George Ellington

Dark and Exciting

Revisado: 12-19-20

Paddren, an apprentice wizard in the land of Paltria, mourns the loss of his mentor, Kalesh. He believes Kalesh to have been murdered, and therefore cannot understand the refusal of the Royal Order of Wizards to investigate. While struggling to keep his friend Varnia safe from the dangers that he is only slowly coming to understand surround them, Paddren continues to investigate on his own with the help of Varnia's lover, Leyoch. Already this tale presents us with compelling characters and a mystery and conflict well worth reading (or in my case, listening to), but what made it all the more fascinating was how well Suzanne Rogerson wove into the mystery an even deeper, darker, and more tragic tale set three and half centuries earlier--the story of the fall of the magical city of Zarua. I wanted to follow Paddren and Varnia and Leyoch in their own lives and struggles, but was even more excited to follow this intriguing and complex tale that binds their fates to events narrated from far in the past--beautifully done! And the narration was excellent! Guy Barnes does a great job of creating distinct, believable voices for each character, with fine pacing and emotive enough to evoke more detailed imagery and experiences in the thoughts of listener while following along in this grand tale. I cared enough about this land and its people to have wished, by the end of this book, that there would be more to come, as Suzanne Rogerson has done with her Silent Sea trilogy. Very well done to both--Suzanne and Guy!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A classic well narrated

Revisado: 11-10-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I had long wanted to sit and read St Augustine's classic work on the Trinity. This is a major work with incredible significance, not just for the Catholic Church, but in the context of a dispute that has raged for millennia now over the nature of Christ. And this is definitely a must-read work to better understand the arguments that many have presented, at least in terms of Augustine's response to those arguments, and he is quite clear in his rejection of certain of those arguments. The very length and complexity of Augustine's work made me suspect that I really would have to see the text before me, that an audiobook would either not do the treatise justice or not allow space and time for the listener to follow Augustine's arguments and comprehend his words. But the narrator, Kevin Spalding, did a fine job of guiding the listener along. His skill at narrating is most clearly highlighted by his refined intonation, which guides the listener through otherwise exceedingly long and complicated sentences and paragraphs. I felt Spalding's narration was indeed enough for me to follow and appreciate Augustine's amazing treatise.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 7 personas

Back in Cherringham

Revisado: 03-10-20

Sarah Edwards, having stepped away from her former investigative work with Jack, a retired cop from New York, is asked to pursue a new investigation on her own in Cherringham--a suspicious death. A teacher has apparently fallen to his death in the Thames, which calls into question what is happening in that teacher's school, the same school attended by Sarah's kids. At first quite reluctant, she eventually agrees to investigate, wishing her old American partner were still there, but he had left a year ago. Only now, quite unexpectedly, Jack has returned, and the investigation can begin in earnest. Dead in the Water is an engaging enough mystery, but much of the attraction to the story--and the pleasure we derive from it, I think--has to do with this great pairing of Sarah and Jack. And Neil Dudgeon does a tremendous job in performing these characters for us. His style, his timing, his flow from narrative to thought to speech is excellent, as one might expect. Well worth the listen.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Lost memories

Revisado: 03-03-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Childhood friends return after many years to the town they grew up in, not at all sure why they have done so. And certainly unable to recall what happened to them all before they had left this mysterious place. The story bobs back and forth between the past and the present, and I found that quite engaging, although as others have pointed out, more distinction between the voices of different characters would have helped. But overall I quite enjoyed the story and the narration. The mystery of it all was quite compelling and fun trying to work out. Well done.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A Doctor's Death

Revisado: 02-27-20

In Michaela James tale, Detective Craig Monroe is not convinced that the death of Jude Ryland, a local doctor, was the result of suicide, as some seem to believe. Particularly as, the further he looks into the death, the clearer it becomes that a number of people in the English village of Mead might have had cause to kill the doctor. But beyond the secrets the people seem to be hiding, it appears that the village itself harbors darker secrets that no one wants revealed. I do like the premise of the story, of course, and the setting is enjoyable, although I weary of the arrogant posh side of life after a while. What I could not really enjoy was the character of the detective himself, who didn't strike me as sympathetic as I would have wished. A good read, just not a great one. What saved it for me was the fine quality of the narration. Well done, Agnes McCreath.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A very ghostly town

Revisado: 01-28-20

It is 1999, and psychic investigators Theo Lawson and Ness Patterson have been brought in to examine psychic phenomena in an old mining town in north Yorkshire. Exactly a century before, 59 people died at the market hall during what should have been a lovely Christmas Eve celebration. The tragedy of the deaths of these men, women, and children from the working community of the town should be enough to create sympathy and misgivings, but the circumstances of the deaths also seem to have fueled an enduring supernatural anger and perhaps lust for revenge. But the psychic investigators must somehow uncover the nature of this other worldly loathing. This is quite an engaging story, one to be honest I wasn't sure I would quite get into. But the story is fine, and the quality of the narration alone would have been enough, I think, to keep me listening. Heather Tracy does a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life (or afterlife, as it were), and I found myself listening on, eager to hear and learn more of this haunting tale.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A fine performance of an intriguing mystery

Revisado: 12-21-19

When the body of a notorious womanizer is found in a pothole in Yorkshire, DCI Jim Oldroyd is called in with his team to investigate, including his new sargeant from London, Carter. The developing relationships between Carter and Oldroyd along with other members of the team were enjoyable to read, and the mystery itself, highlighted by descriptions of caving and the risks involved, was a pleasure to follow. However, I must say that the real joy of this listen rested with the narrator, Michael Page, whose characterizations were fantastic and engaging. Highly recommended.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Murder mystery finely voiced

Revisado: 12-10-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I quite enjoyed Swift's tale of murder in Malvern and the struggle of Lorna Buchanan to discover who done it. Highlights for me included the setting, well created in the narration, gloomy and foreboding, along with the characters, most particularly the budding friendship of Lorna and Margaret, a former student of Lorna's from Lorna's very brief employment at a country school for girls. The efforts of Lorna and Margaret to secure the information they need to solve the mystery as women in 19th century England are cleverly composed, and the regular flashbacks to Lorna's upbringing in India are very nice touches fleshing out Lorna's character development. What I most enjoyed about this tale was the narration itself. Melanie Crawley does a fine job of endowing each figure of the story with their own voice and style, and her narration keeps the tale alive. Well done.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña