D. Baker

Motorcyclists should look elsewhere

Revisado: 04-06-25

As an avid motorcyclist and being particularly fond of vintage Triumphs, I had great expectations for Simon’s book. What motorcyclist hasn’t at one time or another dreamed of hopping on their bike and just going, wherever the road might lead? Simon is right when he said early on that while many people may dream of such a journey, few ever do it. Regrettably, count me as a member of the latter group, and I’d hoped to live vicariously through his adventure. However, it didn’t take long for me to become disappointed with the story. My misgivings began when I realized that instead of the bike’s name being Jupiter, (which would have been awesome), Simon had conferred upon himself a moniker coined by some African palm reader. Seriously? He adopts for himself the name of the king of the Roman gods. Yes, and then he goes on to frequently refer to himself as a “hero”. A little egocentric, Ted? The conceit soon loses its surprise though. It's all about him. Simon rarely refers to the Triumph at all, other than to comment on some problem or another he experiences with it.
It is said, and I can attest, that Triumph turns ordinary men into mechanics. However, I found it difficult to believe Simon performed a top-end overhaul at the side of an African dirt road with nothing other than the tools in his panniers. If true, it is another testament to the ruggedness of a motorcycle, which was probably overloaded and certainly poorly maintained, that faithfully carried its rider tens of thousands of miles. The Triumph certainly deserves some credit, or at least a modicum of respect, but receives little of either.
Instead, Simon talks mostly about himself. He sums up his lack of regard for the Triumph in Chapter Ten: “I do not credit the bike with feelings. If it has a heart and soul of its own, I have never found them… For me it remains a machine.” All the motorcyclists I know look upon their bikes with some level of affection and most believe there is a unique personality within. There is typically a bond between rider and motorcycle, which apparently is missing entirely with Simon. Perhaps it’s because he spends too much time in hero-worship – of himself.
Simon does have a talent for words, and there are moments in the book that are quite well written. Rupert Degas’ performance is excellent and is the only reason I finished the book. It is the story of an epic motorcycle journey, sadly where the motorcycle plays merely a bit part. In summary, I found it a tedious slog saved only by a superb narrator.

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Not as good as the previous volumes.

Revisado: 11-20-24

As a former naval officer, I have read with interest the previous two books in Ian Toll’s trilogy of the war in the Pacific. Now, as I complete the third volume, I find it difficult to decide what caused me more disgust and revulsion – Halsey and his arrogance, MacArthur and his conceit and pomposity, or the Japanese military and their atrocities towards innocent noncombatants.
The Japanese take that dubious distinction, of course, but I can’t disregard the incredible incompetence of Halsey and MacArthur and the lives they foolishly squandered on the altars of their egos.
As for the book itself, I’d say it was my least favorite of the three, primarily because of what I consider Toll’s overemphasis on politics and conditions for the civilians in the States. That is a historical truth, to be sure, but I feel it was carried too far in a book supposedly about the War in the Pacific, and to a much greater degree than in the previous two volumes.
Mr. Ochlan’s narration was excellent and managed to keep my attention as Toll went on and on about how people back home had to sleep in movie theaters. I’m sure the G.I.s on Guadalcanal or Iwo Jima felt bad for them.
At thirty-six hours, “Twilight of the Gods” was at times a slog. I can recommend the other two books of the trilogy - this one, not so much.

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Classic Forsyth

Revisado: 09-18-24

I read this book years ago, but decided to revisit it on Audible. I'm very glad I did. Mr. Davidson added an amazing amount of depth to an already riveting tale with his tremendous narration. This is a great story told by a great narrator.

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An Average Biography Let Down By Poor Narration

Revisado: 07-09-24

Although I spent my formative years as a naval officer, I was sadly ignorant of the contributions made by Adm. Leahy. So it was with anticipation that I began Mr. O'Brien's biography of the admiral. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a nearly twenty-hour-long slog. The book's timeline skips around a lot, but that's fairly minor compared to Mr. Grove's uninspiring performance. His narration is monotonal and injects no life into his subject, nor does it hold this listener's attention. I am reminded of days in a lecture hall listening to a professor drone on and on...
I guess I'm an outlier here, as the book has had very good reviews from others. Your mileage may vary, but I feel that the story of Adm. Leahy deserved better from both the author and narrator.

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No Disappointments

Revisado: 03-09-24

I read this book years ago. I debated buying the audio book because I already knew the story, but since it was a favorite I made the purchase. I'm very glad I did. The story is even more riveting thanks to Mr. Rintoul's performance, and where I probably skimmed through certain segments when I read the book, his narration kept my attention such that I noticed details I'd missed previously. Forsyth's tale is remarkable, particularly if you're old enough to remember the Cold War. This is an excellent novel, written by a master storyteller and performed by a skilled narrator.

