Sean Barrett

Stupid people doing clichés

Revisado: 03-25-24

Good narrator with vocal variety and distinct voices wasted on utterly predictable story with stupid clichéd protagonists and infuriatingly stupid opponents.

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One of Heinlein’s weakest

Revisado: 08-17-22

First, the performance was excellent. No complaints.

Second, I’ve been a fan of Heinlein since I learned to read. He was a major part of my growing up. I’m quite biased in his favor.

And all that said, this story was never good, and has aged poorly. The protagonist, Jim, is old enough to have his own sidearm and to be sent halfway around Mars to boarding school, while his younger sister is not — but even for a pubescent teenager he is remarkably stupid, immature, and nerve-wrackingly whiny. And it might be possible to get through this story thinking of Jim as eight years old, but for that firearm.

Jim is a wannabe school shooter. His default reaction to any frustration is to threaten to get his gun and shooti up his school. He focuses his tantrum on the headmaster (a personification of evil who makes Snidely Whiplash look nuanced and subtle) but makes it clear that he’ll gun down anyone who stands in his way. These tantrums go on, chapter after chapter — it’s not just a momentary impulse but an integral part of Jim’s character.

This is a Heinlein juvenile, so the bad guys are humiliated in the end and the school shooter turns out to be … well, “justified” I suppose isn’t wrong. “Rationalized” is more accurate though.

Jim has the emotional maturity and problem-solving ability of an eight-year-old. ”You can’t do that! It’s not fair!” is his well-worn refrain. He demands privileges and is offended by the merest suggestion of responsibilities. He has a gun and is eager to use it on anyone who disagrees. He is an excellent exemplar, a true paragon of a libertarian.

This story ranks with Farnham’s Freehold and Sixth Column as one of Heinlein’s cringiest novels.

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INCOMPLETE — this is not the full story

Revisado: 07-01-22

DO NOT BUY THIS "BOOK" — it is not the full story. This is only the first of three short stories that make up the full saga of "Storm" Cloud. The other two ("Storm Cloud on Deka" and "The Vortex Blaster Makes War") are available in other recordings.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Just one damned cliche after another

Revisado: 06-14-22

Pacing is horrible, description is repetitive, fight scenes are tedious. Awful writing, boring story.
Narration is okay — it's the writing that sucks.

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