Vincent Jeffries

I Guess I'm a Fan of Historical Fiction

Revisado: 03-12-20

I've never read a historical fiction novel. Have never felt like I was interested in British Colonial history, but I found all the details in this story based on a real battle in Colonial India fascinating and really educational. The story itself and the main character might not have the depth as my favorite genre and literary books. The main character is likable enough, but his abilities seem to modulate for plot service. Sharpe innocently walks right in to obvious traps to create drama, then gets out with sup-human cunning and physical/fighting abilities. But he's easy to cheer for and you know he's going to win in the end, so it's all good fun. Marry that up with all the well-researched historical and military detail, and the reading experience for anyone curious about the history of world politics and culture and you get a compelling, rewarding read. Great book!

Also, the narration (to my ears) was nearly perfect. Great characterization, including the sparse female lines and pitch perfect interpretation of the text.

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Essential Epic Fantasy Story - For Some, A Must-Listen

Revisado: 02-29-20

I wanted to get familiar with some classic high fantasy and this book really fit the bill. All the Tolkien tropes are here: A young adventurer fated to save the world; magicians and fantastic beasts; the diverse band of heroes setting off on their book-long travel-adventure that culminates with some very conveniently triumphant, extraordinary magical intervention. The number of strong female characters was a nice surprise for this novel written in 1990. The world building is detailed and strong, if there’s a bit more exposition in the form of speeches by characters that often seem placed in the story just to provide those speeches.

By today’s standards, this sometimes-saccharine story qualifies as YA despite a blessed near-absence off romance that I’m sure the coming TV series will fail utterly to duplicate.

Yes, It has challenges and a slightly dated tone, and some derivative affects, but I enjoyed this novel for its purity and competent delivery of high-fantasy quintessentialism. will I read any more books from Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” series based on the enjoyment of reading this book? maybe. Will I read the entire 19-book series definitely not.

But This book lacks the ramblingly aimless reputation of the series and anyone with even the most passing interest in the fantasy genre must have “the Eye of the World” in their collection. It is an essential, well-crafted take.

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Proof of the Value And Truth in Stories

Revisado: 01-11-20

No living writer grabs me emotionally with the strength and scope of Gaiman. This book is just another of his later-era works that cements the writers status as a fantasy storyteller of incredible range and heart.

The narration is equal to the perfectly crafted text. Voices, songs, jokes and short meta stories are conveyed with a perfect timing and confidence, as if rolling right out of the author’s mind.

It’s all so beautiful, true and fun. And audiobook masterpiece.

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Tight, Clean, Pure Expanse Perfection

Revisado: 12-04-19

In this reader's opinion, JSAC is/are putting out the finest Sci-Fi of it's kind right now. The Expanse stories are not exactly hard, opera, adventure or literary. They are all of these things and none of them. Somehow distinctive within well-worn genre settings.

If the authors dig a bit deeply within modern SF tropes in their Expanse Novels, they can be forgiven, as that is perhaps the only reasonable critique for the series. By contrast, the novellas benefit from the limits their form places on the JSAC story style. There's not enough room for anything but the character revelations and thriller-quick plot movements that JSAC excel(s) at.

All the happenings sit inside the political, psychological landscapes both familiar and wondrous that the Expanse series is best known for. It's a canvas that heightens each person and place within. The vivid colors and dimensions swirl off the page (or through the headphones) without spilling melodramatically, or ponderously over the top. It's just one space-bound thriller twist, or cool character flash after another.

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Some Good Moments, But Just Kind of Flat

Revisado: 11-13-19

I had to abandon this halfway through, so please take that in consideration when deciding if this is a helpful review. Overall, I liked the two main characters, but noticed there were basically no others of consequence. So the two I was able to learn about lacked the depth I need to stay interested. There are some clever plot elements and moments of dialog for sure and Lawrence can definitely write well. He keeps the story moving and I was never bored, but neither was I interested or involved. Overall, it felt more like a mass-audience movie or screenplay than a layered epic fantasy tale, or at least the kind of tale that I enjoy the most. Again, this is well written, well conceived fantasy that many reader love. I think I understand why they do. I just wasn't drawn in halfway through and my "reading" time is so precious to me, I have to move along when this happens.

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Great Beginning For a New Series In the First Law Universe

Revisado: 10-31-19

Abercrombie + Pacey = Audible Gold.

I enjoyed every minute of this new story. Loved catching up with the old characters while getting acquainted with the new.

Overall, I felt the tone of this book was not a dark or violent as the First Law books, which was neither a plus or minus. It seemed like sexuality, especially from the female-perspective was given more attention in this book. To be honest, I don’t really look to make epic fantasy authors for insights on this topic, but I’m not going to judge Abercrombie too harshly for trying. They are his characters that he made up in his mind and however they want to please themselves and other people is not something I’m going to get too upset about.

the dialog and the humor drive my deep appreciation for Abercrombie as much as the battles, world building and magic (of which there is very little in ALH). Abercrombie gives his characters an extraordinarily deep well of quips and idioms that are as funny as they are true, or at least useful, and this element of his writing is what elevated books like thus above any active epic or grim dark fantasy writer that I’ve read. I’m not counting GRRM as active.

At times, the ALH plot becomes predictable and leans pretty heavily on some coincidences that don’t seem necessary. I’ve not noticed plot weakness in other Abercrombie titles, but perhaps I wasn’t paying enough attention. Either that or this is one of his lesser efforts with regard to plot mechanics. I don’t read Abercrombie for the plot though, it’s the characters, the dialogue and the world-building that I love about his books and ALH delivers just what I hoped for.

Finally, it must be said that Steven Pacey delivers the near-perfect narration that First Law Audiobook fans should expect.

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A Solid, if Not Seminal Bosch Tale

Revisado: 09-22-19

While all the earlier Bosch books are considered essential entries in the series, The Concrete Blonde lacks the more visceral, urgent story telling Connelly uses to great effect in titles like the debut, The Black Echo. Unlike the relatively early TCB, TBE doesn't make much of Harry's age or diminishing abilities. This isn't a bad topic for exploration, it just gets better treatment within much later titles. The Concrete Blonde era Bosch is still passionate, even angry enough to physically and emotionally power straight through his obstacles and that's what draws us to this (relatively) younger Bosch, just as the more authentic and believable self-examined Bosch of retirement-era titles in the late teens expands our understanding and appreciation of the character. My point is that a little less self-doubt or detangling of his life's moral ambiguities might have strengthened certain early works in the series like The Concrete Blonde. But I wouldn't say these elements are without value, they are just approached better in later books.

Another relative weakness in this book is the romantic relationship that drifts in to a kind of forlorn and familiar cop counseling session, that while believable, is too constrained by the genre's requirements of protagonists. When our murder cops remain young enough and in possession of enough obsessive energy to DIRECTLY take on the twin evils of self-serving bureaucracy and sociopathic serial killing, believable, reflective self-actualizing is difficult.

Harry's love-interest is the vessel and the inspiration for this inward journey. As vessels go, she is a decent character with some depth and strength of her own, but the notes that ring in their relationship can feel overwrought compared to the high standard we expect from Connelly's crime fiction. In my opinion, Connelly writes more compelling self-examination for Bosch as the series continues, and better utilizes relationships to illustrate the human story of Harry Bosch.

Early Bosch titles are at their best when Connelly is focusing on the physical, political and psychological LA landscapes that give his crime-fiction it's deep and unique flavor. It's this aesthetic, almost technical element to Connelly's writing and Bosch's gritty, but very human voice that makes The Concrete Blonde and All titles in this series a cut above most crime fiction.

Like all Bosch titles, I recommend The Concrete Blonde. It ranks somewhere in the middle of my list of favorites among the 20-plus Bosch books but that still puts it near the top of the genre list overall.

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Not the Strongest Early Bosch Book

Revisado: 08-12-19

The series starts on a real high note with the Black Echo. Connelly stumbles a bit in this second Bosch story. The author finds his stride before too long, but for me, the some of the decisions and plot-serving coincidences weren't up to the overall standard for the Bosch series, or certainly the level set in the first Bosch story. This is good crime fiction, better than 90% of what's out there IMO, but The Black Ice is not close to the level Connelly proved he could achieve over and over again in later Bosch books.

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Not the Best Late-Era Bosch Book, but Recomended

Revisado: 08-12-19

For some reason, the audible reviews I write keep disappearing or never post correctly. So because I've already written a review for this book a couple times, I'm going to keep it short. Bosch is getting older and that's going to alter his appeal and the flavor of the books. I have mixed feelings about it, or at least how Bosch's decreasing street capacities are portrayed in this book. This isn't a good starting point, but it's a good book. Just not great like a couple other latter-day Bosch stories (Dark Sacred Night to name one). Welliver is awesome as usual.

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A Fun, Free, Nostalgic Romp

Revisado: 08-12-19

Pretty sure I got this for free. It was worth it. Ha!

Anyway, this was about exactly what you'd expect. Some modern comedy personalities talking with the venerable Bob Newhart. Trading stories and mutually admiring each other to an extreme. Very heartfelt, maybe a bit corny to some, but I enjoyed it, just like I've enjoyed Newhart's subtle, humble humor for such a long, long time.

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