E. A. Jacques

A very enjoyable easy listen

Revisado: 06-30-24

This is the second Barry Eisler/John Rain novel I have listened to. I was not able to review the first one in the series for some reason, but whatever...an Audible thing I suspect. Anyway, I came across Eisler when searching for writers of suspense/covert ops type books/authors and based on the reviews I decided to jump in...and glad I did. Overall I found the story interesting but not as much as the first book.

Too be honest, I was a little disappointed at first that there is a lot more talking than there is action. I am used to Mitch Rapp kind of stories so it took some getting used to and I had to just settle in and go with it. A lot of the action that does take place is in the form of hand to hand combat and Eisler does a great job of providing a play-by-play that makes it relatively easy to visualize. That said, Eisler is an excellent story teller. The character development comes in stages as more is uncovered about Rain's
background, and that of other characters, as the stories progress. It works out well because you don't get this character dump all at once but in small relevant doses that help progress the story nicely.

The entire story is seen from the John Rain perspective which sort of reminds me of a TV series called Burn Notice...which I liked as well. Even though Rain is a contract killer, he is a likeable standup guy with "morals", good work ethic an interesting past. Due to his career choice he does not have a lot of friends, but does cherish the ones he has....well, except if they compromise his identity and purpose.

I have to say Eisler is a pretty decent narrator...which is a bit rare in my experience, the author of a book being a good narrator that is. Obviously the author knows the mood he wants to set and the inflections when characters speak, so when it does work, it works really well - which is the case with Eisler. I assume Eisler is bi-lingual too just like the Rain character because he does an excellent job pronouncing the various Japanese cities, streets and businesses that are mentioned in the story - they effortlessly roll of this tongue unlike someone's who might be doing their best to sound them out. Somehow it makes the Rain character more genuine too. Eisler manages the difference character voices very well. He does not try and over feminize the female voices, which can be real annoying and wreck a good book. No he strikes a real nice balance which I find easy to listen too and quite pleasant if I am being honest. Like sitting around a campfire listening to my favorite uncle tell a story.

So yep...I am all in on John Rain and looking forward to the next book in the series which I just purchased !

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Not at all engaging - narration did not help

Revisado: 06-27-23

I have read the first two books in the series, with the first one being a bit better, but not by much. I am a huge fan of the genre and wanted to like this book I really did. Mainly because I admire and respect the author and am a fan of his You Tube channels. But being a good reviewer of movies does not make you a good writer....or so it appears.

First off the narration. I have listened to well over 200 audio books, even before there was Audible, and have come across some very talented narrators. Narrators who were able to add to the story and really help draw you in. That was not the case here. Not that a better narrator would have made this a better listen, but it would not have hurt. His pacing was fine and inflections okay, but his voicings, outside of the main character Drake and a few others, were strained and unrealistic and just hard to listen too. It sounded like me when I used to read to my kids...not good. It's almost like he tried to make them all so different that they came out way to exaggerated. Yeah there are a lot of different characters, I get that, but still. It's okay if some of them sound a little alike versus working so hard to make them each unique... and they were that for sure. So yeah that did have an impact on my enjoyment of the book.

Narration aside, I could just not get into this story...for a few reasons. As in the first book the main character is just not that impressive. He is a good leader yes, but as an CIA operative he is weak. I expected something like a bad ass Mitch Rapp sort of character, but Drake is no bad ass - just a regular decent agent. Okay so maybe that is on me having that expectation. Oddly enough the "bad ass" in this story is the Anya character. Which is a bit surprising too given that Will often talks about how female characters in movies are portrayed. Not that he did not provide a back story justifying her abilities, but still...it's almost like he went out of this way to pump Anya up and dumb down Drake and I just don't get that. What was the point? Would it have made a big difference if Drake were a bad ass...maybe, maybe not, but I would have enjoyed it a little more.

Will is a good writer and does a decent job describing environments and fight scenes so you can visualize what it going on well enough...although there were times where a little more detail would have been good. For example the scene at the helicopter with the snipper was very well done. While there were occasional times where I was into the story, for the most part the overall plot was not interesting and did not pull me in. Honestly, if I had to tell someone what the story was about...I would struggle making it sound interesting. I had to rewind more than a few times to see if I missed something because my mind would just wander when I was listening.

At this point I am on the fence about getting the third book. I am curious as to how Mr Jordan is progressing with his writing abilities but not sure if I can stomach the same narrator for 16 hours. We'll see - I might take a break and listen to something else and come back to it later. Sorry Will...I know you want honest reviews and that is what you got.

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Kept me entertained...for the most part

Revisado: 06-05-23

I don't normally like to waste a credit on prequel books because they are usually real short, but since this one was a good length and I am waiting on Skull Road to come out, I figured I would give it a shot. it does not really fill in any missing gaps or anything it's just a little of the same but with some classic Gus which was cool. Although the Gus in this book is like the Gus we start to get later on in the series. The more wimpy spineless useless sort of Gus versus the somewhat of a bad ass Gus in the earlier books....so keep that in mind if you are thinking about spending a credit. Still it was an enjoyable listen non the less...with one exception.

For some reason, the author found it necessary to spend a lot of time writing about Gus's bowel movements....and I mean a lot of time. A lot of it was way over the top too. By that I mean, no one, zombies or not, gets the crap scarred out of them so many times and so badly. It was like, alight already...enough. With a few vomit sessions thrown in too for good measure. There was so much of it, if that sort of thing bothers you, best to pass on this one.

So why did I give it 3 stars? Well because it was still well read by the narrator and it still had the pacing and excitement I have come to appreciate from other books in the series. That said and generally speaking, the earlier books, pre-Collie, were much better books. Once Collie showed up Gus lost his balls completely. It's like he never had any. I don't know why the author moved in this direction...the word Woke comes to mind, but I am giving him the benefit of the doubt here. All I know is, I liked Gus a lot better when he was more self-reliant and could handle himself better. Just a little side comment since I don't plan to review any other books. I felt compelled because of the author's obsession with Gus's bowels in this book.

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Solid Story With Good Narration - Has Some Issues

Revisado: 03-03-22

Like a lot of other reviewers I picked up this book due to me being a fan of the Critical Drinker. His movie reviews are some of the best, if not the best, on You Tube. He knows what it takes to tell a good story and uses that knowledge to dissect modern movies and older ones as well, so my interest was piqued. Plus I love the espionage genre - especially a series of books that are centered around one main character.

For the most part Mr Jordan put his money where is mouth is. He created a very believable story with a solid plot and well developed characters. However, two things sort of put me off. I felt like the main Ryan Drake character took a back seat in favor of the female protagonist. Maybe I went in expecting, er....possibly hoping, Ryan would be the bad ass in this story - something to build on moving forward. Ends up the real bad ass is the female character which is fine....to a point. But her badassness was just a little over the top for me and totally unbelievable. I was surprised too since, as the Critical Drinker, Mr Jordan has been openly critical about movies that put females in similar roles where they kick the ass of male operatives who are three times their size. Once the book went down that road I started to lose interest.

I did pick up the second book in the series so hopefully it moves in another direction and builds more on Ryan Drake, as the name of the series suggests. Although I have my doubts since the precedent has already been set and Drake is just an average agent...which is very disappointing. I look forward to a new series of books by Jordan because he does have some mad writing skills. Just wasted them on this series IMO.

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Interesting Premise but Lacks Some Detail

Revisado: 03-03-22

When I first started to listen to this book I was put off by the narration so I stopped listening and it sat in my library for some time. But I liked the premise and most of the reviews were pretty positive so decided to give it another shot. Just like the first time I listened I was put off by the narrator's voice but forged ahead anyway. I ended up getting used to it, but he is definitely not on the top of my list when it comes to narrators and it impacted my enjoyment of the book for sure. It's just one of those things you need to deal with in the world of audio books.

Anyway, that said, I did enjoy the story. Especially the beginning when the primary characters were introduced. The author did a good job of providing sufficient back story to make the characters interesting and their plight believable. But as the book progressed it just felt glossed over in many areas. I found myself going back a lot to see if I had missed something - which I had not. Normally when I listen to an audio book I can visualize what it taking place like watching a movie. I found that more difficult with this book.

The premise of the book is cool, but the lack of detail just makes it a bit hard to swallow. I get the author needs to make up so much of the story since we do not really know what an alien race would be like, how they would interact with humans, how advanced they would be technology wise and all that, but that is the author's job - to create a framework and then fill in all then details so the story seems plausible. I felt it was lacking in this regard.

Still I did enjoy the book...I just did not love it. Right now I am trying to decide if I want to give the second book a try. Based on some of the reviews it appears it starts like this one but from other people's perspectives. Since that was the interesting part of the story for me, I will probably give it a go and see if maybe some of the blanks are filled in. Of course there is still the issue with the narrator, but I can deal with that.

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Good Book but Ending Dragged on Far Too Long

Revisado: 08-09-21

So far I have really enjoyed the Arisen series and overall this was another good book. Except for the last 90 minutes or so that dragged on and on. Without giving anything away I will just say this....runaways are not....that....long - give me a break. And how many times can the tide change in basically one battle/chase scene. Then to have this huge buildup that took forever and boom - it ended in about five minutes at best, and with a whimper not the bang you would have expected.

That said Fuchs has a way of writing that really drags you in emotionally and the level of detail allows you to clearly picture the scenes and what is occurring. Which says a lot when you are talking about visualizing the internals of an aircraft carrier. The author did sort of back himself into a corner with one battle on the JFK and then just made up a "hack" if you will, to get around it and move the story along. A bit disingenuous, but I was okay with it. Also, there was a real lack of any significant zombie action in this one, but since most of it took place in a short time fame....it gets a pass.

A lot of what helps this one to get by some of the shortcomings is the continued excellent narration by R.C. Bray. He is top notch for sure. I can't imagine any one else reading this story. I don't know how he can keep it all straight with so many characters.

Even with the few issues I had, it was a compelling story and kept me fully immersed most of the time. Even still it is my least favorite book in the series so far - but it's not a huge gap. Looking forward to starting Book 13 tonight.

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Couldn't Make it Past the Two Hour Mark

Revisado: 12-14-17

I have a standing rule that I will listen to any audio book I purchase until the end, no matter what. I have a few that are still queued up that I intent to finish at some point so I am true to myself. This one has been relegated to that queue. Over two hours into the book and so far, no substance what so ever. I do not see what people are getting from this book.

I practice meditation daily and am working to making living mindfully a way of life. I have purchased countless books on the subjects. Some of the top rated and some not so high up the list and every one has been far better than this book.

I had a hard time figuring out where the authors were going with this book. Just babbling about who traveled where and did what, some vague references to studies that were completed, and just plain dribble for two hours. I started skipping chapters to see if it was going to actually get-on-with-it. Nope. Same old stuff.

And to make matters worse, the narrator speaks like he is reading a kids book to a bunch of first graders. Not that it could have saved this book, but spend the money and get a professional narrator next time.

I would have given it one star in every category, but since I did not finish the book, I gave it two stars for story.

There are sooooo many better books out there on meditation and mindfulness. Do yourself a favor don't make this your first one on the topic and skip it if, like me, you have been studying for some time. Not worth the credit. I wish I could get a refund

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More of the First and Getting Better

Revisado: 10-31-14

If you have not read the first book in the series you should definitely do that. These books do not stand on their own. The author does very little to recap the first book so the reader knows what is going on. Read The Remaining first or you will not appreciate the story nearly as much.

That said, this book just takes up where the first one left off and continues the saga with an entirely new set of twists and turns. Some new characters are introduced and new side quests from the main mission are introduced as well. All good stuff.

I am actually reading the fourth book as I write this review and it just keeps getting better. The narrative changes from first person a bit more in this book and even more so as the story progresses – for reasons I can’t mention here.

All I can say is this is a great series of books, so start at the beginning and you will not be disappointed.

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Slid RIght Into my Top 5 Zombie Books

Revisado: 10-22-14

Okay so it's not really a Zombie book. In fact as the series progresses it's less about the infected and more about the survivors which I really like. As some other reviews have mentioned it’s got a taste of Day by Day Armageddon, one of my favorites, some Zombie Fallout – minus the humor and a dash of One Second After which is not a Zombie book at all. The focus is on one main character, Lee, who has a mission to re-establish society after a global disaster, in this case a plague. It’s a bit of a stretch concept when it’s first introduced, but as the book progresses it makes more sense and becomes more plausible.

The author spins a great tale that is for sure. At times going into great detail in a particular scene to add the necessary realism and other times providing just enough information to fill in the gaps. Character development is just about perfect. Not the Stephen King endless detail on each and every Character BS, but focus where it needs to be. It’s told from the 1st person perspective, for the most part anyway, so it you get Lee’s view and interpretation of the various personalities that often change as the story develops. It all fits together so nicely. There are some real nail biting scenes that had me on the edge of my seat – car seat that is. Some very sad moments too as some are lost along the way as is expected in any Zombie/Plague book.

The narrator is outstanding as well. He is a perfect fit for the main character. Not the best with the female voices, but it by no means takes anything away from the performance. Especially since there are only a few female characters anyway – sorry ladies.

Oh and for anyone who is not reading these books based on a few comments about the cursing....a big F-bomb to that. There is by no means a lot of swearing in these books. That is total BS. Not sure who the pansies are the wrote that crap, but get over it. What are you, fricking preachers or nuns? It’s the end of the fricking world folks, I think people might just swear a little – give me a break. I cannot believe that was even said….do yourself a favor, ignore that crap.

This is a great book and as I write this I am listening to the second book which is equal if not better. It has been a while since I have looked for reasons to hop in the car and go for a ride or work in the garage just to listen to this book. I’ve been late for work almost every day since I started reading this series.

You will not be fricking disappointed - get this fricking book now !!!

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Definitely Not The Best Koonz Book Ever....

Revisado: 10-11-14

I was surprised when I saw a review titled, "The Best Koontz Book Ever". Yeah sure, if you read this one first I guess. No it's not the best Koontz book and not by a long shot.

Now too be honest it started out strong, and there was some solid character development and a good story line in there too, but it really fell flat at the end. It did not take long to figure out where the story was going and I was curious, and even anticipated, how Koontz would spin it. In the end it was just a let down for me.

In a lot of ways I have to put some of the blame on the narration done by Dick Hill. I've listened to a lot of Dick Hill read novels and he is one of my favorite narrators, I just don't think this book suited him very well. He has a certain style that just did not work for me here.There were times the emphasis he put in certain areas did not seem appropriate and possibly not what the author had in mind. This is not typical for Mr Hill. I don't think he knew where to go with this book.

Like a lot of audio bookers, I listen during my daily commute and if the book is good I listen for over an hour a day and get through most books in no time. This one could not hold my interest. There were days I just ended up listening to the radio. Nothing was drawing me back to this book. It took me like near two months to finish this book.

I know this is not much of a review as it is me just knocking this book. But it's still a decent listen and has some real good parts and is an overall good story. If you like Koontz you'll end up reading it anyway no matter what I write here, but if you are new to Koontz, I'd start somewhere else and circle back to this one when you have some built up credits to burn.

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