Ethan

Love the book, love the narration

Revisado: 12-20-24

Capaldi's performance is so good I had to buy this one, even though I already own Watership as an audiobook by a different reader. Well worth the credit.

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Real solid outing by Mr. Weir

Revisado: 07-26-23

Really enjoyable. This book was a lot of things. Sci Fi survival. Apocalyptic speculative fiction. Nerdy yarn about the discovery of alien life. But what it was mostly, I was pleasantly surprised to discover, was an odd couple story; a story of unlikely friendship.

There were a lot of ways the story could've ended. I was imagining them all as the story progressed. Most of them would've been either too syrupy or too unsatisfying. I think Mr. Weir ended things just right. Shows he's really matured in the craft of writing, I think. Makes me look forward to his next novel, whatever that might be.

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Grandad humble bragging on a trip down memory lane

Revisado: 04-28-23

A somewhat entertaining telling of Mel Brooks life, from the perspective of the man himself. Well, not so much a telling of his life as a telling of his career in showbiz. If it was mostly the story of his life outside of showbiz, I think that would be more enjoyable. The beginning of the audiobook, where he explains his rise out of humble beginnings in a New York Burroughs, was really the highlight for me. I loved his tendency to insert little details. Not details you'd expect an outside Biographer to make note of, but things you might hear your Grandad mention while in an expansive and reminiscing mood. I loved hearing him talk about his love for Egg Creams, for example.

When we move out if his rise to stardom, however, this attention to detail begins to grate. An outline of the steps it takes to get a movie made is interesting to listen to -- at first. After the fourth time or fifth time, though, it begins to get old. Remarks about how he had the inspired idea to do this or that, to put the mole on her left cheek instead of her right -- which frequently punctuate his telling of events -- are charming at first but become tedious after a while. It's like listening to Grandad humble (or not so humbly) brag about his life to you for 15 hours straight. If he really was my Grandad, I might feel glad to listen to him no matter what. Since he's not my Grandad, I found myself pressing "skip" more often than not.

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Pretty fun

Revisado: 07-23-21

A lighthearted Longmire. In fact in setting, in characterization, in plot scenario and all it's very, very, much like Longmire. I wonder who plagiarized whom. My biggest criticism is that it feels like every female character has only been written in to either act as eye candy for the main characters, or to fawn over them. It got a bit old hearing the sheriff size up each woman he encounters. There's a couple plot holes that aren't weren't mentioning. They don't ruin the fun for me.

The reader's voice put me more in mind of an 80s rom com than it did of a western-style murder mystery. But his performance is expressive, his characters are distinct, and he gets the job done.

Over all, I think I'd recommend this one.

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Ummmm

Revisado: 01-12-21

I've read on wikipedia that Shaara has been criticized for having "Lost Cause" sensibilities. After reading Killer Angels my opinion was that this criticism was unwarranted. Was Lost Cause stuff there? Sure. In the mouths of the Confederate characters it was there, but if they were truly deluded in that way, why not reveal it in the characterizations? It adds to the tragedy of the whole thing, imo. But then I listened to The Last Full Measure and I get it now. The General Lee fanboying in this novel is nauseating. Plus, it's boring. Another person titled their review, "Lee misses Jackson, Grant smokes cigars," and that pretty much sums it up. I like Bramhall, but not enough to recommend this audiobook. I'd skip this one if I were you. (Edit: I see now, but didn't realize, that this and Killer Angels were written by different people. Maybe that's why this one is offensive. Don't know. I think Killer Angels is pretty solid.)

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Ambitious and mostly pleasurable from DWJ

Revisado: 01-12-21

This is a book I've read numerous times. In my opinion, it's DWJ's most successful novel in terms of size, scope, and resolution. I say it's her most successful but I don't think it's her most enjoyable. For me, that title must always go to Howl's Moving Castle. Dark Lord(...) is fun too -- don't get me wrong. It's clever. It keeps your interest. But whereas HMC keeps your interest with whimsy, lighthearted mishaps, hilarious characters, and a sweet love story, this novel drives you by a desire to see the infuriating antagonist, the insensitive wife, the thoughtless elves, the aggravating dragon and the army of convicted murderers all get their comeuppance, or at least hear them explain themselves. Everybody is so grouchy toward one another. It gets a bit old but not so old that I can't recommend this book to everyone. There is humor. There is parody. There is excitement and fun characters and magic. There is, unfortunately, a resolution to one of the plot threads which amounts to, "oh I was actually enchanted but I'm alright now," but otherwise the ending delivers a good payoff. Glidart Jackson was an unfortunate choice for narrator. I like him. I enjoyed his reading of the Black Arrow. But I think I'd have preferred someone with more of a playful quality to their voice. I think I'd recommend the hard copy before the audible download, but heck its Diana Wynne Jones. You really can't go wrong either way. Just buy it and enjoy.

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Pretty good

Revisado: 12-03-20

Let me start by saying if you're an avid reader of fantasy this book is a no brainer. Most objections to the book I've read call its allusions to rock culture heavy handed. Some of these objections are unfair. You can't knock the author for referring to a mercenary contract as, "landing a gig". Geez, allusions like that are practically the point of this book. Others that people mention I didn't really catch; I think because I listened to it on audiobook instead of reading it. All the more reason to purchase the audiobook.

If you're like me and are not a huge fan of the fantasy genre, I think this book is still worth your credit. Fantasy, I think, is at its best when it isn't taking itself totally seriously. Not to say this book is one joke after another. There's a story here, and characters, and both are done pretty well.

Why just four stars? There is an approach to style, plot, and characters that is common to most fantasy, and which is not my preference. Furthermore, a couple parts felt tedious to me, including the finale, of all places! But its still pretty good, it's 15 hours long, and so I think you're getting your money's worth.

And, as I said before, if you're a fan of fantasy this book is a no brainer. Stop reading reviews and buy it already!

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Just okay

Revisado: 10-09-20

Bog child narrates a few months in the life of Fergus, a teenager in Northern Ireland during the troubles, as he navigates studies, love, and the anguish of his dear brother being in prison. He has found an ancient body, perfectly preserved, in the bog. This body speaks to him in his dreams, and despite being an atheist -- and presumably a materialist -- he is profoundly affected by these visitations, I guess.

The writing was really quite good. Nice style. It's what convinced me to try the audiobook in the first place. The narrator is so so. Her reading is fine. Her Irish accent is fine (for Heaven's sake, do NOT pick up this audiobook if you don't like Irish accents). But there is less variety in her character voices than I might've liked, and when she tries to mimic other accents, it's a bit embarrassing.

Over all, I was kind of disappointed. The setting seemed under utilized. The messaging is a little trite. Everyone is either reticent or cynical about The Cause. Those who make tremendous sacrifices are said to do so because "It's their decision". Violence is always senseless, and reasons are always just a pretext. But these people did have reasons and, right or wrong, I'd have like to have known their motives, just a little.

Mostly I was just bored. Maybe if I was eighteen again, I'd have felt differently. Don't know.

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Enjoyable, but frustrating

Revisado: 12-10-19

I enjoyed this book but will not visit another in the series.

Let me explain...

The narration is excellent. Davina Porter is a gem.

The setting is quite good. From eel pies and onion soup, to the daily routines of servants, to the ineptitudes of doctors and their expectations of nurses, to the rituals which were involved in every kind of social interaction, Victorian London, and the lives of its inhabitants, are fleshed out in remarkable detail.

Many of the characters are good, too. Hester Latterly is a stand out: brash, intelligent, opinionated, sensitive, compassionate, proactive.

And the basic plot is engrossing: a women dead, carved up by an intruder in the night, only it wasn't an intruder but someone in the house who did it -- a very respectable house filled with both respectable people, and servants. The conflict this creates, and the ways the conflict plays out, is fascinating to observe...mostly.

The problem is that the novel plods. Not in a satisfying, slow, luxurious way. In a tedious way. Most of the action consists of repetitive conversations, leading to interrogations that are uninformative, leading back to conversations that are usually seething underneath with barely suppressed contempt or indignation, leading to more interrogations with the same people as before, with almost nothing new coming to light, and so on, and so on. This is actually fine for a while as it builds tension. But I found myself skipping a bit at the end, trying to get to some good parts.

Part of what's frustrating is that the main character (who is not Hester, sadly) is so impotent throughout. His hands are tied by the situation, and they never become untied, so that by the end of the story he has barely done anything to accomplish its resolution. This might be accurate for the time and situation, but it's usually not what you want in the protagonist of a detective novel.

What's more, there was a line of inquiry I was almost screaming for them to pursue, which was completely ignored until the last few pages. In my mind, in a murder mystery, obscuring the obvious by simply ignoring it is a cardinal sin.

In conclusion: I did enjoy the novel, but I find it difficult to recommend. It's an odd thing to admit at the end of a 4 star review, but there you have it.

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Perfect story, perfect narration

Revisado: 10-19-19

Lovely in every way. There is, perhaps, an oddness in Ms Pikes voice for Mariah, but since this character has very few lines, I think this is forgivable.

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