I haven't read Austin's Persuasion. I'm not sure why not. I'm a huge fan of P&P and have read it multiple times, plus many re-imaginings of it. I just never read Austin's other works. I am interested in doing so now though ;)

I really loved this ... so I knowledge of Persuasion isn't necessary at all for enjoyment, although I'm betting I would have like it even more if I knew Persuasion as well as I do P&P. I enjoyed those re-tellings.

This was right up my alley as far as post-apocalyptic, imaginative futuristic-sci-fi, although it actually seemed a step back in time, with the Luddite population left ruling. Anti-technology and unnatural advancement. GMOs are discussed, as well as improvements to humanity, and what could (and did) go wrong here. It's not the first time this has been addressed in novels, but I really liked the storyline here.

I was reading (not listening) ... and that generally takes me longer to get through. I just don't have as much reading time as I do listening while getting other things done (driving, cleaning, etc). I made time for reading though, because I was caught up in this story.

I see there is a sister book - not really a sequel, but same world, also based on a famous book. I'll be reading that next :)