OYENTE

Nicholas

  • 13
  • opiniones
  • 4
  • votos útiles
  • 48
  • calificaciones

Searing portrait of the service industry told by a narrator who struggles with self-destruction

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

Revisado: 12-05-24

This book fell onto my list as a recommendation of its accurate depiction of the insanity of restaurant work. It is that, but so much more. Told as a series of short stories, we drift through Marie's misadventures at a series of workplaces which get both swankier and more lucrative as well as seedier and darker behind the scenes. What I felt was something of a drawback at first was the near empty space of Marie as a character herself. Things happen to her and we rarely get a sense of her own thoughts or feelings about it beyond the rare times her side of a conversation is shown. Gradually, however, I understood this as intentional as our narrator cannot fully see herself or reckon with herself. It is a unique perspective albeit a challenging one at times. Thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless and recommend it.

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Powerful, as always

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

Revisado: 10-25-24

A powerful and persuasive listen that I wish I had the time to listen through all in one sitting as the thoughts connect so seemlessly. Doubtless, I'll be listening through it again.

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Surprisingly emotional thriller about immortal robots

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

Revisado: 09-17-24

The Black Library's installments from the perspective of the Necron civilization are increasingly becoming my favorite. The author finds endless brilliant ways of grasping the inevitable ennui of a whole civilization that becomes involuntarily immortal and is haunted by their lost bodies and souls. 40k fans will surely enjoy but even those new to the universe can relate. It is also expertly narrated and acted.

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One of the very best in the series

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

Revisado: 04-13-24

Although slow to start, Dan Abnett's latest installment is an impressive feat of paying off every set up, some of them many books ago. Just when I felt like I could detect a turn into past formulas the narrative turned on itself again and this became one of the more truly emotional Black Library books I've ever read. Toby Longworth of course is also brilliant throughout in his voice performance. Somehow these two keep knocking it out of the park.

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Must-listen on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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

Revisado: 03-13-24

This oeuvre is instant history and I only hope Trofimov will update it with additional volumes as the conflict continues. Only bone to pick is some pronunciations by the narrator.

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A fun, light (by 40k standards) through Imperial Knight culture

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

Revisado: 02-29-24

All and all, an enjoyable trip through Assassinorum politics and the idiosyncrasies of a planet run by two dynastic houses of Imperial Knights. My one complaint is that some combination of the writing and performance by Rath and Armstrong, both of whom I greatly enjoy in other works, came off as a bit campy in the 007 vein which felt at times incongruous with the 40k setting.

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A gripping blend of historical fiction and Gothic horror

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

Revisado: 12-13-23

This vivid prose of a trek through war and plague-wracked medieval France where demons rise and angels descent to resist them is masterfully narrated and performed in this audiobook.

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Best one since Necropolis for my money

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

Revisado: 08-17-22

Narrator Toby Longworth is great as ever and Traitor General features maybe my favorite story structure so far. The series known for epic battlescapes shrinks down to just 12 Ghosts on a commando mission. This was more satisfying than I expected as we get to explore the grim life of humans left behind in Chaos-occupied territory, and the Ghosts are forced to deal with some gray areas in trusting the local resistance, who have themselvrs had to make compromises with the Archenemy in order to endure. Meanwhile, the twist revealing the target of their mission is truly worth it.

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Great Fourth Installment

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

Revisado: 09-28-21

Longworth's narration is brilliant, I genuinely cannot imagine this series without his performance. I feared diminishing returns as Ghosts saga goes on but Abnett keeps finding new ways to give new depths to the characters while further exploring the 40k universe.

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Stirring heroism, but lacking wider context

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

Revisado: 03-01-21

A Storm in Flanders in many ways does what it sets out to do. As the author explains in his preface, he sought to tell the stories of the men who fought and, in many cases, died in the mud of Ypres. This is indeed by far the best part of the book. The personal stories are chilling, awe-inspiring and lamentable. But, where this book is sometimes not as strong it is in giving the context of the wider war, and because Groom set his sights on the Ypres salient, there are times when he lets that battle unfairly drive the perception of the wider war. For instance, a major source for this book are the correspondence and later writings of Sir Douglas Haig, who led the war effort here. Haig has largely been judged negatively by historians for his conduct and strategy, but as a major protagonist in this work, Groom inevitably sides somewhat with his perspective. In particular, it is oft repeated from Haig's point of view that the 3rd Battle of Ypres was necessary, despite the colossal losses, because it distracted from a French army in disarray that desperately, in Haig's retelling, needed pressure put on the Germans so they wouldn't notice the French were like bowling pins ready to be toppled over. In reality, in the time since the mutinies that followed the Nivelle offensive in early 1917, the French did continue a series of offensives to reclaim lost ground from the battle of Verdun, and in fact launched a large-scale offensive at Malmaison at the same time as 3rd Ypres that similarly attacked well-entrenched Germans in a ridge and gained a similar area of ground – about a 6-mile movement of front. While Haig wrote that Petain begged him to continue the battle to take pressure off the French (and there is no concrete record of this), there is recorded correspondence from Haig asking Petain to move up the Malmaison offensive to draw Germans away from Ypres. So, which is it? At the same time, Groom presents unchallenged Haig's grumbles about Foche not immediately sending reserves to Flanders during the Germans' 1918 Spring Offensive. The broader historical analysis is that Foche was correct in interpreting the plan by Ludendorf was to force the Allies to send their reserves to South so that Germany could send a counter-punch to Flanders in the North. The wider strategic picture bore some noting there. 1.) Foche was not just denying Haig those reserves, but all fronts. 2.) The French were responsible for the vast majority of the line. 3.) The breakthrough underway at that time was threatening the French capital, Paris, to which the Germans came within sight of, which is understandably more important than protecting some incremental gains of ground in Flanders. I understand centering Flanders in the story and its main decision-makers, but it wasn't necessary to malign all other war efforts in order to boost the warriors of Ypres up. They did that entirely by themselves.

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