shu

annoying narration

Revisado: 11-04-23

Narrator is one of those over modulators who emphasizes random syllables by speaking at an elevated volume, reducing other syllables or words to near or complete inaudibility. good story, but after 15 or 20 minutes just too irritating to listen.

To understand the issue, slow your player to 70% speed or less and listen. Many single syllable words - in, it, when, and, for, of, who - are reduced to near inaudible consonant, or entirely missing. For example, you hear "bake-a NEGS." In the time taken to disambiguate that to "bacon and eggs" the narrator has moved several phrases forward in the story. In many cases the missing words, although single syllable, are critical to meaning of the sentence.

The phrase "Catholic Church," in the context of 17th Century religious conflicts, might properly have the modifier "Catholic" subtly emphasized. This narrator unaccountably renders "catholic CHURCH." The frequent harsh and inappropriate overemphasis of random words or syllables is very disconcerting.

This treatment disrespects both the author,who deserves to have all his words clearly enunciated, and the listener, who is continually and undeservedly abused by the narration. Bad Narrator!

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Overall, yes, five stars...

Revisado: 02-14-23

...altho with such a wide ranging book, is understandable some readers will find shortfalls.

The narration, as important as the story to a good audiobook, is clear, well paced and modulated, pleasant voiced.

Story begins as typical "stepping stone" recitation of discovery in magnetism and electricity. Entering the electronic age at end of 19th century, story broadens to include personalities of individuals and corporations. The separate steps of scientific and engineering advance through semiconductors, transistors, integrated circuits are well and thoroughly covered.

This book goes on my small list of re-listeners.

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Cut the 'deadwood'!

Revisado: 01-09-23

Remove words that do not 'pay their way' from the narrative, and you would have a winner. Most noticeable, the word 'itself,' which adds nothing [to the story itself].

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Fails to deliver on promise

Revisado: 08-09-16

What disappointed you about Engineers of Victory?

About 10% of the book covers the announced theme - the contribution of mid level scientific, industrial, and military folks to allied victory. Another 20% could be a useful overview of the few selected campaigns.

What was most disappointing about Paul Kennedy’s story?

Unfortunately these useful nuggets are buried in a blizzard of factoids pulled from across the geographic and temporal spectrum both World Wars. The rest of the book is just fluff - the kind of B.S. or drivel used to fill up a third rate term paper.

Would you be willing to try another one of Stephen Hoye’s performances?

Stephen Hoye is one of my go-to narrators. Every word is pronounced and understandable; a bountiful joy of enunciation. As constructive criticism, his readings tend to be overly dramatic. The device is best used sparingly, reserved for passages deserving emphasis.

Any additional comments?

Paul Kennedy doubtless knows a lot of history. He is the kind of guy - high priced Yale Professor with big vocabulary - the Air Force might hire to lecture at the Air Command and Staff College for field grade officers. The book reads like he had brought two hours of material with him but had contracted to teach sixteen hours.

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Five Stars all around

Revisado: 07-13-16

What did you love best about Midnight's Furies?

The book covers the creation of India and Pakistan from the British Raj in 1947-48. Brief Prelude and Epilogue reference contemporary politics in the region. It is, so far as I can tell, slanted neither to the Hindu, Moslem, nor Sikh perspective. The author Nisid Hajari gives an understanding of the politics and personalities - Nehru, Jinnah, Gandhi, Mountbatten and other Brits - of the time, but does not shirk from necessary description of the violence between factions during the Partition.The book complements other books available from Audible on the history of the Middle World for those looking for background to understand contemporary events there.

Any additional comments?

Narration by Sunhil Malhotra is outstanding - well paced, clearly spoken, with narrow but appropriate range of volume and pitch. A pleasure to listen to.

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A genuine keeper, worthy of repeat listening.

Revisado: 07-10-16

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

Mahaffey is a nuclear power engineer. The core of the book is a review of injuries, deaths, and accidents, as humanity came to know, understand, and manage nuclear energy - world-wide, from the Curies to Fukushima. During this the reader/listener gains an understanding for the range of nuclear reactor types (different fuels, moderators, heat transfer mediums, purposes, etc.), and criticality events (the unintentional assembly of critical mass in handling of nuclear materials).

