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Bound
- Alex Verus Series, Book 8
- De: Benedict Jacka
- Narrado por: Gildart Jackson
- Duración: 11 h y 46 m
- Versión completa
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Historia
Alex Verus is still haunted by his time apprenticed to Richard Drakh. He's been free of him for many years, but now the only way to keep his friends from being harmed is to again work for Richard and his deadly ally. Even worse, he's forced to bring the Light mage Anne into this servitude as well. After weeks of being hunted and finally cornered into what he thought was his last stand, Alex never thought his life would be spared - and never anticipated at what price. This time, the diviner can see no way out.
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disappointing
- De Ijw en 04-28-17
- Bound
- Alex Verus Series, Book 8
- De: Benedict Jacka
- Narrado por: Gildart Jackson
I think Jacka is Verus
Revisado: 04-16-25
This was my favorite book of the series thus far, but I would have said after finishing #3 & then #4 and so on. It's rare an urban fantasy series gets stronger with each novel--aside from Jim Butcher's Dresden series and Lindsay Buroker's Death before Dragons--and it's hard for me to take the time to write this review because I want to jump to next novel right now. Brilliant writing, fantastic world-building, this series has it all.
After a slow start--yes, Alex & Co. are always being bullied and manipulated and treated terribly by the "good" guys as well as the bad--"Bound" just takes off. Each chapter ends with an "omg, what next?!" and I had trouble stopping the audiobook. Cliffhangers for all! And all that abuse? Well, Alex and we the readers finally get the answers as all the threads since "Fated" are brought together, tied up, and (mostly) revealed! No spoilers here, just wow. Granted, I doubt Alex's life--along with Ann, Luna, Veri (?spelling, sorry), and Arachne's--is about to get easy, but at least there's a major power shift in Alex's direction.
As for Jacka being the mage? I think he's the one who's prescient. All the "good" and "bad" guys (all bad in my book) getting away with literal bloody murder every time, the authorities and their security arms being compliscent in the outrages perpetrated against the very people they should be protecting? Sound familiar to life in 2025? I missed this series in 2013 or whenever Jacka started it, so I don't know how believable some of the politics would have seemed to me then, but now? The parallels between actions & reactions in these books and what's going on now in winter and spring 2025 is startling. I don't mean the magic, of course, but the actions taken (or not, when they turn blind eyes away from abuse and illegality) by governing bodies and their armies. Naivety is out the window for all, too.
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Project Hail Mary
- De: Andy Weir
- Narrado por: Ray Porter
- Duración: 16 h y 10 m
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Historia
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
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Bazinga
- De Davidgonzalezsr en 05-04-21
- Project Hail Mary
- De: Andy Weir
- Narrado por: Ray Porter
The story is a lovely sci-fi fantasy
Revisado: 12-12-24
Since a month ago when half our fellow citizens opted for bigotry, hatred, and fascism, there hasn't been a lot of joy. Listening to Project Hail Mary has been a bright spot this past week for me.
If we were faced by an extiction level threat as in this novel, do I believe humanity could band together to save our planet? of course not. We're not doing it now because climate change isn't hurting most of those in Western societies. By the time even idiots can't deny climate change & it comes for all of us, it will be too late to save the planet.
Still, the optimism in PHM is a nice fantasy, though I liked how the first half of the book is hard sci-fi. If I had known the trajectory the book would take, I'm not sure I would have listened. It turns into fantastical speculative fiction & (SPOILER) has a happy ending. But if you're needing a story with heart, vivid imagery, and hope, I recommend this audiobook highly. I loved Ray Porter's narration and the way they mastered Rocky's voice. I actually listened to 'Artemis' first & liked it enough to spend my one Audible credit on another Andy Weir book. And due to PHM, I'll get The Martian next month, even though I saw the movie. Weir is a great storyteller, even if his view of humanity is a lot brighter than mine. But maybe I need a microdose of hope every so often.
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Hell of a Witch
- Urban Fantasy Action with Witches and Demons (Tear Down Heaven, Book 2)
- De: Rachel Aaron
- Narrado por: Nicholas Cain
- Duración: 11 h y 34 m
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The hotly anticipated sequel to HELL FOR HIRE! One month ago, Bex, the demon Queen of Wrath, and Adrian, witch of the Blackwood, pulled off the upset victory of the century. Now, they find themselves facing the question all unexpected champions must answer: what next? They’ve declared war on Heaven, but how do you actually bring down a divinely powerful tyrant when your army’s still in the single digits and your magical fortress is an illegally modified Winnebago? It seems like a hopeless situation. As always, though, Adrian Blackwood has a plan, and this time, he’s going big.
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Time to raise hell- Bex embraces her wrath
- De 🔥 Phx17 🔥 en 01-15-25
- Hell of a Witch
- Urban Fantasy Action with Witches and Demons (Tear Down Heaven, Book 2)
- De: Rachel Aaron
- Narrado por: Nicholas Cain
Original world-building!
Revisado: 10-07-24
I've loved Rachel Aaron's work since I first read her Eli Monpress series. As much as I enjoy her Nice Dragons and Minimum-Wage Magic series set in an alternate Detroit, this one is my new fave. I've never read much about Babylonian and Sumerian mythology beyond learning about Ishtar, but I plan to remedy that. Aaron's blending of characters from millennia
l-ancient myths (Ishtar, Gilgamesh, assorted demons) with witches and sorcerers of different traditions shouldn't work, but it does, and brilliantly! Hell of a Witch is so much more than the second book in a series--instead of being a bridge or placeholder, the plot went in myriad directions, yet all the strands flowed back together. Simply loving these characters from The Queen of Wrath, Bex, to her crew of Lyss, Nimini, and Iggs (sorry about the spelling, audiobook); to Adrian Blackwood and Boston, his familiar & my favorite cat in urban fantasy since Mister, Harry Dresden's very large feline. And I didn't expect the Celtic Goddess of War & Death to make an appearance, but thrilled she did. After listening, I might reread Demon for Hire, book one, because I missed a lot of the symbolism, metaphors, and psychological depth of Bex, a female character who never feels worthy and is laden with guilt. Watching her grow is half the fun. This is my favorite series of 2024.
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The Last Emperox
- The Interdependency, Book 3
- De: John Scalzi
- Narrado por: Wil Wheaton
- Duración: 8 h y 7 m
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The collapse of The Flow, the interstellar pathway between the planets of the Interdependency, has accelerated. Entire star systems - and billions of people - are becoming cut off from the rest of human civilization. This collapse was foretold through scientific prediction...and yet, even as the evidence is obvious and insurmountable, many still try to rationalize, delay and profit from, these final days of one of the greatest empires humanity has ever known.
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I bought 3 audiobooks for this crap.
- De Harold en 04-25-20
- The Last Emperox
- The Interdependency, Book 3
- De: John Scalzi
- Narrado por: Wil Wheaton
Great trilogy, Scalzi & Wheaton rule!
Revisado: 08-25-24
I bought & listened to The Interdependency when each novel was first published. I really enjoyed it then, but my second listen cemented this work as my other favorite sci-fi series (The Expanse by Ty Franck & Daniel Abraham aka James SA Corey). What struck me this time wad how well Scalzi captured the greed, pettiness, socio- and psychopathy, and all-around evil of most of the ruling class. His depiction of the soulless machinations of the 1% (the billionaires & their assorted toadies and foot soldiers) mirrored what was happening 4-6 years ago, but seem even more prescient now. Most of the Wu family and Nadashe & her mother and brothers are lifted from the society pages and seem to be future versions of the current ruling political figures who care only for themselves and find autocracy and tyranny expedient and preferable to democracy. Anyone who thinks the Orange Caligula cares about the "little people" is as deluded as he is. If the earth were going to be wiped out in a few years by a giant asteroid hurtling toward us, who will make it on the space station or moon habitats as representatives of the human race? It sure won't be the best & brightest, but the wealthiest, a point Scalzi brings home with no subtlety. Humanity only can hope some Graylands, Mars Clearmonts, & Kivas will be there to act in humanity's interest and thwart the uber-wealthy and tech bros. Scalzi does a brilliant job of portraying the worst of human nature, but with his protagonists, also shows the best in some. Cardenia (Emperox Grayland) is a realistic heroine and something about her and Mars give me hope, because I have to believe that people like these characters really exist. Draw your own parallels with a woman rising from the middle class but staying true to her values & fighting for the majority and a man who was an educator evolving into a public servant on a larger scale.
