Chuck

Worth Listening To!

Revisado: 06-23-22

I read my first science fiction novel in 1956. Now in 2022 I still read and listen to science fiction books. I have an interest in the early works in this field of literature. However, because of writing styles I sometimes have trouble with pre-Golden Age of Sci-Fi literature. Last and First Men fits this category so I purchased and downloaded the Audible version of this classic and highly influential book. The first comment is the reader, Stephen Greif; he is nothing short of outstanding. His voice is pleasant, clear, and interesting. Outstanding presentation. The story covers the entire history of mankind over 5 billion years and does so without a central character or plot but the ideas are superb and thought-provoking. The only thing I disagree with in the presentation is the statement Mr. Greif makes regarding Americans. he suggests skipping the early chapters if you are an American like myself as Stapledon misses the mark on 20th century America. I think it is still worth will to listen to these chapters as it does not distract from the overall flow, IMNO. One other comment. Based on listening to this book I am confident that Stapledon is not religious in the traditional western sense but he still manages to come across as optimistic which is hard to do if you happen to be agnostic or atheist. I recommend this book if you have a historical interest in the development of Sci-Fi and also if you just want a different type of entertainment. Happy listening.

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Performance is better then the story

Revisado: 03-09-17

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George Guidall's reading of the book is outstanding giving life to the characters. I read the book years ago and thought that it was ok but badly overhyped by critics. After listening to the audio version I do believe the story to be fairly derivative and not nearly original as many reviewers think. I really had a difficult time caring what happens to Shadow. He is just not a really likable person. But having said that it is worth a listen as the audio is superior to the written word in this case and despite my criticisms it is not a bad book. I would suggest not letting young children hear the book because of the rough language, which by the way does not move the story forward or add to character depth.

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Truly Enjoyable

Revisado: 12-16-16

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I am a fan of Simon R Green but this is the first book that of his I have listened to. I enjoy the British tongue-in-cheek humor and sarcasm. Having read most of his books, I always thought that they would be outstanding if done as an audio performance. I was not disappointed. Gideon Emery did an outstanding job reading this book. The story itself is not quite as well done as earlier books in the series. However, Mr. Emerys' reading more then makes up for this. I plan on buying other Green books read by him as I really enjoyed this.

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Great Survey of the Science Fiction Genre

Revisado: 11-12-16

What made the experience of listening to How Great Science Fiction Works the most enjoyable?

The lectures survey the beginning of sic-fi right up to the current period. I enjoyed the development and interrelationships of varies sub genre.

What does Professor Gary K. Wolfe bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Sci-fi has changed dramatically in the last decades. it was informative to learn the reasons why types of sic-fi came to be. Examples being cyberpunk and the modern British hard sci-fi books.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

N/A

Any additional comments?

The course name is really a misnomer since what makes great science fiction work is no different then any other type of literature. I read my first book, The Pawns of Null-A, in 1956 and have read the genre off and on ever since. I really enjoyed the survey. I was amazed to realize I have read about 75 per cent of the books and authors the professor discusses. I also will definitely pick up some of the newest and foreign authors that are covered in the lectures. I strongly recommend this to anyone who is interested in sic-fi as literature and wants to know more about the field.

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A Big Improvment

Revisado: 07-05-10

The narrator is frankly awesome but the story moves a little slow for me. Lots of description of the uplift universe but the plot develops at a snails pace. Still it is worth reading since it won the Hugo.

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A Good Intro to Vorkosigan series

Revisado: 07-05-10

I enjoyed this book. I was new to the author and the series. The characters and the background to the culture are developed as a byproduct of the story which I like. This allows action to be intertwined with narrative. Well narrated.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

Strong beginning to the Heritage Universe

Revisado: 03-03-10

Hard science fiction with very few frills. Direct and to the point with very good narration. Introduces the Heritage series, answers a couple of questions but poses more. I really enjoy this type of science fiction and will listen the the next 3 books.

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OK for First Book

Revisado: 02-26-10

The narration is adequate but not great. Mia Barron has a clear and distinct voice but a couple of character voices were very irritating. A teenager turned vampire seemed more like a preteen, whiny and such with no rebellious edge. I do think the narration was effected by the story and writing style. I bought the book having read a Greywalker short story. I could not tell if I liked it so I tried the first book in the series. It is rather dry with long expository sections explaining the "grey". It would have been better, in my opinion, to just let more things happen and learn about the "grey" as a by product of the story. The central character, is very stereotypical and frankly hard to care about or engage with as she goes about solving the mystery. Supporting characters, such as, Quinton, just appear and have the skill set she needs at that moment. Again cliched. I read other urban fantasy and tried this but I was disappointed as the book, to me, is very blase. Average.

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Worth A Listen

Revisado: 11-15-09

I have believed for a long time that Atlas Shrugged would be outstanding read aloud. I wasn't disappointed. Scott Brick does a good job in bringing the characters to life without interfering with the ideas presented in the book. He uses consistent voices for the characters so I found it easy to tell who was talking. I had read the book twice but I enjoyed the audio even more especially in the difficult long passages. Like I said this is worth a listen. An outstanding presentation of one of the most important books of the twentieth century.

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas