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This podiobook is complete
The Rookie by Scott Sigler
Science Fiction
Click the arrow below to listen to the first episode of this free audio book:
Imagine a story that combines the intense football action of "Any Given Sunday" with the space opera style of "Star Wars" and the criminal underworld of "The Godfather."
"The Rookie" is set amongst a lethal pro football league 700 years in the future. Aliens play positions based on physiology, creating receivers that jump 25 feet into the air, linemen that bench-press 1,200 pounds, and linebackers that -- literally -- want to eat you. Organized crime runs every franchise, games are fixed and rival players are assasinated.
Follow the story of Quentin Barnes, a 19-year-old quarterback prodigy that has been raised all his life to hate, and kill, those aliens. Quentin must deal with his racism and learn to lead, or hell wind up just another stat in the column marked "killed on the field."
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Audio Quality: 
Out of 39 ratings
Narration Quality:
Out of 39 ratings
Writing Quality: 
Out of 39 ratings
Overall Rating:
Out of 39 ratings
By: Arioch
Yes, there *was* a problem with episode 27. It has since been corrected. If you have the old episode, download the new one.By: Kehlar
More football bring us more. Speaking of publishing, you need to get a print version of this one. I have a friend who doesn't do horror and who loves football. I want to share this with her but she won't listen, she will however read.By: TD George
Great story! One of Sigler's best. This is a very entertaining listen. My only complaint is the overly L O N G interludes between episodes. The interludes themselves were not the problem, it was the fact that they were repeated two or three times (extreamly annoying) and the fact the audio level was higher than the episode audio level. Tom G.
Chapters
| Title | Description | Date Created |
| Episode #1 (25.83 MB) | Imagine a story that combines the intense football action of "Any Given Sunday" with the space opera style of "Star Wars" and the criminal underworld of "The Godfather." | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #2 (11.7 MB) | Quentin learns that his contract has been bought out by the Krakens. As he prepares to face his future, we get a glimpse into his life - the life of a dirty, underclass orphan in a culture dominated by family connections. Quentin rules his team with an iron fist, but if his talent ever slipped, he'd be back working in the mines faster than you can say "first down." | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #3 (20.12 MB) | Quentin is the property of the Ionath Krakens of the GLF, but he's got one more game to play for the Micovi Raiders. He says his final goodbyes to Micovi, a planet he hates with all his heart, and to the Purist Nation, a government he hates almost as much. He's off to "The Combine," the place where all new football players are tested before they can enter the GFL. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #4 (13.54 MB) | Quentin preps for his ordeal at The Combine, a former war prison that now screens GFL rookies. All rooks are tested for body mods and performance-enhancing drugs - both of which can carry a death sentence in the Cretarakian Empire. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #5 (19.42 MB) | Quentin's ordeal at The Combine continues - the testing is over, but now he faces the "sub-races" face-to-face for the first time in his life. What's waiting for Quentin in this episode? Nine-foot-tall Sklorno receivers, thick Quyth Warrior linebackers, a team doctor that floats, and a 560-pound Ki defensive lineman that has set his goal for the season - crippling Quentin. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| American Football Basics (11.48 MB) | American football 101 for those folks who are unfamiliar with the game. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #6 (24 MB) | Quentin arrives at "The Touchback," the frigate that has been converted to the Kraken's team bus. He meets his competition for the starting spot, two-time GFL champion QB Don Pine, and perpetual bench-warmer Yhitzak Goldman. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #7 (16.24 MB) | Quentin explores the Touchback, his new home with the Ionath Krakens, and meets his competition - two-time GFL champ Don Pine. Quentin also partakes in his first practice, and finds out that the big leagues are a lot harder than things were in the PNFL. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #8 (19.88 MB) | Quentin's first practice against a live defense is a total disaster. He's on Coach Hokor's bad side, Don Pine's bad side, and still has to memorize all the defensive players from other teams in the Quyth Irradiated Conference, the conference of the Ionath Krakens. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Football Basics #2 – The Pass (15.02 MB) | The passing game in American football is explained to enhance your enjoyment of the Rookie. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #9 (7.52 MB) | Coach Hokor thinks Quentin could be the best player in the league - in two to three years. Gredok tells Hokor they don't have that long: they either win now, or Hokor is out of a job (and knowing Gredok, possibly out of a life ...). Quentin is busting his ass to adjust to the speed of Tier Two, but he's got a long way to go before he's even considered decent. The Krakens arrive at their home ... Ionath City on planet Ionath. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #10 (24.72 MB) | Quentin arrives at Ionath City and has his first practice on the Kraken's home field - the 185,000-seat Ionath Stadium, also known as "The Big Eye." Full-contact is finally here, and Quentin finds out what it's like to be hit by Tier 2 players. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #11 (22.51 MB) | Time for the season opener! The Krakens play host to the Woo Wallcrawlers in a critical Week One matchup. Quentin realizes now that he's the third-string quarterback ... but will he see any playing time against the Wallcrawlers? And if he does, is he ready for the real thing? | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Week 1 Post Game Report (2.95 MB) | In the early 21st Century, there was a sports podcast called The Skinny on Sports. Seven hundred years later, the descendants of the hosts of that show give us their take on the Kraken's week one game against the Woo Wallcrawlers. Can you have American Football without a couple of guys sitting in front of a microphone passing judgement on the players and coaches? Hell no! It's a must-have! Enjoy! | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #12 (16.22 MB) | Hokor is furious with Quentin's independent streak. Quentin has to face the music for not running the plays that Hokor calls. Quentin and Tweedy finally have a confrontation - who's going to get the best of whom? | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #13 (14.45 MB) | The on-field antics of Quentin have incurred the wrath of Coach Hokor, who has benched the rookie QB for the Kraken's week two battle against the Grotak Hydras. Can Don Pine lead the Kraken's to a 2-0 start, and take first place in the division? Quentin's Second Life press conference hasn't helped endear him to the rest of the Kraken's team. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Week 2 Post Game Report (2.85 MB) | The Skinny on Sports guys rip into Quentin after he blew the win for the Krakens in Week Two. They even throw out the dreaded term "locker room cancer." Ugh. Poor racist bastard. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #14 (15.33 MB) | Quentin has to deal with the fact that he lost the game for the Krakens - simply because he wouldn't listen to his coach. Is he benched for good? Pine's out for 2-3 weeks, so you take a guess ... | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #15 (21.98 MB) | Quentin sees his dreams coming true as he makes his first start in the GFL. Unfortunately, it's against the best team in Tier Two, the Whitok Pioneers (2-0). Will Quentin throw the game, so that he can keep the Krakens out of the playoffs and see his contract bought out by Tier One powerhouse the To Pirates? Or will he lead his Krakens to victory, and get them back in the playoff hunt? | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Week 3 Post Game Report (2.42 MB) | Andy and Matt take a look at the Week Three 35-10 loss against the Whitok Pioneers. Does the blame fall on rookie QB Quentin Barnes? Matt and Andy aren't so sure - they point fingers (and tentacles) at a lot of Krakens, from the players, to the coaches, even the front office. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #16 (20.7 MB) | Quentin has only a few days to forge bonds with the team, bonds that will make them want to play for him instead of biding their time until Pine returns from injury. Quentin bathed with the Ki, what can he do to integrate himself with the Sklorno and the Quyth Warriors? | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #17 (31.41 MB) | Quentin finds out that Orbital Station Two, also known as "The Deuce," is not a happy, safe place like Ionath City. Quentin continues to get pressure from the To Pirates, even as he leads the Krakens (1-2) against the Sky Demolotion (0-3) in a must-win game. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #18 (8.02 MB) | Quentin lead the Krakens to victory in Week Four, but at what cost? He was hurt on the last play, blow to the head, and carted off the field on Doc's medsled. Will he be back for Week Five? | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #19 (13.75 MB) | The Krakens (3-2) try to settle in at Orbital Station One, also known as "The Ace." Quentin and the gang prepare for a critical showdown against first-place Orbiting Death (4-1). Don Pine is tapped for the start, and that does not sit well with Quentin. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Week 4 Post Game Report (2.46 MB) | Here you go, the Skinny on Sports' take of Week Four's big Krakens' win over the Sky Demolition. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #20 (17.62 MB) | Week Six kicks off as the Krakens (3-2) take on the first-place Orbiting Death (4-1) at the "Black Hole" stadium on Orbital Station One. The Krakens must win to stay in the playoff hunt, but is starting QB Donald Pine still on the take? Quentin is watching, waiting for his chance. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #21 (16.91 MB) | Don Pine was throwing Week Six against the Orbiting Death, but Quentin took him out of the game with drugged water, came in, and scored 28 second-half points to lead the Krakens to the win. The Krakens are 4-2 and tied for second place, but Don Pine doesn't care - he was supposed to make sure the Krakens lost. They won, and now Pine has to pay the price. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #22 (14.3 MB) | Quentin saved Don Pine's ass without revealing Pine's gambling habit - or the fact that he threw games as the Kraken's QB. This double episode sees the Krakens square off against the Bigg Diggers in Week Seven, and the first-place Glory Warpigs in Week Eight. The Krakens must win both games to make the playoffs. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #23 (11.18 MB) | Hokor the Hookchest has learned of the Krakens' large-scale drug-smuggling, and he's not going to let that shit slide. He didn't become the biggest crime lord in Ionath City by being nice. The Krakens are 6-2, and if they win next week's game against the Quyth Survivors, they win the Quyth Irradiated Conference outright and enter the Tier Two Tournament for a shot at making Tier One next season. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #24 (14.72 MB) | Can Quentin be the hero? He leads his Krakens against the Quyth Survivors in the final regular-season game. If they win, the Krakens are the Irradiated Champs and make the Tier Two Tournament. If they lose, their season is over. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #25 (14.09 MB) | Quentin has to deal with one more shocking personnel issue as the Krakens gear up for the big game against the Texas Earthlings. The Q also makes his first trip to Earth. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #26 (29.82 MB) | Quentin is ready to carry the load for the Krakens, filling in at tailback for the deceased Mitchell Fayed. Don Pine gets one more chance for glory, John Tweedy is ready to kill for his team, and Hokor the Hookchest isn't about to let this one slip by. Part One of the two-part grand finale of THE ROOKIE. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Episode #27 (18.37 MB) | This is it, Junkies - the final episode (and I mean it this time) of THE ROOKIE. I hope you enjoyed the story. | Dec 15, 2007 |
| Question & Answer show (32.2 MB) | Big O of the Technofodder Podcast hosts a live call-in Q & A to talk about THE ROOKIE. | Dec 15, 2007 |