Jeff
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The Gelatin Coast
- A Novel of Misadventure
- De: Doug Sacrison
- Narrado por: Joel Froomkin
- Duración: 10 h y 26 m
- Versión completa
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General4 out of 5 stars 48
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Narración:4.5 out of 5 stars 45
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Historia4 out of 5 stars 45
When a moose is found on a portion of desolate African coastline, numerous people race to either help or hinder his plight. Befriended by a young local boy who vows to be the moose's friend and protector, the pair set off on an accidental adventure across the African wilderness.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Narrator Stole the Show
- De Alfie en 02-25-17
- The Gelatin Coast
- A Novel of Misadventure
- De: Doug Sacrison
- Narrado por: Joel Froomkin
Excellent Romp, Flawless Narration
Revisado: 04-08-16
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would absolutely recommend this to a friend. The story is witty and hilarious, and the narration is a perfect example of what I think an audio book should sound like.
What did you like best about this story?
It was completely unpredictable. The characters were all very strange but believable, and every plot point was skillfully entangled into the story.
Which character – as performed by Joel Froomkin – was your favorite?
There were so many great characters, and Joel handles them all so well. I can only narrow it down to three: Hans, Toby, and Benito.
If you could rename The Gelatin Coast, what would you call it?
The Alphabetical Vendetta Against the Animal Kingdom
Any additional comments?
This audio book was quite a ride. I don't often have the time or patience to listen to fiction audio books, but I was able to get through this one easily on a road trip. The author reminds me a lot of Douglas Adams, with his highly self-aware narrative style and clever dis-similes. Joel Froomkin was of course a perfect fit for the writing style. His English accent carried the narrative effortlessly and he delivered the comedic moments with expert timing. His characters were also spot on, with fantastic accents and plenty of timbral variety to make identifying them natural and easy. He was also great at keeping the pace up, and keeping me interested, even when there were certain sections where the narrative dragged a bit. I hope Doug Sacrison keeps writing books, and that this particular one has much more success, especially in audio format. He and Joel are a perfect team, and I want to hear more of them in the future.
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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas
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Therein Lies the Problem
- De: Steve Dupont
- Narrado por: Douglas Thornton
- Duración: 10 h y 23 m
- Versión completa
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General4 out of 5 stars 14
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Narración:4 out of 5 stars 13
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Historia3.5 out of 5 stars 14
The American Dream is dead. It is a nation desperate for change, which might explain how a man like Lester Ginn - huckster, hypnotist, swordsman, self-proclaimed visionary - could rally support for his own grandiose notion of utopia...The Pyramid. From the hardscrabble streets of Queens, New York to the semi-post-apocalyptic Glass Desert of Nevada, we ride Lester's ever-flapping coattails as he careens through time and space, ultimately lording over the world's largest man-made structure.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I laughed, I cried … what a wild ride!
- De Steve Dupont en 11-11-15
- Therein Lies the Problem
- De: Steve Dupont
- Narrado por: Douglas Thornton
Clever and Insightful
Revisado: 12-18-15
Would you consider the audio edition of Therein Lies the Problem to be better than the print version?
I'm sure the narrator added a lot to my enjoyment of the book.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Therein Lies the Problem?
Lester was making dinner for some lady... and acting completely erratic. The scene was complete chaos, and I really don't know what happened in it or its relevance to the story, but it was wonderfully performed by the narrator.
Have you listened to any of Douglas Thornton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No, but hopefully this won't be the last. I intend to keep an eye on his work... an ear.
Who was the most memorable character of Therein Lies the Problem and why?
Lester, without question. The whole story revolved around him, and as obnoxious as he was, I couldn't help liking him. Lots of perfectly backwards logic and scatter-brained.
Any additional comments?
Herein Lies the Problem is a very intricate and deliberate book, and for that I will give it 4-stars as a story. I have to admit that I didn't quite catch everything, but the structure was configured in such a way that at times it's hard to follow. I want to listen one more time to see if some holes get filled in better the second time around. If I do, I may come back and change the score to 5, because what I did pick up on was insightful, touching, and imaginative. The characters are fantastic, their relationships are interesting, and it has a thought-provoking message.
The narration I will give a solid 4. Douglas Thornton was not only perfect for this role, his approach to audio book narration is refreshing. His accents are all excellent, and he has very pleasant energy. The only reason I can't give him a 5th star is because of his rhythm. At times he would rush through descriptions and lose me, and the space between paragraphs and dialogue was inconsistent. Other times his inflection seems a little off, as if he's coasting over the words. I think he needs to work on slowing down altogether and let the scenery soak into his listeners' heads. But, his characterizations are superb. He hardly ever messes up inflection during dialogue, and his characters sound unique and colorful. He also uses some subtle sound-effects that were handled tastefully, with an enhancing effect.
