J. T. Burman

Remarkable

Revisado: 04-23-25

You will feel things for this android. He will make you care in ways you don't expect.

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The prince's story, not Sam's

Revisado: 03-28-25

I don't regret listening. But at first I was annoyed. I think it's worth knowing in advance that Sam and Ryan (and the rest) are secondary characters. This is Prince Justin's story: the Ice Prince. So it takes a while to warm up.

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Continuity?!

Revisado: 03-26-25

This feels like it was written by someone else. The difference was jarring. Lots of little things add up to make it something other than what it was. And that so few reviews even mention this makes me suspicious about the use of AI at all levels.

Great narration, as always, but I think I might be done with Larson for a while. (No more automatic pre-order; if I get the next one, I'll be much more open to returning it than I have been.)

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Recommended

Revisado: 12-13-24

Neil Hellegers (the performer) suggested when we chatted that I might like this series. He said it was among the best in the genre. And I agree. His performance is also excellent: if you've ever wondered if you can hear someone quirk their eyebrow, the evidence is here. (Good story too: I've already started the next one.)

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Excellent medicine

Revisado: 07-03-24

"Write what you know." ALPHA does this admirably, blending LitRPG and Medicine in ways only Kong could.

The throwaway line about immortal HeLa cells? That's an allusion to Henrietta Lacks, whose cancer was cultivated and remains an important part of medical research long after her death. Kong's books are full of little details like that: stuff you only notice if you know. It's great.

I'm glad to have pre-ordered ALPHA, as I do with all of Kong's new releases. I encourage you do to the same. (I texted with him about the loud bell sound effect: they're going to fix it, and lower the volume.)

Also: Pavi is excellent. If you find him slow, speed up the playback to where you're more comfortable. And if you want a recommendation for another series that he narrates, I'm delighted to suggest Defiance of the Fall. (I'm halfway through Book 13: I pre-order those too!)

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Franco is terrible

Revisado: 01-28-24

Stop hiring narrators for books that include languages they can't speak. Franco's German might as well be Greek for all the sense it makes. I couldn't do it.

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Watch the TV show instead

Revisado: 01-27-24

Lots of interesting ideas. But the sex was awkward: it felt shoehorned in to make the story "more adult." It was mechanical and out of place.

Unlike a lot of the other ideas, the sex wasn't really used: yes, our digital soul is at the mercy of our base physical body. And sometimes the body makes demands of its own. (I understand.) This just wasn't followed-through sufficiently.

The made-for-TV version missed some cool extra details and twists. But it also added some. The characterization of the hotel-AI, for example, is better on screen than in the book. So is the history of the Envoys.

The narration is awkward at times. There are gaps between speakers in conversations that feel overly long. Sometimes I even wondered if my phone had crashed. If the intent was to make the listener wonder if the narrator/MC was a "synth," Bladerunner did it better.

I'm not going to continue with this series. Nor will I seek out the narrator. But I will continue to explore the author's other works. (I liked the series that starts with The Steel Remains: very adult, but fantasy rather than sci-fi.)

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Best one yet

Revisado: 01-14-24

Terry Mancour had become one of the top fantasy authors of the age. And this was one of his best. I will pre-order the next one. I recommend it highly. (John Lee is also wonderful, as always; together, they illustrate the world vividly.)

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Fantastic!

Revisado: 10-06-23

A surprising new take on military space sci-fi. I'll definitely pre-order the next one. (As always, Ray Porter is excellent.)

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Automatic pre-order

Revisado: 09-15-23

I love this series. It's silly and fun and clever. The narration is also excellent. I'm looking forward to the next one.

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