Matthew

Dan Abnett on form

Revisado: 03-03-25

This is peak Warhammer 40k. It is a solid production of Black Library’s best author -disagree? I will fight you*- well read by their premier narrator. It is a fascinating character study of a squadron on the edge and burnt out has beens. It looks at how a variety of personality types manage knowing that their death or maiming isn’t a question of if but of when. Added to this is the knowledge that their chain of command has put their mission so far above their welfare that they are truly expendable. It makes for a good grimdark read.

I generally hate “pilot” heroes. Part of that’s my personal bias as a former ground pounder whose every experience with the air force has been disappointing at best and a source of rage at worse (even years later). But most of it is difficulty working up sympathy for characters who are lauded as special while they get to return to clean beds and dinning halls after brief missions fought from a comfortable seat. BUT Abnett pulls it off brilliantly. He did it.

My only criticism is that the air combat is nearly impossible to follow and goes on a bit long. I had to hit the 30second repeat button a lot.

Listen for a great war story with really gripping character development that top 10% 40k.

*other authors have written 40k books that are as good if not better, but Abnett is the most consistently good with a long track record.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Meh. Interesting but hard to listen to

Revisado: 06-13-24

A good tour through the Dialogues. However two things make it a painful slog. First, the gross mouth noises and his tendency to stop for a loud swig of water every five minutes. Often it is mid sentence and it’s… well gross, off putting, and distracting. Second, the prof approaches Plato and Socrates as if they are religious figures. Other than those issues… it’s fine

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Good fun. Grimdark goofy

Revisado: 03-24-24

Mike brooks does 40k comedy right. This trilogy is fun while not removing an ounce of menace from the setting. His other -more traditional- titles give Dan Abnett a run for his money

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great topic. Terrible writing.

Revisado: 02-14-22

I wanted a good, solid, book on this historical figure. Unfortunately, this isn’t really that. Even worse, it’s about the only available book on Audible. Much of the writing is terribly edited. It is very repetitious. Also, some of the arguments the author made were not logically consistent.

I can only say that, while it’s not the book the subject deserves, it the only option currently. Oh well

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Narration disaster

Revisado: 12-28-18

The content was alright, not great, but ok. However the narration was truly the worst I have ever encountered on audible. It was barely literate. It seemed like the narrator was both disinterested and that the topic was beyond him.

The content was alright but a bit superficial. I would have liked more depth. Also it missed some basic bits.

The author’s knowledge and enthusiasm cannot be denied but the narration was so poor that I could not recommend it. I may see if he has published paper books and get those in the future.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great Book, Lousey Narration, Silly Editors Note

Revisado: 02-10-11

This is one of the classics of military science. It is dramatically underrated and unappreciated by most. As a book it is a wonderful source of information and history. For those reasons it is worth listening to. I can wholeheartedly recommend it. Anyone interested in pre-20th Century Military History SHOULD read this book.

But the narration and the edition are poor at best. The narrator was confronted with a problem, the book is in the form of a dialog between a hardened veteran and a number of neophytes. Unfortunately he decided to exaggerate the difference so that the veteran is narrated in a really gruff voice that is so odd that it makes it hard to listen to. The other problem is that the translators essays are silly. They are in fact both irrelevant and really rather bizarre.

In sum: The book - 5 stars; the narration 3 stars; the editor's notes and essays - 1 star at best. Since one can always skip the editors notes, I have averaged it to 4 stars.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

The single best wine guide out there

Revisado: 05-10-10

This is definitely the best wine guide out there. The author is knowledgeable, clear, and clearly enjoys his work.

The topic is laid out in a clear and engaging style which is ideal for both the novice and the expert. It is a very good education on the subject. It starts with the process of wine-making from the vineyard to the store and then discusses varietals and regions. A WONDERFUL AUDIBLE PURCHASE.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Rather useless.

Revisado: 05-01-10

First, they seem to have selected a nearly random selection of things to discuss. Rieslings, Chardonnays, and then Bulgarian wine. His descriptions are not terribly useful or comprehensible (comparing a good riesling to petrol?). Skip this. It is simply not worth the time. It does not provide enough data for the expert or a useful structure for the beginner.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Amazingly good

Revisado: 02-13-10

I came to this Lecture reluctantly. I have been very disappointed by other "Modern Scholar Courses" finding them either superficial, intellectually or academically sloppy, or mediocre at best. Also I had no enthusiasm for the subject. The introduction did not help, making it seem like more of the same...

BUT, this was a truly fascinating and wonderful read. The prof is amazing. He is as academically rigorous as I could wish and he teaches his subject in a very complex yet engaging way. His work is easy to follow and very interesting despite delving very deep into many academic debates.

I STRONGLY recommend this course to anyone from late High School on through PhD level. This is just well done scholarship in a very interesting way. The first and last lectures are not great but the stuff in between is phenomenal. I now want to learn much more on this subject.

Again, this is not how I have viewed other Modern Scholar productions which I have been profoundly disappointed with. This absolutely worth the time and money.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 42 personas

Terribly uneven and inconsistant.

Revisado: 08-12-09

I really enjoyed the first two cases and thought I had found a really great book... then it went off a cliff.

The book looks at famous or significant closing statements and the cases in which they played a significant role. Unfortunately, the treatment of the third case, Weaver's murder charge for the killing of a Federal Marshal at Ruby Ridge, was so one-sided and skewed as to call into question the entire book.

Due to space limitations, I can only cite two examples of the bias and spin that really poisoned that chapter. First, the authors use of language was deliberately designed to obscure the facts particularly by using "passive voice" to hide who committed an act when it not favorable to their agenda. In one example the authors stated that that the Branch Dividians at Wako TX "were dead by the end of the [federal assault]" strongly implying that the Federal govt killed them. However, it is well established they were dead before the assault, most killed by fellow cult members. Another case was the lengths they went to to explain that Randy Weaver was not a white supremacist. Apparently, despite the fact that he attended Arrian Nation meetings, wore a swastika, and his daughter called black children "N----s", he was not a racist. They explain that he does not believe that whites are superior to blacks, only that they should live separately... they do not mention that he believes that this means that all African-Americans (and every other minority for that matter) should be expelled from America. These are just two examples of any number of obscurantist and slanted bits of writing found in that chapter.

The rest of the book seems alright and even interesting and insightful. The problem is that having such a blatantly biased and one-sided treatment casts the whole book into doubt. I cannot trust even the portions that seem balanced after that chapter.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 15 personas