Nate

Not the best Crichton

Revisado: 08-18-22

Story:
A rather slow moving narrative with a lot of technical talk that may be unappreciated (or boring) by those who are unfamiliar or uninitiated in the scientific field. It will be several hours of audio before you make it into the jungle and several more until any gorillas are encountered. Additionally, each main character remains static and there is very little, if any, character development.
Recommend only to individuals who are already Chrichton fans or who have an affinity for Africa or lost civilizations. Jurassic Park is a much more enjoyable and better written novel that is worth the listen if you have not already read it.

Performance:
Julia Whelan is a fine reader when she is doing a narrative or a female voice. However, all her male voices seem to blend together. Normally this is not an issue for me, but considering the breathy sound of the male voices and the fact that there are only 3 characters in this book, 2 of which being male, a different performer may have been a better pick.

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More Action, Less Espionage

Revisado: 01-09-20

More action, less espionage this time around. With Casino Royale having more spy elements to the story: gathering information while undercover, Smersh, double agents etc; this novel comes off more as an action story. More action isn’t a negative aspect of this novel, however, I feel I would have had more enjoyment if it was more espionage oriented.

If you’re coming to this series fresh off the movies, this book will probably be more enjoyable. If you like Bond movies with underwater/scuba scenes, the last act of the book is just for you. If spy gadgets and spy cars are more your game, you may be disappointed as these elements also do not appear in this novel.

The general story was entertaining enough, however the pacing toward the end was somewhat lackluster. Throughout a majority of the novel, the story had a slower, steadier pace; Until the third act with approximately 1.5 hours to go, the plot is moved into high gear and the entire story is resolved in a few minutes. Even though the ending was action packed and descriptive, it had you wishing there was either more build up to the climax, or more more fat was trimmed from the first 2 acts.

As for the racism brought up in other reviews...
Keep in mind this book was written and published by an Englishman in the early 1950s. Ideas about African Americans and language surrounding those ideas are vastly different than they are now. The “racist” elements of this book only appear sparsely throughout the first hour or so of the book, and don’t often appear much after the first few chapters. As for the content, like previously stated, its racist by language only, and only by comparison today. Fleming never openly mocks African Americans or their culture. In fact, the story’s villian, a Black male, is continuously complimented throughout the entiroof the novel for his cunning and superior intellect. All in all, its much less racial than Huck Finn and anyone with a high school understanding of racial context shouldn’t find this book too offensive to be read.

I don’t have much to say about the narrator. They did a fine job in my opinion but I had a hard time picturing bond with Rory Kinnear’s voice. The accent he does for Blacks in Harlem toward the beginning of the novel may also be a bit much for the more sensitive listener.

In closing, worth the listen, not as well written as Casino Royale, but the action and atmosphere provided by Fleming has me excited for the next installment. I would recommend it to any fan of James bond, particularly Sean Connery’s portrayal.

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Forget it, Jake. Its Toon Town.

Revisado: 01-09-20

I purchased this title right after learning that one of my favorite childhood movies was based on a book. This book has all the fantastic cartoon shock-and-awe of the film, yet a storyline that is much different from it; keeping me both entertained and eager to find out who, in fact, censored Rodger Rabbit.

Like any noir story, it features a gruff, chauvinist, booze hound, gum-shoe P.I. as its main character, Eddie Valiant. Eddie investigates the murder of a famous cartoon alongside our second main character Rodger Rabbit. Rodger is a clumsy yet charismatic, giant anthropomorphic, talking, cartoon rabbit.

With the “cartoon-in-real-life” element of the story clashing with a gritty L.A. detective plot, chalk full of sex, deceit, money, and murder, comes most of the comedy in this book.

There are also several allusions with cartoons being likened to people of color in the American Civil Rights era. Unfortunately the novel never really delves too deep into this particular theme, bringing up the subject but never addressing it beyond exposition. I believe it would have added another level of depth to the story and made the whole book more interesting. This is really my only complaint as far as the story goes. There is also a plot point involving a certain tea kettle that some listers/readers may find ridiculous and hard to suspend their disbelief (But I rather enjoyed it).

In a nutshell,
I very much enjoyed this book and would recommended it to anyone who is a fan of the movie adaptation, as well as any fan of detective stories with comedic themes, neo-noir, or cartoons-in-real-life-style Warner Bros movies.

