Patrick Dasher

very good sci-fi!

Revisado: 07-21-23

I tried this series out because I saw it compared very favorably to firefly in an ad, and I was not disappointed with this book at all. while it definitely fits into the space western genre and has a familiar feel, it is by no means a copycat, and is exciting and new while having just enough comfortable familiarity. this story could have been very bleak, but instead it was a fun and adventurous romp, with more than a little humor, while the narrator nails the tone, and brings the characters to life with distinct personalities.

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Fascinating and insightful

Revisado: 06-02-23

This is a fascinating and insightful exploration of the relationships we have with art, artists, each other, and ourselves. Part memoir, part in depth critical analysis of the art we love and the (in)famous "monsters" who create it, her central gambit is an examination of what we as consumers should do when the artists we love do bad things. In this examination, she manages to accomplish much more, while simultaneously and conspicuously not answering this central question. During the course of the book, she cleverly weaves between providing historical context, professional critique/criticism, and personal anecdote to shine a light on such broad topics as objectivism/subjectivism, feminism, liberalism, cancel culture, love, redemption and more. While she carefully and deliberately frames her arguments and ponderings in the context of her own lived experience, I found that in doing so she held a mirror up to me and bade me to look deeply into my own thoughts, actions and assumptions, sometimes uncomfortably, but always with incredible yet tactful insight. It's a fascinating and compelling work of art in itself, one I look forward to returning to in the future.

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This book is a rare treasure

Revisado: 09-20-22

I cannot recommend this book enough. It's a fascinating story, written in an extremely compelling way. If you're anything like me, you will feel like you can't do anything else until you've finished it; I binged it in two listening sessions.

Julia Whelan's performance is a tour de force, and really brings the characters to life. She really captures their essence like lightning in a bottle.

Even so, it's hard to overstate how well written the book is and how relatable Addie and Henry are, despite the fanciful nature of their circumstances.

This is a story of love, desperation, adventure, determination, and despair, but also of hope. It reminds me how beautiful it is to be alive, that life and our connections to the people we love are to be cherished.

Check this book out. I doubt you'll regret it.

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Good for context, but not great in itself

Revisado: 08-02-22

The only reason I would recommend this book is because it serves as a map of the seed ideas Stephenson used for other, better books. There's very little plot, and he seems to proceed with the narrative in terms of what is the most shocking. I'm glad this isn't my first encounter with his work.

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A powerful story from an inspiring man

Revisado: 05-07-22

Man, I really hope this guy wins against Rand Paul. We need his vision. The way he relates to people regardless of background really shows through in this book, and it's humbling to hear the story of his hardships and triumphs.

I absolutely recommend this book in audio format, because it definitely benefits from his gift as an orator. His passion for his belief carries his story through some occasional slips that new writers often make. That's not to say there are glaring mistakes, but there are turns of phrase that get used a little too frequently, and other such quibbles. That said, I enjoy the fact that the presentation is a little rough around the edges; it serves to humanize him, make him feel more real.

I loved this book. Charles's story is one of deep anguish tempered and transformed into transcendent hope and determination. I regard it as required reading because it gives perspective into the lives of people who are rarely seen or heard, and shows us how we are not so different despite outward appearances.

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the reader's annoyingly slow but the story's great

Revisado: 04-29-22

Once I sped playback up to x1.25 it had me hooked. Excellent YA fantasy. The love triangle was painful and awkward, but in just the way teenage love often is. the fantasy elements were familiar, but not in a trope-ish way, and there were a couple plot twists I didn't expect. 10/10 will listen again.

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Definitely not Mr Stephenson's best outing imo

Revisado: 08-13-21

I've read and listened to a number of Neal Stephenson books (diamond age, anathem, seveneves, snow crash, zodiac) prior to this one, and generally count myself as a fan of his. Each of those books sticks to his formula, but is generally well plotted, witty, and surprisingly forward thinking speculative fiction. This...isn't that. There's an overarching plot hiding in there somewhere, but I'm about halfway through and it hasn't made itself apparent yet. I'm sorry to say that this book feels almost masturbatory to me; it goes on long tangents down blind alleys that lead nowhere and distract from the story. There are riveting parts, but they are few and far between and ultimately fizzle in the progression of the story. This reads more as a personal diary of rhetorical thought than a novel.

And William Dufris is not at his best in this reading. I generally like him as a narrator, but there are numerous mispronunciations, obvious transcription errors, and he struggles with the accents. Enoch Root in particular is all over the place, drifting from German, to Australian, to who knows what and back again. It's almost as if he's bored of reading the book and can't be bothered to do multiple takes.

I've made it halfway, as I said earlier, but it's been a slog. I'm probably going to finish it just so I can say I did, and to catch the few diamonds in the rough. Maybe it will surprise me by the end (in which case I'll adjust this review accordingly), but I'm not very hopeful. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone but the most diehard Stephenson fan.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

It surprised me how much I liked this book.

Revisado: 01-26-20

It was good enough that I felt the need to write a review to defend it against other reviews that have been left; the first review I've written on audible out of many books downloaded and quite possibly the only review I will write, as it's not generally my thing, I'll add. That in itself might tell you something about its quality as I perceive it.

Scalzi has proven yet again that he is a brilliant and imminently accessible writer, and in a very unique way. He's managed to take a story he's already told and rework it into something else entirely, and made it with a completely different tone and aimed, most probably, at an entirely different audience (something I think he's largely successful at despite not being the target audience as a 32 year old man). Yes, I will admit there is rehashing, but only inasmuch as is needed to ground the story in the events. Zoe's perspective is entirely fresh in these moments, and it gives a larger context to the events of The Last Colony that I didn't even know I wanted. And there's much more to the story than just those moments.

I'll admit that it took me a while to get into the story, as Scalzi eerily gets into the head of a teenage girl with surprising accuracy (I'm assuming, since I've never been one nor had much contact with them outside my own teenage years), and as a grown adult the perspective shift is somewhat tiresome when you're expecting something else. But as I continued listening, I found the characters endearing, and I was reminded of what it's like to be a teenager myself, exploring new things and sensations and making and breaking meaningful new bonds, while only just beginning to understand the implications of doing so. As I got into the right mindset, it was refreshing to see such quaint, salt of the earth everyday stuff happening alongside large universe shaking events. It grounds the story, and adds a real human element that Perry's perspective, while highly entertaining and at times humorous, definitely lacks.

But what really got me interested was the intensive look into characters that were at best minor characters and plot devices previously. Enzo isn't just a fling for Zoe and a senseless casualty anymore, he's a real person (and a good one at that) with hopes and dreams and talents all his own. I was moved nearly to tears when he and his family died this time around where previously I felt nothing for them. Hickory and Dickory likewise gain depth, as well as all the Obin, who previously were soulless killing machines. General Gou gets fleshed out more, and I'm even more convinced than I was before that I'd like to see more of his story and struggles. And we even get to learn more about the Consu, that ever inscrutable (except perhaps not anymore) race of terrifying bug people.

So in short, this story is admittedly a bit of a diamond in the rough. But if you have patience, you begin to see all the wonderful facets of it shining through. If you really give it a chance, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

**A note about the narrator in post script: she delivers a truly immersive performance, and really convinces you you're listening to Zoe relate her story herself except in one respect. Like other reviews, I found it jarring and unfortunate that her pronunciations were inconsistent with the narrator of the other books in the series. I ultimately decided to treat it as a character choice, that maybe a teenage girl would mispronounce some things that a 90 year old man might not (or vice versa) and that helped me get past it a little better.

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