David Brian Thomas

Not really worth a listen

Revisado: 09-16-24

I finished Elantris and thought I would check out this bonus story. It doesn't really add anything to the Elantris world and the voice acting is way overdone.

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The story is getting a little stale

Revisado: 08-26-24

I feel as if the jokes and the "how are these people with infinite powers going to save the world from other people with slightly fewer brains this time?" plots are getting a bit repetitive.

I like the addition of Augustina (and the way the beginning and end of the novel worked) but, overall, I lose track of so many heroes and villains. Maybe a more focused adventure with just a few CUP employees would work better?

I also still enjoyed the pop culture references, especially the rapper who will not be named and the Martha Wells shout out.

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I'm a Clevenger fan, but this was confusing

Revisado: 08-02-24

So, I love his first 2 books, which I read as physical books, but I felt somewhat lost for the majority of this book. The narrator, with his almost silly differentiation of voices (Icarus and [non-spoiler] the person Lyle reports to and fears later in the book were especially bad. Was Icarus supposed to sound like a bad Elvis?) did not lend credence to the story. I felt the narration dragged the story down and took away from the serious tone.

The early story detailing Lyle's family and his childhood/teenage years was great. Just the right amount of detail to pull me in and make me care. I wish there had been more about the girl in the diner (to give her details here would be a spoiler) and more about Lyle's mom after the arrest mentioned in the synopsis.

Throughout the middle and end of the story, I didn't feel a sense of urgency (even though the stakes were high for main character Lyle) and the whole Icarus plot was hella confusing. What/who was Icarus? I still don't know. I respect Clevenger as a writer and I feel I may have enjoyed this more in print.

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The worst narrator ever?

Revisado: 05-05-24

This book might have been enjoyable if it weren't for the horrible narrator. Apparently, expresssing emotion or asking a question (especially while doing Scottish or American accents) is beyond his range.

This particular lack of ability begs the question: why would you hire him to read a book about a Scottish main character where much of the story takes place in America?

His slow delivery and lack of emotion made this book feel endless, even when sped up to 1.25x.

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Narration sucks. Get the Will Wheaton version instead!

Revisado: 01-11-24

The only bad thing about this fascinating, prescient book was the horrible narration. Amber Benson tries way to hard to make each character sound different and ends up doing bad stereotypes instead.

Have a character who's a rich lady? Let's do a bad impression of Mrs. Howell from Gilligan's Island! A detective? Low-rent Sam Spade coming right up! Maybe I accidentally made this sound interesting. Trust me, it's not. I came close to giving up several times. But I stuck with it because John Scalzi's story was just that good.

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The story of Seattle grunge as told by a key insider

Revisado: 01-05-24

From the moment 15-year-old me put "Superfuzz Bigmuff" on the record player in my bedroom over 30 years ago, Mudhoney have always been my favorite of the "grunge" bands. They always seemed the most working-man of them all and "Mudride" confirms this. They went on world tours and played huge festivals but then went back home and had regular jobs and rent to pay.

Steve's book is great in the way a lot of music biographies are great: the story is told by an insider who was there for all the big moments, but who who isn't a main character of the movement. It reminded me of Sylvain Sylvain's autobiography, There's No Bones in Ice Cream in that way.

He was there when Sub Pop started putting out records and when Nirvana and Pearl Jam formed. He lives in Portland now, but he's still there in spirit. Highly recommended for fans of "Our Band Could Be Your Life."

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Reminds me of Tim O'Brien

Revisado: 10-05-23

Will Mackin narrates his own stories in this collection. They are about the war in Afghanistan in the same way The Things They Carried is about the Vietnam War: the battlefield is more than a setting, but war is not the ultimate reason these stories exist.

It feels like we are listening to Mackin's internal monolog as he's working through emotional baggage related to questionable wartime acts. He doesn't question his orders or the reason he's fighting in the desert in the first place, but he's very philosophical about the locals he encounters and the lives they are living. There is nothing overtly political in these stories; he's just a guy doing his job.

He's a very calming, mellow narrator, which lends a strange feeling when he's describing very tense situations like searching a house for Taliban fighters. His tone is the opposite of his unit's stated methodology: Swift and Violent.

His metaphors are fresh and weird, but I almost always got the impression he was aiming for.

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This author/narrator is a pleasure to experience

Revisado: 11-21-22

Christopher Buehlman is a lyrical writer with a dark sense of humor. He is great at pacing and has a gifted ear for dialogue.

When I bought this audiobook I thought, "Just great. Another author who is narrating his own book." I had no idea Buehlman had such a wonderful, gravelly voice. It's a voice you'd pay to hear reading the phone book. His soft Scottish accent was perfectly suited to the story.

It didn't even occur to me to look up his Wikipedia entry until halfway through the book, once I had resolved to hear him read again. I was gobsmacked to find out Buehlman was born and raised in Florida! Truly amazing work, Mr. Buehlman.

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What's with the ASMR in Audible productions now?

Revisado: 11-12-22

First off, Natasha Lyonne was perfect as the nurse.

I love the Audible full-cast productions of books, but why is it necessary to include all the over-the-top, obnoxious eating sounds?

I understand they're going for true-to-life, but Kennedy sucking on oranges almost did me in! Same goes for book 3 of The Sandman. I came close to quitting several times over the ASMR stuff.

Every time someone drinks or eats, it's as if the producers have to get the mic as close as possible and the actors have to perform the action as loudly as possible. It doesn't add to the story. If anything, it pulls me out of it and back to the real world.

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Still very good

Revisado: 04-16-22

Almost as good as the first. Getting a little repetitive after listening to the first 2 books in a row.

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