Scott

Just too sophomoric

Revisado: 01-01-22

The world is interesting and the characters are fine, as far as that goes, but the writing is simply weak. Speech tags are amateurish and the snarkiness is forced and a bit juvenile. Daniel’s’ predilections, which were entertaining in the early iron Druid novels and devolved, tend not to be reined in here, either.

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Worst choice of narrator

Revisado: 02-22-20

I loved the first Quillifer novel and thought an audio would be a great way to follow up on the sequel. Wrong. The narrator couldn't be worse for this novel. I'm sure there are many selections where he's a fine choice, but his voice is completely wrong for the smooth, whimsical, Errol-Flynn-type narrator you expect with Quillifer. I don't know how old the narrator is but he sounds like he's in his 70s.

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Finishes the Downhill Slide to the End

Revisado: 05-01-18

Would you try another book from Kevin Hearne and/or Luke Daniels?

I would recommend the first 4 or so heartily, but these last 3 or 4 have been bitterly disappointing; this was the worst of them. I now have no plan to try his epic fantasy work because of how bad this was.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Since I alternate fiction-non-fiction I'll probably try a historical biography next.

What three words best describe Luke Daniels’s voice?

Witty, clever, nuanced.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Bitter disappointment. Dregs of 8 day old burned coffee bitterness.

Any additional comments?

Atticus' "woe is me" routine--and Granuelle's reproof of him--feel entirely manufactured, manipulated, and not true to the character. It's as if someone chided Hearne for not giving Atticus a glowing neon moral compass and he feels he has to slap one in here these last couple of books.

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The greatest mystery novel of all time.

Revisado: 05-28-15

There is very little I can say about Chandler's masterpiece which hasn't already been said. The writing and characterization are more important than the complicated plot, but more than any of his other books, everything here ties together perfectly. Great social commentary, great lines, great characterization.

The narrator does a pretty good job although he does occasionally make some weird choices. He could be better with women characters.

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Some of the most awful accents I've ever heard.

Revisado: 04-13-14

What disappointed you about Hard Magic?

I have enjoyed a couple of Correia's "Monster hunter" audio books and thought to give this one a try. I love 30s and 40s noir in fiction and film and thought it was about time someone gave it the urban fiction treatment.

Although the story follows a typical 3rd person formula in terms of leaping from different storylines and characters which will doubtless converge 78% of the way through the book, I almost can't get through it. The audio narration by Bronson Pichot is the worst I've ever heard.

His reading of the non-dialogue narration of action is fine. In fact, since I remembered his "acting" from the tv show Perfect Strangers, I was dubious, but after listening to the sample for 30 seconds thought it would be okay. And so the 3rd person narrative is fine.

But OHMYGOD the way he does dialogue. First, half the characters have these insane, preposterous southern accents. I've lived my life in Florida, Alabama, and now South Carolina, have relatives all over Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas, and can say without a doubt I've never heard anything like what came out of Pichot's mouth where 2 of the main characters are concerned. It's as if he watched Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump" 35 times in a row, then watched the horrific "Bagger Vance" film and added a dash of Kevin Spacey's weird accent from "Midnight in the Garden etc."

I'm a guy who finishes books. Brothers Karamazov, War and Peace, Anna Karrenina, sure. Even Portrait of a Lady.

So I thought I'd push on through with this. I gritted my teeth. But I just can't handle it. And I'll finish this--but in print, not in audio.

ps: for an example of someone who can do a variety of low and high class southern accents right, listen to Will Patton or Frank Muller or Tom Stechschulte.

Would you be willing to try another book from Larry Correia? Why or why not?

I'd recommend the first two Monster Hunter novels as good violent and slightly mindless fun. But they're better written than you might think.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Bronson Pinchot?

I'd have any narrator instead of Bronson Pichot. Redd Foxx. Sean Connery. Shirley Temple. Anyone at all. More seriously, the guy who did the first two Monster Hunter books (whose name I don't recall) would have been much better.

Any additional comments?

The book is engaging enough, but the narrator ruined it for me.

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Horrible Job Reading the book

Revisado: 09-17-10

I like Declan Hughes and have read two other "Ed Loy" books in print and would highly recommend them. However, Townsend does a HORRIFIC job reading the books. His regular first person narration and the voice he does for the protagonist is fine, but every other character in the book has a bizarre, deep voice, that makes it sound as if the reader is making them out to be mentally disadvantaged in the retelling of some very bad joke. It ruins the audio version of the book. Read the print version instead.

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