1/2DHsquared

A classic, read by a pro!

Revisado: 10-03-24

R.C. Bray breathes new life into this marvellous story. Some of the ideas are dated, but it still stands up to the test of time.

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Poorly written by a committee

Revisado: 04-02-24

I only listen to this train wreck because my son bought it for me. There must be something good about it, but it evaded me. I enjoy sci-fi and fantasy, but this story couldn’t make up its mind what it was.

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The narrator was the best part.

Revisado: 10-31-15

Without R.C. Bray reading this, I would have given up on this story, but he really put in a lot of emotional interest by keeping the characters as "real" as possible. One peeve I do have... that the description of the story has little to do with the actual book! There is no sighting of the incoming ships, no lights in the sky, no anticipation by mankind. It's all undercover, spy stuff, and intrigue - things I have little interest in. When I pick a Sci-Fi book, I expect Sci-Fi content throughout, not just bits here and there. I also found the pacing very frustrating. The first two-thirds of the story are well detailed, albeit a bit slow, and then the final third goes along at break-neck speed and it's hard to keep track of who's where and what is going on. All in all, not a very satisfying experience.

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Very much abridged, but still good

Revisado: 08-05-15

Derek Jacobi performs this well, and made it a pleasurable listen. Being an abridged recording, it does leave out a lot, but covers the story up until Claudius is made emperor, which is where it stops. That was my only disappointment. The unabridged story continues on quite a bit longer, and I was hoping this recording would cover that material.

I suppose Derek Jacobi would have been too expensive to have perform the unabridged version, but I think it would be worth any extra expense to have it.

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Good story, but some technical faults in recording

Revisado: 08-05-15

Very character driven, and living inside someone else's head (several someones at that), so be prepared to backtrack and relisten to several portions of the story so you can be sure you understand who is "talking." Reminds me of "Pride of Chanur" and "Cuckoo's Egg" both of which were written by the same author.

As for the "technical faults" - there are portions with a slight echo and some stuttering in a number of places within the recording. These can be very distracting at times, but if you can ignore them (and they don't last too long) just concentrate on the story unfolding. A mystery, intrigue, and sci-fi, all rolled into one. Some action, chases, violence, and much confusion for the human in the story.

You are very much in the dark, as is the protagonist, so the conclusion will come as a bit of surprise, as it is for the protagonist. Definitely worth the time and money. :)

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Much more to it than the film ever showed

Revisado: 01-31-13

I didn't like the film, and was surprised that the book had a lot more in it than what was in the movie. An interesting listen for any time of year.

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Not Discworld, but it doesn't matter!

Revisado: 01-31-13

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book. Very reminiscent of Discworld, including the irreverence and humorous character portrayals. A sort of alternate-history version for our world. Very true to the times and circumstances of the Victorian era. Gritty, grimy, and squelchy -- you can feel for Dodger in a very real sense. LOVED Stephen Briggs's narration and characterizations - top notch!

Another great Pratchett novel! :D You will not be disappointed.

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Good story telling!

Revisado: 01-31-13

I haven't read this in years and it was great being able to listen instead. Good narration makes it easy to drift into the world and imagine how everything appears. I did find myself remembering scenes from the TV mini-series, including the various actors who portrayed the significant characters instead of "seeing" who they were, as described.

Still, a very compelling "what if" tale with some interesting supernatural connotations added for good affect. Randal Flagg is even scarier in the story than he was ever portrayed in the mini-series and I love the epilogue and final scene of the book. :D

This story was originally inspired by "Earth Abides" (also available in audiobook), which I've also listened to. Its story takes place over MANY years and is an excellent read, very factual, and less "dramatic." Mr. King took that and added an interesting twist and some villains that sped up the pace. I definitely recommend listening to both books and the order won't matter as they are still so different.

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Mending Bridges, really.

Revisado: 01-31-13

I really got the impression that Peter Benchley wrote this book to repair the damage that his book JAWS did to the image of sharks. Now, of course, the book wasn't nearly so bad as the film (I've read the book, and seen the film) at portraying sharks as fishy devils.

This endeavour is setting the record straight. He is telling how he came to write the JAWS novel and then finally actually meeting the animal that was so affected by both his book and the Hollywood production of the same.

Humans ARE the problem, not the sharks. Humans have always been the problem, and he makes no bones about saying so and illustrating the fact with many observations from many different sources.

Very informative and eye-opening - worth the time and thought.

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I'm not sure what others were listening to...

Revisado: 01-31-13

I enjoyed this! I was like being at several back-to-back Lewis Black rant performances. There were funny moments, maddening moments, and heart-felt moments, but it was all Lewis Black. How could anyone be disappointed!

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