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Enlightening Backstory

Revisado: 09-23-23

If, like me, this title gives you expectations of a twenty-six-hour narration of Messerschmitts and Spitfires, Hurricanes and Dorniers locked in combat over Britain, be forewarned you may be a bit surprised. There is a fair amount of that, but it is largely saved for the last half of the book. Don’t worry though, James Holland does a remarkable job presenting the lead-up to the Battle of Britain from both a tactical and strategic perspective. There are detailed descriptions of the planning and thoughts of key players on both sides of the Channel. A significant portion of the first half of the book deals with Germany’s press through France and the Low Countries, including a fascinating section on the British Expeditionary Force’s evacuation of Dunkirk. His descriptions of British efforts to prepare for the expected onslaught provides invaluable background into the successes of the RAF.
Aside from a very few aviation related technical errors, the book is very well researched and presented. Shaun Grindell’s narration is excellent. It may be a little short on actual descriptions of aerial combat, but those initially attracted by the title will not be disappointed by the story.

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An Unassuming Leader

Revisado: 08-06-23

Despite many years as a naval officer, albeit as an aviator rather than surface line, I learned of VADM Lee only recently and long after I had left the service. I was immediately intrigued by this brilliant yet unassuming leader and was pleased to discover Stillwell’s book. For my taste, Stillwell spent too much time on Lee’s formative years, and particularly his marksmanship. It is made clear early on that Lee was a crack shot, earning seemingly countless medals and awards for pistol and rifle competition, including at the Olympic games. But sadly, like a lot of “sportsmen” of that period, he seemed to enjoy exhibiting that skill at the expense of whatever bird or animal that had the misfortune to fall into his sights, including one unfortunate dog that wandered onto a shooting range. I was disappointed in his willful disregard for innocent life.
That said, once the book began to concentrate on his naval career, Lee’s qualities began to show. Stillwell chronicles Lee’s progression through the ranks and admirably writes of Lee’s critical, yet largely unsung, contributions to the war in the Pacific.
Had things been different Lee might have been as well-known as say, Nimitz or Mitschner, but he was the preeminent leader of the Navy’s “Gun Club” at a time when the aircraft carrier was replacing the battleship as the fist of the fleet. He was also not one who craved the spotlight and was adverse to drawing attention to himself (unlike Halsey). Sadly, he also died too young.
The first couple of chapters notwithstanding, “Battleship Commander” is an excellent read, particularly for students of naval history in general or the war in the Pacific in particular. It is also a very good narrative on leadership. Finally, Walter Dixon’s narration is a pleasure to listen to.

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Disappointing

Revisado: 07-06-23

As a big fan of Patrick O'Brian, I've long considered starting on C. S. Forester's Hornblower series. I probably still will, but not because I found this book to be a good introduction to Forester's style. Perhaps it is the narration, which I found tedious and annoying, but the story itself is uninspiring. Monsarrat's "The Cruel Sea" is a far superior story of Atlantic convoy duty, and Simon Vance's performance in that book is outstanding.
And you could make a drinking game out of each time the term "Very well" is used.
I guess I'm the outlier, because overall this title has great reviews. It just doesn't resonate with me.
I'll likely finish this, but it won't be long remembered.

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Well Done

Revisado: 05-25-22

The story itself is excellent. Well written and informative, with a perfect blend of science, history and humor. That's great, but what blew me away was Mr. Meiburg's narration. I'm always initially suspicious of authors who read their own audiobooks, but Meiburg knocked this out of the park. I hope he writes (and narrates) more books in the future.

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Dull, but at least it's long.

Revisado: 04-22-22

I’m very interested in naval history in general, and lately I’ve found myself drawn to the naval history of the first World War. I was immediately intrigued by Halpern’s twenty-seven-hour narrative, which promised a “balanced history… covering all participants in all major theaters”. I was certain that here would be all the details that could only be covered in a book of this size.

The actual experience was very disappointing and dull. To be sure, there is no shortage of details, but most are concerned with the lead-up to various actions rather than the actions themselves. There is plenty of minutia, statistics, planning and movements that may or may not be important, but precious little of the actual results other than toss-off comments in the vein of 'such and such ship was lost with all hands'. It was like listening to a boring history lecture that drones on, and on, and on...

Which brings me to the performance. The narration was like listening to the evening news. Frequently I would have to back up the audio, finding that my attention had wandered, and I’d missed the past several minutes.

I’ll admit, there were points in the narration that immediately caught my attention. Every time I heard the author (or rather, the narrator) refer to the German Fleet as “The High Sea Fleet” I ground my teeth. Each of the several other books I’ve read on German naval operations of World War I refers to “The High Seas Fleet”. Hearing the singular always reminded me of a citrus beverage for children, not a powerful fleet of warships. However, after some searching, I found that no less an authority than Admiral Reinhard Scheer titled his book “Germany’s High Sea Fleet in the World War”. While it may be the only other instance I’ve found it referred to as such, (and it might be a result of the translation), it was Scheer’s fleet so he can call it what he wants. I will defer to the Admiral.

Although I struggled to well past the mid-point, ultimately I couldn't finish the book and returned it. I’d recommend giving this book a pass. I would suggest Massie’s excellent “Castles of Steel” instead.

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