OYENTE

Matt

  • 2
  • opiniones
  • 9
  • votos útiles
  • 14
  • calificaciones
On His Majesty's Secret Service Audiolibro Por Charlie Higson arte de portada

Pitch Perfect 007

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 03-02-24

When the big chase started I practically burst into the iconic bass guitar solo! A fun and satisfying short in the tradition of Fleming. Here’s hoping to even more from the author!

Denunciar

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Live Free or Die Audiolibro Por John Ringo arte de portada

Political Baggage Weighs Down Good Story

Total
2 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
2 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 05-23-12

I picked up this book on the recommendation of a podcaster (who shall remain nameless) who said he really loved it. My feelings, however, are mixed. I like the overall near-future premise on which the story is based, and the idea of turning engineers and IT guys into heroes is also really cool, but - in the end - it failed to captivate me for two reasons.

First, there are two fantasy worlds at play in this book. One is a delightful universe filled with quirky aliens and fun, over-the-top technological toys. The other is a near-present Earth in which resurgent libertarian political philosophy offers a viable solution to various twenty-first century global crises. In this world, global corporations don't externalize costs on the third world, global warming is a joke, and peace/economic protestors literally have no discernible motivations. You never have to worry about missing this bizarre twist on reality because Tyler is prone to extended monologues that explain how all the "correct" things are happening as the Earth adjusts to a rapidly changing socio-political environment. If this book had been written in 2012, I'm pretty sure Ron Paul would be President by the end.

Then there is Tyler himself. In the epilogue, Tyler muses over how a lot of people won't like him and what he has become, and he is baffled about it. And what HAS he done? He has single-handedly invited a war before Earth was ready to fight it. He has seized control over various extraterrestrial resources as if he owned them. He has withheld information from the U.S. government that is critical to the defense of the planet. He has (proudly) gouged the government for almost everything he has sold it. He has thrown huge sums of money into elections to help ensure that his favored candidates win. He has defended the role the South played in the Civil War. He has quietly celebrated the Eugenics-like effect of an alien virus that has wiped out much of Africa and the Muslim world. He has taken pride in his ability to control the risk of litigation associated with the deaths of his employees. He has flaunted environmental regulations. He has virtually ignored his two daughters for well over a decade and attempted to make up for it by throwing money at them. The list goes on and on.

All of this would make for some engaging irony were the author not completely blind to the fact that - in the minds of many of his readers - Tyler has become arrogant, self-centered, and morally bankrupt. Like his creation, Ringo genuinely does not seem to understand why Tyler could be perceived in this way.

The saving grace of this book, however, is Boyett's reading. Boyett approaches the material with a light-hearted tone that refuses to take any of it - including Tyler's frequent political diatribes - too seriously. It saved the experience for me, at least enough for me to get to the end.

Denunciar

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_webcro768_stickypopup