Paul Clive

A real lack of imagination

Revisado: 02-28-25

This is the first Crichton novel I've actually finished. I previously tried to read Timeline and that story has very similar problems to this. Great premise, great attention to detailing out plausible science fiction, but faltering in terms of characters and sticking the landing.

Some spoilers going forward.

For the first six hours of audio I was enraptured and very entertained. The methodical way our characters investigate and play off each other was mostly organic and was exactly the kind of scifi I like. I thought I was in for one of the best scifis I've ever read.

But somewhere after the mid point it took a gradual turn towards the bad. One of the biggest failings being characters that are supposedly scientists and thinkers but who seem to lack the one thing this book is about - imagination. They are very slow at figuring out things that are obvious to the reader early on. Frustratingly slow.

The writing itself is good, though in dialogue our characters say each other's first names far more often than needed. Do Beth and Norman need to refer to each other as Beth and Norman in the middle of a private conversation? Every single line of dialogue?

Towards the end our characters are given immense godlike powers but all seem to lack the imagination to use them in any interesting ways. Perhaps this is how neurotypical people might handle godhood but I found it unimaginative.

And worst of all the ending veers dangerously close to 'it was all a dream' territory.

It's okay I guess, the narrator is great and the first half is solid.

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Reacher is Creepy?

Revisado: 02-26-25

I'm kind of shocked so few reviews on here are talking about how creepy the central love story of this book is. Even for the 90s it's really quite gross. Reacher is in his 20s pining for a 15 year old. It'd be fine if she was the one with a crush but they state that he also wanted her even at that age.

Yikes. As a big Reacher fan I was shocked by this. My hero should not be a predatory weirdo even if it was just him thinking about it back then.

The story itself is mostly inert. It's well written in terms of style but for most of the story Reacher and his love interest are in 0 danger at all. They go to fancy restaurants and just kind of investigate a mystery slowly with no urgency at all for about half of this book.

The twist feels pointless and comes after half a dozen chapters of this slow passive investigation interspersed with the central romance which is, again, creepy to begin with. It genuinely felt like Lee Child had read some books or articles about Vietnam and wanted to talk at length about it and he used this Reacher novel as a conduit.

The performance and actual writing are solid and there is some good action and character stuff but it just does not make up for the bad. I can't forgive it for making my hero into a creep.

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Drags a bit, but overall a great listen

Revisado: 12-04-23

After watching many of Dan's debates online I decided to seek out his book. Thankfully he's the one doing the narration here so you know you're getting the book as he intended it to be.

I will say though that the book does drag a bit toward the end. I do appreciate the rigor he employs in addressing some of the more common arguments for God but it does feel like some of that material could be tightened up or trimmed. An entire lengthy chapter on Bible contradictions, even as a fellow unbeliever, just started to drag and feel dull.

With that being said the book does tell us a lot about Dan's life and eventual deconversion and the rest of the book is a kind of shotgun approach to counter apologetics and justifications for rejecting Christianity.

A solid effort but it did feel longer than it needed to be.

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Good, but NOT actually Complete

Revisado: 07-06-23

The audio and performances here are top notch and I love me some Lovecraft. Just be aware before you buy that this does not have every last story he wrote.

This ""Complete"" edition does NOT contain many of Lovecraft's best works because it leaves out stories that Lovecraft ghost wrote for other authors.

My personal favorite Lovecraft story, Horror in the Museum, is missing along with The Mound and other works Lovecraft ghost wrote.

Now I don't know about the legality of them using the ghost written stories but it seems wrong to call something the COMPLETE FICTION of someone when, you know, it isn't.

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Tense and Disturbing but Frustrating

Revisado: 06-22-23

I'll try not to spoil anything too directly here but I have to say the ending an overwhelming let down. After all that struggle and grief and stress to have that ending?

But I refuse to let the ending ruin it. Overall it was really enjoyable and most importantly TENSE. I don't think a novel has ever made me feel this tight in the chest like this one.

This story is a cautionary tale about making sure you duscuss religious beliefs with your significant other before you get married.

I also understand our main couple are good people but it is incredibly frustrating that they don't fight back more and when they do they lack the decisiveness to make obvious decisions. There are some moral dilemmas internally and actions taken or not taken that had me wanting to throttle our lead characters.

At lot reviews here are complaining about the narrator. While it was annoying how her male voices for the main characters all sounded like Lenny from Of Mice and Men I did eventually get used to her voice. Definitely not the worst I've heard on audible so don't let the comments here scare you off.

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The Only Reacher Novel I've Given Up On

Revisado: 05-19-23

I've read or listened to about half a dozen of the Jack Reacher books and generally love the character. I'm not difficult to please and from the jump this entry feels like classic Reacher. He has a compulsion to return a West Point graduate's ring and tracking her down opens up a criminal underbelly.

Sounds great, classic stuff, but it is full of padding and dull. The point at which I realized hoe joyless the experience was was an endless tangent a character goes off on outlining the opiod crisis. He may as well have been reading a news article and it was probably the most dull exposition I've ever encountered in a Reacher book.

