seawall

Interesting story ruined by poor narrator

Revisado: 12-06-22

The Maggie Hope books are an interesting cross between the genres of murder mystery and spy/action-adventure novels. Maggie, the main character, is a British citizen raised in the United States. She is a not-entirely-credible mix of very naive young woman and a person with a very high I.Q., especially when it comes to "maths" (as the Brits refer to mathematics). The novels' main appeal for me is that Maggie's work has her interacting with some of the main figures in Britain during WWII-- in this case, she's assigned to Windsor Castle to protect young princess Elizabeth. This allows the story to feature an array of people dealing with the challenges and dangers of wartime, from Winston Churchill and the royal family to governesses, maids, and the castle's resident falconer. Towards the end, the story becomes quite suspenseful and exciting-- well done.

But, as other readers have noted, the narrator is not a good choice. She reads the dialogue fairly well, but the rest-- the sentences describing scenes and actions-- is read with odd cadences, each sentence sounding the same as the last and the next. I'd like to read more of the series, but don't think I could listen to another book read by this narrator.

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Time to call it a day

Revisado: 11-14-20

I became a fan of the Dresden Files because the early books were so much fun: a mash-up of urban fantasy, detective novels, mythology from many traditions, and comic-book monsters, all revolving around a non-conformist young wizard with a lot of humor and a wise-ass attitude. But over 17 novels, much of the fun has worn thin. A Titan threatens Chicago and a huge coalition of characters we've met in previous novels in the series, human, fey, and immortal, turn out to defeat her, Battles ensue on a, well, titanic scale. Many die, including at least one recurring character in the series. But very little feels original or, worse, much fun any more. The battle scenes feel too often like we're watching one of those Marvel superheroes movies or a video game. More seriously, the personal relationships have stopped being interesting. The most entertaining and often endearing characters in the series have generally been human (or at least, half-human), like Murphy, Butters, Thomas, Carlos, and Molly. But ever since Jim Butcher put both Dresden and Molly under the control of Mab and her Winter court, the series has become more and more like the worst winter days: dark and just plain dreary. Maybe it's time to let Dresden go.

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Okay story, poor narrator

Revisado: 04-17-19

I've liked P.B. Ryan's Nell Sweeney series up to this point, but this third book is a bit disappointing. The story, which isn't particularly gripping, is developed mostly by long conversations, rather than any action, and in these scenes, characters confess more than I sometimes felt was credible. I'll probably stay with the series, but hope that subsequent books are a bit more lively. However, I won't listen to more if the same narrator is used. She has the irritating habits of pausing where she shouldn't ("'We found a bullet in the wall of the bedroom,' [pause] said Nell.") and of failing to pause where she should, e.g., when moving to another scene. Both can be jarring.

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Wonderful novel from one of America's best writers

Revisado: 02-04-13

Would you listen to The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay again? Why?

Not likely-- I tend not to reread books, even excellent ones like this.

What other book might you compare The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay to and why?

Chabon's writing is often picaresque and wildly imaginative and original, while at the same time being thoughtful, timely, and moving. It reminds me of other prolific and inventive stylists like Melville (in "Moby Dick"), Rabelais, Dickens, and Shakespeare, though not exactly like any of them.

Which character – as performed by David Colacci – was your favorite?

Sammy-- because his story was so poignant and because, in his ability to dream up new fictions, he seemed a bit like Chabon's own alter ego.

If you could rename The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, what would you call it?

I wouldn't-- the title is perfect.

Any additional comments?

I've read and enjoyed a number of Chabon's other works, but this one especially puts him in the first rank of novelists working in America today. The writing is so inventive and rich, so original and entertaining, that I was constantly amazed by the novel's style, even as I appreciated its plot, characters, and relevance to American history.

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Good but uneven

Revisado: 08-28-12

What did you like best about A Discovery of Witches? What did you like least?

I thought the book was a very mixed achievement. On the one hand, neither main character is all that appealing. Diana Bishop is, at the beginning, much too timid and foolish to be a convincing full professor-- and at Yale, at that. And later in the book, after she commits to a relationship with Matthew, her indifference to his feeding on other humans is disturbing, given that she comes from a loving family that surely would have taught her a different set of values. Her lover Matthew, the vampire, isn't particularly compelling; he's supposed to be (like the vampire hero of the "Twilight" books) almost impossibly beautiful, not to mention wise, but he too often comes across as arrogant. His desire to postpone the consummation of his relationship with Diana becomes both tiresome and puzzling by the third part of this long novel, especially since by that point they and everyone else considers them married. On the other hand, many of the secondary characters are well drawn and add rich dimensions to the story. And this is convincing; after all, people often develop relationships with their spouses friends and relatives when they marry. I also liked the way that the supposedly-forbidden alliance of different "creatures," witches, vampires, and daemons, that these characters form functions-- without being too obvious or preachy-- as an allegory for our own troubled times. Finally, though the story moves a bit slowly at time, it seems by the end to pick up some steam. I'll probably try the sequel.

Did Jennifer Ikeda do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes. She's pretty good at various American and foreign accents (English upper-class, Scots, French), though I find her reading of Diana's voice rather nasal and flat.

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Very good but uneven sequel

Revisado: 07-30-12

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It both plays on our expectations of fantasy and critically upends them.

What did you like best about this story?

One of the main characters, Quentin, only barely achieves maturity as a person and interest as a character, and the sections of the book that focus on him just aren't as good as the writing in the first book. But Julia really comes into her own in this sequel. She is an arresting character and the things that happen to her are startlingly unpredictable and unforgettable. Through Julia, Grossman pushes to the limit the questions these books raise: What is magic? Is it what fantasy fiction leads us to believe? Why do we want so badly to believe it is, and what comes of our expectations? and most important, What are the consequences of pursuing magical power to its limits?

Did Mark Bramhall do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, he changes genders and accents easily and well.

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

What happens to Julia when she and her friends try to summon an ancient goddess-- though to say more would spoil the story.

Any additional comments?

Mark Bramhall is a good narrator, but has a tendency to lower his voice at the ends of words so that he sounds somewhat glum at times.

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A fine start to an engaging series

Revisado: 03-09-12

Would you consider the audio edition of Storm Front to be better than the print version?

Haven't read the print version, but the audio edition was very enjoyable.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character, Harry Dresden, is a vivid and memorable creation, a mix of powerful wizard, wise-cracking detective, and something of a social misfit.

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

He's one of the best narrators of audio books I've ever had the pleasure of listening to-- and I listen to a LOT of books. His reading is subtle, never forced or over the top, yet he also

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

No, it's just highly entertaining and inventive pulp fiction, not deeply serious or highly witty Literature. The author puts Harry in one dangerous situation after another and then dreams up ingenious ways to get him out of them. (Think

Any additional comments?

I can easily see why the series is so popular and Marsters's reading so well regarded.

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