jcs

Great Writing, Mismatched Narrator

Revisado: 05-30-23

I know Jeff Harding from his narration of the Charlie Parker series of books by John Connolly. His voice works for that series. However, he has an annoying tendency to make all female characters sound like they are angry, whining and/or complaining - no matter the dialog. He is just a poor match for this text. Even the (mostly) male characters and straight narration have the inflection and pace of a crime novel whodunit.

The writing itself is another story - a cautionary tale for the future based on very real examples of the past. Stick with the first few chapters, and it all starts to become relevant to our modern times.

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Should have liked this much more than I did...

Revisado: 03-20-23

I wasn't previously aware of this author, and only found this title because it is narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. KHS is the brilliant voice behind the (equally brilliant) Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch, and he is fantastic here. There is so much to like in the story. And yet, I found myself at times getting agitated, incredulous, and - worst of all - bored. At 18+ hours (624 pages in print) this story seemed to take hours to really get started, and then lurched through revelation after revelation till the cliffhanger ending. Not sure if I will spend another 18+ hours on Malarkoi (Cities of the Weft, 2), scheduled for release in October 2023. (That book is currently listed to be the same 624 pages as Mordew.) Any roads, I don't often post reviews. I may have been hoping for some kind of cathartic revelation regarding this book as I typed. But, no - still conflicted. However, if you want to read /listen to a great series by a brilliant narrator, check out Rivers of London. Cheers!

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Joe Should Stick to Short Stories

Revisado: 06-01-13

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I listen during my work commute. It was better than news, disasters, and politics...

What was most disappointing about Joe Hill’s story?

Joe always starts off strong, and has some interesting story ideas. His work just always finishes flat for me.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Decent narration. The characters could get rather annoying at times, but that was a function of repetition from the author and not the fault of the narrator.

Did NOS4A2 inspire you to do anything?

It inspired me to stop buying Joe Hill books, and just reread 20th Century Ghosts every few years instead.

Any additional comments?

This book seemed like a hodgepodge of ideas pulled from the shelf of his father's writing. To me it just came off as mashup of Pennywise, Christine, and the Dark Tower -- with some more vintage King tossed in to try to make Christmas creepy. I love a good scary story, but this one just had me shrugging my shoulders and rolling my eyes.

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Character and Authors Running Out of Gas

Revisado: 09-01-11

This latest Pendergast installment suffers greatly from the same ills that plagued the author's previous attempt at a new character series, Gideon's Sword. That is, it relies far too much on cliched tactics or absurdities that require far too much suspension of disbelief. Unlike many reviewers, I didn't have a problem with this book ending on a "cliff-hanger" so much as that it ended on such an obvious and telegraphed cliff-hanger. I fear the authors have extinguished the limits of Agent Pendergast and have taken to recycling plots, schemes and scenarios from a hundred other lesser characters and books. (Even the title is lame!) Lincoln and Child will get no more of my money. Sorry boys, you've got to work a little harder!

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A Nice Little Ghost Story

Revisado: 08-24-11

A classic, suspenseful ghost story. Eerie, moody and well-narrated. You could find a lot worse ways to spend four and half hours!

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