Amazon Customer

Almost made it half way

Revisado: 11-18-24

First, I'm probably not the target audience for this, so my perspective might not line up with the 500 plus who gave it a 4.5 star ratings...

First the positives:
1. No glaring pronunciation errors. Those make even good books hard to take.

The rest:
1. The given rational for remaining hidden is flawed considering that the supernaturals have access to unlimited other worlds
2. There are at least two different types of supernaturals in those that fall under the requirements of the spell and those that do not. What keeps the second group from talking or acting out in public?
3. (and this is the deal breaker) The main character is a spoiled, entitled woman/child who believes that she is above all accountability for her actions. What she wants is more important than anything else. She makes deals knowing that she might have to do something she finds wrong to get what she wants. And she does it without regard to any potential collateral damage.
When it's time to pay-up, she won't do it and then someone else has to pay the price. She's a taker. She hates her boss and the other Seer in the story, but she's not above taking the money her boss offers and using the car and service he provides while at the same time complaining about him constantly. (I know this is just a poor plot device to heighten the tension before she eventually gets with him, but come on!) And she knows the seer is under a very real death threat if he's caught speaking with her, but she still tries to involve him, while at the same time bad mouthing him and his motives. She also seems to believe that the law doesn't apply to her. She gets her roommate to hack her boss' network knowing that's a pretty serious crime as well as a death sentence if her boss finds out. And then she goes to her boss' apartment and breaks into his personal safe...just in case there's something there that might be of interest to her.

I could go on for pages about the problems I have with this character and the insane ways the support characters enable her behavior. And I'm not even going to open the door on all of the ridicules plot devices you can see from a mile away. I'm done. I just want to delete this book and mark the author as a "Don't ever buy from again".

Fantasy is one of my favorite genres and I'm particularly fond of urban fantasy. You have to be willing to suspend disbelief to really enjoy a good fantasy. But I just can't do it when the main character has done things that are morally and ethically questionable and should minimally get her arrested and more likely dead.

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Bad episode of Night Gallery

Revisado: 10-16-18

I hope the author was just fulfilling some kind of contractual obligation with this. The story lacked anything remotely related to suspense or originality. I kept hoping there would be a twist that made uo for the lack of logic or common sense. Not to be. It played out like a bad tv episode of a second rate horror anthology.
And the narrator's performance was so over the top you had to wonder if he was personally trying to make you forget how bad the story actually was. Do they give razzies for spoken word performances?

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Satisfying end to a good series.

Revisado: 08-05-18

Most sixty plus hour books I've listened to are just examples of the author seeming to think he got paid by the word. Not this one. I enjoyed every bit.

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8 books in and I'm still not tired of the Talberts

Revisado: 06-03-17

What made the experience of listening to Zombie Fallout 8 the most enjoyable?

Just what you come to expect. I've listened to every book in the series and like all of them.

What did you like best about this story?

The family dynamic. Michael is the patriarch, but everyone has a voice in what happens.

What does Sean Runnette bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A unique voice. When I first started listening it was a little hard to match the voice to a hero. But as I listened it really came out that a hero was just the guy forced into the roll and Sean exemplified the every man that Michael Talbot was suppose to be.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I'm too many books into the series for anything to be a pivotal moment. But it's all fun.

Any additional comments?

If you're looking for enlightenment or to learn the secrets of life then you're looking in the wrong direction here. But if you're looking for a fun read then these books won't disappoint.

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I've never read a bad Martinez book

Revisado: 06-03-17

Where does Chasing the Moon rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's in the top 10% of all the books I've listened to so far (I'm over 700 with Audible and countless from other sources)

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I listen to books in my car while driving and through headphones when walking. I can't tell you of a specific incident, but I know the people around me probably thought I was a nutjob when I burst out laughing at something Mr. Martinez wrote. It's a fun read.

Any additional comments?

You'll never feel that you wasted a pick on a A. Lee Martinez book.

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Characters​ just ramble.

Revisado: 06-01-17

As a story it was OK, but extremely predictable and listening to Jack pontificate on his one dimensional theory of evil was just painful.

