David W

A very good book, but HORRIBLE narration!

Revisado: 04-08-25

What’s the deal with this narrator? His tone is almost hypnotic…like a preacher in a church delivering a sermon to a congregation. He seems to have no excitement or even interest in the topic. It’s like he’s in some kind of trance, quietly reading along, pausing in weird places. The weird thing is that he doesn’t really sound…curious. A curious narrator would convey a lot more energy and enthusiasm. This guy is the opposite of that. It made me wonder: did the author listen to this narrator before he agreed to using him? Ugh. It almost ruins a very interesting book. But I had to buy the Kindle version to finish it because I couldn’t stand the Audible version.

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Great book, but either hire a narrator or SLOW DOWN!

Revisado: 07-16-24

I only just finished the first chapter (so far), and I will update this review after I finish the book, but I felt I needed to say something about the author/narrator. He speaks WAY TOO FAST for an Audible book!! What kind of medication is this guy taking? After about 200 Audible books, this is the only time I had to adjust the speed factor DOWN. I’m listening at 0.9 speed, and that seems to work for me. I couldn’t even understand what he was saying sometimes at 1.0 speed. He tends to let his words merge together when he gets excited, and some consonants seem to go out the window. Overall, I’m loving the book, but I really wish he had used a narrator other than himself for the Audible book.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

Interesting mystery

Revisado: 07-14-24

While Running Blind was an interesting murder mystery, there were a few things I found to be unsettling. First, I didn’t care for the narrator of the Audible book. He does weird (and very annoying) voices when he’s speaking as characters other than Reacher, specifically Blake, Julia Lamarr, and the thinking voice of the killer. Second, the whole cartoonish stupidity and, frankly, evil nature of the FBI was extremely unnerving and it left me with an unresolved feeling at the end of the book. Finally, it didn’t have nearly as much fighting and action as so many other Reacher novels do. This was the first Reacher book I’ve read that I can’t see being made into a season of the TV show. Too many slow, frustrating parts, and not nearly enough of Reacher settling scores.

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Excellent Science Fiction!

Revisado: 05-08-24

Very compelling love story told as a sci-fi thriller. A great spin on the multiverse concept and the “road not taken” theme. Also, it really made me think about how much I should appreciate my life and not waste time and energy dwelling on what ifs. While the grass may sometimes appear greener on the other side of the fence, it is not always the case.

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My favorite Reacher book so far!

Revisado: 01-31-24

This is the 6th Jack Reacher book I’ve read, and I think it’s my favorite one yet. It had continuous action and suspense through the book, building up to a fantastic climax. It is SO satisfying to see how the bad guys die, one at a time, especially the last one. Sometimes, you have no idea how Reacher is going to get out of certain situations or fight certain enemies, but somehow he always manages to survive until the next book!

I was prompted to read this one now after learning that Season 3 of the Reacher TV show on Prime Video will be based on this story, and now I can’t wait to see it! Who’s going to play Duffy? Who’s going to play Quinn? But really, I want to know who’s going to play Paulie!! Seven feet tall and 400 pounds? Shaquille O’Neal??

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Not my favorite Reacher book

Revisado: 01-22-24

First, this book felt slower and less engaging than others in the series. I’m not sure why, but the whole story with Froelich became old and boring very quickly. Also, while Dick Hill’s narration is generally pretty good, his female voice leaves a lot to be desired. His voice is such a deep baritone or bass (which is perfect for Reacher), it sounds absurd when he tries to sound like a woman. So much so, in fact, that I just wanted Froelich and Neagley to stop talking already! Plus, Dick Hill often sounds like he’s breathing too hard or something when he emphasizes certain words. Overall, his voice really became a big distraction for me in this book.

I really wish they had a better narrator for these books who could do all the voices justice.

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The incredible story of Bell Labs

Revisado: 03-08-23

I never knew how significant Bell Labs was in the development of the modern technology we all take for granted today. Transistors, digital computers, satellite communications, and so many more fundamental technologies came from this “idea factory,” It certainly makes you wonder where we’d all be today if Bell Labs and the wizards who worked there never existed. I like to think Alexander Graham Bell would have been very proud of the legacy created in his name.

If you’re interested in where all of our marvelous modern technology came from, you will LOVE this book. I first listened to the Audible version of this book about 5 years ago, and I’ve read it twice more since then. I find the story fascinating and inspirational, and I can’t seem to get enough of it.

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Fascinating!

Revisado: 06-14-22

This is an excellent book, and it gives a very enjoyable and unique perspective on the history of technology and how it shaped the history of civilization. It’s mind boggling to think about how one thing, like discovery of how to create glass from sand, could have had such a tremendous impact on the progress of our society. Without the six innovations discussed in this book, we’d all still be living like animals. The writing and narration is outstanding, and I know I’ll be thinking about this book for years to come.

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Very interesting, but redundant writing style and some facts just WRONG

Revisado: 05-28-22

Overall, this book was very good and seemed to represent a lot of hard work, extensive interviews, and interesting stories. But, I had a few problems with it. First, some “facts” were simply incorrect. For example, the author said, several times, that Jobs’ father was Iranian. All other sources, including the Isaacson book, other Jobs biographies, magazine articles, interviews, podcasts, and even Wikipedia, say that Jobs’ father was SYRIAN. Where did the author get this “fact” about his Iranian heritage? So then, if such a well known fact was so blatantly incorrect, then how many other “facts” are incorrect? Did the author really even do the research he claims to have done? Next point…why is there so much redundancy in this book?!? At first, it starts out, chapter by chapter, alternating between Jonny Ive and Tim Cook, and the story is presented chronologically. But then in the 2010s, the story gets a little more mixed up and starts to blend both of their stories together, often repeating some points (for dramatic effect??) throughout. Finally, the narrator, while he has an excellent speaking voice, seems to try a little too hard at times to convey emotion in the reading. I almost felt like he was crying during some sadder parts of the story, but that can’t be right, can it?

Anyway, as an Apple and Steve Jobs fanboy, i believe this should be added to everyone’s must-read list of books, and I can’t wait to hear discussions about it on my favorite Apple podcasts (I’m talking to you, Mac Power Users!). But I would certainly like to hear some comments from people “in the know” about how factual this book was and whether or not people agree that with the loss of Jobs and I’ve, Apple has lost its soul. I know Cook and other bean counters don’t have the creative soul to carry the company forward indefinitely, but I have to believe among the thousands working in that spaceship building, there are more than a few very creative individuals who can push this great company to innovate again in the future.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

One of the best sci-fi books I’ve ever read!

Revisado: 05-09-22

As far as sci-fi books go, I loved “The Martian” and “Ready Player One,” but neither were as enjoyable to me as “Project Hail Mary.” This was such a well written story with wonderful character development and an even better story arc. The ending caught me by surprise a little, but I loved it and after reflecting on the whole story and Ryland Grace’s background, I thought it was actually perfect! I hope the planned movie works out better than the movie adaptations of those other two books I mentioned above. I guess only time will tell.

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