Verschollen in M 87

About This Audiobook

H.G. Ewers crafts a space opera that feels like a lost gem from the Golden Age of sci-fi, now resurrected with fresh urgency. *Verschollen in M 87* isn’t just about surviving the void—it’s a meditation on what it means to endure when the universe itself conspires against you. The story follows the crew of the *Centaur*, a deep-space vessel adrift near the supermassive black hole at the heart of galaxy M 87, where time, gravity, and sanity warp in unpredictable ways. Ewers grounds his high-concept sci-fi in raw human emotion, blending the existential dread of *2001: A Space Odyssey* with the claustrophobic tension of *Alien*, all while delivering a plot that twists like a Möbius strip. The prose is lean but evocative, packing entire civilizations into throwaway dialogue while never losing sight of the personal stakes. It’s the kind of book that demands your full attention—and rewards it with a sense of awe that lingers long after the last chapter.

Josef Tratnik’s narration elevates this audiobook from great to unforgettable. His voice is a Swiss Army knife of tones: gravelly authority for the captain, clipped efficiency for the engineers, and a haunting vulnerability when the crew confronts the unknown. Tratnik doesn’t just read the lines—he *inhabits* them, modulating his delivery to mirror the crew’s unraveling grip on reality. The production is crisp, with subtle sound design that makes the ship’s hum feel tangible and the void’s silence oppressive. This isn’t a story for the faint of heart, but it’s a masterclass in how to pull off cosmic sci-fi with heart and grit.