Edmundkw

An entertaining 8 book series

Revisado: 07-31-21

This eight book series should be read or listened to - and reviewed - in its entirety.

The first three books starts the series as a fast-paced ‘cozy’ action adventure space opera centred on the found family and real families of Roboticist Casmir Dabrowski and his best friend bacteriologist Kim Sato. However, in the later books, there is an undercurrent of a subtle and thoughtful allegory about real-world intolerance (racism and LGBTQ issues were portrayed as human purity versus humans who were modified by cybernetics or genetics), cynical political ambition and the lust for power, the use of propaganda and external threats to justify expansionism, ideological extremism and the disregard for science and facts, and the tension between love of country and the duty to resist immoral leaders in government corrupting national ideals/culture.

The narrator is very good, and embues each character with a distinct voice that convincingly conveys his/her persona - the idealistic chirpy roboticist, his unemotional yet sensitive best friend with the deadpan voice, the tired cynical freight-ship captain, an arrogant noble, et al.

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Mixed feelings

Revisado: 07-20-21

I love Firefly, and this story expands the verse and exposes the mortal wound of the browncoats' defeat and the tragic inability of some of the veterans to move on. However, some scenes involving Shepherd Book and Mel, and the portrayal of their character were irksome - Mel came across as more pathetic and less resourceful, and Book seemed naive when he ought to be streetsmart, and cynical when he ought to have been otherwise. The narrator was very good, even with the female voices, and he created a immersive sense of pathos of those struggling to survive and live on their own terms against the odds.

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Horny and Bloodthirsty Brown people

Revisado: 07-17-21

An audible original soft porn. An talented full cast performs the stories of Scheherazade, Ali Baba & the Forty Thieves and Julnar of the Sea, from the Arabian Nights. The voice actors were brilliant, but the re-imagining of the classic tales was racist, misogynist, sexist and seemed to lean more towards sexual titillation (including frequent audio simulations of sex) than on tales of adventure. The original Arabian Nights were certainly also raunchy, but they tend to focus more on the exciting adventures of the protagonists than on soft porn. This performance felt like the Arab/Persian edition of the Black and White Minstrel Show - suggestive of an audiobook equivalent of “blackface’ - and a white appropriation of Arab culture in manner that exaggerated ethnic stereotypes. However, the cast was diverse, and talented, and soft porn can be entertaining. I appreciated the performance (voice and sound effects), even though I thought the script demeaned and mocked the cultures and people of the middle east.

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Nice!

Revisado: 07-02-21

Lovely heart warming prequel to Mystwick School - great story about kids finding a place to belong -looking forward to Amelia returning to camp next year.

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Great history of the US

Revisado: 02-11-21

A useful and insightful study of the primary immigrant nations that comprise the United States, and how they shaped history and influence the policies of the strongest and most dangerous power on the planet. The narrative and analysis cited facts that could be easily checked (and I did). I found the descriptions of the ten nation tribes of Europeans that fought for and over America stark and compelling. I was also struck by the prescience in some of the latter chapters, especially with all that has happened in the US in recent years (but especially in 2020). However, the comprehensive examination of their culture, values, and mindsets might be too honest for some 'tribals' "who can't handle the truth", and offensive to those who believe that faith means ignoring inconvenient facts (as opposed to those who accept fact while still holding on to faith).

My only criticism is that the conclusion was too idealistic - the wistful look at Quebec and the compromises that led to multiculturalism in Canada struck the right balance, but the inference that the First Nations (the eleventh tribe) had not been wiped out by genocide but instead offered an environmentally sustainable model for caring for the community and communal land, was naive. If the preceding chapters (and the histories they described) taught us anything, it was that it is far more likely (perhaps after sea waters rise) for the much more powerful ten tribes to expand to seize what they need from the eleventh (maybe not from white Canada but anywhere else contiguous where the land can be 'cleared').

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Great story but not the netflix series

Revisado: 01-07-21

I thought the narrator was good, and she sounded like the Beth of the book, but not like Anya Taylor Joy from the netflix series. Tevis' prose was brilliant, succinct and 'cold' and the narrator captured the voice of the story well.

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Best Christmas story

Revisado: 12-31-20

Next to Neil Gaiman's reading at the New York Public Library (of the version adapted by Dicken's), this is my favorite performance of A Christmas Carol. Dicken's wonderful way with words coupled with his deep insights into our human condition come together to create a timeless fable to celebrate Christian ideals during Christmas.

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An indulgence in 80s nostalgia

Revisado: 12-31-20

Its like cotton candy - full of sugar and fluff that you might enjoy but not a real meal and maybe not good for you if taken to excess. Like the first book, Ready Player Two was rich in 80s nostalgia and trivia, and Wil Wheaton's performance was brilliant. But it was more science fantasy than science fiction, and it failed to examine the many serious themes it introduced, viz. the emergence of a singularity, the evolution from biological life to energy based consciousness, escapism as a response to human problems, the omnipresent challenge posed by human nature and original sin regardless of the medium and so on. Instead, there were made-to-movie caricatures of Asians, LGBT persons, and women as sidekicks to demonstrate representation through tokenism and clichés. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable listen - especially if you take pleasure in 80s pop culture - and just as most people watch action movies for the silly banter, explosions, and car chases, Ready Player Two is fun for its 80s pop culture trivia pursuits quest adventure.

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Great fun full cast performance

Revisado: 11-21-20

Funny and fun performance - fast paced narrative with simple but great plot twists that offer kid friendly thrills.

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A true classic that has aged beautifully

Revisado: 11-02-20

A story of love and nobility amidst human folly, brutality, and cruelty during the French Revolution. Dickens was a brilliant wordsmith, his satirical observations of society enduring, and his Tale of Two Cities (London and Paris) really did capture "the best of times" and "the worst of times".

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