DoubtingOThomas

Scud. That was Awesome.

Revisado: 03-20-19

The title says it. This book is scudding awesome. Thank you Brandon Sanderson. I cannot wait for the sequel.

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Good, Just not as good as Book 1

Revisado: 01-02-19

The first half of this book is too slow for me. There are too many tidbits of interesting story that divert into slow dialogue or frustratingly shift to another scene. There are also extremely painful moments when the protagonist, who is well established as a savant in problem solving, is oblivious to a glaringly obvious detail. I found myself yelling at the story quite often.
The second half, on the other hand, was RIVETING. I couldn't stop listening once the plot picked up. There were thrilling near-misses, daring escapes, and surprising twists (that built on the extremely obvious detail from the first half). The ending will leave you wowed and weeping.
With all that said, I recommend picking up this title, especially if you were a fan of the first. The greatest part was getting to know Sands' interesting characters better. Just be patient with the first half ;)

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Chill out. The narrator is fine.

Revisado: 08-17-18

Everyone saying that Keiran Culkin almost ruined the book needs to relax (and also maybe remember that they’re talking about a human being and pull back on the insults a little). Sure, his pacing is a little fast, but you get used to it. And his accents are just fine. So what if he didn’t do an Irish accent for Mallory? I’d rather no accent than a butchered one. I also rather like his narration for Magnus; he sounds more like how I picture Magnus in my head than the first guy did, a sarcastic teen with a good heart. So calm down. He’s not the best narrator ever but it doesn’t even come close to ruining the book.

Truthfully, it would take a lot of work to ruin the book. This story is even better than the first. Rick Riordan has created amazing characters that are real people with real (and mythological) problems. Sam and Alex are possibly two of my favorite characters ever. It’s amazing that young people who share their backgrounds can find heroes like them to aspire to be like without feeling like they have to change who they are. Thank you, Mr. Riordan for these beautiful representations of the diverse world we live in.

Anyway, like I said, chill out. The book is amazing, the narrator is fine, and all in all it’s a completely worthy purchase.

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Great Story! Just be patient with the narration

Revisado: 08-07-18

This book is fantastic. I loved the Percy Jackson series but stopped after the first five because the other books that Riordan began working on just seemed like more of the same. Then some fellow librarians and I began a diversity audit of our collections and it came to my attention that Riordan was taking extra care to showcase characters from diverse backgrounds and giving them engaging storylines, not just lip service. So I decided to pick up Magnus Chase. I was blown away. Not only does it deliver on the diverse characters, but the story is absolutely riveting. The best praise I have is that while I knew the protagonist would probably succeed, I was very invested in finding out how he would. The climactic battle resonates not just with stunning action, but themes that young people today need in their lives. Anyway, simply put, this book is awesome.
Christopher Guetig’s narration, however, is not. He’s a very capable reader and his pacing is excellent but his voices are just too goofy for me. A lot of characters end up with very similar voices (particularly the troll X and Halfborn, who come off sounding like slightly different versions of Barney the purple dinosaur) that are just not creative interpretations of these very interesting people. At times it works well because the book relies heavily on goofy comedy, but at other times it’s distracting. For instance, Loki’s voice grated on me and the character lost a lot of his intimidating aura of malice due to the voice that Guetig gave him. I got used to it after a while but found myself wishing for more. It is by no means a reason to turn up this story, just know that it takes some patience.

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High Adventure at it's Best

Revisado: 07-07-17

A tale of high adventure on the level of Dumas. Colfer is such a brilliant storyteller and the fun he is having here is apparent as you listen to the drama unfold. While I never quite worried that Connor would fail, I was completely caught up by what his success would cost him. Also, I haven't seen a villain like Bonvilland (spelling?) since Dolores Umbridge. I loved to hate him and root for Connor's eventual revenge against the man who destroys his life.
As for the narrator, John Keating is one of the best. The voices he is capable of creating bring Colfer's beautiful characters to life.
If you love adventure fiction, look no further. Though this is a story for children, it's a tale for the ages that all will love. I intend to return to this book to read it to my own children and can hardly wait to do so.

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Great Story! Poor narration

Revisado: 08-14-16

This story is very gripping. When I noticed the length I was worried it would be just a short, detail-heavy description of the battle and the construction of the ships prior to it. But the buildup is intense and the subplot of Tom being harassed by a southern Copperhead spy adds intrigue and kept my interest piqued. The short length also makes this feel more like a fun adventure romp through a rousing naval battle rather than just a dusty history story.

The length is also helpful in another way: Tyler Greenlaw's narration is not the best. I like his voice fine and actually found myself enjoying listening to him at the end. Still, this feels more like a somewhat decent read-aloud rather than a professional narration. The pacing is stunted and can be jarring at times and Greenlaw's skill at accents is incredibly disappointing. All of the adults sound exactly the same and there is no attempt at cultural accents or tones, he just slips into a deeper voice that sounds like a little kid impersonating an adult. The length was all that kept me going at the beginning. If this had been more than 3 hours, I would have given up.

That said, I recommend this audiobook. It's fun, it's short, and it spikes interest in history. You'll get used to the narration and be thankful for a chance to hear a great story by a great author.

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