George F Backofen

Decent writing hindered by a bland performance.

Revisado: 10-05-23

Llewellyn's writing is good, but it needs to be read by someone with a better grasp of performative narration. Like Lovecraft, Llewellyn doesn't overindulge in dialogue. Lynn does well enough in the sparce areas where the characters are actually speaking, but her tone during the narrative is dull, bordering on monotony. None of the emotions come through. Which is a shame because the writing is certainly not devoid of them.

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Better as You Go

Revisado: 09-09-21

P.J. Ochlan brings the entire cast of characters to life with unique and colorful voices for everyone, which is a relief since the the ensemble is quite large and diverse.
The story starts a bit slow for my taste, but once it gets moving, there is a sense that there is a whole world within it. We only get to scratch the surface of this world, but it's clear there is more to it than we see, and that makes it feel more real.
I was not fond of the narrative style, however. I felt it pulled me out of the immersion in a jerky and irregular pattern and it made me far to aware that I was listening to a story being told, rather than experiencing it. Towards the end, it becomes a bit more evident as to why, but I still didn't care for that aspect of it, much.
I'm on the fence as to whether I will continue with the next book, or if I've had my fill or this world. I like the characters and I like where the story seems to be headed, but I don't know that I want to spend the time jumping in and out of immersion for it.

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A satisfying end to the trilogy.

Revisado: 06-08-21

If you've followed the story this far, I doubt you need me to explain why you should finish it. If you haven't, go back and read the first two books. They are well worth it in their own rite. And rest assured that this story's conclusion will not leave you wanting anything but more.

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Good Story, Okay Writing, Lackluster Performance

Revisado: 11-20-19

The overall story was well thought out and the wrap up of the trilogy shows that as all the pieces fall into place. It's clear that McDermott knows his way around ships and boats and all manner of water vessel.

Some of the side characters were written a bit too stereotypical, however. My confidence in the story faded whenever those characters where on the page. Much as it did every time someone survived a situation of otherwise certain doom. This tale seems to follow the luckiest people in the whole event. After a while, it became a bit boring as they narrowly escaped time and again, due either to their enemies' incompetence, a cunning and convenient advantage, or just plain luck.

The performance, unfortunately, just didn't cut it for me. No doubt, Kevin Pierce is excellent for certain books, but he seems to lack the range to bring a story with this many characters to life without them all sounding the same. His easy southern drawl felt particularly out of place while reading for characters from New England and his delivery with some of the aforementioned stereotypical side characters felt quite uncomfortable, not due to what he had to say, but in the way he said it.

As a whole, I enjoyed the story and found it to be an interesting topic that I don't see touched on very often. the realism and attention to detail for certain thing the author clearly knows well was refreshing, but some of the characters and events felt flat and uninspired and the performance regularly drew me out of the story.

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