x_bruce

First DNF

Revisado: 02-13-23

The narrator was so incredibly obnoxious I couldn’t finish this book which might be really good if read. As far as listening, the audio wasn’t good, there were peaks in the voice that literally caused crackling on several devices. Not that it mattered as the narrator was so impressed with his questionable acting.

It may be me. I hate overwrought performances. I prefer narrators that read the book without trying to put on a show. People have been complementary of the narrator of this book. it’s hard to understand why but I understand we all have our preferences.

Again, this may be a fine book but not via audible. If I read it and think it to be better than this review indicates I will revise as necessary.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Intense

Revisado: 01-31-23

Many people have called The Deluge “woke”. Let’s address this. There are brief sections where characters talk in language regarding privilege, white, male, white male, etc. To me it was at times annoying. But this was characters in a book speaking this and maybe ten or twenty pages out of 900 are about these subjects. I don’t know if the author feels similarly but really, a small fraction of the book is distasteful and that’s a reason to DNF it? Who’s the snowflake?

As for The Deluge, for me it was stunning and intense. The characters were well drawn out and have excellent story arcs. The speculative scientific events were usually credible and create a daunting world with heart racing plot points that are heartbreaking.

The political and billionaire class are portrayed as the villains, blocking progress for the minimal power they hold, thinking of themselves and what is in it for them. Is it real? I don’t know any billionaires but do know millionaire and from personal experience I’d say the portrait is about 75% accurate. The same applies to politicians. There are some sincere ones as the book demonstrates but whether they’re mostly obnoxious as The Deluge’s is mostly accurate.

The confluence of weather events, a truly horrible TV preacher who seems to be anything but a religious leader, and people throughout the spectrum of decency feel right. I hate that this is lumped together with the ‘dystopian fiction’ label. At its most basic it is but let’be clear, it is literary fiction and, there is some need to understand climate science which is discussed simply and seems to have plausible scenarios.

The writing is excellent with a good plot.The novel takes its time ramping up.

As in life there are characters that won’t be likeable. There is a lot of meat to the book. If you expect a thriller you might not get what you expected although there are thriller elements to be found. It isn’t a fast read. There’s a lot going on and the book takes some time getting there. That said I liked it although there were times I had to take a break as many intense things happen as the book’s action ramps up.

If you hate the ‘snowflake’ aspect just calm down. It isn’t that huge an investment and try to remember you probably know people like that. It’s a small amount of the book. Quitting because you are so fed up with that says as much about you as your dislike for what a couple characters -briefly- discuss.

Well worth reading.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

A fun read….

Revisado: 10-12-22

I’ve read (or listened to) several books by Jeremy Robinson and reached the conclusion he has developed a great pulp style to his various books. Besides Kurt Vonnegut and a handful of other “literary” authors JR is in rarified air. I purchased a few more titles based on what I’ve read.

My typical titles tend towards post modern literature. I listen to a couple of authors, Blake Crouch and now Jeremy Robinson for pure enjoyment. It’s fun to listen to, typically action packed with unique plot ideas and Torment is no different. Sometimes it is enjoyable to just listen to what is presented.

I do not understand the shade being thrown about religion. I am not religious and find nothing objectionable. Think of it this way; a character is reacting to things that happen to them and some start looking at it from a Christian perspective. The people that can’t get past it do not note there is quite a bit of atheistic response and verbal hostility when a atheist character chides someone considering a theological position. It's part of a character’s development! Let’s not go full snowflake over this. And to be clear, I lean left on most issues so please, let’s be more adult about what can and can not be in a work of fiction.

The plot and tie ins to Infinite 2 were enjoyable. It was fast paced although some plot elements strain credulity with some moments completely missing known scientific principles. And see, I’m mentioning something in an area of reading that matters more to me without having a hissy fit.

It’s weird to say the batshit stuff that happens was great but it is likeable. It is great to have an author that has consistently interesting material. I can forgive some flubs here and there.

