From the Status of Things:
As of 2026-05-18
Status Update
The Bobiverse
I’ve just finished listening to Ray Porter’s narration of The Infinite Extent.
Next Book
The Ten Thousand Worlds has just gone out to alpha readers.
There is more to read on his blog!
How could he be so indignant about Anek 23 attempting to breed out aggression in the Quinn's when he attempted to breed intelligence into the Deltan's?
Also, Starfleet or the Skippies for that matter, arent really that divergent from the early Bobs as the early Bobs think. Bobs have never had a problem just doing things when they didn't get their way. Original Bob, Riker/Will, Marcus. If they felt justified enough they just did whatever they wanted.
so i'm just listening to the last of the bobiverse series, loved it so far and to say this is my first audibook that i've ever listened to...just thinking about what audiobook to tackle next, i've heard good things about DCC but think Children of Time is probably more my cup of tea, what to people think?
I've seen the expanse series on tv and saw PHM so. already know the premise and basic storyline of those and want something fresh to sink my teeth into
why did Howard restore his many after it was speared and came back, their goal had succeeded and because of coming back they contaminated the dragon society, it feels weird and bit jarring and uneccessary. And the way he panicked over Bridget.
is this just me or am I overthinking this ?
Ray Porter is getting a lot of love (and rightfully so) from Project Hail Mary and we are all obviously fans of the Bobiverse. Jeff Hayes is just flat out ridiculously talented and I am already tearing through A Parade of Horribles. R. C. Bray as Skippy/Joe has made me cry laughing. We have 2 spots left, who are you picking?
Anyone familiar with the Bobiverse series knows that, generally speaking, Epsilon Eridani is home base for the Bobiverse. 40 Eridani A star (Erid) is around 5 light years from Epsilon Eridani where Bill is running his skunk works. Think Dennis E Taylor and Andy Weir could/should make this introduction happen between the Bobiverse and the Eridians?
I’ve hit a wall. After listening to a ton of books narrated by Ray Porter, I’m finding it impossible to get into anything else, regardless of how good the story is. The only exception so far has been Stephen Bel Davies in the Atlantis series.
I’ve already burned through everything by Dennis E. Taylor, A.G. Riddle, and Andy Weir narrated by RP or SBD. Does anyone have sci-fi recommendations with a similar narration style?
It’s a work in progress and there is a lot to fix and improve but it’s a start
I recently read “All These Worlds,” and I’m eager to continue my trip through the Bobiverse. 👍
Ive always been a Fan but after seeing project hail mary .. I bet you he would do it .. he likes quirky projects .. somebody should pass him the first Bob book .. what do you all think
Hi! I am a new fan of the series and currently reading/listening to book 3. With all the amazing contributions like true starcharts etc, I was wondering if we could get some people together to build an opensource game based on this? I think the prospect of van-Neumann probes, communication and time-dilation and so on would make for an amazing grand-strategy like game, whereas the in-system parts would have the greatness of factory-builders like Dyson sphere program or factorio. I would LOVE to see how it feels to play one or all of the BOBs. How is the interest on something like this?
Very sceptical, but love that someone is trying to make it a thing.
I had a quick question about audio book quality. I started with the kindle version of We Are Legion but DNF'd it about halfway through. Thankfully I gave it a second try with the audio books, especially after listening to the audio book of Project Hail Mary and they've rekindled my interest in the series. I devoured the first two books, then took a break for the release of the second book in The Captive's War series.
But getting back into it now with All These Worlds, I can't help but notice a dropoff in the quality of the narration. Ray Porter is great as usual, but the recording quality sounds a bit rougher. Maybe it was recorded at a different studio, or maybe Ray recorded it at home during COVID, IDK.
I've since adjusted to it and I'm back in the groove of listening, but I wonder if I'm the only person who's noticed this, or if not, there's any known reason why. Thanks!
About the first 12 chapters have a slightly different feeling.
When Bob awaikens as an AI and gets tested by humans.
Anything longer which can compare? (Flybot had a similar feeling, just from the humans perspective)
Basically an AI(/simulated human) interacting with humans?
Ok, on Heaven’s River, all the segments are spinning. What about the bends? What is inside those? They can’t spin, right? How do people pass through those?