Flanking this core are a prelude and a peroration. The prelude begins with the Sayano–Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station disaster, making the point that any package of stored energy, even a placid lake, can be a bundle of destruction. The prelude then turns to the trepidation with which 19th Century travelers approached travel by steam locomotive - something like the wariness of 20th Century citizens to nuclear power.

The brief peroration covers two issues. One is the treatment of spent nuclear fuel, which Mahaffey believes the US has wrong and the rest of the world does right. The other is what Mahaffey calls the "Rickover trap." The pressurized water reactor fueled by enriched uranium was the type Adm. Hyman Rickover properly selected to power submarines. Scaled up to power land based reactors powering whole cities, it may not be the most appropriate type - just as we have stayed with and built on the internal combustion engine for personal transport, because the first one worked.

What about Tom Weiner’s performance did you like?

Tom Weiner will be added to my list of "go to" narrators. He has the clear enunciation of every word, the generally even levels of volume and pitch, that are essential for easy listening and clear understanding.

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Excellent book; fills many gaps

Revisado: 07-09-16

What made the experience of listening to The Man Who Saved the Union the most enjoyable?

The core of Grant's Civil War years are well known from the many excellent Civil War book (Caton, McPherson, Foote, etc.) and Brands provides a good run-through of that here. There is not much about his very youth, and a smattering of West Point. The new (for me) information begins with details of courting Julia Dent, pre-Mexican War, the Oregon years, Galena IL, Rawlins and Washburn, through Belmont. There is an unexpected but welcome digression for background on Sherman.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Man Who Saved the Union?

Most welcome is discussion of the Reconstruction years, about which so very little is available in popular writings. Coverage of the Presidential years are for the same reason much valued in this book.

What about Stephen Hoye’s performance did you like?

Stephen Hoye is one of my "go to" narrators. Every word clearly pronounced, and generally even levels of volume and pitch. These are essential for listening against background noise, and for retention of non-fiction information. (As contrasted with a reading of "Night Terror of the Swamp Monsters" where some emotionalism is expected.) In this book, Hoye's rendition is sometimes overly "emotional," for which I subtracted one star. But we forgive you, Stephen. The book is that good.

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Good book annoyingly narrated

Revisado: 04-21-15

What did you love best about Lion of Liberty?

Love? Can we go with "What did you like best ..."? Presented a dimension of Founding Father politics not revealed in typical school history classes. Explains the genuine concerns many reasonable people had about ratification of the Constitution.

What other book might you compare Lion of Liberty to and why?

"James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights" covers much the same subject. "Lion of Liberty" is by no means a comprehensive biography of Patrick Henry, but does a better job with the Ratification issue. "Struggle for the Bill of Rights" tends to flog the subject with too much detail.

How could the performance have been better?

Book was read much too fast. Had to slow it to 85% to reach a comfortable listening pace. The NARrator's TENdency to STAMP on certain SYLlables is a deTESTable and IRriating habit that RUined the performance. Learn to speak in an even tone, William, or give it up! And slow down. Listen to Simon Vance or Stephen Hoye.

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History, biography, science - an excellent mix

Revisado: 03-21-15

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

"Quantum" will have a lengthy residence in our 8Gb player. It is worth several listens. Narration is well paced and even-toned. Much of the story is brief biographical or personality sketches of the twenty or so personalities involved in developing quantum physics. These details provide a framework against which to pin the scientific details of the story.

Any additional comments?

Without need of deep mathematical or physical knowledge, the book covers the emergence of quantum physics in the 1920's, and what was so revolutionary about it. In a way that classical physics, even the relativity physics of Einstein, did not envision, the world according to quantum does not exist except in the presence of the observer.

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A thoroughly excellent audio book

Revisado: 03-21-15

Would you listen to Destiny Disrupted again? Why?

Author Tamim Ansary narrates his book in a pleasant, well paced, conversational tone. It is easy listening. Occasional use of common slang makes the presentation more like a well rehearsed speech than a book reading.There is plenty of information for many repeat listenings.

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

Ansary is of Afghani-American heritage. His early years were at an English language school in Afghanistan. The topic is of current interest - Islam in the core geographic area of Egypt through Afghanistan. Coverage is from the life of Mohammad through the middle ages, colonialism, to the current spectrum of Islam beliefs.The book presents history from the perspective of the middle empire - Persian and Turkic peoples - and the fundamental paradigms of Islam. (Not perhaps views to which Ansary personally adheres, but which he can credibly present.)

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