I'll be listening to this book again. It was more fun than most fiction audio books I've listened to, and although I don't see the narration or the story to be perfect on their own, I will again have to say that this audio book is greater than the sum of its parts. Well done, and I hope you two team up again in the future.
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The Oldest Living Vampire Tells All: Revised and Expanded
- The Oldest Living Vampire Saga, Book 1
- De: Joseph Duncan
- Narrado por: Ian M. Walker
- Duración: 10 h y 14 m
- Versión completa
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General4.5 out of 5 stars 279
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Narración:4.5 out of 5 stars 252
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Historia4.5 out of 5 stars 249
This is the saga of the immortal Gon, a 30,000 year-old vampire. The first volume of his memoirs recounts his mortal life in prehistoric Germany alongside his male companion, Brulde, and his two wives, the Neanderthal Eyya and his Cro-Magnon mate, Nyala. It details the fearsome events that lead to his transformation from man to undying monster.
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3 out of 5 stars
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NUNYA
- De Jim "The Impatient" en 12-13-16
- The Oldest Living Vampire Tells All: Revised and Expanded
- The Oldest Living Vampire Saga, Book 1
- De: Joseph Duncan
- Narrado por: Ian M. Walker
Fascinating, Thought-Provoking
Revisado: 08-21-15
Would you listen to The Oldest Living Vampire Tells All: Revised and Expanded again? Why?
Possibly. If I had the time, but there are more installments to the story coming up.
What did you like best about this story?
The look into ancient caveman culture. The idea that social structure was much more relaxed and straight-forward compared to today's confusing mess of shame and odd puritanical values.
Which character – as performed by Ian M. Walker – was your favorite?
Ian didn't really portray the characters, but rather told the story as if he were Gon telling the listeners what each other character said. He did this very effectively, in such a way that the scenes still came to life.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It did make me laugh, and the instances where Gon experienced tragic loss were heart-breaking. Joseph Duncan did a wonderful job making the story plausible and human, despite the "supernatural" elements.
Any additional comments?
Ian Walker and Joseph Duncan prove their value as a team to an even greater extent than with their previous collaboration, "Cattle." Gon is a fascinating character, and I look forward to the next installments of The Oldest Living Vampire. I would gladly listen to anything they work on together in the future.
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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas
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Cattle
- The Fearlanders
- De: Joseph Duncan
- Narrado por: Ian M. Walker
- Duración: 7 h y 30 m
- Versión completa
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General4 out of 5 stars 339
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Narración:3.5 out of 5 stars 322
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Historia4 out of 5 stars 322
It is 10 years after the global apocalypse. The Phage, the zombie virus that brought the world to its knees, has mutated, restoring the minds of its undead victims: their personalities, their memories... even their dreams. The living dead are no longer the mindless monsters that drove mankind to the brink of extinction.
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5 out of 5 stars
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FRESH MEAT
- De Jim "The Impatient" en 11-07-15
- Cattle
- The Fearlanders
- De: Joseph Duncan
- Narrado por: Ian M. Walker
Cohesive, asks tough questions
Revisado: 07-15-15
What did you love best about Cattle?
The title sums everything up nicely. It explored the idea of how even sentient beings can see it in their best interest to succumb to a life as food for another form of life. It also made me very uncomfortable and made me think with some of the decisions the characters in the farm had to make.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Cattle?
There is a very young girl that needs to get pregnant in order to survive. I won't share the details of this part, but virtually every circumstance in her situation is absolutely awful.
What does Ian M. Walker bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Ian reads the book with his natural British accent. I'm not sure that would come across through text, though sometimes the wording of the narration did seem distinctly British, but it was a nice touch.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
"What would you do to survive?"... This is why I don't have a job in marketing...
Any additional comments?
Though I am a bit tired of the zombies coming out of the woodwork of popular culture, and I did have to put forth quite the effort to suspend disbelief that these zombies can talk and think despite the amount of damage they must have sustained since turning in the first place, I found Cattle to be an interesting take, and worth the listen. Instead of simply being another scenario where there is a group of survivors against impossible odds, and "Surprise, THESE zombies came about in a unique way!," it actually twisted the zombie scenario in order to tell a completely different kind of story, and ask some hard questions about humanity. Not only was the story quite good, but Joseph Duncan's writing is evocative and visceral, which helped to make up for what I didn't like about the story.
As for the narration, I understand that this is Ian Walker's first full-length audio book. Despite his struggle with American accents, the occasional difficulty understanding some of the zombie dialogue, and mostly negligible noisiness in sound quality, he did a remarkable job. His voice and accent are pleasant, he's very expressive with his narration without going overboard, and he was a perfect fit for the story itself.
I gave the story and the narration 4 stars each, but they work so well together that the final product is more than the sum of its parts. A great team, and I look forward to listening to more from both of them.
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esto le resultó útil a 13 personas