The Son

Nanomachines, Book 1

By: Nikolai Novikov, Paul Leathley - translator

Narrated by: Brian Wiggins

I am a son, and I have nanomachines inside me. What did you expect?

Having gained self-awareness while still in my mother's belly, I realized that this was my chance. Being born was the first step. Then at one years old, I would have a college degree, and at five, I would be a billionaire. I didn't care that I remembered nothing of the past. This being a magical world, and with lots of smart tech, too, I'd catch up in no time, wouldn't I?

Yeah, right.

"This baby's dying!"—That is what I heard in the first minutes of my life.

I was dying? What? In the very first minute? Was this some kind of sick joke? Was the whole world against me?

Something had to be done....

©2025 Nikolai Novikov; English translation copyright 2025 by Paul Leathley (P)2025 Tantor Media

Very well done.

A story about a baby has no right being this entertaining.

Very well done, its a great book.

Highly reccomend, well worth the credit.

suprised

Honestly wasn't expecting much from a translated version but, well color me suprised this author took the idea of rebirth into a magical world and ran a totally different direction than normal. The Author drags you into the story kicking and screaming and refuses to let you stop listening. give it a shot if ya don't believe me.

top 3 series for me

the story amazing, the characters funny and interesting and the narrators one of the best I ever heard

Way Better Than It should Be

Chances are that you have read an isenkai type book where the protagonist is either reborn as a child in a different world or somehow inhabits the mind of a very young child from another world. In those books, the beginning chapters are always the worst because we are stuck listening to the relatively mondane happenings of a very young child who, of course, can't do much.

Therefore, this book should be terrible because the main character is less than one year old the entire book... but it isn't. It's a great book, and this MC has more balls than most of the other protagonists in this genre put together. At least the Russians haven't caved into the weak-willed male character trope yet. Even the humor is refreshingly rough and straightforward.

The book also manages to keep the reader's interest by doling out information about the world and the main character in a very natural and organic way. In fact, the whole plot felt very smooth and well crafted. I'm really happy that I gave this a try and I'm looking forward to the next book.

actually pleasantly surprised

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The entire story takes place while the main character is still under a year old, yet it’s filled with introspection, magic, and clever worldbuilding. It blends elements of futuristic technology with traditional cultivation themes — including magical power growth and body enhancement through his nanomachines. The mix of humor and darker undertones keeps things interesting throughout. Overall, it was an enjoyable listen, and I’ll definitely be continuing the series to see where it goes next.