Also, Wil Wheaton is an amazing narrator. He delivers snarky lines with biting humor, only to soften his voice and inject so much true emotion three seconds later that I found myself tearing up several times. Wil brings Scalzi's heros and villians to life so wonderfully that I plan on listening to everything else he's narrated, mainly because my spirits need a lift and he can do that effortlessly.
If you love sci-fi that contains some hope and brightness, Machiavellian machinations, and skullduggery that would have made the ancient Roman's embarrassed, this trilogy is for you.
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Paladin's Grace
- Saint of Steel Series # 1
- De: T. Kingfisher
- Narrado por: Joel Richards
- Duración: 12 h y 30 m
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Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now the pair must navigate a web of treachery, beset on all sides by spies and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind....
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Really weird. Also gruesome. Graphic sex scenes.
- De Dragondreamer en 08-25-21
- Paladin's Grace
- Saint of Steel Series # 1
- De: T. Kingfisher
- Narrado por: Joel Richards
Lovely story about pain and loss
Revisado: 07-09-24
that doesn't revel in the mire of those things. T Kingfisher is my favorite living fantasy author--her world-building and characters are superb. Tab the civet cat, enough said. Please read in any order, but I recommend Swordheart followed by Paladin books 1, 2, 3, and 4.
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Democracy or Else
- How to Save America in 10 Easy Steps
- De: Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor, y otros
- Narrado por: Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor
- Duración: 3 h y 15 m
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If you’re looking to navigate the chaotic, dunce-infested waters of American politics, Democracy or Else is here to help you tackle what might be the greatest question of our time: How do you get involved in the political process and make a real difference without giving in to the sense of impending dread that hangs over our society like a nameless stench? Democracy or Else is a resource for everyone—from political junkies following every turn of the news cycle to young people getting ready to vote for the first time.
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Slightly longer podcast with great guests
- De Gregory Ritter en 07-13-24
- Democracy or Else
- How to Save America in 10 Easy Steps
- De: Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor, Josh Halloway
- Narrado por: Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor
Listen or else
Revisado: 07-04-24
I love the Crooked Media guys, but even after listening to Jon, Jon, and Tommy since 2017, I didn't realize how funny they are. At a time where we all don't know whether to laugh or cry, this book had me laughing out loud. And not because the alternative is despair. Somehow, they delivered zingers that were all kinds of funny. Black humor (if you don't have schadenfreude, what's left?) to hysterical one-liners (vote in every election, vote often) to inadvertent comedy (grab a hoof, boys). If you're expecting a serious how-to book, well... don't look elsewhere, but know that this audiobook is as funny as it is sincere. I just finished all 3 hours two nights ago and I'm ready to play it again. please, vote AND buy Democracy or Else.
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The Sunlit Man
- A Cosmere Novel
- De: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrado por: William DeMeritt
- Duración: 11 h y 11 m
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Running. Putting distance between himself and the relentless Night Brigade has been Nomad’s strategy for years. Staying one or two steps ahead of his pursuers by skipping through the Cosmere from one world to the next. But now, his powers too depleted to escape, Nomad finds himself trapped on Canticle, a planet that will kill anyone who doesn’t keep moving. Fleeing the fires of a sunrise that melts the very stones, he is instantly caught up in the struggle between a heartless tyrant and the brave rebels who defy him.
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The cosmere son
- De Kody nettles en 06-30-24
- The Sunlit Man
- A Cosmere Novel
- De: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrado por: William DeMeritt
B Sanderson's 50th novel!
Revisado: 06-09-24
I'm still reading Frugal Wizard's Guide, and read Tress and Yumi & the Nightmare Painter. So, The Sunlit Man was the last of the Kickstarter projects for me. What does it say about Brandon's writing and world-building that--although I liked this Cosmere novel enough to give it 5 stars--it is #4 when I rank them in terms of preference. The other novels are only tangentially part of the Cosmere system (galaxy? universe?) but each one is wildly different and wholly original. And none of them are overtly religious. I almost gave The Sunlit Man 4 stars because I simply don't enjoy stories that become didactic and preachy. Usually Sanderson is a great enough writer that he doesn't fall into the C.S. Lewis trap. He seems more like Tolkien--a person of deep faith and secure enough in it that he doesn't feel the need to proselytize in an overt manner. But Nomad is a savior figure and the people of Beacon, though admirable, are sheep. Granted, they are sheep I came to care about, and that's because Sanderson is such a wonderful storyteller. But this plot--in the hands of a lesser writer, I'd have quit halfway through. Sanderson saves it from becoming too religiously pedagogical through his use of humor (Aux) and well-done action. I still enjoyed it, but am thankful that chance led me to read it last (from the Kickstarter projects) because I might not have read the others, and I loved Tress and Yumi & the NP. (Btw, it's coincidental that those two have romance and TSM, not. I can't stand "romance" novels, but luckily, they're a benevolent bug, not a feature in Sanderson's writing.) Wow, I'm sorry to not be more positive about a sci-fi story that I liked. I guess it's not fair of me because Sanderson's weakest work is better than 95% of his peers, and I'm comparing this book to his others. Anyway, I'm interested now to read other reviews and see if I'm the only one who felt this way about the religious overtones in TSM. Trust me, they aren't subtle!
However, The Sunlit Man is still a good read and I'm happy I read it, as the idea of people living on a tiny planet that could kill them every day was fascinating.
And to end on a positive note, I don't want George RR Martin to "will" (i.e , die) GoT to Sanderson the way Jordan did with The Wheel of Time, but I wish he'd consider letting Sanderson finish his saga. If he'd hand it over to Sanderson, he'd stay faithful to the plots but also breath new life into it and FINISH it as well. I can't believe someone as young as Sanderson has written 50 novels--I've read between 15 and 20 of them, and they were anywhere from great to sublime. And at least you can start a series with Sanderson, knowing that he'll finish it brilliantly!
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Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
- A Cosmere Novel
- De: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrado por: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
- Duración: 14 h y 43 m
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There is a world. One of endless night, surrounded by an even deeper darkness. Filled with nightmares come to life, twisted shapes that slink to windows and ease open doors, sliding across floors to look down on helpless faces. There is another world. A bright world, so bright it burns. Filled with stacked stones that call forth miracles, raised by callused hands that tremble in their work, drained with each stone lifted, settled, lifted again.
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Dirty fighting
- De Ashley Gleason en 05-09-24
- Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
- A Cosmere Novel
- De: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrado por: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
She walks in beauty
Revisado: 06-04-24
like the night. I loved this novel and thought I haven't read The Sunlit Man, it's been my favorite of Brandon Sanderson's four Kickstarter projects. (And I enjoyed Tress immensely and I'm in the middle of Frugal Wizard.) It's a synthesis of art, beauty, love, betrayal, fantasy and sci-fi, and I loved it all. My biggest regret is not buying the actual books when Sanderson did the Kickstarter drive. Luckily, he's kindly posted the accompanying illustrations on his website. The art for Yumi and the Nightmare Painter is exquisite. I only learned about this AFTER I finished the audiobook, though. I don't want to give anything away, just listen or read to this lovely little novel now.
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Voodoo Shanghai
- Kincaid Strange, Book 3
- De: Kristi Charish
- Narrado por: Susannah Jones
- Duración: 14 h y 15 m
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Just when Kincaid Strange thinks her life is back on track and she's finally put her time as a paranormal practitioner with the Seattle PD to rest, her ex (and Seattle cop) Aaron asks her for help with yet another strange and ominous case. Martin Dane, the White Picket Fence Serial Killer who terrorized West Coast families living the suburban American dream, appears to be back at it with a fresh murder in Portland. There's only one problem: Dane has been dead for three weeks.
