Larry

Surprisingly great

Revisado: 04-08-25

I expected the book would be interesting but not captivating, but it's one of the most interesting biographies I have read in at least 20 years. It was surprising to learn of his early struggles in defining himself as a writer, and how he adjusted to fame. The narration was perfect--clear, well paced, and easy to listen to for 18 hours.

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Some good one-liners

Revisado: 12-07-20

The narrator's accent was annoying, but mine would probably annoy him. Like the author's experience with living with the monks, I too expected a different accounting and context for his (very brief) stay. Maybe that is why the story had so many flashbacks about the author's passion for his own athletic prowess and friends he thought were amazing. Honestly, these seemed just a way to stretch out the story because it was quite a stretch to make a real connection to whatever he was seeing or doing among the monks. So I found it hard to finish but did anyway.

Nonetheless, although the author's ruminations were rarely more than platitudes and truisms, every now and then there would be a nugget of wisdom and insight and wording that elevated the story and made it worth finishing. For instance, his discussion of "mono-tasking" rather than multi-tasking resonated with me, and this time the author did not go on and on with repeating the point.

So it's a slow listen but maybe worthwhile if you can also find some wisdom really worth hearing.

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Highly engaging and great narration

Revisado: 06-28-18

First, I've listed to probably 150 audiobooks, and I can't think of any narrator who is a better fit for the main character in a story. He was clear, animated as needed, and wholly appropriate for the Loki protagonist.

Second, the story is addictive listening. It's commonplace for a famous story to now be told by the 'bad guy,' but it still seems to work--especially when we see how the bad guy is full of pathos that makes us almost identify with him. Pretty hard to do with an iconic jerk like Loki, but I could actually understand how someone who is not very nice could become downright evil when having to contend with Asguardian "heroes" who have no compassion for outsiders.

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Interesting concept, Too little plot

Revisado: 06-28-18

This was an engaging story for about half the book, but then the second half seemed more of the same. Despite not having very likable protagonist and no visible antagonist (just a bunch of super-powered enemies), the characters were intriguing and varied. It was a great 'read' for a while, but then it seemed highly repetitive: the main character upgrades his minions, and they make money and fight their enemies. Time and time again. I won't give away the ending, but there really isn't much of one. Just a predictable battle of extreme proportions. It just sets up a sequel with little if any sense of closure or attempt to answer some questions or even ask new ones.

The 'dead time' of repetitive events in the story gave me more time to wonder WHY the main character suddenly realized how awesome his superpower is. It would take a dummy not to see it. And then he suddenly becomes a strategical and corporate genius. Nor does the story ever really question the notion of slavery (the main character has super-powered slaves who seem to love him for 'all he does' for them). I expected some sort of twist that might acknowledge how very odd his powers are in some ways (he can project a virtual screen that just happens to resemble an RPG character-status screenshot).

But the story sidesteps these questions and avoids anything other than power-up, kill, avoid being killed, and making money. The lack of a tangible antagonist makes the story even more predictable, as we get to know the main character and his chief minions all too well, and they become rather silly and shallow rather than develop.

So disappointed in a promising story. I definitely will not bother with the sequal.

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Readable even without a big twist

Revisado: 12-08-15

Would you consider the audio edition of The Girl at the End of the World to be better than the print version?

As a whole, the story reads like what you'd expect in a post-apocalyptic novel, minus the usual zombies really. The only notable twist is the use of a 15-year-old girl as the main character, and the author does a good job of not making her interchangeable with the usual older male protagonist you find so often in this genre. I can see where this is written with young adults in mind, but I'm much older and still found it a good read. What I really appreciated is the author's pacing--a mixture of angst, reflection, interaction with dubious survivors, considerable horror at times, and an occasional light side. It's not a frantic 'page turner' but moves along at a pace that's not too demanding yet not too light.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Running from zombies...zzzz

Revisado: 12-04-15

What would have made The Undead: Part 1 better?

I know this is just the first in a series, but I won't take the risk that there might be an actual plot in the others. Basically, 90% of Part 1 is just a guy running from zombies and having loosely connected (at best) encounters with humans, who of course are not altogether nice. Sounds like the backdrop of every good zombie story, but the book would be more interesting if we actually could see more complex characters, more tension between the main character and some sort of foil or antagonist, and simply a less episodic series of mini-stories.

The author is able to pace the book well and has a suitable style for this genre. But so far, it's just the usual zombie tropes, and even if the other books are better, I don't see going there. If you just like a fast-paced story about a guy trying to avoid being eaten by zombies, this one will work for you.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Surprisingly good story of a potentially dull plot

Revisado: 02-15-15

Any additional comments?

Most, but not all, of the story chronicles a 'castaway' astronaut stranded on Mars. One might think that could be a dull story for such a long story, but the author has a great sense of pacing and character development that enables the book to succeed. The main character's sense of humor along with an admirable problem-solving ability makes him interesting enough to listen to as he records his attempt to stay alive and be rescued. The author introduces other characters just enough to vary the story-telling and allow us to see the predicament from different perspectives. The only flaw to me was the ending, but I won't go into it except to say it isn't anything special--not reflective of the many twists and complications we see throughout the novel otherwise.

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"Acceptble zombie story by a promising author"

Revisado: 02-15-15

What did you love best about Rise Again?

It is a good story if you like zombie stories and do not expect anything particularly different from other zombie tales

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending is either an attempt to be artistically intriguing, or it is a poor attempt to hook readers into a sequel. The fact that it was for me to tell which of these options was likely suggests it wasn't a particularly skilled ending. Not necessarily disappointing, but nothing special.

Any additional comments?

The first half of the story proceeds at, well, a zombie's pace, but the story picks up and proceeds at a more engaging pace after that point. I thought the story was pretty good for the most part, but nothing special. There were a couple of twists, though nothing sufficient to distinguish this zombie story from most others. I thought that the relatively rare instance a strong female main character in a zombie story might add something special, yet except for a few brief references and one aspect of the story (dealing with rape and basic male chauvinistic behavior), that aspect of the novel never really went far. With few exceptions, the main character could have been male with very little difference--not necessarily a problem except that perhaps the author missed a chance to create a zombie narrative that was truly different. Still, a good story if you are fan of the genre.

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Good for historical reasons

Revisado: 02-15-15

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I have mixed feelings about this book. Historically, it's important as one of the first modern post-apocalyptic novels, and it proved influential. Someone with such interests might appreciate this novel, as would someone who is looking for an alternative the fast-paced, action-packed post-apoc stories that are legion nowadays. It's very slow paced in terms of plot, and the character development is almost nil until the last few chapters. It would prove interesting for someone who might want a possibly-realistic view of the post-apocalypse--an alternative to the "fight and flight" trope we so much today. But I'm not sure most people would really care for the book otherwise.

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Still works

Revisado: 12-20-14

Where does Watership Down rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the most enjoyable works I've listened to via Audible. Not every book works for me when it's converted to audio. But this story, both complex and simple on different levels, was a joy to listen to--and thought provoking. I'd forgotten the tension the author creates in terms of staying true one's nature versus learning to adapt.

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