AJ

Not even good enough to be Discount Carl.

Revisado: 04-09-25

I was excited by conparisons to Dungeon Crawler Carl. I don't know why I still believe reviews, but it's just ok. I am struggling to make the finish and can't see continuing the series.

The main character is exceedingly unlikable. As spoiler free as possible, he gets an insanely powerful skill, opens a store, and can't wait to rake in the riches. That's his focus. not trying to get out of his situation. Even though it is mentioned a few times that he is stuck where he is, he never seems to be concerned or even ask about the possibility about finding a way out, which is strange. He's arrogant, willfully blind, and a jerk.

It has parallels to DCC. He's wearing unusual clothes. There's a reading of achievements by a snarky "British" narrator, although it is never questioned or explained who or what it is. The "system" is complicated and never really explained well. He doesn't seem to question anything. How did he get there? Where is there, exactly? Why? Who? Meh, who cares, I have a store now. He seems to have daddy issues, and is everything he says his daddy was.

It tries to be funny and mostly fails. The writing is nothing special and cliched. There are some really interesting ideas and creatures, but it's not capitalized on.

There's no heart, here. I have no connection to or sympathy for Dan. He's willing to help out fellow newbies as long as they have the money, otherwise beat it you're on your own come back when you want to buy something. Let's not build a coalition and try to figure stuff out, let's sell toothbrushes at as high a markup as I can..

It's somehow boring, though it shouldn't be. I could not possibly care less about the main character, or any of the powers or relics or artifacts or whatever he collects. He has a cute sidekick (who he treats pretty poorly) and the other characters are far more interesting. I'm further than halfway through and I just don't think I can manage to finish.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Hard to be objective when visiting old friends

Revisado: 02-17-23

I've read this series from the beginning, starting in high school in 1990. It is hard to be objective when I have loved these characters for so many years. I look forward to visiting the lives of Alex and Milo and take pleasure in their discussions and banter. These are character driven novels, and not fast-paced actuon-oriented crime stories.

I used to order the audiobooks through books on tape, and I will admit, it is always jarring hearing John Rubenstein's voice. Some love him, some hate him. He has a rasp to his voice that tends to smooth as you listen.

I love these books, and these characters. Milo is here in all his grumpy glory, and Alex is firmly in place as unofficial partner. Fair warning, if you aren't familiar with this series, they are often not "who done it's" as much as they are stories about how they solve the crimes. So, often, the necessary pieces don't fall in until later in the books. It can be frustrating for those that try to solve the crimes on their own as they read.

Kellerman is also somewhat infamous for his descriptions. I'm not familiar with LA and I feel like I learn something new everytime I hear a new entry in the series. He describes people, their clothes, and surroundings in staccato bursts, but I have no problem with that. I enjoy visualizing the scenes and people.

These books are also not action-oriented. There is a lot of talking, interviewing, proposing and supposing. Most of the books have some action at the end, usually when subduing or locating the bad guy, this book was one of those and sets up an interesting dynamic for the next book. This can be boring to some who are looking for popcorn crime stories.

I listened to this book on a long drive with my mom. She really enjoyed it. We liked pausing and discussing when new information was presented. These characters are old friends, but, if you're new to the series, your milage may vary.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

They're back and this story is DaFilthy!

Revisado: 10-20-22

He does it again. These characters are like old friends. There's the regular cast, and Joy Park is back, because John has to have an extradimensional roommate made up of alien roaches. Amy needs glasses, John is trying to get "dafilthy" into the language, David is taking antidepressants. All they want to do is stream their haunted dolls and rake in the money.

Unfortunately, a toy egg likes human teeth and eyeballs, and a teenager has a book with a portal in it. They cant catch a break.

One review mentions the quality of the recording. I have had no issue with the recording. The narration is familiar and I'll probably go back and listen to all 4 books again, even though I just finished the first 3 again in anticipation of this release. You can always count on David, John, and Amy to be weird and wonderful.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Podcast-like reading of connected anthology

Revisado: 08-16-22

I have discovered that this started as posts to the nosleep reddit and that explains a lot of the quality and editing issues.

The main character starts gathering stories from others after he hears a weird transmission of a man giving Rules of the Road while driving. The man comes on the radio and gives a weird rule to follow and vague repercussions if you don't. The rules can be anything from "always get ice if you stay at a motel" to "if you see a shoe on the side of the road, stop and put a sock in it."

The main character hears a rule, then starts a blog where others that have experienced the rules can contact him and give him their stories. Of course, some of the stories are better than others. Some are long, some are short.

It has a very amateurish podcast-feel to the narration. Like the stories, some narrations are better than others. There were a few badly edited parts where the narrator reads the same line over. Some narrators are horrible. The speeds also vary. i had to speed up the main character's parts.

Overall, it's okay, Nothing special, but it has its moments.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

The purple gem was so dark it was almost purple

Revisado: 08-03-22

It seems that LitRPGs are plagued with the same problems: how to translate the gaming systems to writing. Most are confusing and poorly written, almost like fan fiction that gets published. Some, like Dungeon Crawler Carl, make up for this with character you quickly fall in love with. No one cares about the typical LitRPG deus ex machina and mcguffins when you have great character?

I don't love this main character. I don't even kinda sorta like him. I found myself hoping people would get in the game and murder him over and over. His sidekick is annoying. The writing is juvenile and in need of an editor. When a sentence such as "the purple gem was so dark, it was almost purple" exists in a book, you know it was copied off of whatever website it was published and pushed to publication to cash in.

I don't understand the rave reviews.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Just okay.

