Gary Port

Harrowing story of slavery and rape

Revisado: 09-14-15

What made the experience of listening to Anna and the King of Siam the most enjoyable?

This book has the fascination of watching a train wreck. It's horrible but you can't take your eyes away from it. If you are looking for the King and I, look elsewhere. Anna Leonowens found herself in a bizarre world of sexual slavery, torture and murder. And this was done by the King.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Anna was an incredible woman who fought toe to toe with the crazed and absolute tyrant-king of Siam seeking some small measure of justice for the people crushed under this despotic regime. Forget those idiotic Hollywood movies, Anna Leonowens was appalled by the King and his brutality. She would have been repulsed by the Hollywood fantasy of her having romantic feelings towards him.

What does Anne Flosnik bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Ms. Flosnik does a commendable job reading the book and conveying the sense of the story. Her vague Asiatic accents were at times annoying but never a real distraction.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I would listen during my commute and that was enough. The horror of what the women of the harem underwent could only be taken in small doses.

Any additional comments?

An unflinching look at the brilliant but despotic King. He was a bundle of contradictions. On one hand, he was very learned and devoured all types of books. He was a shrewd politician who manage to keep his country from being annexed by the British or the French. But on the other hand he had no compunction about torturing and burning alive a 16 year old girl who had escaped from his harem.

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Another original book from Alastair Reynolds

Revisado: 05-19-15

Alastair Reynolds delivers another hard science fiction book. One gets use to his original stories by now as well as his unique characters. The reader is excellent.

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Anderson's Best Work

Revisado: 02-20-12

Poul Anderson has woven a rich tale from Norse myth. The style and pacing are excellent. Anderson has created a tragedy of Shakespearean proportion and knowing from the first page that it will all end badly, you are still swept away with the story and can't stop. Pinchot is truly one of the best readers and his style well matches the story. I had read the novel 20 years ago, but Pinchot's reading brought to the story new depths I had not realized.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

For Elric Fans

Revisado: 02-20-12

Not the strongest entry in the Elric/Champion Eternal Cycle. If you are an Elric fan or of the Champion Eternal Cycle is it worth it. Part of this story was told in the Hawkmoon series, and now it told from Elric perspective.

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A lazy effort in what was a good series

Revisado: 09-25-11

I had read the previous books in the series and was happy to rejoin Clet Frede in Argentina.Unfortunately, Griffin's son is not up to the efforts of his father. The entire first segment (8 hours) involved merely recapping the last books. This could have been done in a 10 page recap. Instead, Butterworth has the characters talking to each other and recounting, multiple times, what has gone on before. He is also in love with Nazi ranks and uses every opportunity to throw them in, which makes the listening difficult. After getting through the first 8 hours, I hoped that he'd finally get on with the story. No such luck. About an hour in segment 2, I gave up.

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Gaiman explores fairie

Revisado: 06-12-08

If you like Gaiman's work you'll love this. If you are a fan of the classic tales of fairie, this is recommended. Basically a gentle fairy tale. While there is blood shed, the violence is neither the purpose nor crux of the story. A beguiling read and the author does an excellent job of reading.

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