Zachary Kaplan

Keep 'em coming, Literary Rebel...

Revisado: 01-19-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

For the sake of honesty, I feel obligated to mention that Literary Rebel gave me this one as a free review copy. They did this after I contacted them about the long wait time since the last volume; turns out they had to make a new cover for it as Audible wouldn't approve the original one. That being said, this has in no way shaped my opinion on this collection.

Starting off this volume we have the continuing adventures of Redgar and Natali as they find themselves in a town struck by a plague; a plague emanating from a supposedly sinister source. Redgar continues to be his brusque virile self, while we learn that there may be more to Natali then we originally thought. As usual, these stories continue to be the highlight of this series. Our Second story involves a traveling warrior aiding a town against a very different plague; one featuring eight-legged devils. It's hinted we may see more stories featuring this protagonist, and I look forward to listening to them. Finally, we have a story of a man compelled by a lovely manipulator to engage in a heist against his will. Offhand, the weakest out of the three, but I'd be interested to see if they build off this protagonist too.

Overall, another fine anthology. Here's hoping we won't have to wait so long for the next one.

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A Savagely Awesome time!

Revisado: 01-19-23

I'd been buying the kindle copies of these for awhile now, but feared I would never find the time to read them. But now, thanks to their introduction to Audible, this is no longer a problem. And I'm happy to say I have not been disappointed in the money I've spent.
The first story gives a basic tale of a very Conan-like barbarian being hired to rescue a maiden from the clutches of those who would sacrifice her. What they don't realize is that there be more dangers than these to deal with. The second story in this collection is probably my favorite. A warrior finds himself on distant shores, unaware he will be ensnared by a woman as cruel as she is beautiful. The third story features another sword and sorcery staple of a band of adventurers going treasure hunting and finding more than they bargained for. It was good, though I wish it was a little bit longer to help build up the suspense and make us more acquainted with the characters. The fourth and final story is a bit harder to describe the setting; I believe it may be a short story set in a bigger series. All I'll say is that it heavily involves snakes.
After listening all the way through, I can say Moose Matson is a superb narrator for this series. He talks with a noticeable lisp, but in a way that kind of makes it feel more authentic, as if he's an old man telling these stories by a fire place in a tavern.
I will say this series is not for people who are determined to be easily offended and righteously indignant with 21st century morals; these stories are meant to reflect older writing styles. For myself, I was thoroughly entertained and look forward to future volumes.

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Better the devils you know, I guess...

Revisado: 07-15-22

I always appreciate stories where villainous figures are forced to take on a heroic role. That being said, this is NOT a redemption story. Pretty much every character more or less keeps the moral alignment they started with. Of course, that doesn't mean they're not amusing, especially when they interact with each other. One thing I found particularly amusing was that this group includes a vampire, an orc warlord, a pirate queen, a demi-god and a necromancer, and yet the human alchemist is the one that creeps them all out. If you know what kind of story you're in for when you start listening, you'll likely find this story entertaining. I'd also be interested to see if the author revisits this setting.

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Everywhere and home again, that's the island way..

Revisado: 07-14-22

Well, the time for the forces of good and evil to hash it out has finally come. Unwilling to let Walker and his men spread further, the forces of Nantucket and their allies march to halt the psychotic tyrant's advance. Battles are waged, alliances tested, and a classic war film is homaged. But only one empire can be victorious, and the victor will forever determine the course of history.

This novel serves as a great conclusion to a great trilogy. Obviously, I wish Stirling had written more for this series, but not a bad ending overall. The only complaint I really have is that Stirling never really makes clear what became of McAndrews, the afrocentrist officer that eventually went to Egypt. Overall, I was pleased to revisit this series through Audible, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in alternate history or time travel.

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What manner of leader would YOU be...

Revisado: 07-14-22

Picking up ten years from where the previous novel left off, the people of Nantucket and the forces of William Walker each work to build a strong base from which to achieve their goals. Having fled the British Isles, Walker sets up shop in Greece, steadily securing power with which he intends to conquer. Meanwhile, Alston, Cofflin and the rest build ports of trade across the globe, as well as seeking military alliances with Babylon and the Hittite Empire. But the time where these two forces will clash is fast approaching, as the tide of years flows on.

This novel is easily of the same quality as the last one; perhaps even better because now we get to see more of the Bronze Age world and how our time-displaced characters may change it. Some might think it's too long, but if the story's good I don't see how that's an issue. Also, there may be certain plot points that don't get much attention in this novel, but get more in the next book; such as the ranger party setting out to explore the western regions of America. One thing to keep in mind though is that the story line focusing on William Walker is happening concurrently with the rest of the story, but rather serve as flashbacks to when he and his forces were getting there act together. All in all, a great continuation.