Someone asked about stigma due to the replicate process earlier in the week. I first thought maybe it was due to the war it was developed in and the idea of losing a physical body. Then while reading the third book (I am not done with it, so,try to avoid spoilers please) it was stated outright that the replicant process has stigmatism linked to it. That got me thinking.
First of all the fact the technology was developed from the war that nuked the Middle East May play a different role than I assumed. My first thought was it was a medical technique developed to revive fallen soldiers. Now I was thinking maybe it was used to make smart weapons or to make slaves of defeated enemy combatants.
The role of a replicant was a miserable one given a repetitive menial job (it was suggested if Bob fails he may be something like a bus or taxi). Given faiths propensity to program loyalty and inability to speak out in replicants (and overly vocal humans) I doubt the replicants were even free to complain.
This lead to a couple odd thoughts.
For those humans who remember earth Bobs and their personality are likely a constant reminder that their self driving car they took for granted was actually a person forced to work against his will.
How many replicants did the drones and roomers Riker send to scavenge metal on earth kill? He is focused on humans and a replicant free upbringing has it so automated machines that are not other probes are things he do not think,of.
I am sure lots of earth replicants died from EMPs in the final war. However if the nuclear winter will cause glaciation to the equator like he said it will be hell for any surviving replicant. Trapped in ice without the ability to control their sense of time like a space probe would have.
Only thru end of book 3, so if there's any obvious changes in his appearance or in his VR in later books, forgive me. I started with a prompt about what Bob et. al. would look like as described in the book, then kept adding to it to see what a full Moot meeting might look like.
Prompt: A cinematic, photorealistic wide-angle shot inside a warm, cozy library or study room filled with tall bookshelves, wooden furniture, and soft amber ambient lighting. The camera uses a wide-angle lens and is zoomed out enough to show the entire room clearly — full-body visibility for most subjects, no crowding, no overlap, natural spacing between individuals. Around 25–30 identical-looking individuals (clones of the same person) are distributed organically throughout the room. They form small conversational clusters rather than standing in rows or symmetry. The arrangement feels natural and unstaged, like a candid scene in a film. There is ONE clear central figure standing in the middle wearing a dark space-themed graphic t-shirt, casually gesturing while speaking. This central figure is not overly dominant — others are engaged in their own conversations and not all are focused on this individual. All individuals share the same base appearance: - early-to-mid 30s - average height and build (desk-job physique) - medium brown slightly messy hair - light stubble or clean-shaven - some wearing glasses, some not - thoughtful, analytical presence Clothing is highly varied with NO repetition: - flannel shirts, button-downs, polos, plain t-shirts, sweaters, light jackets - diverse color palette (blues, reds, greens, earth tones, neutrals) - avoid too many hoodies - every individual wears distinctly different clothing Body language is highly varied (no duplicated poses): - some standing with arms crossed - some gesturing mid-discussion - some leaning on tables or bookshelves - some sitting casually - some half-turned or pacing - avoid identical posture and avoid repeated hand-on-chin poses Scene details (foreground): - wooden tables with open laptops, notebooks, loose papers, and coffee mugs - a realistic domestic short-haired cat sitting calmly on the table among the objects Additional furniture: - a large, comfortable leather recliner chair placed naturally off to the side with one clone sitting in it casually Background detail: - a small, non-central monitor in the background displaying a fish-like alien commander (original design, NOT copyrighted, NOT exact likeness) - description of alien: aging amphibious humanoid with mottled reddish-orange skin, large protruding amber eyes, broad flat fish-like head, wide downturned mouth with thick ridged lips, gill-like grooves, textured skin resembling dolphin + toad, wearing a clean cream-colored military uniform, projecting calm authority and intelligence - monitor is relatively small and not a focal point Mood and tone: - serious, analytical, problem-solving atmosphere - subtle tension, like a team working through a complex issue - minimal smiling, grounded and realistic expressions - cinematic realism Composition: - natural clustering, no symmetry - subjects spaced naturally throughout the room - strong depth of field with selective focus - film-like lighting and color grading - highly detailed textures (wood grain, fabric, skin, books) Constraints: - avoid duplicated poses - avoid identical posture - wide-angle lens - zoomed out - full room visible - natural spacing between subjects