Book Information
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This podiobook is complete
Children of the Old Stars by David Lee Summers
Science Fiction
Click the arrow below to listen to the first episode of this free audio book:
The Cluster is a vast alien machine that destroys starships indiscriminately in its quest for something or someone. Commander John Mark Ellis, disgraced and booted out of the service when he fails to save a merchant ship, believes the key to stopping the Cluster is communication. His mother, Suki Firebrandt Ellis is a historian who believes the very leaders of the galaxy are withholding information about the Cluster. Clyde McClintlock believes the Cluster is God incarnate, seeking retribution. G'Liat is an alien warrior whose own starship was destroyed by the Cluster. All together, they set out to solve the mystery of the Cluster before it finds the object of its quest.
The events of Children of the Old Stars follow those of The Pirates of Sufiro, also available at Podiobooks.com.
Presented in association with LBF Books and Hadrosaur Productions.
"Children of the Old Stars presents an engrossing vision of the future ... David Lee Summers has created a fascinating, imaginative, and very entertaining cast of characters and worlds." S. Derrickson Moore, The Las Cruces Sun-News
"In Children of the Old Stars, David Lee Summers has created a wonderful mix of characters and a gripping plot. From the aliens to the whales of Earth, who now communicate with people, each character seems to come to life from the moment they enter the story." Kate Hill, author of The Chieftain's Bride
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works- 3.0 United States License.
Audio Quality: 
Out of 19 ratings
Narration Quality: 
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Writing Quality:
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Overall Rating:
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By: David Lee Summers
Responding to a review/comment that was posted just a few days ago over at iTunes since I figure that author and others would like to have an answer/update. Children of the Old Stars is, indeed, complete. The story picks up in Heirs of the New Earth which is about 80% recorded at this point. I just need to finish editing some of the early chapters and then it'll start appearing here at Podiobooks and over at iTunes.By: David Lee Summers
Thanks for the great suggestion, Thomas. I sent a note to the folks at Podiobooks.com asking if they can make the change.By: Thomas in Korea
Thanks for the second book! One note about the book's description on Podiobooks.com. It might help listeners if you mention that this is the sequel to Pirates of Sufiro. When I downloaded it, I just skimmed the summary and thought "good, more sci-fi," and put it in my que of books to listen to. I was surprised when I realized it was book II. Talk about delayed gratification! lol
Chapters
| Title | Description | Date Created |
| Chapter 1: The Freedom to Search (27.97 MB) | Part 1 begins when Commander John Mark Ellis is ordered to rescue a freighter from the mysterious alien vessel known as the Cluster. While attempting to communicate with the Cluster, Ellis passes out on the bridge of his ship and the freighter is destroyed. | Oct 1, 2007 |
| Chapter 2: Where No One Knows Your Name (21.56 MB) | John Mark Ellis returns to Earth where he finds he cannot get his mind off the Cluster. In the meantime, on the planet Sufiro, an imprisoned Clyde McClintlock reflects on visions he received from the Cluster. | Oct 1, 2007 |
| Chapter 3: Return to the Sea (26.28 MB) | John Mark Ellis returns home to Nantucket where he seeks advice about how to find the truth about the Cluster from two old family friends. Suki Ellis and Manuel Raton take Clyde McClintlock to neutral territory to keep tensions from rising too high on the planet, Sufiro. | Oct 1, 2007 |
| Chapter 4: Reverend Clyde's Old Time Cluster Revival (22.98 MB) | Clyde McClintlock comes to the realization that the Cluster is God incarnate. He returns to Earth to confer with John Mark Ellis. Not able to connect with Ellis, he starts telling other humans about his beliefs. | Oct 1, 2007 |
| Chapter 5: Rd' dyggia (21.13 MB) | At the start of part 2, John Mark Ellis travels to the planet Rd'dyggia seeking the philosopher, G'Liat. Not certain how to find G'Liat, he turns to his grandfather's friend, the Rd'dyggian pirate called Arepno. | Oct 1, 2007 |
| Chapter 6: Warrior Philosopher (22.81 MB) | Arepno takes Mark Ellis to G'Liat, who turns out to be a warrior whose ship was destroyed while attempting to contact the Cluster. | Oct 1, 2007 |
| Chapter 7: Commander, by Nature (23.49 MB) | G'Liat scans Ellis' brain in an attempt to better understand how Ellis "heard" the Cluster's communications. In the meantime, Clyde McClintlock and two of his followers travel to Rd'dyggia, seeking Ellis. | Oct 1, 2007 |
| Chapter 8: Return to the Stars (24.39 MB) | Ellis, G'Liat and McClintlock return to Earth to seek employment on a mapping ship, hoping such a voyage will increase their chance of encountering the Cluster. In the meantime, Ellis asks his mother to see what she can learn about the Titans and their connection to the Cluster. Part 2 comes to an end. | Oct 1, 2007 |
| Chapter 9: A Tall Ship and a Star to Sail Her By (23.55 MB) | At the start of part 3, John Mark Ellis assumes command of the mapping vessel, Nicholas Sanson. In the meantime, Ellis' mother, Suki returns to Earth to begin her research into the origins of the Titans. | Oct 11, 2007 |
| Chapter 10: Shipshape (25.12 MB) | Aboard the Nicholas Sanson, John Mark Ellis runs afoul of the owner's representative, Kirsten Smart when he tries to enforce Navy-style discipline on the civilian ship. On Earth, Suki Ellis finds circumstantial evidence that the Titans and the Cluster are somehow connected. | Oct 21, 2007 |
| Chapter 11: Preaching to the Converted (25.22 MB) | Clyde McClintlock learns that many of the Sanson's crew also believe that the Cluster is not a force of evil and that clues to its true nature may lie in the so-called "beyond." Meanwhile Ellis begins surreptitiously working on a plan to use ship's sensors to scan for the Cluster. | Oct 24, 2007 |
| Chapter 12: Grandchildren of Chaos (27.53 MB) | G'Liat suspects that the so-called deep space nodes are somehow connected to the Cluster. Kirsten Smart uncovers more information about Ellis. Suki Ellis and Manuel Raton go undercover on Titan. | Nov 4, 2007 |
| Chapter 13: Coming to Terms (24.8 MB) | Suki Ellis and Manuel Raton confront Teklar, leader of the Titans. John Mark Ellis learns that Kirsten Smart's interest in him is not merely professional. G'Liat realizes the crew of the Sanson may encounter the Cluster soon. | Nov 9, 2007 |
| Chapter 14: The Chase (22.82 MB) | The Sanson jumps to Alpha Coma Berenices, where the crew encounters the Cluster. Clyde McClintlock communicates with it and is distressed at what he learns. Part three comes to an end. | Nov 18, 2007 |
| Chapter 15: Manhunt (17.29 MB) | As part four begins, John Mark Ellis, G'Liat, and Kirsten Smart must track down a murderer before he strikes again. Also, they must jury rig the Sanson so it can go home. The Cluster returns. | Nov 23, 2007 |
| Chapter 16: Prodigal Children (16.58 MB) | John Mark Ellis confronts the Cluster. The Sanson attempts the jump back to Alpha Coma Berenices. Suki Ellis and Manuel Raton are released from their custody on Titan. | Dec 1, 2007 |
| Chapter 17: Silent Earth (16.08 MB) | The Cluster finds new symbionts. Old Man Coffin finds himself aboard an ancient whaling ship. The crew of the Sanson are assigned to a new mission. | Dec 8, 2007 |