C. Andrew Hessler

Great narration

Revisado: 04-15-24

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this audio book. The narration was great. Some of it is performed like an audio drama. Other parts are strictly narrarated.
It turns out the new movies (2022/2024) follow the book very precisely.

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Expansive but unfulfilling

Revisado: 05-29-23

I liked the large scope of the book in the space and time that it covered. Ultimately, though, there was not a lot of satisfaction in the end. As an audio book, there are portions that are written from the perspective of two different main characters. And since the narrator did a poor job distinguishing characters through voice, it was hard to tell who was using the first person at times.
I just felt like it was too big and too expansive to get anything other than a far-off sense of wonder.

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Interesting but not earth-shattering

Revisado: 05-11-23

Overall, quite enjoyable. Interesting saga. Not a lot if character development or story arc. No big plot twists. People get stranded, go hungry, go mad, go home. It's a classic castaway story. I think what the author brings to this tale is a realism of the struggles at sea and on land. The inner turmoil of choices and decisions are brought to life.
The performance is solid. Easy to listen to. It's written in 3rd person...so there's no attempt to voice the characters uniquely.

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So glad they made audiobooks for the Death Gate!

Revisado: 02-21-23

It's been a long time waiting for this audiobook. This is by far my favorite series of books. Is it because of nostalgia? Perhaps. But the truth is that "Dragon Wing" and the entire series is just full of great adventure, magic and immense world building. I read this series as it was published back in the 90's. At one point I even sent my copy of Serpent Mage to Margaret Weis to get autographed! And, I still have my original hard back of "Into the Labyrinth.
The story catches you up into the hearts and souls of the characters. You feel their pain, confusion, and passion so acutely.
The narrator does a fantastic job with accents and various voices. You could close your eyes, unless your driving and listening like I usually do, and picture each character just in the way the narrator does his voice acting. Each character has their own voice...and it's wonderful. (I hope the same guy does book 2)
I'm sure there are other great reviews that cover the ins and outs of the plot. I really want this review to capture the spirit and thrill of unravelling the mysteries of each world Ms. Weis has built for us. I hope you enjoy the Death Gate Cycle as much as I did back in the day...and did again just now as I wrapped up listening to "Dragon Wing". It was an absolutely wonderful experience revisiting the sundered worlds. Thank you Ms. Weis and Mr. Hickman for such a marvelous experience.

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I just didn't get it.

Revisado: 07-02-22

So, I have no idea how this got good ratings. But, the first two hours of this audio book was just a bunch of faceless people killing other faceless "savages". If there was a plot...I couldn't see it. If there was a lead character...I never met him. There's no interesting dialog. Nothing insightful was revealed. Just "military" sci-fi. (I guess that's a genera now?)

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Story just wasn't going anywhere (Spoilers)

Revisado: 12-19-21

I just didn't love this audio book. There were no memorable characters. The plot was simple and forced at the same time. Some parts were clearly added as filler material...and just didn't move the story forward at all. And, you can kinda see where this is all going.
[Spoiler] I'm pretty sure it's just the plot of "Star Gate" just with FTL ships.
I'm not going to bother with the rest of the series.
The narration was ok.

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Fun story, but a little light on plot

Revisado: 09-11-21

Overall I enjoyed listening to this production. The story was engaging and fun. The main narrator was good as she voiced the main character, but she didn't differentiate her voice well when speaking as others.
Some of the "sidebars" seemed a bit superfluous. I think the intent was to ad a bit of realism to the plot. But, the extraneous information was a bit disjointed.

Some of the plot mechanics were a bit forced. The whole premise of a town of people being cut off from civilization in order to be attacked by Bigfoot was contrived to drive the story. No tools, no guns, a village of pacifists. I guess you have to just roll with it.

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Not sure what the point was [Spoilers]

Revisado: 08-27-21

Well...
I have no idea what the point of this story was.
The book starts out with a chase to recover this "fighting elite" , Idris, that has the ability to talk to these planet destroying Architects. I swear the book never explains why people were out to capture him. The whole set of motivations that seem to stir the main characters into action just gets forgotten.
Then...tons of random stuff happens...which leads to more random stuff...etc.
[Spoiler]
It's revealed that the Architects never attack planets that have "originator" relics. So, there's a whole contrived story about a new chase to recover some of these relics in an attempt to sell them to the highest bidder. And...some story about these super powerful gangsters that faked the destruction of a spacecraft to make it look like the Architects had returned.
Fighting ensues...
And...low and behold...the Architects actually have returned and [More Spoilers] Idris talks them out of destroying a planet again. (Yeah)
Oh...and the Originator "regalia" didn't actually scare away the Architects like they were supposed to. (So...what was the point of risking life and limb to try to obtain them?)

There's no character arc. The characters start and finish in the same condition. It's just a hodgepodge of animosity and fear that seems to propel the characters into action with little to explain where those emotions come from.

I won't be bothering with the sequels.

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Great novel. Worth listening to.

Revisado: 07-23-21

Let's face it. Andy Weir's first book, "The Martian", is hard to beat. His second book, "Artemis", was kind of a flop in my estimation. (Sorry). But, "Project Hail Mary" turned out just great. It follows the same formula of the characters solving one problem after another like in "The Martian". So...it feels familiar in that respect. The book offers new characters, new science and a lot less swearing.
Andy Weir is good at writing in this style. And...I think if you enjoyed "The Martian " you'll also e joy this.

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Too much unnecessary use of F$%&

Revisado: 09-14-20

I can't Believe I wasted my time listening to this book a. There was far too much swearing. Every other word was a swear word In some sections. The plot was flat. The characters were not fully developed. And, the last few chapters of the book Provided very little satisfaction. I would in no way recommend this book for listening or for reading. I won't be continuing the series.However, Will Wheaton did an excellent job as a narrator.

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