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Ruined by a cardboard lead character

Revisado: 12-13-15

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

No. The main character showed himself to be little more than a fool and a bully with the first couple of encounters with potential suspects/witness. I should have stopped listening when he confronted the known murderer with his small son in the car. Why did he do that? There was nothing in the story up to that point that indicated an urgency great enough to put a small child in harm's way. And, having lost his first son, it seems unlikely that he would do anything to risk this child.

What was most disappointing about David Levien’s story?

The writing isn't too bad and there's no glaring plot holes, but when the main character is a selfish ass who shows really bad judgement, it's hard to enjoy the story.

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Scott Brick is a very competent narrator. At times his reading sounds like he is giving a sermon from on high, but it's always good. Tonally and emotionally, there's not much difference in Scott's performance from one book to another.

Was Signature Kill worth the listening time?

NO

Any additional comments?

Mr. Levien please throw away the formula. Write real people. You don't need a big tough as nails character who plays by his own rules. Or at least work a little harder on the reasons your character does what he does. It shouldn't simply be that he's selfish and immature with poor impulse control.

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Grabbed every cliche he could find.

Revisado: 05-19-14

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would make the main characters a little more like real people instead of caricatures. The angry cop, with the angry boss just gets old real fast. He's a troubled man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders... Please! And give some of your secondary characters a bit of intelligence. Your main guys aren't exactly rocket scientists. When they're portrayed as the sharp ones, the guys around them start looking like plant life. It's just lazy writing.

If you’ve listened to books by Justin Gustainis before, how does this one compare?

First one. I'm not planning on a second.

Did Peter Brook do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes. By making them all sound like cartoon characters. It's bad when you cheer when a character dies, but if I had to listen to Brook's interpretation of Paul for more than a few pages I would have deleted the book right then. He sounds like that old sheepdog from the Warner Brothers cartoons. And the captain sounds like a bad impression of Jimmy Stewart. I like Carl, but I don't know how he got from Brooklyn to Scranton. His woman's voices are just grating.

Do you think Hard Spell needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I'm indifferent to it. I'm from Northeast Pa., so I'd like to see a successful series of books based in Scranton. But not if they don't get a lot better that this one.

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Last John Ringo book I'll ever read

Revisado: 04-24-14

What disappointed you about Ghost?

The main character. What positives can you say about a character who openly enjoys raping underage girls?

Has Ghost turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, just John Ringo. I've read, and enjoyed, several books he has written. It doesn't take long to figure out that he's a xenophobe and a misogynist and that his politics are far right of Rush Limbaugh. But he's a talented writer and his books were worth the rants and he's entitled to his opinions. But no more. It doesn't matter what heroic acts your main character performs, he doesn't get a pass because of it.

What does Jeremy Arthur bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr. Arthur is a good narrator who brings the right amount of urgency to the situations occurring in the book.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disgust. The main character is a brave man who performs some inhuman feats to save many people, but he's such a repugnant human being that you almost wish the bad guys had shot him in on the first page... He starts the book by stalking women and fantasizing about rape!

Any additional comments?

Never again.

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esto le resultó útil a 8 personas

Solid story, suspect premise.

Revisado: 04-24-14

Would you try another book from Andrew Peterson and/or Dick Hill?

I really enjoy Dick Hill's narration and always consider a book if he's reading it. On the fence about Andrew Peterson. I like the fact that his main characters are level headed and don't do the standard wild overreacting that's so common in this type of book, but the basic story premise is so flawed that it's hard to get past it.

Would you recommend First to Kill to your friends? Why or why not?

No. It's not a bad book, but it has some large problems... 40 tons of explosives given to a couple of guys as a setup??? FBI or not, how did they think they could do that without someone (everyone) - other than the hero- figuring it out. Do you really think the F.B.I. is run by the complete incompetents that you have in your book?

Which character – as performed by Dick Hill – was your favorite?

All and none. Dick Hill is good. But there isn't any character who rises above mediocrity. Not his fault, that's the way they are written.

Do you think First to Kill needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. It's a book that could have been a made for TV movie. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing memorable about it.

Any additional comments?

The book had it's moments, but I don't think I'll be putting this author on my list of "must reads."

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