john barnsby

Somewhat disappointing

Revisado: 12-02-20

Let me start out by saying I’m a huge fan of the Dresden files. I’ve read or listened to all the books many times. This one, unlike all the others, is not a story - it is only the beginning of a story. It has no resolution and very little of a story arc. To me it was clearly meant to be part of the next book but, for some reason, the author and/or publisher decided to hack it off and sell it separately.

It isn’t the best written or most original of the series. If you are a fan of the series, it’s definitely worth listening to (if only to set up Battle Ground). If you are new to Dresden, DON’T START HERE. Go back to the earlier books, this one is not a good representation of the series as a whole.

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Good overview of British bomber campaign

Revisado: 11-09-17

Hastings gives a comprehensive overview of the British WWII bombing campaign. He describes it from pretty much all angles. After listening to it, I had an even greater respect for the British bomber crews (it seems like being assigned to a heavy bomber crew was almost a death sentence during the war) while also confirming my already very negative opinion of the British leadership for their callous disregard for the massive civilian casualties -- or even for the lives of their own airmen. If the allies hadn't been the victors, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris, in particular, would have almost certainly been charged as a war criminal. The need for area bombing of civilian targets by all the allies is a debate that will probably never be settled, but I think it will remain a serious black mark on an otherwise noble war effort.

On a side note, why do the Brits think that all american's talk like John Wayne? Barnaby Edwards' narration is great except when he tries to do accents. His american accent is absolutely awful and detracts from the book. His Canadian accent isn't much better. Can we make an agreement that the American's won't try to do a British accent if the the Brits will agree not to try sound like Americans?

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eh.

Revisado: 07-07-16

What would have made Graveyard better?

This is alright. Kinda of on the lines of Unsolved Mysteries or America's Most Haunted Places. It is a recitation of various "ghost" stories. Somewhat hokey. Apparently the Warren's selected these stories, but these are not experiences that Warrens themselves had, and they make little or no comment on the stories themselves.

Would you ever listen to anything by the authors again?

I would listen to additional recordings about the Warren's direct experiences.

Have you listened to any of Todd Haberkorn’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I don't think so.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Honestly, after a little while, boredom. The stories seem kind of tame.

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Good ground level account of the Civil War

Revisado: 05-12-16

This is a great reciting of the experience of a soldier in the ranks. His career spans for before 1st Bull Run until (transferred west) he is wounded during Longstreet's attempt to take Knoxville. The detail gives you a good sense of what it must have been like. My only negative is that reader pronounces most of the eastern place names, battles and rivers wrong -- and not just a little wrong but almost recognizably in some cases. This can be annoying and distracting.

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This reader is not for me.

Revisado: 01-31-13

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I'd certainly recommend the book to a friend, but definitely not this specific recording.

What did you like best about this story?

Well, obviously the stories (which I heard bits and pieces of since childhood).

How could the performance have been better?

Honestly, it would be better if it used another reader. I read the other reviews complaining about this reader, but thought that maybe it was just the accent. I grew up in England, so I figured it wouldn't bother me. What I found is that it isn't the accent so much as the reader's style of reading. As someone else wrote, he really does read the story like there is something very foul and distasteful right under his nose. Somehow there also seems to be a constant note of condescension in his voice, like he's reading the story to what he thinks are group of not-too-bright school boys.It's very distracting.

Was Le Morte D'Arthur worth the listening time?

Since I ended up listening to it all over again with a different group of readers, no. Now the actual story (or really set of stories) is definitely worth the time -- it brings together some of the fundamental myths of western culture.

Any additional comments?

I have listened to hundreds (perhaps even thousands) of recorded books. Readers have their pluses and minus, but this one, with this book, is awful. I struggled through the first two books (about 10 hours) before I gave up and got the LibriVox version -- the amateur readers there do a much better job (and some can even pronounce the French correctly) :)

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