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A tale of castaways in the sea of time...

Revisado: 07-13-22

Caught in a cataclysmic event that no one can explain, the island of Nantucket and a nearby Coast Guard barque are sent back in time to the Bronze Age. Upon getting their bearings, pooling their resources and putting together a command structure, the time-displaced castaways seek people with whom they can trade for survival. Unfortunately, not everyone sent back in time has the wisdom or goodwill to use their modern knowledge for the benefit of all; some are downright evil, and sly to boot. What follows is a fracturing between the people of the future: one seeking merely to survive, the other to conquer.

The moment I first noticed this book on a shelf I was intrigued. Following that I went on to read the whole trilogy, and I was pleased to revisit it through Audible. A number of other reviews have been particularly critical of these stories, but I feel they're being a bit unfair. Some claim the lady Coast Guard commander is too much of a badass to be believable, but I felt she was believable enough and very likeable; and at any rate she's no worse than many badass characters in stories in that regard. Hell, there's been plenty of historical figures who seemed too remarkable to be true. Then others bring up the fact that she enters into a relationship with an "underage girl", while overlooking the fact that she's a teenager in a time period where "age of consent" is practically nonexistent. Then some claim the main villain is too cartoonishly evil. While it might seem that way, its actually intentional, as over the top theatrics of making himself look like the meanest son of a b**** on the block work to make an impression on the Bronze Age locals.

That being said, I feel there is one thing I should warn readers about with this book. Within this story are two detailed instances of sexual assault (one of which involves an animal), so if that makes you uncomfortable I'm giving you fair warning. That being said, the other two books in the trilogy have no such instances, so if you can get past them here you can handle the rest in ease.

All in all, a great start to a great trilogy.

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Humanity's fate is in its victim's paws...

Revisado: 07-24-21

This book is fine for the most part. I liked it well enough, it just wasn't what I thought it would be. The description makes it seem like the animals are going to spend the entire story debating whether they should kill the remaining humans or not, but in reality they only debate for roughly a third of the book's runtime. Also, I thought the story was going to be mostly philosophical and stoic in nature. It goes in that direction to a degree, but not as much as I'd hoped it would. In addition, the story was more fantastical in nature than I expected it to be, having the animals do certain things they shouldn't be able to. And the ending seemed more like it should belong to a Twilight Zone episode. That said, I did like the characterization of the animals and how they interacted with each other. This isn't a bad story, it just wasn't what I was hoping for. Still, I plan to keep my copy.

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If her bullets don't get ya, her elementals will..

Revisado: 04-12-21

While I didn't like this story as much as Blood Red, its still a great addition to the series. Taken from her poor family, Giselle is raised alone by her magician foster mother. Things take a dark turn one day when a man gets into the tower and tries to force himself on her. Deciding she needs to learn to defend herself, her foster mother sends her to be raised at a lodge where she can receive better training. Her journey eventually leads her to a traveling Wild West show, where she picks up work as a sharpshooter. In addition to meeting a face familiar to the audience, Giselle faces several dangers along the way, including one she'd thought long past. One thing I particularly liked is how this book regularly references a real-life author named Karl May, a man who was famous for writing Westerns but had obviously never seen it for himself. I don't think the narrator is as good as the last one, but she's perfectly fine. What I will say is that this series could certainly use more stories like this one in it.

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There's a new monster slayer in Europe...

Revisado: 04-12-21

This is probably one of my favorite stories in the Elemental Masters series. After a traumatic event with a werewolf as a child, Rosamund grows up to be an exceptional monster hunter, a field usually dominated by men. After a few perilous run-ins with various dangers, her journey takes her to a remote part of Europe, seeking to quell a possible growing threat she's all too familiar with. Her journey is further unsettled by the fact that she has two traveling companions... one of whom is a supposedly benign werewolf. Among the narrators for this series, Tamara Marston is one of the better ones. Get ready for a lady to deliver some hack-and-slash action.

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If you thought Venus was weird...

Revisado: 04-12-21

This book serves as an excellent follow-up to the previous story. As opposed to the tropical jungles of Venus filled with tribal natives and dinosaurs, now we have Mars as a largely desert planet with people who are remnants of a far more advanced society and have creatures that serve as their technology (ala the Flintstones). Once more, researchers from an Earth base are seeking to uncover the planet's origins, only to get caught up in political infighting when one of them falls in love with their guide, who is secretly an illegitimate princess. Everything comes to a head when an old threat from Venus reveals itself. The language the Martians use can be a little difficult to understand, but I think you can catch on quickly. Also, some people claim the book has no ending. That's not exactly fair or true; there IS an ending, its just an open-ended one that leaves open the possibility for a sequel that never came. Personally, while I would've liked a sequel, the ending's perfectly fine.

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