Perhaps because I have worked in the arts I give a wider berth to artists. It isn’t easy to write novels although Robinson doesn’t seem to have much of a problem. The dude is prolific. And based on the titles I’ve read so far he is very entertaining.

Let’s end it as such - people have their own perception of “good” and are entitled to their own positions. I enjoy Jeremy Robinson’s writing. I’ll probably skip the kiju books. Not my thing. I enjoy thrillers especially mixed with sci-fi or horror. Torment was an enjoyable read that took me for a ride. I absolutely loved the end which I suspect took a lot of readers by surprise..

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Usually I enjoy horror

Revisado: 03-22-22

I walk away from this wondering why it was written or published. The storyline was determined almost in the first minutes. No subtlety, just depravity, more depravity, some unnecessary exposition and back to nihilistic cruelty.

In the hands of another writer this may have had a story acc that wasn’t so predictable and might have brought a deeper meaning. Narration was okay, the book itself was slight and depending on a narrative that was too unsubtle and predictable.

Do yourselves a favor and pass on this book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

This Was A Great Listen

Revisado: 03-14-22

I finished the brief eternity The Terror by Dan Simmons and it’s a good book with a problematic ending and a terrible narrator. How High We Go In The Dark was an antidote. All but one narrator is excellent with one slightly over dramatic segment that was still very well read. The prose is wonderful, full of small and grand insights about connection in a time of trial and terrible strife.

This is a connecting series of stories that build a narrative about grief, puzzlement, and extraordinary sadness. It features a pandemic at a juncture with climate based collapse. There are elements of science fiction and a couple of segments that reminded me of Cloud Cuckoo Land although I preferred How High…. and it’s execution. Particularly, I appreciated the book’s coping strategy of commodification of death. It was hard at first hearing it but ends up being a blessing to some of the book’s characters.

Sadly, there will be team republicans that will see this book as another woke snowflake manifesto (it is not) while team democrats will feel emboldened (which they shouldn’t.) I would say both political takes on the themes would be wrong and ironic as part of the book is about how communication between us breaks down as stressors build.

The early stages of the book were rough for me. While not about or similar to Covid19 the underlying feelings are there. Most of us have lost friends or family or suffered the isolation and uncertainty a pandemic brings. The book was intense and I almost DNF’d. Thankfully I continued and was rewarded with a good tale that, sadness infused, held out hope and redemption.

A very well written book that deserves peoples attention.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 50 personas

The horror!

Revisado: 03-11-22

Dan Simmons likes to write long books. I like long books and suspect I would have enjoyed The Terror had I read the text. Unfortunately I had the narrator Tom Sellwood experience.

Do you like Inuit names, mythology, and lifestyle over pronounced, yelled at you? Do you want action scenes go from a whisper to a scream without indicating any particular motivation for these bizarre choices? Mr. Sellwood’s your guy.

Sellwood single-handedly ruined entire stretches of the book’s narrative often by taking the author’s delight in the minutiae of….everything and letting you know he had this entertainment aspect well at hand, wresting worst narrator from the ham fisted Scott Brick who I thought was overwrought until listening to the butchery of Dan Simmons’ The Terror.

And some blame goes with Simmons’ maximalist approach to writing. I enjoyed it in Carrion Comfort which had good narration. But in this fairly limited set piece it was difficult, a slog at times, to get through. For your consideration.
1. How invested will you be listening to people descending into madness and terrible behavior? At times the detail is horrendous.
2. After the plot wraps up how will you feel getting a couple more hours of Inuit folklore? Maybe it’s me but catharsis is a better way to end the novel. That and Tom Sellwood’s strange delivery of that material.

Honestly, I finished the book so I could warn others. While not agreeing with the ending tacking on a few extra hours it was acceptable other than the terrible caterwauling of the narrator.

Summation: the book gets 3.5
Narration: one star and that wasn’t low enough

If Scott Brick makes you warm and fuzzy you may like Sellwood’s performance. I did not and now have two narrators I will never consider buying a book should they be associated.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Enjoyable yarn

Revisado: 01-30-22

This is the first McCammon book I’ve consumed and I enjoyed it as a good fantastical sciFi yarn. The narrator sometimes was overwrought and some accents of ethnicities and regional accents bordered on being cliched at times. There are a good amount of characters and he handled most well but I did find it taking me out of the story flow. This is a difficult novel to analyze as it really leans in on science fiction tropes, to good effect, but sometimes things felt off and borrowing from the Stephen King cannon, The Tommyknockers for example.

I think anyone in the horror genre suffers similarly in no small part because of Kings enormous output of novels and novel sized short stories. I felt that way with Dan Simmons’ Carrion Comfort. I look at it this way, I looked at Stinger as an audition novel purchased at an inexpensive price. That’s my opinion, ymmv. I plan on checking out Boy’s Life or Swan Song soon based on McCammon’s writing which is very strong, especially when describing settings in the book and particularly at the beginning of the novel where character development can be slow going by other writers. Not here, thankfully.

Would I recommend Stinger? Yes, I would, strongly.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Fun listen

Revisado: 11-12-21

There’s a lot to like about Fragments. The writing is crisp and the plot moves along swiftly. There were a couple of plot issues that bothered me. One had to do with the world building and how they effected character resolutions and a character that was very cliché although still entertaining.

I like science, it’s my geek quality. There is a lot of sciencey discussion, some flat out wrong but still interesting. This might put some listeners off, not being able to look up terms, and illustrates one deficiency of listening rather than reading. The narration is an example of what makes audio books enjoyable. The story benefits from the narrator.

I feel like there could be a sequel or more from this book. The ending is satisfying but leaves a lot of room for revisiting. And it is a world I wouldn’t mind revisiting. Typically I don’t enjoy series but this might be an exception which says a lot for this book.

I look forward to the author’s next book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Patience rewarded

Revisado: 10-27-21

Richard Powers is a hell of a writer, let’s get that established. Bewilderment is a great novel and with patience for some a compelling story.

It is the story of a father and son, astrophysics, even an alternative reality. Some people will be angered by the political plot points that occasionally are politically charged. There are big ideas and a tale of a father’s love and regret about his extraordinary and troubled son. But there is so much more.

While not a scientist I enjoy learning and found the science and fantasy - not mages or dragons or space ships, I don’t enjoy ruining plot points so I will skip the (slight) fantastical elements only to say they are entertaining and sometimes parables. There is a book reference which becomes the plot arc. When first discussed I hated it and to his credit Richard Powers pulls it off.

Bewilderment is layered and filled with sad, occasionally humorous, and really sad moments. There is science in the book and the science-phobic may not care for it. That said it isn’t that hard to follow and most of the book is about relationships of the living and dead. The writing is wonderful. This is a relatively short book by Powers’ standard. I recommend this to readers of Powers other books or folks willing to put a little work into the listening experience deftly narrated by Edoardo Ballerini.

It is well worth the credit.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A mashup of history, sciFi, and literate fiction

Revisado: 10-06-21

The presenter is very Nixon-like for the bulk of the novel. If you can’t get past that reconsider and read the print novel. He does the inflections and rhythms in Nixon’s vocal patterns which for most sections works quite well and makes Crooked entertaining, maybe too much so.
The book moves along crisply although there were sections that made me think the Nixonian narration might be at odds with the text which means I’ll probably read it if I return to it. The sciFi aspect is fun but a bit underdeveloped. The better examples are in Eisenhower and Nixon’s relationship and Pat and Dick’s ever changing relationship.
This is the profane, fallen Nixon that explains in its alternate reality much of his motivations and pettiness. As another reviewer said, it almost humanizes Nixon and makes you feel bad for him. At least that reality’s Nixon. And to be clear, this IS about an alternate reality, not ours.
It is playful with actual events and spins a fun narrative while offering interesting considerations of the man. There is humor, there is pathos, and there are interesting differences that are fun for those familiar or unfamiliar which is why I reccomend the book to friends and in extension Audible listeners.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona