Listened to this from Audible, narrated by the author. Great production. They had the crowd noises, sports show broadcasts, the works.

Fun book, and I kept wanting to go back to it. ( )

A YA book about a futuristic, science fiction American football league played in different planets with humans and aliens alike. The book is about a up and coming human kid, from a religious and racist planet, finally gets to the big leagues and gets to play American football with all walks of life. The idea is interesting and I like how the author breaks down the protagonist's boundaries allowing him to open up and accept different people. The action is fine and the author does a good job of making it feel like a real league. The writing is sub-par. There is a good amount of violence, with killing as well, but the trash talk is calling each other a "loser". It really made the book seem very silly and childish. ( )

From the cinematic-style teaser opening, the Graphics Audio adaptation of Sigler’s The Rookie immediately launches into fierce action using sound effects, music, and a full-cast narration. Quentin Barnes, teenaged quarterback, makes the jump to the Galactic Football League where he must overcome his xenophobic upbringing to unify his team. Quentin must also abandon his arrogance to learn skills from the team’s experienced players so they can take the championship. The full-cast narration allows each teammate and character to have a distinct voice, with sound effects used to enhance alien vocalizations. During games, multiple points-of-view create intense on-field excitement. After years of conflict, galactic football unites fans from different cultures, while providing a controlled outlet to violence. However, players still die in brutal clashes. With teams owned by organized crime, the off-field dynamics are equally savage. The sounds of battle mix with theatrical music to build conflict, momentum, and realism. The audio effects, characters’ dialog, and narrator voice all combine to magnify emotion without damaging clarity. Where a simple reading of the player statistics may have been dry, this format allows rivaling commentators to create an authentically engaging style. While football fans will love the gridiron combat, non-fans can enjoy the rich world-building, coming-of-age story, and intrigue filled subplots. Excellent for reluctant teen readers, this audio drama would also be great for a road-tripping family.

The improved review was published in Booklist Jan 1, 2017 issue. ( )

Gave this a go but, as an Australian, the terminology and the individual moments of the game sort of passed me by. Apart from the setting and the concept of it being an Alien game of football with players that can run faster, hit harder and jump higher than human beings the story itself is pretty predictable. Blue chip punk quarterback Johnny Utah..ahem I mean Quentin Barnes (Q.B..get it?) is the top player in the lower leagues and we start as he is being poached to play for a bigger team. He's a real prick. Incredibly arrogant and the sort of person that needs to be slapped with a fridge. He is a utterly unlikeable for at least half the book and elicits no sympathy at any time and it was an odd choice. I think football lovers would really enjoy this book but I don't think I will be continuing the series. From the titles of the remaining books in the series I can take a pretty good guess at where it is going. ( )

ABR's full The Rookie audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got offered to review The Rookie for Audiobookreviewer dot com. I have only heard one other story by him, HIPPO from V-Wars: Blood and Fire, and I can honestly say that I’ve never read anything like it. I’m a huge fan of football and Sci-Fi both. Galactic Football? During off season? Yes please!

Scott Sigler tells the story of Quentin Barnes, a rookie from the PNFL, a Tier 3 team…There is a really cool set up for Sigler’s 3-Tier Galactic Football League, but I think it would be better left discovered on your own… At 19 years of age he is a prodigy who can throw the ball over 80 yards, and is faster and stronger than any other human QB. He was raised in the Purist Nation, a radical religious group of humans known for their racism and fear of all other races. Quentin’s dreams start to become reality when his contract is bought out by a Tier 2 Team, the Ionath Krakens. In a league where players death is a regular occurrence, he must battle his ingrown prejudice with his need to win. In a league filled with races that can jump 3 times as high as humans and bench press over 1000 pounds, Barnes may find it better to stop thinking himself infallible, sooner rather than later, if he hopes to make it to Tier 1.

In a story self-described as “…a story that combines the intense gridiron action of Any Given Sunday with the space opera style of Star Wars and the criminal underworld of The Godfather.”, Quentin goes up against threats on his life, personal strife, and crime lords. There is so much more than great football here, and there is a lot of great football. It’s packed full of story, from death threats on the field, to crime lords running the GFL, and a trip through personal discovery that was brought to life by Scott Sigler himself.

The quality of the audio book was fantastic. I had never heard Mr. Sigler’s narration and was a little surprised, and extremely pleased. Complete with fantastic character voices, all identifiable, and sounds effects that fit the story perfectly, this is a must listen.

Audiobook provided for review by the publisher. ( )