u/Large_Possibility661

I'm producing a sci-fi audiobook with a full 21-track original soundtrack — not background ambient, but actual composed tracks that align with the story's tone.

For context: The Stolen Stream is a hard sci-fi novel where time functions as a currency. The music reflects that — dark synthwave, industrial textures, sci-fi ambient. Each track maps to a specific narrative beat or emotional state.

What I'm curious about from this community:

When you listen to audiobooks, does original music between chapters add to the experience or distract you?

I've seen productions where it's handled well (Project Hail Mary's subtle cues) and poorly (overpowering music that fights the narrator).

Technical side:

• All tracks original composition
• Mixed to sit at -18dB below narration
• Chapter transitions only (not continuous underscore)
• Available as separate soundtrack for relistening

For those who've done this — what worked? What didn't?

And for listeners — would you buy an audiobook because it has an original score, or is that a nice-to-have?

I've been building a hard sci-fi universe where the central economic mechanic is borrowed time — and I realized it functions exactly like a dark fantasy curse system.

The premise: In The Stolen Stream, "jumping" (time travel) costs you 10:1 — one year forward costs ten years of your lifespan. The rich can afford it. The poor die young. The debt compounds.

Where it gets fantasy-adjacent:

The Stream itself isn't explained by physics — it's an inexplicable presence. Those who spend too long inside it come back... changed. The Scar Zone (where a catastrophic jump failure occurred) is basically a cursed wasteland where time doesn't flow linearly.

You've got:

• A debt that ages you (curse)
• An entity that observes borrowers (malevolent presence)
• A wasteland where the laws of reality broke (blighted land)
• Artifacts from failed jumps that don't obey physics (cursed objects)

The question: At what point does "hard sci-fi" with an unexplained phenomenon become fantasy with technological trappings?

I've seen this debated with Dune (prescience), Three-Body Problem (sophon magic), and Hyperion (the Shrike). Where do you draw the line?

Testing Reddit API integration via Composio for MesoBlack Media — The Stolen Stream hard sci-fi universe. This post will be deleted.

Full ebook + audiobook + 21-track soundtrack: $19.99 at mesoblackmedia.com