I stopped and pulled the plug with about 3 hours to go on the runtime. Maybe it ends with some action packed showdown or heartfelt realization. All I know is this is the only Reacher novel I had to give up on.

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An Overview of the End

Revisado: 03-27-23

For those interested in the subject of what the Bible says, and doesn't say, about the end times this book will be a treat. At under 8 hours it's a fairly quick listen and Ehrman's writing feels like it has improved in terms of flow and ease of access.

Even a layperson with only a passing knowledge of the Bible will get something out of this.

The most important aspect is how these apocalyptic beliefs color people's decision making and can cause serious problems on both an individual and societal level.

If I had one complaint it'd be that Ehrman only narrates the intro. The actual narrator is good and I know Bart is a busy man so it's more a nitpick than anything.

As usual Dr. Ehrman has delivered an accessible and interesting look at a Biblical issue that is relevant and informative to people regardless of if they are believers or not.

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Night Terrors

Revisado: 02-05-23

This book is hard for me to rate. I read it some years ago as a paperback and found myself captivated, terrified and intrigued. On revisiting the audiobook I once again found myself hooked in and along for the ride but there are some issues.

The biggest issue is whether you believe this story or not. Personally I'm not a big believer in alien abductions and so I treat this as a horror novel where the author has inserted himself and his own life at the center. Lucky for me, however, Strieber happens to be have already been an author before writing this. Convenient. The problem is as a novel it falters, meanders and ultimately has no payoff.

Of course, read as non-fiction, there don't have to be any final answers to the mystery of what happened to Strieber and his family but either way it leaves the book unsatisfying. The phenomenon and experiences described seem surreal, nightmarish, fleeting, ephemeral and often operate within a sort of dream-logic rather than actual tangible reality.

The compelling bit is the idea of being so overwhelmed by these things, by these little creatures creeping into your house and taking you or your family. You can't stop them, you can't say no, and usually you can't even remember. They appear out of the corner of your eye like a boogeyman you can't look at and then stick needles in you and immobilize you and carry you into the sky. This central violation and helplessness makes the initial unfolding of the mystery downright chilling to read/listen to - but makes the lack of a good ending or good explanation that much more unbearable.

The final issue I have is the idea that the central "visitor" of Communion is Ishtar. This seems to be a failing of many contactee stories that comes off as preachy and tacky to me, the idea of the aliens as messengers telling us to stop nuclear wars or stop pollution or stop INSERT THING THE AUTHOR DOESN'T LIKE HERE. There is always this overarching idea that the person being taken or contacted is special in some way. After all if the Goddess Ishtar is taking time to abduct you personally you must be something special.

So would I recommend Communion? Yes and no. If you believe in alien abduction than yes. If you don't, still yes, but with the caveat that you treat this not as an actual accounting of real events but as a series of nightmares described to you. There is a genuinely frightening and interesting core here, just muddled beneath the pretense that it's somehow actually supposed to be real.

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One of Reacher's Best!

Revisado: 02-01-23

This is the fifth Reacher book I've read and is probably tied with that very first novel as the best so far.

The main advantage here is the first person perspective. While I feel like a lot of novels lose something if written in first person Reacher novels feel that much more accessible and immersive.

We're not switching to somewhere or someone else, we get Reacher's direct visceral reaction and see him puzzle through each fight or mystery as if we are right in the action. This leads to one of the most thrilling bare knuckle brawls I've heard in a Reacher novel thus far and a harrowing scene of Reacher fighting to stay alive as he nearly drowns.

While I love it when Reacher is just passing through this novel has a more personal plot tied to Reacher's military cop past that lines up really well thanks to cleverly interspersed flashbacks.

Really great stuff here, no on to the next novel!

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One of the Best Reacher Adventures Yet

Revisado: 01-21-23

This is now the fourth Reacher book I've read/listened to and probably the second best since that first novel (Killing Floor). I picked this one because it has a classic premise. Reacher picks a random town on the map and can't seem to get a straight answer from the locals as to why the town is named Mother's Rest. Of course, as with many of the towns Reacher blows into, there is something not quite right here in Mother's Rest and getting to the bottom of isn't going to be easy.

One of the things I like about this one is that Reacher relies pretty heavily on his female companion so it doesn't feel like he's doing all the work himself in this one. In fact towards the end of the novel it definitely feels like a total team effort. I appreciate that Reacher's love interest is a competent former FBI agent who isn't outside of his age range and it felt like she was right there with him and even in some instances dragging him across the finish line.

If I have any complaints they are basically nitpicks. It could have used maybe one more action scene or chase. Also Child really shows his age when he tries to have Reacher interact with technology. Like I know Reacher, at this point in the novels, is probably in his 50s and as a drifter it would be weird to have him just pulling out a smart phone like the rest of us but still this novel has descriptions of them pulling up Google maps/Earth that made me laugh out loud.

I know Reacher is an old timey type hero, the classic archetypical loner who has his own sense of justice, but it is kinda embarrassing how little he knows about technology. If these types of events are gonna keep happening to him he needs to start learning how to use these things.

All in all a solid outing, no real complaints, if you're a Reacher fan you'll find plenty to enjoy even if nothing stands out as mind blowing. Good stuff!

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