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Save Kincaid Strange Series!!!!
- De Jennifer en 03-15-20
- Voodoo Shanghai
- Kincaid Strange, Book 3
- De: Kristi Charish
- Narrado por: Susannah Jones
Life's not fair, nor is the afterlife
Revisado: 06-01-23
This was my favorite book in the series, and as I learned from other reviews, it's also the final book. I'm okay with a cliffhanger ending because it's more like life (especially Kincaid's) than a tidy closure, but I'm sad if Charish planned another book and I know I would have enjoyed it, too. This is one of the best urban fantasy series I've read, so I don't understand why it wasn't continued. Kristi Charish is right up there was Seanan McGuire, Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher (Harry Dresden), and Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid), four of my favorite purveyors of urban fantasy. Original system of magic, unique worldbuilding, a protagonist who is flawed and believable, and a varied cast of characters kept me listening constantly. The friendship between Kincaid and Nate the Grunge ghost is so well-developed and caring--it fills the space usually created by a romantic plotline, which I never missed. I didn't want to set my phone down--I even bought the 2nd and 3rd books on Audible in quick succession, though I normally never buy any book under 20 hrs. Another reviewer mentioned this, and I second her recommendation--do yourself a favor and read the three Kincaid Strange novels. And after you finish them, please read the series she wrote before this one. It's completely different (something that floors me) and just as exciting & original. Alix Hiboux, the Owl, makes Kincaid look all fluffy and well-adjusted, but she's a fascinating protagonist. Alix is a former grad student of archaeology turned antiquities thief, and her closest friends are an incubus, a Russian woman who was in the same grad program as Alix, and an Egyptian mau cat named Captain. Actually, since they both have apartments in Seattle, I wish the next book Charish publishes could be a crossover adventure with Alix and Kincaid (even though their worlds are nothing alike). I'm now at loose ends since I read Charish's seven wonderful novels in about two weeks. If you haven't read any, please start now.
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The Voodoo Killings
- A Kincaid Strange Novel
- De: Kristi Charish
- Narrado por: Susannah Jones
- Duración: 11 h y 41 m
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Kristi Charish's The Voodoo Killings introduces Kincaid Strange, not your average voodoo practitioner.... For starters, she's only 27. Then there's the fact that she lives in rain-soaked Seattle, which is not exactly Haiti. And she's broke. With raising zombies outlawed throughout the continental USA, Kincaid has to eke out a living running séances for university students with more money than brains who are desperate for guitar lessons with the ghost of a Seattle grunge rocker - who happens to be Kincaid's on-again, off-again roommate.
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Loved it!
- De TAz en 11-16-16
- The Voodoo Killings
- A Kincaid Strange Novel
- De: Kristi Charish
- Narrado por: Susannah Jones
Unplugged in Seattle
Revisado: 05-26-23
Kristi Charish brings fresh blood to urban fantasy tropes. I loved her first series about an antiquities thief with a vampire-hating cat, and judging by this first novel, her Voodoo trilogy is going to be just as original. Set in Seattle, the worldbuilding and magic are unique. Kincaid runs headlong from one disaster to the next, never stopping to think about what she's doing. That her closest friend is the ghost of a Seattle grunge rocker who died in the 1990s says it all. She doesn't seem to realize she's as self-destructive as he was. And though the character's name is Nate, it was impossible for me not to see Kurt Cobain. There was something sad about that, but it added some melancholy to the story. I loved the idea that ghosts can manifest under the right conditions & the impromptu concert Nate puts on behind a frat house after Kincaid summons him was one of the best scenes in the novel. It's a different take on zombies, too, more iZombie than Night of the Living Dead. The idea that Cameron (a zombie with amnesia) never has full control of himself keeps the tension high. Given the plot twist at the novel's end, I can't wait to start the second book!
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