Atalpu

Not for me

Revisado: 11-16-24

I enjoyed the Lennox books for the most part but these Miss Busby titles don‘t do much for me. I had mostly fun in the first one, but the second was already a bit of a struggle. This third title made me give up around the middle of it. There‘s just nothing there that keeps me. The writing is lackluster and the main character is a non-entity for me. Her sidekick Adeleine is annoying as hell though but has more life than most of the other characters. Just not the sort of character I would want to spend any time with at all. Also, the situations are more and more … uninspired and you‘ve seen/read similar elsewhere.

I‘m sure others will find this series equally or more so interesting than the Lennox books - but I would suggest to the author to spend more time on writing and - even more importantly - editing than cranking them out at this pace. One book a year is sufficient. Same goes for the Lennox books, IMHO. I‘m guessing this is why the author brought another writer in to help her out. Better than have AI help her out, although judging by how this reads, I‘m not sure there isn‘t a generous dollop of that included, as it‘s just bland and faceless.

The reading is excellent though. I like it and it‘s probably also a large part why I‘ve stuck with it this long.

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Moronic main character, limited vocabulary

Revisado: 04-02-24

This might have some spoilers, so please be aware of that before reading on.


As I said, spoilers!





OK, here we go.


I've listened to a good portion of Greig Beck's catalogue by now. Many of the stories are quite good and I felt really happy with many of the characters and situations. I would've loved a bit more continuity between some of the linked books, especially if one civilisation-threatening event comes up at least once per book with thousands if not millions of people dead. Yet, there usually isn't any mention of that in the next book, other than maybe a related heartache.

Which brings me to this and the previous book's problems. While the story is in itself fun and exciting, the by now clearly limited vocabulary of the author has become quite apparent (how many times do you have to say "oh shit" or use the word "fronds" in a book? according to Mr. Beck, as often as possible) and his truly limited main character (a former CIA agent acting like he's a lovesick puppy for the female antagonist, who has shot him and tried to kill him on several occasions but he still seems to think she can be trusted and is not responsible for her actions because... what, she's hot?) and the even more limited main antagonist ( a new-age Viking with a short fuse, no brain and too many guns). These are all standing in the way of an otherwise engaging situation and story. The narration is also somewhat limited but I'm sure that's because of what the poor guy has to read, and not his skill.

I've slogged through almost 8 hours of this "masterpiece" and I'm switching to something with a bit more wit than what we find in here. I'll probably come back later to see where this leads, but boy, I can't do that today.

@Mr. Beck: please, please, you need a better editor.

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Eventful book - not sure what happened with audio

Revisado: 07-12-23

I enjoyed the story and thought most of the reading was good. Starting with chapter 53 or so, Joe R. Lansdale reading the main part sounded as if he was recording now on an iPhone in his kitchen or something. The other parts were more or less the same throughout. Whoever produced this audiobook must've been in a hurry to see it through. Too bad, it would have deserved better.

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Lyrical, calm, a meditation on experience

Revisado: 01-17-23

The further along I get, the more I enjoy the rhythm of John Straley’s latest novel. There is action to be sure, but it serves a purpose and is not just sitting there. There’s a lot being said, and a whole lot left unspoken, and the mixture is… refreshing. What a pleasure to have Straley among us.

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Great story, excellent writing

Revisado: 01-13-23

… and a great performance, too.

This John Straley‘s book is like a poem. It took me a while, but suddenly it hit me, maybe an hour ir ao into the reading. The rhythm, the words, the ebb and flow of these peoples lives. Very beautiful.

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Not especially clever

Revisado: 01-04-21

I usually like (or even love) books by Garth Nix. All of his Old Kingdom books and stories are exceptional. I love their atmosphere and most of their characters. Angel Mage was interesting but sadly it seems a stand-alone book. But here, the Left-Handed Booksellers of London is compared to the above mentioned titles flat and almost uninteresting. Characters are moving around a lot, there's a lot of dialogue. But I feel no real urgency in their actions. They just wander/run/drive/fly from one calamity to the next and we're riding along for the explanations and yelling and crying and...

There are good bits though, and these I loved. The scene at the mountain for example. I just wish there were more story with real meat on its bones, as opposed to the fluffy cotton candy the rest is made of. Don't get me wrong: there's action, there's blood, there's death and a lot of world-building, as the saying goes. It just lacks the spark I had hoped to jump over to me.

Compare his Old Kingdom novels, heck, take one of his short stories or novellas to Left-Handed Booksellers and you'll notice the difference. The richness, the depth, how you care for the characters. Here, I had a hard time wanting to finish the story, but I soldiered through. *edit 2023: I listened to the sequel and thought that quite a lot more impressive and very good

Because everyone can have a bad day, I'm not angry, but I think of this book as a missed opportunity. Someone else wrote in their review, and I paraphrase, "Left-Handed Booksellers are at the low end of the Young Adult scale of books". I wish I had thought of writing that, because I tend to agree.

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Ugh, the narration killed this one for me.

Revisado: 05-13-20

I don't know, sometimes a narration just doesn't click for me. Sadly, this was the case for this story. I thought Mr. Villa's voice flat, lifeless, really not interested and certainly without that quality what I'm looking for in a narrator's voice. He might get better as the story progresses, but after about an hour I've had enough. Maybe I've been pampered too much by Stephen King's If It Bleeds collection, which I had finished the day before. There, every narrator was spot on.

About the story. I really can't say anything about it other than I liked the premise. I may have to get the physical book to learn what's going to happen.

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This book needs editing.

Revisado: 11-09-18

JK Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith is, while I'm guessing aimed adults, filled with many of the same tropes she used in her Harry Potter books. Minor spoilers for both the Potter books and the Strike novels in general and this one in particular hereafter.

I won't go into the plot other than saying I think is rather thin, convoluted and needlessly violent. Descriptions of abuse are very clear and precise, where other parts of the book are vague and you get the feeling you're trying to change a light bulb with oven mittens on your hands. What irks me something furious is the harebrained way the female main character - Robin - is acting. What wasn't fun to read in the Potter novels, namely the romantic angst of "woe me, does she/he love me?" of Harry with his love interests or Ron Weasley's eventual relationship with Hermione, makes a rather unwelcome comeback in these Cormoran Strike books. Only, here it's Strike and Robin, caught in a love triangle with Matthew (and any beautiful girl stumbling over Strike and into his bed, which makes it a what? A quartet?). Of course, the love isn't consummated but it get's in the way on a constant basis. About as often as we find Strike eat anything from fish and chips to haute cuisine, he mulls over his feelings for Robin. And what of Robin? She of low self-esteem is constantly questioning Strike's way of acting/re-acting. This way of communicating is so reminiscent of the Potter books, where the protagonists are teenagers and therefore excused for acting like this, I wonder who JKR is writing this stuff for exactly. Judging by the violence and angst, it might just be for the Potter generation grown up.

I don't have the printed version of the book and only listened to the (excellent production with Robert Glenister giving a great performance) audio book, but I am not ashamed to admit that half-way through I became so annoyed with it, I had to stop several times more than is usual for me. All because of the seemingly endless meandering of the plot, the pointless interviews and flashbacks, the needless misunderstandings between Strike/Robin and, of course, the police. I did finish it in the end and I readily admit I liked the ending. It's something JKR does very well. I'm not speaking about the case and its resolution, this I thought sucked und the whole point of view of the killer is so sphincter clenchingly bad, I pity the editor who had to live through it. Those parts made me cringe about as much as the quotes from the Blue Oyster Cult, which appeared to me a fancy way of puffing up the whole thing even more.

As much as my own review might profit from rigorous editing, so would Career of Evil by JK Rowling aka Robert Galbraith definitely do, too. The book's too long and clocking in at almost 18 hours, we're talking about five hours too long. Easily achieved with less angst, less food reviews, less moping around, less quoting and cutting the tour of London entries by half. On the other hand, we could do with a laugh once in a while, but the sort of laugh that isn't borne of Schadenfreude, but of genuine good humor.

Anyway, that's my thoughts on this title.

#Depressing #Violent #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

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Great book, excellent performance!

Revisado: 08-21-18

Finally, Mythago Wood. Robert Holdstock’s classic tale presented as an audiobook with the wonderful Rupert Degas commissioned to do the narration. Let’s hope Orion/Audible will produce the remaining Mythago books as well!

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Good story, not so good narration

Revisado: 07-28-18

The story is a fine one by the late great David Gemmell. The narration, sadly, is subpar and makes it a real chore to listen to. I'm on the fence about returning the book because of it, but might struggle on. Almost all other Gemmell books, which have finally become available in the last year or so have mostly excellent narration (except for the Sigarni Hawk Queen and Rigante series). I don't know, if the money ran out for professional readers or what made them change their selection, but it's really sad. Gemmell's stories deserved better than this.

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