Hydrazi

Quite good for a Self-Published Early Work

Revisado: 06-10-21

This author was recommended to me by a relative who spent some time in Australia. I grabbed his first novel and there are a number of editorial problems. There are also some funny things where you can tell the author (and maybe narrator) are not really used to American slang (a tin of biscuits, etc etc).

Also, the sci-fi portion of the writing was hit or miss, probably mostly miss.

THE GOOD: Damn, this book is a mad dash of crazy action. I didn't even care how accurate some of the science/physics were. It was a freaking blast from start to finish! Enough so that i immediately purchased what many call his "best" book: Ice Station

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Somewhat Believable, Fun to Listen to

Revisado: 03-19-21

You will need to suspend your disbelief on this one, especially if you are in IT of any kind.
Still, it's a fun listen and I looked forward to each chapter.

Some of the characters are pretty cardboard without any real development where you care about them much. But the situations are interesting, the action is quite good.

I felt bad for Jane as she was relegated to getting injured and whining a lot while she seemed to sit in the back of the car a LOT... I thought they were taking turns?

As for narration, you cannot go wrong with Chris Abernathy. He's like listening to a young Sam Elliot.

I will definitely put Mike Kraus on my list of authors to keep looking at.

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I Hate to Put it Down....

Revisado: 10-03-19

The author really tried and I think this isn't his talent that is the issue... but the lack of any reasonable editing. No editor would have missed that "crimson liquid" and "AW-109" were used so often it could be a damn drinking game. When I started this series, I knew I was going to hear a derivative of every zombie apocalypse/military survival fiction out there. I am totally OK with that, and this does serve.

The real problem is when things distract me from the enjoyment.... over and over. Guns shooting way more ammo than is possible, Glossing over supply issues left and right. Randomly characters switch gears in their personalities... wondering about their lovelife in the middle of a fire fight. The daughter who had been in ABDOMINAL surgery the day before was up and running around the next day without a care in the world. There are a lot of examples.

Was it worth 1 credit for the 4 books.... yeah, it's worth just about that. I truly believe this author is capable of much better material and I hope he gets a chance to do it.... by finding an editor. ANY EDITOR. ;)

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So sad it is over, Like I lost a good friend...

Revisado: 04-25-19

The idea of this series, reading the description, put me off immediately. I listen to over 80 books a year and this just sounded like a rehash of so many others. With the inclusion of magic, I thought it might end up being totally ridculous. I could not have been more wrong. And with so many reviews, I decided to trust.

The character development and world building are really good. And by the time I listened to the last chapter, I was so damn sad that it was all over. I felt like I just lost a good friend. Thank you, J.S. Morin. It is not often I read a series as robust and absorbing as this one.

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I Cannot Get Enough

Revisado: 04-25-19

I truly appreciate the character definition, action, and the things left unsaid by these authors. The world-building is fantastic and the military strategy makes enough sense that I don't even think about it. The quality of differing characters reminds me of George R.R. Martin. And it just keeps getting better.

I listen to over 84 audiobooks a year (or more, depending on length). When I see that a new Galaxy's Edge is up for purchase, I get really happy. I hope it continues for some time!

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Interesting Story that gets Bogged down at times

Revisado: 04-25-19

I listen to a LOT of sci-fi and military sci-fi and fantasy books. Usually it is around 6-10 books per month. I want to first say that I am enjoying this series enough that I have bought all the books. If I didn't, I would have returned them. It's pretty good but not as amazing as I had hoped. Smith is a very good storyteller and this series beat the hell out of you by pushing you right into the arms of victory then pull you back out, over and over. Totally worth the price!

I am going to continue listening to the Extinction Cycle, it is a reasonably good tale that I enjoy. I do often find myself putting my fingers through gaping holes in the story line (so much ammo, so much fuel available, horrible strategies). I also find myself audibly groaning when, in the middle of an excellent combat sequence, the author chooses to wax poetic about the fears and worries of a love interest or the psyches of little children. It really kills more than a few scenes.

The descriptions of combat can sometimes get a little tedious with the overuse of what bullet holes and exploding heads and hearing the crunch of bones apparently audible all the time. But when he forgets to worry about these, those scenes are gloriously written!

The way this author writes the inner monologues of strong women is the same way that Robert Jordan always did, which drove me nuts enough to stop listening to the Wheel of Time series. George R.R. Martin understands how to write for the minds of women.

Again, I will completing the series. I enjoyed the Trackers books from this author and those didn't suffer from these downfalls nearly as much.

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Great story, fun characters, a wild combat ride!

Revisado: 04-03-19

The action sequences in this series are just fantastic! The author knows how to put characters into some awful situations and get them out without feeling to ridiculous. The science behind this is pretty good to, not massively unbelievable.

Some things feel forced and not really necessary to the plot, they are easy to look past. I feel like the lead scientist is sometimes WAY TOO emotional and driven by love interest instead of the importance of the things she is doing. Often, it reminded me of the way Robert Jordan wrote female characters, which drove me nuts to the point of not continuing in some books.

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So much epiphany!

Revisado: 05-14-18

OK, i have been casually trying to learn Spanish for several years. I have tried Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur, Duolingo, and several of the products. I have learned very rudimentary Spanish and I can mostly understand what is being said but have little confidence when responding.

THIS AUDIOBOOK... was amazing. It taught me things I just could not get, could not seem to understand, in all of those other products. Noble does the perfect amount of review. He seems to understand how my head works. He has put into my brain an understanding that turns the language into Legos that let's me build all of the phrases I need.... and understand them in turn! Bets money I have ever spent. Wish were there more... get all 3 of these.

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I was Prepared to Hate It.... and I was Wrong

Revisado: 12-18-17

Any additional comments?

I was fully prepared for this book to suck. The Martian is a favorite of mine, but sometimes the "next book" for an author is sucky. And then I saw it would be narrated by Dawson who didn't really seem the narrating type. So, I prepared for it to stink or be just "ok".

Dawson is an EXCELLENT and very entertaining storyteller with really good accent control! The story seemed silly to me but it is not. Another "slice of the near future" from the author. I could not stop listening until it was over and then I was that it was.

I apologize to Rosario Dawson for thinking she would suck.

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80's Nuclear Holocaust Fantasy Drama....

Revisado: 07-19-17

Would you listen to Swan Song again? Why?

I don't usually listen to books more than once. I might though. I like these fantasy-reality congo lines though. This book has interesting characters and the scenes of desperation are pretty well done... though there is a lot of clumsiness in it that I just ignored.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Man with the Scarlet Eye. He had a lot going on and more history than anyone.

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