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So Good!

Revisado: 05-29-24

I read this book and print, but it first came out and really enjoyed it, but hadn’t gone back. Coming to it again here in audio it’s still so good! in fact, the narrator had such a great layer. It won’t surprise me if one day this book becomes required reading.

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Not as good as his other books

Revisado: 12-28-23

Lots of f bombs, but most importantly for me ignorant clichés. No, I’m not talking about the political parts of this book the fact that sadly the author put no practical thought into how firearm function, stun, batons/tasers work, or how anything capable of launching a projectile works.

In the book, the main character has to go through “weapons training”. We are introduced to a Glock 19 and it is obvious that the author has no clue how the firearm functions the instructor “arms and disarm” the two safeties on the Glock. Although it is true that a Glock has two safeties, they are not some sort of a button that they user flicks on and off. Other firearms have safety buttons that function that way, but not a Glock.

The first safety is an internal mechanism that prevents the firearm from accidental discharge dropped, and the second is within the trigger itself requiring the user to properly insert their finger into the trigger guard that helping to prevent accidental discharge when drawing the weapon. Then the instructor falls onto the trope of shotguns being more effective because you don’t have to aim them. Lazy Hollywood trope. Later in the book when the main character is “peppered” with buckshot from a shotgun and is remarkably uninjured. Once again, we see the ignorance and poor research. although it would be difficult to hit a target with buckshot consistently at more than 30 yards, the projectiles enough velocity to be lethal out to 100+ yards. Now being “peppered” bird shot at the distances in the book would be possible to escape with only minor injuries, but unless you are hunting small birds like doves, you would not have a shotgun loaded with bird shot.

The instructor does give him a gas canister launcher but tells him that the shotgun is the most dangerous, which is just stupid. Anything capable of launching a gas canister or even a T-shirt is deadly and should be handled with the same respect and attitude of safety distance later in the book, the main character blows a monster up with the gas canister launcher.

The instructor also gives him a stun baton, a.k.a. a taser, which they used to render people unconscious, which is not how stun batons or tasers, or electricity works for that matter. A momentarily incapacitate by causing your muscles to spasm by overwriting the electrical impulse from from your nerves with a more powerful one of their own. It is painful and makes it so you can’t control your muscles to move the way you want to. When the electricity is turned off your muscles function normally although you will be really tired and uninterested in doing it again but you will be conscious.

I would’ve been fine with the instructor simply saying “Hey guns don’t work against Godzilla, so the weapons we use here are the weapons of misdirection and subterfuge.”
And then going on to explain about the chemical camouflage and ultrasonic deterrence, etc.

All in all my least favorite Scalzi book. The science was nonexistent, the implausibility of a “socialist utopia” no, that’s literally what the characters in the book call it. This magical socialist company that’s funded by billionaires and governments, and just being ignorant about how you would approach maintaining a research base you know hostile environment. This book just didn’t seem as well thought out as many of his other books.

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So good, it should be way more popular

Revisado: 09-15-23

This book is great. I stumbled upon it because it was referenced in another book. Really good I highly recommend it.

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So glad book 2 is here!!!

Revisado: 01-27-23

I was so glad to find out that book 2 had come out so. I hate getting excited about a new series only to find out that the author hasn't finished the series, but here we are with book 2 and according to the author book 3 is well on the way!!!

This was a fun read with enough twists and turns to keep me interested and the story progresses making me wish book 3 was here already so I could just keep going. Without giving away any spoilers you will know what I mean when you get to the end of this book.

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I liked it, but the author doesn’t know much about even camping.

Revisado: 11-25-22

To start off I have to say that I really enjoyed the story. They did an excellent job. The narrator was great, and I really wanted to get to the end of the story, but also didn’t want it to end. That said, I have to get into some of the issues. This story takes place in the northern US and Canada and if you haven’t ever traveled to this beautiful region, you at least know that they have winter. I saw that, because the author has characters living in tents and commercial buildings all winter, for 20 years. No way. I have camped in the snow in tents, it is cold. You certainly are not going to live that way. If you have ever heated a home with wood in that region, you know what a massive amount of would it would take to heat even a small home. If you know anything about insulation and how much heat loss you have from windows, especially commercial windows like you would find in a Wendy’s restaurant, you can understand why no one would ever live in one especially when there are thousands of vacant and abandoned homes.

Ok, I have to leave that alone. Let’s now say you are a bad ass heroine who has been living on the road in this post apocalyptic world. You are an expert with knives. You break into an abandoned house and scavenge for supplies. You set off the next day to continue your journey, what would you wear? Durable pants, shorts, capris, some sort of sensible, hiking attire, no, an evening gown. A silk evening gown. I’m not sure why I’ve never seen hikers or even travelers and silk evening gowns. I know that they’re pretty, but I wouldn’t want to run through the forest in one let alone try to set up my camp or sleep under the stars.

OK am,I being too hard on the lack of realism? keep in mind I did like this book. It’s a really good story, but the author should have asked some experts or done a bit more googling. If you wanted to listen to me rant about horses and creating usable wagons out of vehicles, I can go on, but I won’t sure I will say this having travels in the third world in the developing nations of Africa and South America. I can honestly say that there are many pieces of technology that would easily kept running even in this setting. There are so many small engines have been engineered to run reliably on all sorts of garbage fuels and with tried-and-true technologies like diesel engines mechanization would not disappear. If you can make moonshine or get grease from a pig, you can figure out how to run an engine.

I also have to say I was able to get past all these issues to enjoy this unique and interesting story. So suspend belief little bit, and give the author some space to tell a good story.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Glad I found this Series

Revisado: 01-27-22

I just finished pounding the first 3 books in the Wheel of Time series when I need to take a break before jumping into another massive installment. I can across this book, and was hooked! Fun read that blends everyday life with the mythical realm. I think to often we forget about mythological that underpins our life. All in all a great new series for me to listen to.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Not bad, but . . .

Revisado: 01-27-20

The book was well written, the narrator did a great job. the story wasn't bad, but not enough to get me to book 2.

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A fictional parable being told by a great salesman

Revisado: 09-17-18

I wanted to know what all the hype was, so I decided to give it a try.
First of all, it is a fictional story, and yes Kiyosaki's fortune was made by selling books and seminars, but the book does make several valuable points that are worth knowing.
If nothing else give the book a go so you when the get rich quick people come, you can say that you already read the book and although you found it informative you don't need to take the 3 day seminar.

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Business Parables

Revisado: 09-06-18

a bunch of business lessons that you've already heard, but probably haven't taken the heart told in more of a parable storytelling style that makes it easy to absorb.

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