Sam

Joshua Gayou Continues to Evolve: Very Well Written!

Revisado: 02-26-24

This a a great book, and I love seeing how Joshua Gayou continues to hone his craft. The book itself is dark, and I am a sucker for the interplay between science fiction and mythology.

The characters are amazingly written and believable.

It was a bit jarring that the narrators changed. If I had to choose, I would say that I felt that RC Bray's Udo was truer to the character, but Kramer eventually found a voice for Udo that was just as good--give it a chance, it just takes awhile to really hear Kramer's Udo.

That said, my advice would always be for publishers to stick with the original narrator for audiobooks, especially if you manage to get RC Bray to narrate the first book in a series.

The best you will ever do is get someone as good as Bray, and the most likely outcome is going to be the opposite. So while Kramer worked out--for me--you can very easily lose your audience by not using RC Bray for further books in a series he started.

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Still a great work of history on the First World War

Revisado: 09-05-23

As stated above this remains one of the greatest, and most approachable, works on the First World War--though as the title implies it only covers 1914.

At first I questioned the use of a British narrator to read a book written by a famous American historian; however, I was quickly sold.

Not only is the book excellent, but it is well read.

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Another Amazing Novel by Tchaikovsky

Revisado: 03-06-23

Tchaikovsky has yet again written an amazing work of genre fiction. The characters are flawed enough to be believable, and I became pretty attached to them quickly.

Like all good Science Fiction, this book touches on a lot of issues that make the philosopher in me happy, including in this case what it means to be human, or even a sentient being, and have to face down the finiteness of your existence; and in this case it is not just the individual, but the entire thinking universe.

What is more, Tchaikovsky does this while exploring loneliness in the face of the existential other.

I don't always like British narrators, but you encounter them a lot in the more highbrow Science Fiction audiobooks; however, let me say Sophie Aldred does an amazing job.

When I read these novels now (I often read them before I listen to them), I am certain that I will forever hear these characters dialogue with her voice.

Highly recommend this novel.

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Basic Overview of Lee's Life

Revisado: 03-03-23

This book is a basic overview of Lee's life. If you are already knowledgeable about Robert E. Lee's life this probably is not the book for you; and if you are familiar with the history of the Army of Northern Virginia, the parts of the book covering the American Civil War will be frustrating.

I say this because discussion of most of Lee's battles is mostly a rough overview, and often the detail is wrong. For instance saying Hood fought the entire engagement on the Confederate left at Antietam (Sharpsburg). The author also makes a lot of generalizations about some Confederate and Union officers that really do not hold up to scrutiny if one is read well enough on the history of the American Civil War. A great example of this is his treatment of Union General Joseph Hooker. Korda outright says that Hooker was a less skilled and less competent general than McDowell and Burnside, and basically asserts that Hooker's entire 1863 Virginia campaign was poorly thought out and executed--it was not.

Finally the performance by the reader was competent, but the narrator often pronounces the names of some pretty famous generals incorrectly. For example, I was driven crazy by the fact the narrator did not know that Henry Heth's name is pronounced "Heeth;" however, that was far from the only mispronunciation present.

In the final analysis this is a mediocre book and the presentation left much to be desired. If you do not know much about Robert E. Lee, or about the American Civil War, this would not be a bad book for you to read if you have some interest in either the man or the conflict. If, however, you already are familiar with Lee's life prior to the American Civil War you do not need to read this book; and if you are well versed in the history of the American Civil War, you will find yourself frustrated about the inaccuracies in both the descriptions of the Civil War battles, and the pronunciations by the narrator of some pretty important people and places related to that conflict.

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Something has been bothering me

Revisado: 09-20-22

Something has been bothering me for awhile. You would figure an AI who is the persona, and has the memory of, someone from the “old world” would know how to pronounce place names correctly.

Same with Spanish speakers. You’d think they would get Spanish place names correct, or at least closer than English speakers. 😂

Other than that, if you’ve read this far in the series you know what these books are; and you should enjoy this one as well!

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Good

Revisado: 04-17-18

This is a very good “short” history of The Great War if you are looking for a introduction to the history of the conflict. Still, there is a lot left out—which is always going to be the case with single volume histories. In addition some things are gray as far as accuracy goes. For example the author states the the German High Seas Fleet never left port after Jutland. This is not true; HOWEVER, it is true that the HSF was always overly cautious after Jutland and there was no further fleet action during the war.

Again though, this is the type of “short cut” you should expect from single volume histories.

For the record though, the author does a great job (and so does the reader). Highly recommend this book for people who have a passing interest in the First World War, or just want to learn more about it.

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Typical Harry Turtledove

Revisado: 06-08-16

First let me say, the performance of the reader is good, though I think his accents are sometimes a bit off.

The story itself is passable. This is what I consider to be Turtledove's middle phase, where his books start to get more pulpy, but haven't quite achieved the canned--dialed in--quality of his later works (yes I get it, ww2 where the fought battle for battle, but in the US with Confederate Nazis. Great job!)

If you liked the first book in the series, which you should have read before you get to reading this review, you will enjoy this most likely.

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Alright

Revisado: 06-02-16

The reading is excellent, but while a fan of Turtledove's early work, I found this (like most of his even newer stuff is predictable.

Strangely, it shows lack of imagination in both prose and plot; HOWEVER, it was still an entertaining "read." So if the concept intrigues you, and you can be entertained by more pulpy type sci-fi it is worth your time and, maybe, money!

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