A Place in the Orchard

Surprisingly disappointing...

Revisado: 09-09-19

"Surprisingly" because - I've always considered myself a Gaiman fan. Early Gaiman, anyway. He lost me sometime after "Stardust," but before that, I devoured everything and "Neverwhere" is by far my favorite thing he's ever written. Loved the TV show, loved the radio adaptation, loved the book, loved the graphic novel.

But this? Much of the problem, I hate to say, was the narration. You know how some books suck you in on the strength of the narrator's voice alone? This was one that had the opposite effect entirely. Then add the musical interludes and various effects (several of which actually obscure what is being said) - they're not only distracting. they're also totally unnecessary.

There's nothing whatsoever wrong with the story - it was, and remains, Gaiman's crowning achievement. But when you find yourself actively finding other things to do, when you'd normally be relaxing with a good audiobook, you know there's something wrong. And when you finally turn it off and instead listen again to the BBC full cast radio dramatisation (also available on Audible), you know it's time to give up.

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A vey disappointing ending

Revisado: 09-19-18

Having thoroughly enjoyed the previous two parts, I was looking forward to the resolution of a gripping and, in places, chilling story. Now I wish I'd let part two's cliff hanger continue to hang.

There is an ending, after a fashion. But to call it an anticlimax would be misleading - rather, it's a cop out straight out of the "and then the little boy woke up" school of storytelling, into and around which Colin Baker ladles what feels like an endless, lachrymose soliloquy on morality, which serves no purpose beyond dragging things on for a lot longer than they needed to.

Still, if you've ever wondered how the Doctor would combat an army of zombies, listen on; while fans of both Michael Moorcock and Hawkwind might enjoy what one assumes is author Richards' tribute to "Black Corridor," only with "time" standing in for space.

Otherwise... think of "Men of War" and "Horrors of War" as a tale that never ends, and give part three a very wide berth,

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Excellent book, disappointing narration

Revisado: 05-15-18

I'll start by saying how much I enjoy this entire series in book form, and I was excited to visit its audio equivalent. Unfortunately, try as I might, I could not enjoy the narration - particularly when the reader attempts to speak for other characters. His Luna is especially bad; his usual voice raises a few octaves, but abandons any attempt at actual speech patterns - just a long, high pitched monotone.

Other voices follow this same template... some high, some low... so no matter how involved in the story you may be, you're always waiting for the next character to say something, and you're brought straight back down to earth again.

I may give another volume in the series a go... this is the first, so perhaps the reader gets better as time goes along. But it'll be a while before I do.

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James and Suchet - a winning combination

Revisado: 01-30-18

Any additional comments?

Having watched Mark Gatiss's TV adaptation of this story recently, and found myself very underwhelmed, I turned to the master and all is again right with the world. There are many TV, radio and audiobook adaptations of James's stories, but Suchet's are definitely among the best. His voice possesses just the right amount of suspense - close your eyes and you can imagine yourself in the presence of James himself, reading one of his own stories.

It's a short listen, but a thrilling one.

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You can't go wrong with James... or Suchet

Revisado: 01-30-18

What did you love best about Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad?

There are many TV, radio and audiobook adaptations of James's stories, but Suchet's are definitely among the best. His voice possesses just the right amount of suspense - close your eyes and you can imagine yourself in the presence of James himself, reading one of his own stories.

It's a short listen, but a thrilling one.

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A mixed bag of stories

Revisado: 01-30-18

Was The Doctor Who Audio Annual worth the listening time?

Overall, yes. The stories are taken from different editions of the show's annual Xmas tie-in book, dating back over 50 years, including several from before the Doctor's back story had been formulated. This can lead to occasional inconsistencies. It's also worth remembering that not every writer was a Doctor Who "expert," so some stories feel like regular SF tales, with the Doctor grafted into place. But the stories themselves are entertaining, the narration is generally spot on, and it's almost... almost... as much fun as settling down with one of the original publications.

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A Cyber-classic

Revisado: 01-30-18

Where does Cyberman 2 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Definitely one of my favorite Big Finish releases

What did you like best about this story?

The storyline is powerful, the performances are excellent. It's the Cybermen as we remember them.

Any additional comments?

Not every Big Finish production hits the mark, but this is one that grabs you from the outset

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Overwrought and smarmy

Revisado: 01-05-18

What disappointed you about American Heiress?

It’s a fascinating story - if you’re thinking of buying this, you already know that. But it’s narrated as though it were the crassest reality tv show, and the text itself is so clearly trying to impress us with its “understanding” of the events and the characters that it’s hard to even listen.

Has American Heiress turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, but I won’t be listening to any more by either the author or the narrator

Any additional comments?

It took me a long time to get round to listening to this - I was really looking forward to spending an extended period with the book. The anticipation was a lot better than the reality.

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The greatest Shada yet

Revisado: 10-08-16

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For a variety of reasons that are too well-known to reiterate, Shada is best known as the lost, or uncompleted Doctor Who classic. The novel both erases the lost and justifies the classic - it's an astonishing story, so much more in-depth and developed than past attempts at reconstruction have shown, while Lalla Ward's narration brings an extra touch of "familiarity" to what might otherwise be one of the most un-Doctor Who-like adventures the Docto ever had.

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If you loved the graphic novel or the movie...

Revisado: 10-08-16

Any additional comments?

If you want to know how 1984 could have ended (had George Orwell been into happy endings), this comes vey close to telling you. A masterpiece in every medium it has appeared in

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