S. Tupper

Unlistenable

Revisado: 07-21-18

The pervasive mouth noise makes this title unlistenable. Worst I've ever heard in a title approved by Audible for distribution. The plodding delivery also doesn't do anything for the text. This might very well be a decent story, but only Dan Barker's biggest fans will be able to wade through the recording to get to it. I appreciate what Dan does personally and professionally, but this is an audiobook and there are standards.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Forced March with No Payoff

Revisado: 02-04-17

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, unless someone is looking for a look inside the head of a nice and sincere, but gullible guy.

What was most disappointing about Jerry DeWitt’s story?

This is a forced march through DeWitt's journey from Pentecostal preacher to atheist with no payoff at the end. For starters, you're going to get 6.5 hours of descriptions of him careening around the fundamentalist communities of Louisiana and elsewhere before you get a hint of his doubts about his faith. When DeWitt does give up his faith, there's no discussion of why. You get the sense that atheism is no different from any of the religious samplings in which he credulously engages along the way and you have no reason to think that he has any rationale to land where he does. If you're looking for an extensive tour or the mind of a nice and sincere, but gullible guy, this is the book for you. If you're looking for insights into why a guy moves from faith to reason, find something else.

What aspect of Jerry DeWitt’s performance would you have changed?

If southern pronunciations bother you (e.g. Penny-cos-tel for Pentecostal), you're going to have to get used to them. That said, this is DeWitt's genuine voice and it works in its context.

Could you see Hope After Faith being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Smalley Guts Another One

Revisado: 08-13-16

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The text itself is very good. On a par with Krauss's A Universe from Nothing, Weinberg's The First Three Minutes, and Shermer's Why Darwin Matters and it covers some of the same material in a way that enhances your understanding of the integrated field.

How could the performance have been better?

David Smalley, who mangled Stenger's "God: The Failed Hypothesis," is back and he manages to goof up this volume as well. He makes it obvious that Pitchstone just wanted to get an audio version out and didn't care enough about it to either (a) research even the most basic pronunciations for names and concepts or (b) get a narrator who was familiar enough with the material to get it right on his or her own. The performance takes all of the pleasure out of Stenger's fine work. A hack job that didn't have to be a hack job.

Any additional comments?

Stenger's books are important. They're praised by the Four Horsemen and others as accessible ways to get up to speed on the scientific arguments in this field. The release of audiobook versions of Stenger's works were anxiously awaited. And these performances by Smalley and his director and/or producer bring the whole thing down with a thud.If you just want a convenient way to consume this book and you're okay with the narrator and producer giving the book short shrift (e.g., you have to be familiar with the book for a college course or you're just surveying the literature in the most general way) then this is a passable intoning of most of the English words and you'll be able to say that you've read (listened to) it.But if you care in the least bit about Stenger's work or if you are the least bit familiar with the science and the scientists, this performance will be too distractingly bad to enjoy or even tolerate.There is probably the will and the business case to produce one audio version of each of Stenger's books. Pitchstone picked up this baton - excluding any other that might have carried it - and promptly and distressingly fumbled it. I'm disappointed, and, if you are at all widely read in science and its history, you'll be disappointed, too. Go read the hardcopy.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 13 personas

Decent Book. Failed Performance.

Revisado: 08-03-16

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. There are better books on the topic and the narration of this edition is distractingly bad.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

N/A.

Would you be willing to try another one of David Smalley’s performances?

No. The least this guy (or his producer) could have done is research basic pronunciations. The reading is so distractingly bad as to spoil what is otherwise a competent volume.

Was God - the Failed Hypothesis worth the listening time?

It's essential reading in this field and therefore worth the listen. The performance of the book did nothing for me other than make it so that I could absorb the book while driving.

Any additional comments?

Many of us have waited hopefully for Stenger's volumes to come to audiobook form. I'm guessing that the publisher knew this and rushed the book to audio form. The performance and execution shows it. Stenger is dead. His books probably had/have exactly one shot at audiobook form. It's really disappointing that this is the result of that one shot.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 8 personas