IM

Boring and bad narrator

Revisado: 08-15-22

Another disappointment in the Alien franchise.
The story is more about ethnicity, gender etc. than about Aliens.
Another tie-in that doesn’t work. Inconsistencies with the original stories (the comics are not that good either).
The narrator has a problem with phonetics. SHSHSHSH…Or, if it is supposed to be a special way of pronouncing, it doesn’t work: “Firsht/first; Aushtralia/Australia; shtay/stay, shtraight/straight etc.” This sh-ing drives me crazy. The narrator keeps the voice of her character instead of going back to “narrative voice” when there are “he/she said/thought” type phrases.
Zula Hendricks speaks like a baddie in a 90’s movies (barytone emotional drawl). Amy (Amy? I do not remember the acronym) is supposed to be the utmost synthetic AI, and speaks like a bad imitation of a child (I know, she’s very young :().
Without time reference, we have old Zula and old Ronnie Yu, in contradiction with, for example, the great villain in Alex White’s Cold Forge. And about White’s work: they are non binary (whatever that means) but they know how to write a story and they don’t impose PC gobbledygook to their readers. They try to do something interesting with gender problems story-wise. Which is a much more creative way of making the reader think without trying to force an ideology upon the public.
I’ll keep the audiobook because I am a completist. NOT because it’s good. This won’t make any difference to the producers of this poorly done story as long as they get paid.
But I am at my long term Alien fan (since Scott’s masterpiece) limit.

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Rehash + stereotypes

Revisado: 08-13-22

The story is less than average . It’s the sequel of a comic. Clichés from
Alien and Aliens rehashed. All the stereotypes about British (with a strong hint at English) people are there: they are ALL imperialists, racists BY NATURE, stupid, etc.
Same for the French…
There is a French character who doesn’t speak French (horrible: “Ne blessez ma fille” - could have worked in medieval French, but absolutely not today…).
A poor tie-in novel. Caricatural: the only good ones are from USA, preferably belonging to an ethnic minority (or being a synthetic), and the mother (French) is crazy/feeble.
Poor attempt.
And yes. I know, this is “art”.
But “art” based upon clichés is boring.
Shiromi Arserio is very good (except when pretending to speak French).

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Grover Gardner rocks

Revisado: 07-10-22

Very repetitive. Not many new elements.
Chapters 6, 7, 9 and 10 are better.
Contents: ideal for Senior High School or first year Uni students who don’t know much about WW2 and the monster Hitler.
Very good performance by Grover Gardner, though he mispronounces many German names (same flaw in his excellent reading of “The Kindly Ones” by Jonathan Littell (also available on Audible). I learned much more in Littell’s novel (trigger warning for the sensitive readers: the protagonist is a sexual pervert) than in this book.
All in all, I kept listening for Grover Gardner.

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Mesmerising

Revisado: 06-19-22

A tour de force. The amount of research, the historic accuracy (see Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder), the soulless protagonist and his perversions (they enliven the character but in no way “explain” his acceptance and active participation in the nazi horrors), EVERYTHING contributes to this masterpiece.
I bought it because I couldn’t find the original French version. I read it when it was published and I was in shock. The translation is good, without being exceptional, losing something of the horrendous lyricism of the Nazis, extraordinarily rendered in the original version. But it preserves the essential: how an “intellectual” became a monster.
This is a “livre-monde”, a book that recreates a world per se, and this world is hell.
The Shoah by bullets (Babi Yar and so many others sites of horror), the death camps, the deportations, the destruction of the European Jews, the gas vans, invented by the Stalinists and reimplemented by the Nazis…
A lesson in history.
The so-called digressions (linguistics, politics, music, literature etc.) enhance the monstrosity of the main character and his peers.
And yes, there are shocking descriptions of bodily functions, there is incest, rape, They show how amorality led to immorality, and finally to a serial killer’s perverse mind.
Do not read it if you expect euphemisms.
But do read it if you want some understanding of a mass crime that may be committed again. Because sadly, hatred is a part of human nature.

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Disappointed

Revisado: 03-09-22

It takes a great talent to imitate the dynamics of a popular TV franchise. What works in the TV episodes (sequence hinting at the unbelievable, then Scully and Mulder trying to make sense of it all, shake and repeat) doesn’t work at all here. The reader knows everything before our fine duo begins to make sense of what is happening. No suspense at all. I’d write the same about the other novel of this series.
Narrator: meh. Neither good nor that bad.
Forgettable. Listening until the end was a personal struggle (bored to death) but I am the obstinate type.

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An excellent mimic

Revisado: 01-22-22

Some very good short stories in this anthology. Regrettably, fillers too (excerpts from novels, some mediocre short stories).
Many of these short stories are “parasitic”, not necessarily in a bad way: parodies, “new” takes on masterpieces, pastiches mostly. This applies to the stories, and to the “style”: language, narration.
All in all, this is a collection made by a very clever “reader” who happens to be a writer.
Gaiman likes to read his own texts. Not necessarily bad either.
Mostly forgettable, but helps spend the time when caught by existential “ennui”.

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Nice escaping, nothing more

Revisado: 08-21-21

The title of my comment says it all. At least the author tried to dive into the confusion between desire (doomed without)/feelings. I liked the 2nd roles in this “movie novel”. I still long for a true love story that doesn’t imply “beautiful/extra-clever/ extraordinary people”. The Price of Salt is unmatched.
narrator: not bad (except her rendition of Maddy)

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Good

Revisado: 07-29-21

It would be GREAT if reviews/comments could mention « SPOILERS » in the title or before the detailed critic.
Like many, I tend to read the comments before deciding if I’m going to listen or not. They are supposed to help. Well, having 2/3 of the plot spoiled by the reviews was quite irksome. I listened anyway to give this book a chance. Not bad. I can’t write about suspense (see above) but the story was still interesting. Good narrators.

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Boring

Revisado: 04-20-21

It could have been interesting but:
-why fill the story with old Ted Bundy files?
-why not contract the story to an hour (so many repetitions, so many fillers)?
-the narrator has a good voice, but it is misused?
I expected much better, and to be honest this listening was rather disappointing.

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A good collection for the completist

Revisado: 04-07-21

This is a very useful and interesting omnibus. F. John did an excellent job. He’s a good reader. Though some may differ, I don’t like overdone performances: I like the way he serves the text. Lovecraft’s short stories, novellas and novels don’t need too much “acting”. They are self-sufficient. Yes, the narration is not perfect, but I’d rather listen to this collection than others I’ve tried.
The brief introductory comments are very useful for providing context. And you can get the printed version of this collection for free (pdf file).
All in all, one of my favourite collections.

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