CrookedSoul

A unique & important addition to the genre!

Revisado: 06-22-16

Any additional comments?

Fans of Stephen King's The Stand and Justin Cronin's The Passage will definitely not want to miss this one. Those are my two favorite novels in this genre, and Brad Manuel's effort here follows very impressively in their footsteps.

As others have mentioned, an element that sets The Last Tribe apart from the aforementioned tomes is that there are no evil hordes (whether undead or living).

The great conflict for our group of protagonists is the brutal reality of survival - pure and simple. However, some of the previous reviews seemed to suggest that there weren't any bad people in the story, but that certainly wasn't the case. It's just that they weren't over the top embodiments of evil as is so often the case - they were much more realistic characters. Some were truly bad. Others were mostly just responding to their personal insecurities and fears. Very real and refreshing!

The other key element that sets The Last Tribe apart is that it's a predominantly positive view of how regular people would respond in such an event. And it's this aspect that I think makes it an incredibly intriguing and important addition to the genre. This is what really makes it an absolutely essential read/listen for any fan of the genre!

And it certainly should be a listen, as the great Scott Brick is very much in his element here. Just superb!

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esto le resultó útil a 182 personas

Renshaw will go down as one of the greats!

Revisado: 02-17-16

Any additional comments?

Okay, this is truly something special! The writing is absolutely beautiful - a few steps above even the better modern novels in this genre. The amount of detail is superb - not overly drawn out, but wonderfully intricate.

The plot has a lot of depth/dynamics, and doesn't fall into the usual routines so many modern Fantasy novels are guilty of.

The characters are so easy to engage with, and most definitely NOT two dimensional and obvious - there is lots of depth/range in this department.

Perhaps the best part is that it's fresh. It follows in the footsteps of the greats, such as Tolkien and Jordan, but is easily distinguishable from them - and even manages to be distinct from the modern greats, such as Sanderson and Rothfuss.

If he keeps this up, Renshaw will easily be remembered as one of the greats of the genre.

And as always, Tim Gerard Reynolds brings an absolutely brilliant delivery, making it all the more amazing. SO glad this got properly matched with a narrator equal to the material!

Absolutely superb!!

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esto le resultó útil a 277 personas

Slow start, but SO worth sticking with!!

Revisado: 07-13-14

Have you listened to any of R. C. Bray’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

R.C. Bray is worth the price of admission alone. He's now an Audie-nominated narrator (check out The Martian to find out why), and it really shows here. I simply couldn't imagine a better fit for this material. Just brilliant.

Any additional comments?

For this genre, this one does take a while to set up the story before getting to the action. But honestly, you won't regret sticking with it! The long lead in only serves to make it so much more engaging once it takes off.

There is a strong military component, with lots of detail regarding military tactics, lingo and weaponry. The group the story follows is comprised of CIA and Navy Seals. And their struggle for survival as the s**t hits the fan feels very realistic.

There is also a nice philosophical element about humanity's tendency to destroy itself. And a great explanation on the origin of the virus.

I didn't realize at first that this is part of a much larger series. But it stands on its own 100%. Beautifully done by the author! It's completely fulfilling, but leaves you excited for more at the same time. Very nice.

Loved it!

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esto le resultó útil a 14 personas

Very gritty & real story of survival!

Revisado: 07-17-13

What did you like best about this story?

The story doesn't try to hard. It's not larger than life. If feels like it could legitimately take place over the next 5 to 10 years. Everything about the characters and the situations they found themselves in felt completely natural.

What about Jonathan Yen’s performance did you like?

The calm/controlled/rational tone of Yen's voice was perfectly matched to the protagonist. And it provided a perfect counterpoint to the turmoil of the plot (the end of society as we know it!). That made it all the more unsettling and eerie. Really nice!

Any additional comments?

Two of the first three reviewers mentioned the fact that the protagonist is left unnamed. I admit that I found that a bit unusual at first, and wasn't even sure what to make of it. But I personally didn't think any more of it after the first chapter or two. The very first reviewer suggested that a name is critical in making a connection with the protagonist. I don't agree at all. I can (surprisingly often) finish watching a movie, and not be able to tell you the primary character's names, but I most certainly can tell you all about them and their experiences. While that's very uncommon when reading a book, it was the case with this audiobook. And when you think of it, an audiobook is pretty much halfway between a book and a movie.

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esto le resultó útil a 20 personas

Very Entertaining. Great narration.

Revisado: 03-30-13

What does R. C. Bray bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I was really surprised to see a previous review that seemed to suggest the narrator didn't portray the comedy very well. I couldn't disagree more! The narration was full of 'life' and 'character' - especially on all the sarcastic humor. It was just bang on by my estimate.If you've already read the Kindle edition, then you obviously know all the jokes that are coming. But this is not a 'dry' read by any stretch of the imagination.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I gave the story aspect just 4 stars because it did drag slightly in the middle, and the ending was somewhat abrupt.

But the drag through the middle past pretty quickly. And really, neither of these issues detracted from the experience for me.

Any additional comments?

This is a really cool story! Sort of a blend of the movies Cast Away and Apollo 13 (Tom Hanks would make a great Watney!). But for reviews on the story you'd be best to check out Amazon - there are a lot!

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esto le resultó útil a 8 personas

Very impressive addition to Howey's Wool universe!

Revisado: 03-17-13

If you could sum up The Runner in three words, what would they be?

Three words? C'mon!

Hugh Howey's rave review of this FanFic story was really what made me take a serious look at it.

It was actually so well written that after I completed it and then read Howey's latest addition to the original series, I half expected references to The Runner to show up!! It really is that good.

Chris Patton's read was exceptional! He is clearly a true actor, not just someone reading the story out loud. His portrayal of the characters really brought them to life, and I really appreciated his pacing (there's nothing worse than a read that's so slow it causes the story to drag!)

Highly recommended for any fan of WOOL!! And at such a low price, it's a no-brainer! You won't regret it.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas