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Exactly as promised, and that’s rare.

Revisado: 01-17-25

So often, novels are billed as “great for fans of” something, then leave the reader questioning that billing. This did not. Dexter fans will get it, but it’s also a twist on the concept that refreshes well-worn anti-hero territory.

Recommended by Jewel Staite, who indicated she wanted cast in the movie adaptation without specifying which character. It’s obvious, and she would be perfect.

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Gut wrenching and starkly informative

Revisado: 01-17-25

A must-read for anyone for or against Trump. Offers great insight while also revealing a tragedy of family dysfunction.

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Second, male reader is distractingly slapstick.

Revisado: 12-22-24

Joel Froomkin attacks his characterizations like Jar Jar Binks after a double espresso. It’s in dire contrast to the lilting voice work of Elizabeth Knoweldon, which supports the characters instead of distracting from them. The unfortunate result is making this feel like two unrelated stories in a well-realized magical world. I am intrigued enough by the main character, Elsie, that I’m toughing it out.

Update: I tried for short sessions over a couple of weeks, but the disparity in performances was impossible to overcome. It’s alluded to in the summary, but this evolves into a romance that’s full of overwrought tropes unworthy of the complex world building.

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Solid but somewhat predictable. Needed a good edit.

Revisado: 11-22-24

The story relied heavily on flashbacks, which often killed the pace. Also made it a little difficult to keep the broad and interesting characters sorted. Reader was good with distinguishing character voices.

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So many plot holes!

Revisado: 07-03-24

Evidently, Crichton’s meticulous research and Patterson’s assistance failed to unearth a real or fictional name of the oft-referenced “military base” in Hawaii. Female characters are there to be shrill or pretty. The promising volcanologist Jenny gets fridged for no reason, dying to take photos that prove bombing the volcano might be a bad idea, yet the bombing run is deus ex machina’d into irrelevance (maybe the experts at HVO would have taken the other volcanic topography into account?). Much time is spent establishing explosives expert Crane’s skills just to have her flirt with Mac, to no end, then need rescued, but never actually called upon to detonate. And a slacker soldier’s girlfriend is asymptomatic, hearing a car arriving at her grandparents’ farm as she stares at their corpses, implying she’s at last to be brought in after evading capture and quarantine for several chapters. A bit later? Nope. They found her dead. This abrupt change suggested a conspiracy in the plot but turned out to be a dropped thread.

And if they referred to the F-22 as a “bomber” one more time, I was going to throw my phone.

Cliched phrasing, too many characters introduced just long enough to be killed, too many characters, period.

Lastly, all this super certain, meticulously-researched data that they repeatedly emphasize Mac browbeats his team into getting right was… massively off the mark, and there’s no more explanation than “whoops, nature!”

I grew weary of Patterson a few dozen books ago, and this is why. Doesn’t uphold Crichton’s legacy at all.

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Another good one!

Revisado: 01-01-24

Twisty fun with consistent characters and reader. Loved the new developments for McLellan’s backstory, too.

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Comfort Reading!

Revisado: 12-02-23

Delivered consistent story, scope, and performance for the series. Always enjoyable without being too heavy despite the potentially weighty subject matter of magic and immortality.

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Interesting but a bit underwhelming.

Revisado: 12-02-23

I think Fillion was a great concept for reader, because this story definitely is in his fandom sweet spot: space adventure but with a twist. Unfortunately, he didn’t deliver as well as I had hoped.

The plot is more complex than you would think and gets rather esoteric towards the end. Fillion has trouble making distinct voices for characters during some of the knottier scenes, making them a challenge to follow. He also uses one of my pet peeve techniques: almost whispering when a character is screaming. It sounds so off and always undermines the drama to me when used.

Both performance and story had unrealized potential. I think this needs a more experienced narrator to let the complexity of the writing shine through. RC Bray would be great, after wrangling The Martian, but Fillion has it in him. I think production and direction let him down by not encouraging some basic performance shifts he’s more than capable of.

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Solid beginning, will definitely consider more!

Revisado: 11-06-23

I see why the comparison was made to the Lady Hardcastle mysteries. This series lacks some of their charm, but it is definitely setting up to have its own charms. Good pacing, good character building, solid reader. Concur with some other comments about finding it awkward to hear the reader act out the laugh before the laugh dialogue tag, but this wasn’t distracting enough to harm my enjoyment. When this is the only negative note I can think to give, that says the rest was better than a lot I have heard from bigger name series and productions in recent months.

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Chavez Not a Good Choice/Weak Characterization

Revisado: 10-04-23

Annika Chavez cannot do a Southern US accent to save her life. Her Earl Harbinger sounds more like Yosemite Sam than the character established by Oliver Wyman. No one is going to be able to perfectly duplicate Wyman’s performances, but this is distractingly wrong-footed. Chavez also chooses to pronounce Cazador as “Cathador,” which is not incorrect based on her character’s background, but it’s not how any other character pronounces the facility name, nor does she choose to give any other word the more authentic pronunciation. So the nod to linguistic heritage is distracting rather than enriching. Truthfully, Chavez reads more like a high school student awkwardly reciting for the rest of the class than someone who is a professional narrator. Often, it’s hard to tell who is speaking except for the dialogue tags. Props to the authors and producers for choosing a female voice for a female-led story, but Chavez doesn’t live up to the material. Will finish, of course, because I love the series, but this is not a reader who would ever have hooked me on her own.

The story is clearly setting up a sequel, but I will not be purchasing it. The tension between Chavez and her Nagualii feels more like a set of bookends than an ongoing concern, making the shift at the end less of a rewarding payoff than intended. MHI has had some fantastic female characters, but when they chose to give them their own star turns, we are given weaker writing and unsatisfying narration. Frustrating, because people will argue that it’s just because women cannot carry this type of story. That’s so untrue. Holly Newcastle has a rich backstory. Julie Shackleford was defanged when they wrote Guardian. Come on, Correia and Cordova, you can do so much better!

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