Revisado: 08-03-22

Written by Mark Cain...yeah, I get it. Anyway, this would have been better if the "real people" had been left out. His version of Orson Wells is weird and between that narration, and the use of other real people, I found myself rolling my eyes. The narrator has never heard of Orson Wells and plays him with a bad imitation of Groucho Marx. If most people go to Hell and very very few get to go through the Pearly Gates, why is almost everyone he runs into a famous person? There's 100 billion or so people that should be in Hell, but, whatever. I suppose it is more fun and cathartic to see Nixon getting his, or Edison having to fix light bulbs. It's better once you imagine that the characters aren't those real people, It is not high-literature, it's light, despite being about Hell. An easy listen and, I suppose, a good deal for 4 books and 36 hours. It's nothing that sticks with you, a vacation read.

The rating system says 2 stars means "it's ok." It is.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Interesting story ruined by the main character.

Revisado: 08-03-22

I rarely get an audiobook with no reviews, but based on the few Amazon reviews with 5 stars I dove in. The description is the basic gist. A couple's daughter gets childhood cancer, and a tweaker, apparently his best friend because the man never mentions anyone else, gives him a hit job for some cash. And he keeps doing it. Eventually, the same meth head offers him a bigger job which includes another man, a "former cartel mule." Weird things happen.

There is a lot of Spanish. I'm somewhat conversational and from context can get the basic meaning of most, but warning to those that speak no Spanish. The main character is unlikable. From the beginning, he plays a victim of his skin color and has a seeming hatred for whites and those with money. You know it is heading this way when he says that Hispanics are more prone to childhood cancer, so even diseases are "fucking racist." When the doctor is explaining how the cancer is affecting the blood marrow, he complains that she's only explaining it because he's brown and has an accent. Later, he mentions that it is sometimes hard to follow English when Spanish is your first language and you translate everything in your head. Which is it? Was the doctor being racist or is this guy seeing everything through that lens? I find it the latter, but that's up to you. He compares an absorbent pad (the context is horrifying) to the pads rich white people put down indoors for their dogs. He hates the "fucking racist system", the "fucking racist people"...Lots of virtue signaling for a wife-beating murderer.

The other issue is the big gig they have. They are willing to risk pissing off Mexican cartels for $200,000. The main guy, Mario, is dreaming how he can pay off the massive medical bills, move to Vermont, get a house in a neighborhood with lawns, enjoy life. Yeah, sure, 200 grand will get you that far. So, I have no idea why the author chose that amount, it makes the whole thing silly.

I start to enjoy the story, and then a whole paragraph will be in Spanish, which I mostly get, or the character gives some kind of social commentary and it gets old. He gives social commentary on how humans are horrible, but stands by while horrific things are done to people of all ages. Hates rich people but wants their life, and uses his hatred and allegations of racism to justify the destruction and death he brings to get that life. Unfortunately, I don't think it is done intentionally as irony by the author.

This could have been great of the author had leaned in to the character being despicable. It also could have been a great story on religions such as Yoruba and Santeria and the use of those religions and rites by cartels, a fictionalization of the Matamoros killings, for example. Instead, I get the droning of an annoying main character I don't care about.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Such a sweet, wonderful story.

Revisado: 07-27-22

I was hesitant to spend a credit on this, it isn't my usual type of book. But, with over 1200 books in my library, many of which I've relegated to the "life is too short to spend time on this" pile, I finished this in one go.

Yes, there is a plot. Roger, a man with some trauma from his Army days, is hired as a butler for a reclusive man who supposedly has dementia. The man claims to be a wizard, and Roger, though skeptical, throws himself at the job. There are the promised pixies that dust, and fairies that do gardening that Roger can't see but, but Roger becomes the best butler he can. He gets butling books, he learns to cook, he goes headfirst into figuring it all out, and builds a sweet relationship with the old man.

There is a plot/subplot of some nasty family trying to commit the old man to get at his massive fortune, and everything that goes with trying to stop that. There's the buying of cars, the installing of internet, and, though mundane, it wasn't boring. The characters stand out, and as the relationship builds between the main characters, you find yourself hoping that Roger and Mr. Shackleford live happily ever after as butler and employer...and friends.

Why I loved this I don't know. It wasn't boring, but was mundane at parts. Almost like one of those reality shows, where a supremely unqualified man gets a job as a butler. It was sweet and almost calming. I really began to love the characters. I hope there's a second book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 12 personas

Not good not bad, I guess.

Revisado: 07-22-22

This has been on my wish list for a while, and I kept going back and forth with the reviews deciding if I wanted to spend the credit. I finally did. My response is: meh.

A guy goes on a hike, runs into a few characters, and, I kept wondering "so what?" It was fairly boring and pointless. I was intrigued by those reviews calling it dark, but I found it mostly just silly. I didnt like the main character at all until the end of the book, and then I sort of liked him getting some balls. I guess there is supposed to be life lesson, here. Enjoy life maybe? Appreciate what you have because you can get stuck on a path with weird nonsense happening? Who knows?

The last little twist was kinda cool. But it's not worth the credit to get there.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Is the narrator or the main character worse?

Revisado: 07-19-22

The main character is such a whiny, poorly-written character, I found myself wishing someone would kill her off and get to the horror. She's a total mess and I could find no redeeming qualities. If I were the captain of this space ship, I would have jettisoned all of the supporting characters, as well. How these people manage to work together with their pettiness and nonsense, is beyond me.

The narration is horrid. Every sentence is whined and whispered in dramatic tones as if the world is ending. Every sentence. It's over the top and unlistenable.

I was so excited for this story. Haunted spaceship? Sign me up. So much potential wasted.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña