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The Women Are Worth the Listen

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 05-19-22

I was worried about picking up this title due to other reviews who criticized various aspects of the narration. I’ve read this series many times but wanted to listen to it, and was surprised to see that Mary Robinette was not doing all the narration herself, though this was a pleasant surprise as I didn’t like the idea of a white woman performing the Creole present throughout the book. Others had mentioned Prentice Onayemi’s narration as lacking and Shatner-esque, but having listened to it myself I’d like to give a more detailed review of the narrators.

There is not much to say about Mary Robinette after four books. As the author she knows her characters well, and her background in theater gives her plenty of experience with narration. I have many books performed by her and I enjoy them all.

The important point about Prentice Onayemi’s narration is that it is indeed stilted and full of pauses *when he is doing the voices of the white characters*. Since Vincent has the second greatest amount of dialogue this is indeed a problem, but it is somewhat countered by the fact that he does the voices of the black men extremely well, and his prose narration from Vincent’s viewpoint at the end also reads smoothly. All in all, I think he does a good job and does not detract from the immersion.

But the star of the show is Robin Miles. I’m familiar with her narration from listening to her perform N.K Jemisin’s work and was ECSTATIC to see her listed here, and from the first word she read I was hooked. Mary Robinette has an in-depth discussion of language and accent in this book’s afterword (which is sadly not included! A travesty), and being able to hear all the differences of accent and voice between Louisa, Nkiruka, Amy, and Dr. Jones was marvelous. Ms. Miles knows what she is doing and makes the black women come alive.

So yes, the narration is much different from what we’ve had from Shades of Milk and Honey onward, but it is an exceptionally well-executed change, and since this book is my favorite of the series I’m even more happy that they pulled out all the stops for it. Listen to it to enjoy the narration of Mary Robinette, Robin Miles, and Prentice Onayemi’s black voices, because those easily overshadow everything else.

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The real Cleopatra, as close as we can come

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 10-12-21

First off, please know what you’re getting into. This is not a salacious or juicy tell-all-style account of Cleopatra’s most scandalous escapades. Rather it is a thorough, incredible insight into who the woman really was, despite what all the stories, plays, and movies would have you believe. It is a biography and an exhaustively researched one at that, so don’t only expect but look forward to frequent asides from Schiff where she clarifies and elaborates on context behind the story. The prose is just what a history text should be: concise and clear, but with a style and narrative structure that keeps things exciting. As for Robin Miles’ narration, she is swiftly becoming one of my favorite narrators. I first heard her read The Fifth Season by N.K Jemisin and it is refreshing to see (or, well, hear) that Miles is also exquisitely skilled in reading non-fiction. I highly recommend this to both history buffs and the average reader alike, though I will once again emphasize this is not a novel. Don’t start this book expecting action and narrative-based prose; go in with eyes open and an understanding of Schiff’s core point: that the Cleopatra you know from Shakespeare and Cecil B. DeMille is not the woman who ruled Egypt in the first century BC.

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Incredible in Every Way

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 07-16-20

I’ve never had the pleasure of reading or listening to Agatha Christie before, and my only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. I started reading this after watching Knives Out and the same feeling of awe at the genius of a mystery is with this one. Additionally, the narration by Mr. Stevens is exquisite; his accents are spot-on (and those who’ve read the book know how important that is), and his rendition of Mrs. Hubbard specifically had me cackling. Listen to it, and be prepared to have your mind blown.

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2/3 Genius, 1/3 Utterly Forgettable

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 05-15-20

The first two parts of this book are astounding. Incredible science, beautifully complex characters, a simultaneously plot and character-based narrative, Mary Robinette Kowal’s narration is incredible, and the end of Part II is absolutely stunning and beautiful. Well worth the listen and I’ll be thinking about it for weeks.

Take my advice: just stop there. Part III has a new audiobook narrator (why would you ever replace Mary Robinette anyway??), new characters, and it felt like a new author entirely. The book slowed to a crawl and I didn’t care about anything that was happening; the characters I had spent the whole book getting to know were gone, and I had no patience for the suddenly endless descriptions of what could and should have been marvelous futuristic technology. It felt like nothing in the last part mattered or had any significance at all, and I much prefer to think about Parts I and II as a separate book entirely, because that’s how it feels.

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Why switch a perfect narrator for the actual Worst

Total
2 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
1 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 10-16-19

Terra Ignota is the best series I have read. Hands-down. Thoughtful, complex, incredibly unique, and of course, one of the best narrator voices I've ever seen. Jefferson Mays absolutely NAILED the voice of Mycroft Canner for Too Like the Lightning, and I am utterly ASTOUNDED that he isn't narrating this one. Instead we have a pompous, dull, unremarkable voice who can only be described as Felix Faust doing a terrible imitation of Mycroft and Sniper. I refuse to listen to this travesty, and you shouldn't either. It's infinitely better to actually read the book in physical form and just imagine Jefferson Mays' voice than to try and plow your way through this.

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