Jason

Interesting plot, flat characters

Revisado: 07-30-15

What did you like best about The Windup Girl? What did you like least?

It has an interesting plot set in a near dystopian future where fossil fuels have run out and "calorie companies" (which bear more than a passing resemblance to Monsanto and Archer Daniels Midland) have wrecked the environment with "gene hacked" plagues and infertile staples. The tension is between the isolated Thai kingdom and a calorie company spy seeking to steal the secrets of their seed vault.
However, I couldn't find myself drawn into any of the characters. Perhaps my dilemma is that I just don't like the primary character as a person, so I can't find myself caring about what happens to him. The more likable characters don't get enough description time for me to really empathize with them.

Would you be willing to try another book from Paolo Bacigalupi? Why or why not?

Certainly! This was a great debut, and I hope that Bacigalupi continues to write.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He's an excellent narrator! His pace is perfect and the character voices contrast nicely so I can always tell who is speaking.

Could you see The Windup Girl being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Only if Michael Moore makes it...

Any additional comments?

Steampunk meets enviro-activism! What could be more fun that dirigibles running on clockwork systems powered by massive springs wound tight by genetically engineered elephants!

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Great story, superbly narrated

Revisado: 07-18-15

The second book of the Culture series tells the story of a serious game player (think board games, card games, etc.) who is manipulated into traveling across the Galaxy to participate in a tournament where the winner becomes Emperor of an alien civilization.

The Culture is a vast, technically advanced civilization where great machine minds keep most of the human populace living in liberty and high luxury. With all their needs provided for, the people of the Culture spend a great deal of their time in research, art, and recreation. However, a small number join "Contact," the Culture organization responsible for engaging with other civilizations and trying to peacefully share the Culture's values with them. Occasionally, Contact encounters a civilization which is either dangerously hostile or so backwards that direct engagement with the Culture could be calamitous for their less advanced neighbors. These are "Special Circumstances," and the SC group handles them.

The Azadians are indeed a backward civilization by the Culture's standards; aggressive, repressive, brutal imperialists subjugating every world they encounter. But their Empire is ordered according to the intricately complicated game of Azad. Hence SC decides the best approach might be to send in one of their top gamers... Only in the Culture, no one can be forced to do anything, and their best candidate doesn't seem to be interested.

Peter Kenny does a fantastic job voicing the characters and smoothly moving the story along.

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Terrible editing ruins this audiobook

Revisado: 01-31-15

The book jumps frequently between scenes and plot lines, a common technique for building suspense, which works fine in print where white space on the page is your cue for the scene change. However, for an audiobook, you need cue... normally a long pause in other audio books. In this recording, there is no cue! No pause, no page turn sound, nothing! It makes it very difficult to listen to because the scene changes are often during conversations, so you don't even know which characters are speaking. Very annoying!!

The story itself is wonderful, except for the ending which is literally deus ex machina.

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Disappointing end to an otherwise excellent story

Revisado: 01-18-15

It felt to me like Abercrombie wasn't quite sure how to end his story. Several of the main characters flattened out near the end and became archetypal despite having show impressive depth during the second book. That gave the ending a rushed feel, but otherwise the story is riveting and delightful.

The narration is superb! The voices are distinct and consistent, the pace is perfect, and the tone just right.

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Awesome story, great narrator, bad editing

Revisado: 01-02-15

My only complaint is with the poor editing stitching together the narration: volume jumps, irregular pauses, occasional entrance mid-word. Otherwise this is a thrilling cyberpunk story in the same flavor as Snow Crash or Neuromancer, expertly narrated and thoroughly enjoyable!

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Delightful swashbuckling cleverly voiced

Revisado: 09-19-14

What did you love best about Theft of Swords?

This is a wonderful tale of swashbuckling heroes in the style of the Three Musketeers. Our amiable rogues have the standard sorts of adventures with narrow escapes from death, encounters with ancient sorcery, encounters with beautiful women, and the every present trope of a prophecy nearing fulfillment. Yet, even though you know how it's all going to end, it's great fun!

What did you like best about this story?

The light hearted humor and fast paced adventure.

What does Tim Gerard Reynolds bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Reynolds is a splendid reader! His character voices are spot on, and his expressions had me laughing so hard that I had to pull of the road while driving.

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A sci-fi classic now showing its age

Revisado: 09-19-14

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

While the premise of this book, humanity destroying itself with nuclear war, has been rehashed many times, it was probably novel when this book first came out. The added aspect of Catholic monks preserving ancient scientific knowledge after the apocalypse is a delightful nod to the work of medieval monasteries. However, the author uses some portions of the story as thinly veiled Christian evangelism, and that gets tiresome after the third of fourth time.

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What is the Claw?

Revisado: 09-19-14

Would you consider the audio edition of The Claw of the Conciliator to be better than the print version?

I enjoyed the audio version more than the printed text because Davis so carefully brings out the subtle, deliberate, inconsistencies in the main character's first person recitation of events. He has a melodious voice which is easy to listen to for hours on end.

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Continuing the tale of the New Sun

Revisado: 09-19-14

Where does The Sword of the Lictor rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book maintains the pace and feeling of awe established in the first two of the series

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

As with the other New Sun books, Davis continues his superb performance bringing personality to all of the characters and highlighting the subtle nuances that Wolfe weaves into his story

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Finale of an amazing series

Revisado: 09-19-14

What did you love best about The Citadel of the Autarch?

This is deep literature clothed in dark Sci-Fi robes. In this, the final book in the series, we see our protagonist complete his transformation from Torturer to something more. Yet, we also get the sense that our narrator is unreliable. The careful reader/listener will see that Severian is editing history as he recounts it, but the fact that he cares about his actions and how the reader might perceive them now demonstrates the changes taking place. Wolfe concludes his beautiful story with striking imagery and subtle allusion.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Severian, the protagonist and narrator.

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

Davis is a magnificent actor who brings a full range of characters and portrays Severian beautifully. His careful acting reveals nuances which I missed when I read the book.

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