Rigsman

Informative, but plodding.

Revisado: 06-23-16

I thought the book was very educational and imaginative. I've seen the author doing TED talks in the past and wonder why they didn't have her do the narration. I thought the narrator was a bit dry and at times seem to have the enthusiasm of someone reading a technical manual.

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Very Sanderson

Revisado: 04-05-16

This book was very Brandon Sanderson. It had his trademark use of magic but in a unique form with excellent instruction on how the system worked throughout. Excellent characters. The twist was a bit predictable. I thought the story paralleled the mistborn series a little too closely, however, with only slight changes, but since I loved that series, it's hard to hold that against him.

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Home run.

Revisado: 09-10-12

Would you consider the audio edition of The Final Empire to be better than the print version?

I never read the print version, but if I had, I doubt that my imagination could do much better than Michael Kramer. He's an amazing narrator.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Final Empire?

The first time that the main characters sparred. It was such a complex but well-thought out mixture of magic and physics that I remember really trying to place everything in my imagination just so. Normally, I listen to my books on my long commute and the story just eases into my ear, but that scene required concentration. It was a nice mental jolt in an otherwise boring drive.

Which scene was your favorite?

I had an answer here, but the question asks for a bit of a spoiler, so I'll pass.

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

Same answer here as before. Seems like a spoiler question, so I'll just tell those considering the book that there are several.

Any additional comments?

It's easy to see why Robert Jordan picked Brandon Sanderson to finish his Wheel of Time series. Although I noticed some distinct similarities in characters between Mistborn and Elantris (another great listen by Sanderson), he has so much imagination in how to make a world unique. It's not just another dwarves/elves/orcs storyline and magic doesn't just "exist". There's a thought process behind where it comes from and how to use it and the dangers and consequences of doing so. I'm already about halfway through the next book in the series, The Well of Ascension, and it's fun to see how Sanderson left threads for the series to follow yet at the end of Mistborn, there didn't feel like there was anything unfinished. As a post-script, I'll add that I enjoy the level of romance that Sanderson includes. It's enough without making a good fantasy story into a romance novel. A little goes a long way and Sanderson doesn't overindulge.

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Disappointed

Revisado: 08-13-12

Would you try another book from Elizabeth Moon and/or Cynthia Holloway?

I've read the Deed of Paksenarrion by Moon a couple times and enjoyed it immensely. I then tracked down The Legacy of Gird series and thought it was hit and miss When I found this series, I was eager to buy it. Having finished it, I'd say her record is one, one and one.Cynthia wasn't the best narrator I've listened to, but she wasn't horrible either. I wouldn't track down other performances just to listen but I also wouldn't give a book a pass just because she narrated it.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting aspect of the story and the series as a whole was the thought Elizabeth Moon put into the logistics of space travel and the battle scenes. These were by far the best parts of the story. I wish there had been more of them.The least interesting, and actually fairly annoying aspect, was Elizabeth Moon made all the characters actually explain things to each other that had happened in the other's absence. In most stories, you have a narrative... let's say a descent into a cave and an exciting run-in with a bear... and then a character not involved in the scene comes along. The character involved in the exciting part fills the newcomer in and it usually plays out like "Newbie asked 'why are you all out of breath and where'd you get this bearskin?' Hero then proceeded to fill Newbie in on the descent and the rest." Moon doesn't do this. Every character gets a fully detailed explanation of what they've missed and if someone else calls later and asks for an update, they get essentially the same several minutes of story regurgitated. By this, the fifth book, new characters were treated to long reports of everything that had happened so far not only in this installment but also the previous four books! It was as if she was trying to fill pages to reach a contractual obligation for five books. If you left these parts out and some of the other minutiae (I'd swear there was more time spent explaining the inside of some of the shops the main character visits than there was describing multi-ship space battles), this five-part series could have easily been a trilogy.

Any additional comments?

I liked the series enough to look forward to each installment. The writing was good with a strong lead female hero, although there are enough parallels between the internal struggles and backgrounds of Ky Vatta and Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter that it felt like the same narrative at times. By the end of the series, I got the impression if I broke into Moon's therapist's office and read her file, I wouldn't be much surprised. I'm not sorry I made the purchase to see how things wrapped up, but this final book was a let-down as far as the series goes and the ending was especially awful. If had bought the physical book, I would have thrown it across the room after reading the last few pages. It was such a betrayal of the character.

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Really entertaining

Revisado: 05-23-12

Where does The Game rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

As a performance, it was very average, but the story was really well written and intriguing.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Game?

There were several moments where the main character reveals his own failings and somehow makes the story more interesting because of them. His encounters with what most men would fantasize about and the honesty about the fear and social paralysis that comes along with them. Great stuff.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I'm not sure. The author read the book. I suppose a pro could have done a smoother job of it, but the times where he was awkward in real life in the book came across that way in his narration. It just wouldn't have sounded believable coming from some silver-throated voice actor.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

It's a great "the grass is greener" example. I thought it was a fascinating view into a world where I would never want to tread but probably would have envied those who made the trip. Now, that's not the case.

Any additional comments?

Great character development and, despite what most would think given the subject matter, very deep throughout.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Typical Stephenson

Revisado: 05-14-12

Would you consider the audio edition of Snow Crash to be better than the print version?

No idea. Are you trying to get me to stop buying audiobooks and start killing trees again?

Who was your favorite character and why?

Y.T. She was edgy and had most of the good one-liners.

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Davis – was your favorite?

Raven. He did a nice job of mixing his accents when several characters were involved in a scene. I thought his portrayal of Raven really gave the character life. I bet he does a mean Charles Bronson impression.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I could think of worse things.

Any additional comments?

This is my second Neal Stephenson book and I'm already starting to see a pattern. He does a great job in plot development and scene description, but he has a tendency to do significant character development on character who end up being less than important to the story or its end. Juanita is an example. Additionally, this story, as opposed to Reamde (which was very good, btw), seemed to wrap up like it hit a brick wall. There's a climax and then it's just over. In that way it's like a one-night stand without the awkward coyote morning. Speaking of climaxes, the story could've done without the graphic statutory rape scene, but otherwise it wasn't a waste of time.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Not what I expected

Revisado: 05-14-12

If you could sum up Reamde in three words, what would they be?

i can't say

What other book might you compare Reamde to and why?

Like Snow Crash but with more realism and less online stuff.

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

Couldn't say.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Perhaps. It's a little long, but if I was made to stay still for that amount of time, I could think of worse things to do.

Any additional comments?

Picked this up after listening to Ready Player One, which is a great book. This one was recommended as similar, which it isn't really. I thin perhaps that Stephenson's other book Snow Crash is more along the line of Ready Player One and this one got tagged as being alike because it also involves computer games in a small way. That's what got me, I think. I was ready for a completely different story than what I got, but, rather than being disappointed in my mistake, I felt carried along by the plot. The only criticism I have is that the author took the time to develop certain characters and storylines for those characters that ended up not resolving or being that important to the book.

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Useless

Revisado: 05-14-12

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

coma patients

Has How to Succeed with NLP turned you off from other books in this genre?

possibly

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Erik Synnestvedt?

I don't think the narrator was the issue here.

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

Frustration.

Any additional comments?

This book was like listening to the song that never ends. Despite its title, the book professes at the beginning that it will not teach the concepts of NLP necessary to understand what it's trying to accomplish. For the rest of what I could actually stand to listen to, the book talks in circles, never actually getting to the meat of the matter. My guess is the author had about 3 paragraphs worth of stuff and figured no one would buy something that short, so he added hours of padding. I bet in school, his essays had the words "very, very, very, very... " in a lot of sentences. I bought it with a subscription credit, which means that I spent $11 on what was essentially a poorly written pamphlet.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

Great concept; horrible execution.

Revisado: 04-07-12

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Great voice and passable acting. He can't quite pull off female characters but his narration is top notch.

Any additional comments?

Only the very beginning and the very end were compelling. Everything in between was as if the author decided to follow irrelevant portions of the storylines of the relevant characters. It would be as if I told you the story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf but focused mainly on the construction of their houses and glossed over that whole

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Like reading a video game

Revisado: 01-16-12

What did you love best about Ready Player One?

This was a great story. The title obviously gives away the subject matter but I've never come so close to feeling like I was reading a video game.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character, Parzival. He was a great protagonist. Really believable. The author didn't make him wildly heroic one moment and then monkey-brained the next in an attempt to create dramatic situations.

What about Wil Wheaton’s performance did you like?

His acting history serves him well. He reads with proper tone and inflection. He's no Michael Kramer, but he's not annoying either.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. I usually listen to book during my commute (1 hour each way) and found myself wanting to stay in my driveway and listen to the next chapter.

Any additional comments?

It's on my re-read/listen list. It's rare that I'll listen to a story more than once, but this one made the top of the list.

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