TnJim

Nope, not this one

Revisado: 08-20-19

I don't know why I selected this one. It says it all in the promotional material: it's about killed children. This is King's downfall: a love for the torture and murder of children. And this one is very graphic. There are few things that completely turn me off in a book, but the graphic torture of kids, even in its discovery after the fact, immediately damages a book for me. It's like strike two-and-three-fourths. The chance of the book getting much of a rating from me is very low. And this one goes off the political rails with unnecessary and unfunny swipes at the President at odd times. On the plus side, the scary monster part is pretty good. The grab at the end surprised me. The characters are almost well developed. In other words, this would be an average book except for the horribly graphic torture of a young boy that is talked about throughout. If I could give it a zero, I would have. Don't give up on King. There is genius here. There is always the possibility of great things. But as he works to crank out one or more books a year, he slips into creating the easy uncomfortably of readers and his political feelings instead. When his reviews indicate these things are present, throw down his book. There are none new out there that I will even consider. And neither should you.

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Stay with it if you've read the other two.

Revisado: 08-08-19

This is the third installment of the Wayward Pines Trilogy and it is the best of the three. For fear of setting free a spoiler, let us just say that everything has changed since Pines. The characters are the same but some of the relationships turn mix-and-match and there be monsters everywhere. In this trilogy, Crouch has done a good job with a somewhat beyond far-fetched premise. An interesting, if flawed, Wayward, grows steadily more ridiculous, but he somehow keeps our interest in the characters. And we keep reading. I came back to these books based on a totally undedicated viewing of the Wayward Pines TV show. I wanted to see where it all was heading and now I know. I think this would work better as a long book than a trilogy of short ones. However, credulity is seriously stretched no matter how the material is presented. So read this one if you can take far-fetched sci fi but with a decently drawn character or two. If you love Crouch, read this to see him at less than his best. Otherwise, I’d avoid it, though I’ll be waiting anxiously for whatever Crouch roles out next. I had trouble with the narrator in the first book. By book three, I enjoyed him. I’m not sure if he warmed to the material or I warmed to him. In any event, he did a good if not great job.

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Better than Book 1

Revisado: 08-03-19

This is Book 2 in the Wayward Pines Trilogy (see Pines for Book 1). Ethan is now the Sheriff of Wayward Pines, Idaho, the last town on earth following a monster takeover of the planet. Ethan and the other residents of Wayward Pines exist because Dr. Pilcher, a classic Fascist mad scientist, chose them to live and protected them in suspended animation for 3,000 years. But Ethan is unhappy. The town is a dystopian utopia, a perfect place where your every move is watched by hidden cameras and any kind of disagreement with Pilcher must be severely punished, by the Sheriff, Ethan soon finds. Theresa, Ethan’s wife, and their son are moved to Wayward to join Ethan. The two of them like the place, but Ethan, much more of a free spirit, soon collides with Pilcher’s Fascist ways when he learns that Pilcher is watching Ethan and Theresa in bed. When Pilcher calls Ethan to investigate the apparent murder of Pilcher’s daughter, Ethan suspects that absolute power corrupts absolutely. During his investigation, Ethan finds interference everywhere from Pilcher and his goons. This only adds to Ethan’s frustration with Wayward Pines. In the course of the investigation, he runs into his former (female) FBI partner with whom he has had a long-standing affair, an affair that Theresa discovered long before everyone’s relocation to Wayward Pines. The reignited triangle brings depth to the story, as does the investigation which seems to lead to a group that is trying desperately to flee Wayward Pines. And herein lies the tale!! Crouch does a good job keeping up with all the details and explaining the strangeness of this convoluted story. Ridiculous coincidences, like the fact that both Ethan and his former lover are at Wayward Pines are explained away by having Pilcher look into the particular FBI Field Office where both are assigned for “model” Wayward Pines citizens. The mystery is a real one. There are multiple suspects and figuring out who did it is not an easy exercise. In fact, the solution surprised me. And Crouch sets up the third book in a masterful way. I wasn’t overly impressed with the first book; there was a chase scene that consumed more than a third of the final pages of the book. This, among other distractions, kept me from even liking the first book (see the Pines review). Book this one puts the trilogy back on track and I will most definitely be a reader of the third one! And a future reader of Crouch! Garcia does a very good job reading the book. His reading is never a distraction from the story and though his attempts to give voice to the various characters seems to be limited to only three or four choices which are used repeatedly, he executes well.

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If you are hoping for Recursion or Dark Matter, yo

Revisado: 07-28-19

This book has a really good start. Ethan, our government agent sent into the wilderness to look for an agent gone missing, wakes up in a town in the middle of nowhere. He is injured from an apparent car accident. He remembers nothing.He tries to solve his situation with no help from a sadistic local sheriff and townspeople with no sense of humor or interest in particularly anything. And the book is as good as Crouch’s most recent two (Recursion and Dark Matter ) through here. And then it suddenly isn’t. There is a chase scene that goes on forever and becomes steadily more strange until things are so screwed up it would make a nightmare blush. More and more strange, harder and harder to follow, not a good mix. n the end, the book fails. Incidentally, there is a small bit of light at the end when there is a small twist that leads to the next book in this series, Wayward. I’ll continue, but my expectations are low.

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All over the place

Revisado: 07-22-19

Not for me. I’m sure poor Harry had 15 lives. I might have thought 35 or 13 or 94. Couldn’t keep up. When the plot needed to advance, it seemed to change lives rather than develop much of anything. I’m biased here though. I’m a bit tired of these move between lives books. I think I’ve read two. That was plenty. Harry never interested me. He never developed, just shifted. The plot wasn’t like a series of short stories, more a series of vignettes that were more or less connected. I’d have to say I suppose it’s done well for what it is. Just wasn’t in the mood for what it was or what it wanted to be.

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This is simply a great book.

Revisado: 07-06-19

It’s somewhat hard to follow and even harder to explain without giving too much away. A police officer is called to tall building where a woman is about to jump. He pleads with her not to jump as does her husband, but they are not successful. She jumps anyway. Years later, the cop is called to another situation involving the family of this woman. He finds that no one remembers her jumping. He decides it is a case of a new disease where people in a group forget events. And that is the premise of a book that includes selected changes of the past for all sorts of good and bad reasons. Keeping up with which changed line we are on at any time drove me a bit nuts. But the police officer is well drawn as is the female character who is a scientist. The far fetched machine isn’t that far fetched and human nature is what it is. I enjoyed Crouch’s Dark Matter a year or so back, but this one is even better. I think I’ll head back for his Wayward Pines trilogy soon. Read this one. And please tell me what you think!

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A politicized romance

Revisado: 06-20-19

Nope! I don’t mean to make this sound condescending in any way. Romance is a valid genre enjoyed by many. It isn’t my favorite. So when I say “this is nothing more than a romance hiding liberal preaching,” I mean no disrespect to the genre. I simply mean I think the book is advertised as more than that. I certainly hoped for more! It is the story of an orphanage in West Tennessee that stole children where they could find them then offered them to adoptive parents. Though they sold the babies primarily to desperate couples in the South, they operated everywhere. As a couple who couldn’t afford adoption, this story is particularly near and dear to me, and it is well-one and this part of the book is very well done. But the rest is not. I wanted much more of the orphanage and life there and MUCH less about the modern-day potential Senate candidate. And the placement of this modern-day character as a potential candidate only served as a platform from which to introduce an array of liberal positions on everything from the healthcare system to nursing homes to white privilege. I got very tired of this in a hurry. An apolitical telling of the same story would be far more appealing. The dual narrators were distracting. The modern one was far better than the old time one. I don’t recommend this book, nor will I be looking for this author for future reads!

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I like John Cleese

Revisado: 05-29-19

I like John Cleese. I've liked some of his work and writing. Some is too silly for me. What I've liked, I've REAALY liked. I was excited to listen to this book. It isn't disappointing really. It's just a bit like his work for me - some I like, some I don't. I enjoyed learning about how shows and movies happened for Cleese and his co-workers. I really enjoyed how much he enjoyed telling about it all. I got bogged down occasionally, but for the most part, it flowed well. If you like Cleese, a decent listen, abut don't come looking for a lot about the Flying Circus. It is there only in passing. Cleese is an interesting narrator. Instead of a cheap laugh track, he shows us where things are funny by laughing himself. Though it could be annoying, I found this rather endearing.

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Another very good book!

Revisado: 05-20-19

Enjoyed this book. This writer is quickly growing on me, and this narrator is among my favorite. I especially enjoy the way Moriarty gives us "who done it's" but not at all in the police procedural form. Her form is much more social.. We get our clues from the cocktail party, the school play, the barbecue rather than from the torn dress, the DNA, or the dimly scene malefactor. And when she adds the extra mystery of what exactly is going on, I'm finding myself sold from the first few pages! I also enjoy her use of multiple points of view. Unlike many who try this technique, she handles the complexities it adds to a story very well. She doesn't do it like Faulkner, but again, she comes at things more from a social perspective. It never feels canned or like a party trick. The narrator is wonderful. She uses multiple voices but not obtrusively so. In this book, her Eastern European male character became a bit grating, but that was because Moriarty overused him just a bit. Not exactly a classic but a very good listen. And I've already bought another one by this writer!

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Spectacularly average!

Revisado: 04-05-19

The characters here are okay. They are involved in a situation that no one would believe if they read about it in the newspaper. It's a bit racey.

Averiage.

Doesn't stand out in any way.

Maybe in one way. The narrator didn't rise (or fall) to the level of the book. He was distracting a bit unpleasant over time. I found it hard to listen to the relatively dull material over a long period of time.

It's the story of a judicial candidate who when hearing arguments in a Texas ? Ranger's case is suddenly attacked by a gun wielding assailant. The cop attacks and the attacker is killed on the roof of the courthouse. Can't say a lot more or I'll spoil it for you. There is a lot more that could be told though.

I absolutely hated Envy, the other Brown book I read. I didn't really hate (or really love) this one.

So if I forgot my book and had to have something to read on a long flight, I would consider a Brown book. Wouldn't be bored and would only feel a little guilty about lost time. HOw's that for a recommendation??

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