Billy G. Gruff

Engaging Story

Revisado: 03-17-25

Excellent read. In some ways, better than the first book.
Good news: the narrator for this second book in the series is *significantly* better than the amateur they got to read the first one. Bravo.
The author keeps the suspense up through to the end.
Highly recommended.

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Damning

Revisado: 09-29-24

An extremely well written, and carefully laid out indictment of Zinn’s dishonest polemic.
Ever wondered where all the angry yet nonsensical claims about western culture, colonialism, genocide, capitalism (e.g. “inDiGinOus PeoPLe’s DAy”) spouted by young idealists comes from?
Howard Zinn’s writings.
Debunking Howard Zinn finally reveals what commie apologists are braying about when they decry western culture and American history.
Highly recommended.

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Still a Scott Brick Fan, But…

Revisado: 06-15-24

Story: no surprises here; it’s a Tom Clancy thriller, after all. Andrews & Wilson remain faithful to Clancy’s characters, style, and technical accuracy, weaving in just the right amount of storytelling drama between the heroes and villains. The good guys are the picture of excellence; disciplined, & intuitive. The bad guys are diabolical, selfish, and dangerous. The fate of the world is at stake. Narration: Scott Brick falls short on this one, unfortunately. The way Brick reads their dialogue (both inner and outer), our heroes seem all-too-often overcome with emotion in moments that - for those of us familiar with the characters - syrupy sentimentality, rage, hysterics or uncharacteristic “popping off” are inappropriate. This happens with annoying frequency in AoD. Don’t get me wrong: it’s not terrible; Brick would have to try hard to completely muck up a narration. That said, as someone quite familiar with Brick’s talent, it is my suspicion that the director coached Brick during the recording, with the aim of giving the story a more feminine touch. If the Estate of TC is reading this: remember your audience demographics. Don’t do woke.

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Top-Notch Cliffhanger & Mystery

Revisado: 03-24-24

Another outstanding Gray Man thriller from Greaney with an added element of mystery. Who is assassinating the world’s top minds in AI development? I found myself changing my guess every other chapter. If you’re a fan of Court Gentry, Tom Clancy, or action / spy thrillers, you will *not* be disappointed. Highly recommended.

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Outstanding, and Re-readable

Revisado: 02-08-24

Thomas Sowell never disappoints (his academic treatises notwithstanding), and “Ever Wonder Why” is, IMO, one of his very best.
Ever Wonder Why is a collection of Sowell’s essays and newspaper columns, written for the layman. This is one of those rare books that - having listened to the audio version - I will be picking up a hard copy (which, unfortunately, is not offered in hardcover at the time of this writing).
Entertaining? You bet. In fact - at times - laugh-out-loud funny.
Thought-provoking? 100%. I found myself pausing several times to digest the ramifications of what was being said.
Iconoclastic? Always.
“Pop-economics” isn’t the descriptor I’m looking for, but it’s the first one that comes to mind.
This is my first audiobook with Leon Nixon as narrator, and I am now a fan. Nixon is a gifted narrator, and it seems clear from the way he narrates Sowell’s book (where he places emphasis, gravity, levity, pauses, etc) that he “gets it.” I don’t know any other way to put it, other than to say, he voices Thomas Sowell’s work better than Sowell himself.
Highly recommended.

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Excellent, As Always

Revisado: 02-08-24

Marc Cameron and Scott Brick never disappoint. The former is a gifted story-teller, the latter is a the ideal for narrating those stories.
If you’re an avid fan of Marc Cameron’s work (and/or the Jack Ryan series), there are no surprises here: edge-of-your-seat spy thriller, with terrifying bad guys vs. top-gun good guys, battling it out in a high-stakes chess game on a global scale, using ultra-cool weapons that most of us can’t afford. [Side note: don’t you just love how Cameron lists the weapons build out for what the operators use? “…Sig lower with a 12½” Sionics upper, 5½” Huxwrx 3D printed suppressor, Nightforce NXS 2.5 10x42 optic, Aimpoint T2 red dot mounted at a 45º angle…”; thanks Marc.]
If you’re a first-time reader of the Jack Ryan series, this is a fine book to start with, and is emblematic of the rest of the series. Once you’ve finished it (and assuming you enjoy it), I have great news for you: you have plenty of material to read starting at the beginning to digest while waiting for the next book to come out.
Highly recommended.

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Great Storytelling; Lackluster Narration

Revisado: 12-17-23

There are good storytellers, & then there are great storytellers. Right? The way I figure it, Lee Child stands squarely in the latter category. No doubt about it. Unfortunately, Johnathan McClain is a mid narrator. He’s adequate, but he’s no Scott Brick. He’s no Lou Diamond Phillips. That’s for sure. For this second novel in the JR series, Child tells the story in third person. Not first person, like in the first novel; third person. That’s for sure. No doubt about it. The story, nonetheless, is still just as thrilling. Still just as terrifying. And that’s what makes the rating hit four stars. It’s a great story, with adequate narration. That’s for sure. No doubt about it. Recommended.

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Outstanding & Actionable

Revisado: 11-17-23

There are several good books out there that are good at diagnosing the problem of communism, and just as many that are good at pointing to examples, & explaining the pathology of communism
However, until Kelly’s book came along, none offered any remedies. The anti-communist manifesto does an excellent job of all three. Which is to say, it points to, concrete examples of communism, explaining the pathology, and then offering actionable things that rational busy people can do to fight.
Highly recommended.

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Excellence in Narration

Revisado: 10-30-23

Mr. Schulze - with his soft, German accent - turns out to be nearly as excellent a narrator as he is a hotelier. There are a few mispronunciations, but these in no way detract from understanding.
Mr. Schulze expertly weaves his philosophy into a series of stories & anecdotes, each illustrating the integral parts of the practical application of the philosophy of excellence. What a pity that so few in senior management seem to understand that very often making money requires spending money.
Anyone & everyone - whether businessman or homemaker, front line sales or senior management, employee or sole-proprieter - can benefit from Schulze’s philosophy of excellence.
Highly recommended.
PS: you can likely finish the audiobook in under five hours if you do what I did & set the speed to 1.2x. Mr. Schulze’s cadence while reading is slow enough that bumping up the pace a little works well, & resulted in only one or two spots where I had to rewind a few seconds for a repeat.

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Nostalgic

Revisado: 08-26-23

Written during a time before we knew of the insanity & paranoia of North Korean leadership, & when diskettes were used to store files.
The story is a plodder; adequate. It lacks the action & suspense (and high tech) of the Jack Ryan series, and the characters are absolutely ordinary.
I probably won’t pick up book two in the series, but I wasn’t bored enough by the story with this one to return it.

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