As for the narrator, L.J. Ganser does an absolutely fantastic job. His old timey detective voice for the main character is perfect. And the voices all the other character are so distinct and well done, it brings to life the cartoon element of the story. Easily one of the best narrative performances in my audible library.

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Captivating little spy story

Revisado: 12-06-19

For those raised on James Bond movies, this story will be an engaging and enjoyable little listen. And even for the uninitiated, this book is a captivating and very pleasant listen that you will not regret purchasing.

Unabashedly masculine, without devolving into irony or parody; this novel encapsulates the iconic and ideal masculine figure of the Cold War days that, for some, has carried over into modern times. It was refreshing to listen to fiction of this sort where the main character can be presented without satire.

A tale of Espionage, gambling, lust, romance, money, and murder; one of the first of its ilk, this book will make you want to listen to the next installment as soon as this one has finished. Fleming’s imagery and prose is amazing, presented easily and simple like Stephen King, Ellis, or McCarthy, and with an element of experience and culture to it that comes from an author who is personally experienced and familiar with the world they write about.

A bit shy of 6 hours, this is a story that can easily be consumed and appreciated in a single sitting, but short enough to be enjoyable again for a repeat listen. A straightforward spy thriller that doesn’t pose many philosophical or literary questions, just seeks to entertain.

4/5 overall in regards to the book, only because of the pacing of the last 1.5 hours of the story. Just a little too much falling action after the climactic torture scene in my opinion, but not terrible.

The narrator, Dan Stevens, does an okay job. There are only a few charters in the book so he doesn’t get too hung up on voices. To his credit, he does a fine job of pronouncing several words in French and other languages that I would struggle with had I decided to read a physical copy of this book. All in all, not a super great narrator, but definitely not one of the worst to be reading 007.

I would recommend this audiobook to your grandfather, father, or anyone partial to spy stories, namely James Bond.

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Least Compelling So Far...

Revisado: 10-04-19

If you've listened this far in (the last 3 books), theres no point in stopping now. This isn't a bad book or poorly written by any means; but it certainly is a tall order to follow up the events of the third book, which stands as having a majority of the climaxes of the series (both in the novels, and the television show).

Where the last 3 books were centered around King's Landing (Except for a few key characters: Dany, Sam, John, ect.), this book spreads many of the chacters out all over Westeros. Which is interesting if you're eager to see the world-building of George RR Martin's ASOIAF universe, but not so great if you really enjoyed the dramatic, soapy, sceming and back stabbing among those at court in the Red Keep in King's Landing.

Furthermore, this book takes interesting routes with the POV chapters. You get POV's from character's you've never had in the series before, such as Brienne. And While her chapters were some of my favorites, there was maybe 1-2 chapters in the entirety of the book from Arya, and several other key characters from the previous works. ASOIAF has always been a series with a ton of characters but this book seems to have increased the amount exponentially. The downside of this being, you may be saying to yourself, "I don't care about this character at all, or find them interesting or compelling ." And then have to listen to a dozen POV chapters from them, all of which being around 45 minutes.

For those whose favorite character is Tyrion or Dany, they do not appear in this novel at all.

In a nutshell, the characterization, pacing, and general story of this novel have been the worst of the series so far. If you're a die hard fan of the series its worth it to keep going and finish. But readers who are leisurely reading the series may want to stop at book 3.

As far as the Narrator... Roy Dotrice's performance has not gotten any better. He still has a catalog of maybe 4-5 voices that he has used throughout the series. Which in a story with fewer characters is fine, but in a series with dozens of characters, it gets repetitive very quickly. He also mispronounces several of the characters names differently than he has in the last 3 novels, which doesn't ruin anything "story-wise" but makes him seem like less of a talented narrator.

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Great little SCI-FI pulp!

Revisado: 09-26-19

If you're at all a fan of the John Carpenter movie this is a must listen. This short story does not go in depth into the various characters as in the film; but feels more like a very detailed campfire story or 1-shot comic book

Its only about 2 hours long so you'll be able to get through it in a single sitting.

The narrator gives an excellent performance and never once becomes annoying or repetitive. Steve Cooper, Sci-fi writer himself, makes you feel the madness creeping into the camp as the scientists attempt to discover who among them is "The Thing."

This short story was recently found out to be a short version of a larger story John W Campbell had been working on. Found in a box of manuscripts Campbell had previously sent to Harvard University. The Manuscripts were collected and published in 2018 under the title "Frozen Hell." Any fan of "Who Goes There" any of the various "The Thing" movies or H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness" should check it out.

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A must-read in the Western Literary Canon

Revisado: 06-27-19

I'll keep this review as short as possible. This is without a doubt the best book I have ever read.

I'll admit I have somewhat of a bias, McCarthy being my favorite author; but as much as I love his other more modern works, this book takes the cake as his magnum opus as far as I'm concerned.

This novel will contend with the classic theme of "good and evil" and go as far as to argue whether both are not in the same. With allusions to Moby Dick, Paradise Lost, and the Bible, this novel contains a cast of characters that will make you pondor the morality of man and whether he is a slave to violence or, indeed, a master of it.

The most violent book I have ever read in terms of sheer volume (second only to "American Psycho" in graphic description), and widely considered one of the best Westerns ever written, this book is sure to entice and entertain the McCarthy fan, as well as any fan of Wild West adventures, or even fans of post Civil War non-fiction.

Loosely based on the true story of Samuel Chamberlin's "My Confession," an extremely rare and out of print memoir of a Civil War soldier turned mercenary who took up with an outlaw gang of Scalp Hunters; this book follows "The Kid" though a roughly 2 year long stint of murder and mayhem, collecting scalps and killing with little consequence. During this time, he ponders the true nature of violence and how it can be enflicted upon the earth; and whether or not his evil deeds will catch up to him.

McCarthy writes in a simply fantastic prose, sprinkled with allusions and metaphors throughout this amazing book. Simply a Western to those looking only for a Western; and for those seeking more: a grand odyssey seeking to define mankind's violent nature, the existence of a vengeful, warlike and malevolent god, and the bleak morbidity that is the American West.

Do not pass this book up. As soon as I finished listening, I immediately started it again, and again, and again. I have read and listened to this book several times over and have gone so far as to watch several lectures about it, read essays written about it, and even track down an extremely rare copy of the previously mentioned "My Confession" to get more backstory on this novel.

Hopefully one day I will see this book made into a proper movie or HBO series, (though I doubt it because of its sheer depth and graphic violence). Until then I'll have to make do by re-reading it again and again, which I do gladly.
I also could not have asked for a better narrator. Simply put, I have zero complaints and nothing but praise for this audiobook.

Read it.

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Surprisingly insightful

Revisado: 06-26-19

In a nutshell:
Entertaining, insightful, but in no means a "How-To" or a political/social commentary. Can be enjoyed by Gavin fans or foes, especially if you're looking for a gritty nonfiction and enjoy authors such as Hunter S Thompson, Ellis, Bukowski, or Palaniuk. Read by the author himself which gives the added feeling he is personally recounting to you a story.

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As of late Gavin has become an even more controversial figure. To those that hate him, I highly suggest listening to this book. You may find your opinion changes.

Written more like a good friend telling you a story at a bar than a biography; the book has several very descriptive chapters of sex, vandalism, fights, drugs, and business deals before eventually aging and maturing into a husband and father.

Reads more like Hunter S Thompson's gonzo journalism mixed with Ellis' "American Psycho," Bukowski's "Women," and Palaniuk's "Choke."

This book is very different than a Gavin podcast. It contains very little commentary on politics or social issues. So if you're looking for a book that strokes your views of Hillary, Trump, Feminism, Antifa, Proud Boys, or Abortion, this is not what you're looking for. It is through and through a collection of the craziest life stories of a Canadian Punk who fueled by drugs, alcohol, and mischievous sex acts, grew up, moved to New York, started Vice, and eventually stepped into the sobering cold shower that is adulthood.

While I wouldn't say it made me respect Gavin any more/less, it certainly provided an insightful look into his life, leading up to the infamous and often hated figure he is now.

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Better than cold morphine with warm Wild Turkey 101

Revisado: 06-26-19

The Short of it:

Story -- Hilarious fictitious story with nuggets of truth. Plenty of old Norm jokes and stories from his act as well as Conan/Letterman/etc appearances. Told as an original story/narrative with many flashbacks/tangents that serve as side chapters along the way (much in the fashion of Norms Comedy). The last hour or so is all "original story" and loses much of the momentum and comedy the tangents offered; which is why I only gave it 4/5 stars. If you're a big Norm fan its 100% worth the purchase and the listen; if you're not a big Norm fan or you're luke-warm to his comedy, I highly doubt you'll enjoy this book at all and I don't suggest you buy it.

Performance -- You really owe it to yourself to buy the audiobook simply for the fact its narrated by Norm himself. This way you get the timing and cadence of his stories and jokes exactly the way they are meant to be told. 5/5 stars on the Narration and a huge factor on why I decided to purchase the book.

The Long of it:
If you're expecting an actual biography of Norm Macdonald, this is not the book for you. If cold hard facts on the life of Norm is what you're interested in, I suggest reading his Wikipedia page. I read several of the reviews rating this book 1/5 stars and none of them seem to have understood this book is a comedy. The very title "Based on a True Story" is a joke in itself.

The book is a combination of the present day story/narrative combined with flashback-style chapters where Norm is recounting past events. The present day chapters are not nearly as funny as the flashback chapters and the present day narrative really falls flat in the last hour or so of the book. Not only does it fall flat, its not clear what exactly the point of the present day narrative even is, nor does it even really matter. The Present day chapters are told as a combination of Fear-and-Loathing-esc gambling binges by Norm and short, 4th wall breaking, sequences where the book's "ghost writer" actively mocks Norm.

The real comedy is in the flashbacks which feature crazy stories of Norm going to prison, hiring a hitman, doing drug deals, getting into fist fights, shooting up massive amounts of morphine and drinking warm bottles of Wild Turkey 101 and much much more. If you are a big fan of Norm and are already familiar with his backstory, you can probably pick out the kernels of truth from these highly exaggerated stories.

This book had me laughing out loud the whole time and is quite literally the funniest book I have read since Forrest Gump or Confederacy of Dunces. I was originally in the market for a non-fiction autobiographical novel, but I am very glad this purchase ended up being quite the opposite. Listen time is just over 7 hours and it had me sad when it was over that there was not more of it to enjoy. The fact that its also narrated by Norm is alone a reason to buy. It really feels like Norm is performing on stage just for you. Experiencing this book is second only to when I got to see Norm live and front stage.

In closing, I'll say this 1 more time, If you're not a huge Norm fan you will not enjoy this book. If you are looking for something serious and informative, you will not enjoy this book. If you are in the mood to listen to the moth joke, the Matlock joke, and "open your mouth and say Oink" all combined into a 7 hour Norm Macdonald soliloquy, look no further.

Like previously stated, the present day narrative becomes a little stale at the end which is the only reason I'd rate it a 4/5 overall. I highly recommend it and will be repeat listening to it again soon.

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Misleading Title

Revisado: 06-21-19

I apparently wrongly assumed the book would expand more on how moral and reason allowed the west to conquer and become a prosperous and industrious civilization, and furthermore, on the ethics of west itself. However, what the book actually delivers is several hours on the idea that morality started by the Judeo-Christian people in Israel; followed up by how reason started with the Athenians of Greece and Greek philosophers; and is concluded by several hours of the idea that the spirit of morality/logic/reason has existed religiously and spirituality though several philosophy's and philosophers which eventually evolved into the west.

For the listener, I believe its also worth noting that this book is highly religious. The first few chapters -and several hours- of the book being a History of Judeo-Christianity being the origin of moral reasoning and the key to prosperity, one can come to the conclusion if you are not a practicing and religious individual, this book may not be what you're looking for in terms of history and philosophy.

I will also add to this review that I am only somewhat familiar with Shapiro by his comments throughout the Trump campaign and presidency, his interactions with other conservative figureheads (Milo, McInnes, Carlson, Peterson, etc.), and the occasional highlight from his show on YouTube. I have not read any of his previous books or listen to his radio show.

I purchased this audio book in an attempt to listen to more non-fiction. As someone who is conservative and religious, I can appreciate the content of the book, being both educationally and spirituality relevant to my worldview. However, as the title suggests, it is not exactly what I was looking for in terms of content. If you are looking for a book detailing the rise of the west, as a whole, look elsewhere. As this novel only details the spirit of philosophy which became religious western philosophy. In a nutshell, the book focuses mainly on Christian spirituality and its aspects in western philosophy.

As far as the narration... not great. Shapiro talks much too fast and without a lot of passion. Making his narration a fire hose of quotes and references without any character behind it. Spitting out several points at once very "matter-of-factly" and then moving on to more points without really dissecting anything.

In closing: not a bad book if you're a Shapiro fan and are eager to read his next book, or you'd like to read a Judeo-Christian philosophical text. But it was not what I was looking for.

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