Emainiak

Redemption and Striving

Revisado: 02-29-24

Where the prior book frustrated me with characters weak of character and frankly often unlikable. This book is Lyriel and Sameth's great redemption ark, with solid villainy and thrilling heroism. The protagonists grow and mature nicely, and the struggle feels satisfying. With this conclusion I can recommend both books.

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A thrilling tale of Lych and Slayer

Revisado: 02-03-24

Garth Nix never fails in crafting unique and thrilling worlds. Here he takes the well trodden concepts of Necromancy and High Magic and transforms them in the world of the Old Kingdom and its Great War Era Boarderlands. That the protagonist is a young woman, yet not fallen too far into tropes of victim or fool, ads additional savor to what is a gripping and enjoyable grim dark fantasy quest.

I enjoyed the cast, but it was truly given life by an excellent performance by Tim Curry.

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Good ideas, but relatively flat plot

Revisado: 01-03-23

First of all, William Gibson is one of my favorite authors and so I hold his work to a high bar. I listened straight through Peripheral, which was fantastic, into Agency. While I love the characters and concept of these books, I found that the plot of Agency felt more like it was on rails. Both of the "protagonists" are essentially just along for the ride, ironically lacking any agency in the progression of the plot. This was likely an intentional move by Gibson, demonstrating the point of mechanations beyond out understanding and control moving our world around us, but unfortunately the conflict of the story fell flat as a result. The "enemies" feel inept, and non-threatening, with the stakes never feeling high enough to be emotionally compelling. The benevolent actors feel overpowered. Overall the flavor was decent, but the ride was more kiddie-coaster than Rollercoaster.

The performance was excellent, which helps make the whole book enjoyable, if not my favorite.

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Thriller, Crime, MMORPG

Revisado: 12-08-22

At first I thought this was a book about video games. Then quickly I realized that games were a fun cultural reference, but the heart of the book was a turn-twisting ensemble international crime thriller with all the stops pulled out. Exceptional in its use of fun realistic details while keeping the plot moving at breakneck speed, this book is a lot of fun to listen to. The performance is solid and well paced, and while the accents might not always be perfect, the characters shine through brilliantly. Highly recommended.

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purely excellent and relaxing

Revisado: 07-24-22

An excellent slice of life tale set in a fantasy world with just enough curious details and magical flare to enhance the tale, without needlessly complicating it. The author does an exceptional read, paced well and relaxed. The characters are likeable where the should be and unlikeable where appropriate. Highly recommended, and appropriate for all ages.

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Monday. performance and wonderful story

Revisado: 02-05-22

As one might expect from a collaboration between two of the great SF writers of the Era, combining long time imagination and practical science/engineering expertise, and in reflection upon a short by one of the all time masters of the craft, this book is wonderful. Fleshed out in lively details, the story of one man turned cyborg explorer traveling through the future of humanity century by century, always called to be a tool in the negotiation between man, machine, and life itself. This is truly a refreshing perspective, a break from the typical space opera military man or savvy politico, as an explorer by trade Commander Falcon (no relation to the Captain) provides levity, poise, and a thirst for knowledge mirroring that of the reader.

As always, Peter Kenney takes to story to brilliant heights with a deft and entertaining performance. Truly the preeminent talent of SF narration in my opinion, he does not disappoint with this one.

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Exciting tale of exploration, soothing voice

Revisado: 01-26-22

This is a tale of adventure, exploration, discovery set I the most strange and bizarre of environments. It is a story of the sublime, of the wonderous, and the unusual. some have commented that the narration is monotonous, I disagree. The narrators voice is calm, clear, soothing, but still full of expression. In some ways at the end of the story it matches best of all the perspective of the main character. While something harsher and faster may have emphasized the excitement and adventure of the tale, I would argue it would be more enjoyable. As it is the reading is pleasing to the ears and let's you take it all in. I highly suggest this story, you wint be disappointed.

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excellent performance of an interesting devation

Revisado: 01-23-22

Those looking to fill The Culture itch may not get what they are looking for with Inversions, but what they will find instead is an excellent performance of numerous characters by Peter Kenny in an early Enlightenment setting. The subtle court noble dramas of two countries modernizing, or not, in differing ways accompany subtle implications of meddling by a certain higher power. Well worth the listen.

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An excellent book, but a poor performance

Revisado: 01-04-22

This is a classic of Science Fiction, playing out in concise and plausible detail the reaction of future man to the intrusion of the extraterrestrial unknown. The characters are simple, stock one might even say, but they play their part admirably in a narrative that is firmly focused on set, setting, and the meta of politics and science. Very much worth reading.

Unfortunately the narration is droll and plodding beyond reason. It is not that he is not a capable performer, the character dialog is not bad, but rather that the inflection of the narration is cold and slow to the point that my partner asked me upon hearing it "is that a computer voice?" This really saps the excitement from the story.

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Excellent near future speculative fiction

Revisado: 12-02-21

Diverse likeable characters navigate intrigue and action in this very plausible novel from Neal Stephenson. Excellently narrated (though he could work on his Scottish accent) with good pacing that keys you listening. Do recommend.

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