Christopher Weuve

Interesting story twists, but

Revisado: 08-26-20

Too many 40K books fall into the trap of “if I just put in a bunch of weird shit it will be okay”. Yeah, no. And I know that “realism” isn’t exactly the standard here, but even within the context of 40k this doesn’t make sense. This is a shame, I had high hopes.

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I was expecting so much more

Revisado: 08-26-20

Jonathan Keeble does his usual fantastic job, but the story is underwhelming. It’s not bad, but it could have been more.

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Bad book about a great topic

Revisado: 01-24-20

This book, ironically, is a good example of the 80/20 rule -- 20 percent (rounded up) might be useful, but 80 percent is a waste of time, and some of it is downright stupid and bad.

I am thinking especially of the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator section, which can be summarized as "If you ignore EVERYTHING the MBTI people tell you about appropriate and inappropriate uses of MBTI, you can use your specific MBTI as an excuse to bin other people into 'useful' and 'not useful' categories based on their MBTI."

The rest of it, while occasionally having flashes of...adequacy? usefulness?... is largely composed of assertions, some of which might be interesting in a particular context, but all of which are ill-documented.

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Problematic, frustrating, but of some use

Revisado: 10-11-18

First, about the performance: “new-clee-er,” not “new-cue-lar.”

Second: the author has a tendency towards assertions without examples (let alone evidence), largely ignores the changes in warfare where they don’t support his thesis, has a simplistic view of submarine and air operations, and seems to be fond of looking at the parts rather than the whole. I was expecting more.

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The book is better than the performance

Revisado: 07-27-18

The book is a thoughtful and thorough discussion of both the technology and the implications of autonomous systems. It’s worth a listen, despite the performer. He not only doesn’t understand the concept of acronyms (it’s “SAC,” pronounced “sack,” not “S-A-C”), but occasionally has weird pronunciations for non-acronyms (it’s “USS Vincennes,” not “Voncennes”).

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Incomplete recording doesn't help

Revisado: 12-17-15

What disappointed you about The Fires of Coventry?

1) It's a mediocre story, based on strategists being stupid.
2) The opening couple of pages of the book is missing.

What aspect of Tim Pabon’s performance would you have changed?

I would have removed the weird pauses and improved the characters' voices.

Any additional comments?

This book really doesn't move the trilogy forward at all. You can safely skip it.

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Not as good as I remembered

Revisado: 12-17-15

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performer has a weird cadence, often putting pauses in the middle of sentences. I had grown used to the sometimes bad voices in the first two books, but some of the voice choices for characters in the third book -- such as the gay hairdresser voice for the Prince -- were particular bold and unfortunate.

Was Return to Camerein worth the listening time?

Yes, but I probably won't re-listen to it. There are some interesting bits involving space combat, but there are two many problems with the plot in all three books. While the tactical bits are well done, the strategy both sides use is baffling at best. It's problematic that things happen because everyone is being stupid.

Any additional comments?

The sequencing of scenes really seems out of place. At some point you figure out that the author is jumping back and forth in time. I think this is because it's supposed to enhance the mystery, but there is a difference between presenting the reader with a mystery and trying to confuse him.

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I had forgotten how bad this is

Revisado: 10-24-15

What do you think your next listen will be?

Just finished Glen Cook's The Dragon Never Sleeps (GREAT BOOK!), about to start Ann Leckie's Ancillary Mercy.

What three words best describe Oliver Wyman’s performance?

"Better than deserves."

What character would you cut from The Omega Point Trilogy?

Can't think of many I'd keep.

Any additional comments?

I generally try to avoid bad reviews, except in those cases where it's SO bad I wish someone had warned me off.

This is one of those times.

The book only really has one interesting plot-related idea, that the Terrans would really rather capture and rehabilitate the terrorist main character, rather than kill him. Of course, this horribly backfires through a series of increasingly weird and arbitrary deus ex machina moments.

There's some interesting tech ideas, which I remembered, any which continue to be somewhat nifty. The story, though, is a waste of time, and the cool stuff isn't enough to make it worth it.

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As good as I remembered

Revisado: 10-02-15

What did you love best about Voyage from Yesteryear?

Nice early Hogan book, not one of his best, but not his worst either. Entertaining story, glad I listened to it.

What didn’t you like about Ed French’s performance?

Fine performance, EXCEPT he consistently puts the emphasis on the second syllable of "Terrans" (e.g., "tear-anns"), and he pauses in weird locations in the middle of sentences. Both these things can be distracting.

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Great book -- OUTSTANDING performance

Revisado: 09-24-15

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have recommended this book, to several friends, all who have fallen in love with it.

What other book might you compare The Martian to and why?

Not a book -- but it's really the fictional complement to the movie "Apollo 13."

What about R. C. Bray’s performance did you like?

He is the absolutely perfect as a complement to Mark Watney, the main character.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. It's a little long to actually do that, though. I thought about burning a day of leave just to stay home and listen.

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