious movement is established in America, as people seek comfort in difficult circumstances.

U.S. President Kim - an anthropologist by training - consults with her advisors, and they decide on a plan to establish a human colony on the moon. This will put a small segment of humanity out of harm's way, but even more importantly, the lunar colony will grow food plants that can survive harsh circumstances. These plants are being created by an innovative botanist named John McCabe, and the botanicals will feed the moon colonists AND provide seeds that can grow on the moribund Earth, to relieve the starving populations.

A number of dedicated individuals are tasked with establishing and maintaining the American lunar colony, which is named Diaspora. These include Jeffrey Patel - a brilliant physicist, engineer, and entrepreneur; Gabriel Farigola - a lunar ecologist and space administrator; Captain Joanne Wakefield - commander of America's two space stations (USS Kennedy and USS Armstrong) who's being reassigned to command Diaspora; John McCabe - the botanist; Mercedes Fontaine - an activist and diplomat who functions as a liasion between Diaspora and President Kim; and more.

Physicist Jeffrey Patel and botanist John McCabe come to believe that the Earth is dying because of a newly discovered force called Entropy. Entropy functions to deconstruct matter, and it's causing the deterioration of everything on Earth. The scientists believe that if Entropy can be controlled, the Earth might (eventually) be saved.

The establishment of the moon colony Diaspora goes smoothly enough, but there's trouble on the horizon. China has built it's own lunar colony, named Jiā, which is only a few hundred kilometers from Diaspora. Moreover, China's colony is not a research facility, but a military one. China's President Liu plans to invade Diaspora and take it over, which leads to some riveting combat scenes. Meanwhile there's also some drama back on Earth, where treachery is afoot.

In addition to adventure and action, the book touches on some important human relationships, like the bond between diplomat Mercedes Fontaine and her earthbound parents; Commander Wakefield taking space cadet/aide-de-camp Ned Henson under her wing; the association of Chinese and American lunar colonists; the romance between Mercedes Fontaine and botanist John McCabe; etc.

The author has clearly done his research, and the science fiction elements of the novel have a good dollop of real science. For example, there's an excellent scene in which colonists take off for space, and I could almost sense the vibrating rocket ship and the feeling of being squished by gravity (which is like being sat on by an elephant). There are also fine descriptions of the space stations, lunar colonies, lunar vehicles, methods of getting air and water on the moon, and more.

The story leads to a satisfying climax which leaves room for a sequel.

I listened to the audiobook, which was well-narrated. I like the story and recommend it to science fiction fans.

Thanks to Netgalley, Dana Hayward, and Widow's Watch Publishing for a copy of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Widow's Watch Publishing for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

A lot is going on during Entropy including political unrest, race to colonize space, global food shortages and disasters. Lots of characters that I had trouble keeping track of.

Did not care for the narration by Archie. Felt it was monotone.

Audiobook/Unabridged:. I ended up increasing the audio speed several times because the narration was so bad. The narrator has a uppercrust New England accent while describing action scenes in a rural setting. I don't know if it was the publisher's intention to do this so the reader is reminded how smart and scientific the characters are.
I had issues with the writing too. The biggest is that there is such lawlessness going on with the United States falling apart. At one point Mercedes is violently raped but has no problem satisfying McCay the next night. Of course, she winds up pregnant.
The whole story is a mess with most of the conversations about ethics & politics and not much faux science behind the trip to Mars.

First thing I must say is, the story of the book is good, but this narrator is as emotionless as a toaster, even Data from star trek would read this with more emotion… an audiobook is something to make us feel emersed in the story and with this narrator is impossible… I procrastinated a lot, and I lost my ground in the audiobook… I will find the book and resume reading, probably I will start again, the story deserves all the respect.

Thank you NetGalley and Widow's Watch Publishing for the free AAC and this is my honest opinion.

(my stars are because of the reading)

The narration is too monotone to follow. Audiobook narration is an art, a performance. This narrator uses the same flat, emotionless voice for every character. I can’t keep focus on the book under those circumstances.

The reader for this audiobook sounds like an Artificial Intelligence reader. I am enjoying the content of the book, but the lack of appropriate emotion, pausing, innotation, etc. is so disrupting that I will not be able to finish this book on audio. I will read it on Kindle Unlimited as I can then read it to myself with the correct emphasis.

I am not posting this review to Goodreads because it is so untenable that the author must get another narrator!