KRGB

Gripping, Sciency, Weir at his Best!

Revisado: 12-08-24

A great listen, right in that sweet spot that The Martian hit.

Weir has upped the ante with this one, taking a story of survival, expanding it to a global scale, and making the hurdles for survival nearly insurmountable. And that’s just the early plot development! Everything this author is good at is served up with garnish in this story: the compelling challenge, the plucky but isolated main character, the unexpected complications, the science backed solutions, the undercurrent of rising to the occasion - all of that is on full display here but then upleveled by a factor of 10. You think the story is going one way and two chapters later there is an entirely new direction that four chapters after that ends up woven back into the main story with such deft and considered connective tissue that it is absolutely masterful. And Ray Porter really puts this one over the top. The guy inhabits these characters in such a naturalistic and believable way that you immediately empathize with their motivations, see how they came to that place, and find yourself eagerly anticipating their return.
Look, if you like any of the other work by this author or voice talent, this will be your new favorite from both. Stop reading this and start listening to this book RIGHT NOW!

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Well written sci-fi noir

Revisado: 04-15-24

What an excellent introduction to this universe! The authors have rendered a fully fleshed out set of characters, none perfect, but all interdependent on each other in the ways that make for the best sorts of teams. The orientation of each to the others feels authentic and the conflicts and collaborations feel earned. Each chapter is written from alternating characters points of view, and with that the authors have subtly changed the style of writing, the approach to problem solving, and the manner in which each interprets the situation. From that foundation they pit these characters against a truly insidious ‘big bad’ and the servile forces who are unwittingly doing its bidding. The human factions and their attitudes towards each other highlight the very real pitfalls of humanity’s inherent self destructive antagonism towards those we deem as the ‘other’ even within our own species, and how even when faced with an existential threat we are still vulnerable to our worst impulses. Great book, and I’m so hooked I am starting the next in the series immediately.

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As compelling and perfectly constructed as ever

Revisado: 09-10-23

I originally read this novel at 16, having just watched the miniseries with Toshiro Mifune, Richard Chamberlain, and Yoko Shimada and finding myself with my first fascination with another culture, in this case Japanese. We had a number of Clavell novels on the shelf and up to this point I had found them too intimidating and too impossibly dense. I couldn’t have been more mistaken. This book kicked off a frenzied year in which I consumed every Clavell book I could get my hands on. As an introduction to his work, Shogun is intricate and involved, is well researched and relayed, and roots it’s characters in real historical people and uses that foundation to articulate a complex and riveting story that manages to make even mundane political maneuvering and low level court intrigue ultimately impactful to the arc of the story.
This audio version is faithful to the source, and incredibly well voice acted. Ralph Lister embodies each character with a distinct voice with subtle cadence and emphasis changes to the degree where you can easily follow conversations between two characters even as they switch between Japanese and English interchangeably. He does an amazing job with the female voices as well, not relying on merely pitch but bringing character traits to the voice to convey deception, joy, double meanings, and the whole spectrum of archetypical personas expressed in this story, and still manages to lay these complex renderings beneath the perfunctory platitudes and staid formality that characterized Japanese society in the feudal era.
Sure this story is long. And yes, it is quite involved and is unafraid to dip into minutiae as the larger power struggles play out above. But it is written so well and read so wonderfully that the 20+ hours will fly by and you’ll be surprised how fast you are on the other side of this incredible tale. Five stars across the board, and highly recommended.

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A solid entry in a wonderful series

Revisado: 07-08-23

While this entry in the ongoing adventures of Jack Aubrey and Steven Maturin may depart from the usual fare, it still solidly delivers in character development, period accurate dialogue and the reliably well researched portrayals we are used to. Some have mentioned problems with the pacing and the shift in focus away from seagoing adventures, but I find it incredibly gratifying to explore the time ashore with all of its political maneuvering, legal difficulties, and the less celebrated character traits that we get to experience in this book. I find it leaves me even more eager for the next book.

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Perfectly Satisfying Entry in the Series

Revisado: 12-14-22

Failure mode has all the beats you’re looking for in an Expeditionary Force novel: banter, exposition, high brow self conscious assholery, scolding, stupidity, multiple extended rants about karaoke and opera, action, adventure, compelling enemies, inescapable scenarios, cleverness, poor nutrition, heroes, friends, comrades, and a much stronger narrative than the last entry. This entry is much more purpose built and cohesive in the story beats. The stakes are well defined and consequential, and the focus is much more centralized on the merry band of pirates. We get to meet some long awaited foes and the end isn’t overlong or unnecessarily drawn out, but still feels satisfying and impactful.

Great listen, and as always RC Bray delivers on all levels. Characters are rendered consistently, patterns of speech are subtly changed between species and gender, nationality and character motivation. Bray brings gravitas where needed, then surprising tenderness when called for. Bray is masterful at the nuances of intent, delivering a reading that relays everything along the spectrum from malevolent superiority to earnest self sacrifice. He keeps the story humming along and otherwise ungainly dialog is humanized in his delivery. 5 stars across the board.

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Steady as she goes…

Revisado: 06-10-21

Not the best of the series, but by no means a snoozer, Brushfire brings some long awaited character and relationship development, the solidifying of bonds between the distant off world and starship stationed humans, and those back on the little vulnerable blue marble. There are some deliciously satisfying moments of righteous comeuppance, as well as some really rewarding tactical payoffs, but generally this book just ups the ante and sets up for a epic conflict in the next book. This entire series is stellar, and the story arcs feel fully formed and yet still retain the notion that they are part of the larger narrative goals of the series. Alanson has managed to map his narrative judiciously, pace it elegantly, accent it regularly, and populate it diversely so that the tale never feels small. R.C. Bray (the reason I initially picked up the first book of this series) knocks it out of the park again, really settling into the Kelsey Grammar-ness of skippy, but still imbuing him with that maniacal bent that Alanson’s writing demands from its dialogue. I’m fairly certain that ANY book this duo partners on could be picked up and enjoyed, but this manages to be more than the sum of its parts and I had to force myself to take a moment to review, since I headed straight into the page for the next book and bought it immediately. Great book, great narration, great time!

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The Audibility of Hope

Revisado: 06-20-18

From the opening lines, read by the author, this memoir never has to assert the power, passion, or patriotism of President Obama. The simple factual impact of his life and his leadership on those that came into his orbit are confidently and quietly on full display in this wonderful recounting of a whirlwind time on our history. The narrator takes over from the first chapter on, and has such an understated and excellent grasp of Obama’s cadence, tone, and resonance as a speaker. It is no better deployed than in a deep insiders retelling as this book singularly provides. Well recommended and excellent in every respect.

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