tdg

children's book

Revisado: 02-02-25

This book sounds like nothing else Mr. Alanson has written. It made me wonder if it wasn't AI generated. Maybe Skippy wrote this book.

Nothing stands out to engage me. Very bland. No one is killed not even a bad guy which is why I say it reads like sci-fi for preteens. The language is all very clean - no swearing. Definitely kid friendly.

The premise is that a family is moving due to the father's job. The ship is attacked and pirates board the ship. All the adults are trapped away from the children and it's up to them to save everyone else.

Honestly, I would have loved this book when I was a kid. So I highly recommend it for kids. Not so much for adults.

If this book was intended for children Audible should be more obvious and let us know.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

RC Bray!

Revisado: 12-25-24

This was actually an entertaining read. The humor is reminiscent of the Expeditionary Force series. Even a wise cracking AI. But being a fan of that other series made me appreciate this book and it's characters. Familiar, but quiet a different universe.

What really makes me happy is that RC Bray is the narrator. I love his reading. Few can bring a book to life like him. Males reading female characters can often be ridiculous and distracting, but Bray always pulls it off smoothly and convincingly. I hope they're paying this guy a lot, he's worth it.

I'm not going to do a detailed review. I'm just going to say this book is enjoyable sci-fi. Lots of action, a little mystery, some of which you'll see coming a mile away, and lots of 80s movie references.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

hated the ending

Revisado: 11-12-24

As usual RC Bray is a genius.

The story is very engaging, populated with all the characters we've come to love. The jokes were getting a bit in old and many just fell flat or seemed forced. Still, enough were humorous to entertain me.

Sorry no spoilers or details. I'll only say the ending was abrupt and unsettling. Will I get the next edition should there be one? Of course.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great narrator

Revisado: 09-29-24

The plot is interesting. A man, his son, and a couple of others are kidnapped and taken 800 years into a future where Earth has been inexplicably destroyed. He and his fellows are left with a stipend from the government that seems to represent a month's wages. His son is missing and presumed to be held hostage or something but the man who kidnapped all of them. Up to this point I'm following. Soon this guy, out of his element and familiar tech & with very little money, is a bounty-hunter and taking on a powerful mob. The story gets less believable by the minute.

A long the way, other elements of the story obscure the urgency to find the child. Also there is a potential spoiler character that is essentially neutralized too soon.

I don't want to be a spoiler, but the latter part of the story misses opportunities for intrigue and a doubled-cross that would have made the story interesting. There is a "red shirt" character that really should have been killed to make the final scene more real but no, like a children's book, all the good guys come out unscathed. which brings me to the end.

What an unsatisfying ending. The author obviously missed the class on killing villains. Villains have to hurt you. Victory can't come too easy and the 1st appearance of victory should be a faint. The villain needs to arise from defeat and place the hero at death's door, before ultimately being killed. I expected a more exciting final fight but no a quick and easy kill. Very anticlimatic.

Finally, the replacement curse words was cute. Definitely, made the book kid-friendly. No sex, no suggestive jokes, very clean. You don't see teen books like this anymore. I think this author has a lot of potential for wholesome sci-fi but needs to learn to be a bit more suspenseful and throw in a twist at some point.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Not for me

Revisado: 05-31-24

First of you like someone preaching enviro-religion you'll love this. There is very little that really deals with a fossil. Tons of environmental mythos, a little vegan messaging, and then an outright ridiculous inversion of a biblical story. All of this overshadowed the storyline for me. Ignoring these aspects it's still a stupid story.

The narrator is pretty good. It felt like it took him a bit to hit his rhythm, but once he did he was great. I will say his accents are sometimes very off but I can deal with that. He has good inflection and overall good pronunciation. Obviously a pro.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

another awesome ride with Skippy and Joe

Revisado: 05-11-24

Overall I've enjoyed this series and this book is no exception. We go from 1 impossible situation to the next with hardly a breather. R. C. Bray makes this series even better than the actual content. It's just a pleasure to listen to him read.

If there was a drawback or negative about this book it has to be the "probability field". I found it stupid and unscientific. In the entire series this is likely the dumbest plot point. I think it was unnecessary to the overall story. Really other than serving to create a false crisis what was the point?

(The following could be seen as a spoiler so beware.)

Impossible challenges with ingenious solutions has been a hallmark of the series, but in this book I think Alanson ran out of ideas when it came to his finale. Rather than some up with out of the box, but rational, solution a freaking miracle without any explanation saves the day. Personally, I was dissatisfied with the ending. It felt cheap. I won't go further, see if you agree.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Another great adventure

Revisado: 03-21-24

I would say this was one of the better books in the series. Gives us more details on the senior species. I could listen to this narrator all day. Oh wait I do.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

First hand accounts of World War II

Revisado: 02-02-24

I could listen to this narrator all the time. His gentle voice reminds me of sitting at the feet of my Grandfather while he told stories of his life.

The stories are sometimes touching and many times heartbreaking. Often I was moved.

The book doesn't have a thread it's just a wonderful collection of personal stories. As I write this review I'm a bit sad and my initial thought was to deduct a star for the sad note the author chose to close with. There was such joy in the war ending and POWs returning. How I wish that's where it ended, but he had to close with a personal lament for a young man killed at Pearl.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Lean into the awesomeness

Revisado: 01-17-24

Just when I thought I might be sick of this series this one brought me back in.

RC Bray's performance is superb as always. The story kept my attention and made it difficult for me to get out of my car when I reached my destinations. Damnit Craig, you made me late for a meeting.

I love that he ends every book on a cliffhanger. I think there is enough material here for at least 10 seasons should anyone ever want to adapt each book to a TV series season. I expect the only thing stopping that is the cost of turning these gems into a visual spectacular.

Thanks for a couple years of enjoyment.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Just ok

Revisado: 06-20-22

Paul Heitsch did a great job narrating. A real professional.

The idea a space crew returns after a centuries long mission and finds the home world destroyed or knocked back to the stone age isn't that original. Then the crew killing each other over the possibility of not being rescued, again nothing unique.

I found the story rather predictable. The protagonists weren't well fleshed out and as a result I felt no sense of fear for them not did I care what happened to them; even though I felt I knew all along.

Dalzelle seems to think evolution happens very quickly. He has humans on Mars and on Earth as being physically evolved over just 800 years. The study of mummies shows us little if anything has changed in humans over the past 5000 years. So I know that tickles the ears of many modern readers, but I don't expect it.

I do think a major breakdown in society is possible, even somewhat likely, following a major holocaust as portrayed in the book. Dalzelle creates a few unanswered questions that his characters even ask, but we get no answers. A sequel could well be written with a conspiratorial plot. Perhaps it has been and I don't know about it.

In conclusion, I'd say this book was an ok time-filler, but nothing special.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña