Mark K. Anduss

will they ever learn? will we?

Revisado: 12-19-23

I enjoyed the book and thought the narration was very good. My only complaint is that the storyline is one we get again and again about someone thinking they can safely handle/study/transport xenomorphs.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

An interesting slice of a Las Vegas

Revisado: 11-07-23

This book is an interesting look into one person's experience during a very specific slice of Las Vegas' history.
Overall, it was enjoyable.
There were a couple of what I believe to be typos that made it through the recording, which I feel should have been readily caught during production. Those pulled me out of the story.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

I'd return it if I could

Revisado: 11-07-23

On the plus side, this book does give some interesting background and is useful as a quick, although not entirely accurate, summary of the evolution of the Strip. I did learn a few things about the earlier days, but now I question whether that is accurate or not since there are other aspects I know more about which the author gets wrong. There are also some curious omissions that I feel someone familiar with Las Vegas would have included.

I'm not quite sure what the author's intent was for this book. Whenever mentioning dollar amounts (which happens a lot) it is quickly followed by the equivalent amount in dollar value for the year 2017 (when the book was written). I got pretty good at estimating that 2017 dollar amount. This constant comparison breaks the flow of the narrative and isn't really useful as I listen to it in 2023. He often says 'refer to chapter' x when talking about people or places in later chapters that he thinks you might have forgotten about. Maybe he wanted it to be a textbook or more legitimate reference book?

The recording quality is inconsistent. There are obvious punch in phrases that have a recording quality that is different enough from the original edit to be jarring. It is understandable that recording updates years after the original won't match exactly, but it sounds like the editors didn't try to make them flow smoothly. I'm not sure that any of those edits added enough value to make them worth the inconsistent recording.

Some of the updates from 2021 are already out of date, too, which is a common hazard of writing about recent or current Las Vegas.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Right Narrator. Wrong Author

Revisado: 06-30-23

The narration and voicings kept me going through the whole novel. Otherwise, I would have put it down early. That voicing isn't going to be for everyone. Please listen to a sample before you buy this.
There are moments when it feels like the author is trying to make sure you know that he is cool and knows stuff. And it makes me cringe.
Other parts feel like they were written from a 9th grader's point of view and life experience level - especially when it comes to sex, the objectification of women and the AI persona. It isn't constant, but it pulls me out of the story each time.
My Expedition stops here with the first book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Had high hopes

Revisado: 05-05-23

The phrasing and pacing of the narration is awful.
I'm surprised no one fixed the pacing during the editing process.
Story is mediocre and feels a bit out of place in the Alien world. I hope there are more Latinx books set in the Aliens universe (and even another Vasquez story), but they have to be better than this.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Unfortunate stereotypes

Revisado: 06-04-22

I'm giving this 2 stars for the story since I did listen through to the end although I wanted to stop multiple times along the way. Overall, it was a 1 star listen.

The narration is difficult listening. The accent seems a bit forced.

The story itself is okay. It seemed like the author was not really familiar with Las Vegas. I found the lazy strip club stereotypes offensive.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

not Ready

Revisado: 01-23-22

I feel it trying to be a little too much like Ready Player One. We also don't need to know the director and year of every movie reference - especially since it doesn't really relate to the story. It feels very forced.

I do appreciate that multiple performers were used for the voices.
The 8-bit, chipset soundtrack adds value.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Do not listen to this in a hospital waiting room

Revisado: 06-09-20

Do not listen to this in a hospital waiting room. Good, emotional story. 'A Life' does very quick location /story switches, but is easy to follow once you understand that's what is happening.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Shatner?

Revisado: 01-29-14

What didn’t you like about Sean Pratt’s performance?
There were moments where he seemed to be channeling William Shatner.

Any additional comments?
If you liked the movie "Runner Runner" one of the storylines woven into it was the Absolute Poker story that is told in more detail (and with less dramatic license) in Straight Flush.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Lasers and casinos

Revisado: 07-09-12

Would you try another book from Lee Singer and/or Janean Jorgensen?

maybe

Any additional comments?

I did not realize this was going to be a silly sci-fi tale with laser guns. I had to double check that I was listening to the right book a few times.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña