Jake Ervin

After 43 years, Much is New to Me Again

Revisado: 04-30-20

My friends & I all read the 1st Chronicles, and I find that there is much I did not recall. Covenant is a much-flawed character. Perhaps hyperbole, to show how broken TC is. I was 13, parents were divorcing, and these books were an escape from this world, as the Land was for TC. I better understand the sense of loss and the pain of Covenant as "Lord Foul" has assaulted me as well: (lost my 11 year old son & 51 year old wife). I have never forgotten how kind SRD was when I tracked him down by phone (before internet) and he took the time to speak to me, a kid. Page 91 incident was an indication of just how TC was overwhelmed with the sudden and impossible restoration of his dead nerves. The incident was NOT graphic nor did it glorify TC's actions. It was shocking, and set TC up as an anti-hero.

I read these books with a dictionary by my side! My vocabulary grew greatly due to these books.

Today, Kindle looks up these words for you. I own both the Kindle and Audible versions.

Narrator, Scott Brick, infuses every word with emotion. Truly, Brick is no mere narrator, but a performer.

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Easter eggs laid in book 1 are still paying off

Revisado: 11-04-19

So much of these books were planned out or secreted back in after the fact that make this a saga and not merely a story. There is continuity that not only connects book to book, but that weaves and binds them together. Is it perfect? No, but it has depth and discovery for the reader. Characters grow, making them more relatable.

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Need more Muirwood, a new Addiction.

Revisado: 03-11-19

From a fellow former Intel guy: loved the character development! Story is not so deep that you must take notes to keep it straight in your head, AND, it leaves you wanting more of Muirwood. It's a good thing that Jeff Wheeler is so prolific! I am off to snatch up another story!

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One hell of a ride!

Revisado: 12-02-18

So much backstory that slowly unravels as these characters grow! Descriptive, active, amazing story telling!

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Packed tight like sardines in a can!

Revisado: 08-18-18

This is voice to text so I apologize for any spelling errors. This little book (and the Audible version of this book) is packed tight with all kinds of useful information! It is not a 22-hour long series, but rather, it is what you need to know. Amazing examples, useful & insightful suggestions and step by step directions. One update: Amazon changed the address for your Kindle notes & highlights. Now it is "kindle.amazon.com". I about shouted for you when you unveiled that little gold nugget! I, too, have moved to Kindle books! Thank you, and, I lived in Rio Rancho, and watched the Balloon Fiesta every year!

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Powerful, eye-opening explanation of Grace!

Revisado: 03-27-18

This is not a dry, dusty old treatise on an arcane, theological point. Beyond mere facts, Kyle shares stories--including those from his own life--to help the reader "experience" Grace the best you can, before experiencing it in your own life, which is the whole point.

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Fizzled out

Revisado: 12-29-16

Now I recall why I have no memory of this final installment to an otherwise memorable series: this could have been condensed to10 pages and been appended to The Hand of Oberon. Literally nothing revealed or added to further the story. I still have my original copies of all 5 books! So much great material: trumps, shadow, Amber, Pattern, political intrigue, twists and turns.

Save your money, when done with Oberon, just ask, and I will tell you in under a minute how it ends!

Narrator was great!

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Nostalgic!

Revisado: 11-13-16

My buddies and I read these so long ago. I grabbed Nine Princes to remind myself of those days, walking our own ways thru Shadow.

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IMMERSIVE! Draws you in & keeps you there!

Revisado: 01-09-12

There is such depth to the idea of "forcibles", "endowments" and an ever-expanding history that I felt that I was being schooled in ancient manners and customs. Castle descriptions, war-machines, armor details, so much depth that I could not help but be caught up in the story. The magic here is NOT limited to the Runelords and endowments, as the bad guy (antagonist) Raj Ahten (who seeks to become "The Sum of All Men", and wow, is that so well thought out and complex that you simply MUST listen to fully appreciate the concept) unveils flame weavers and so much more as he lays seige to Castle Longmont.

Don't forget that there are also love stories, battles, ancient warriors, wizards, a "netherworld", and a protagonist (good guy, Prince Gaborn Val Orden) who gives us insights into the way things were and perhaps how they should be, instead. Prince Gaborn is a character I actually admired, as he grew through the hard choices that he faced, I found myself appreciating him and his character.

The narrator has a rich voice that is perfect for the telling of this genre, although when he tried to do a young girl's voice, I felt sorry for him, even while appreciating the effort that he put forward. Some high-pitched, momma's boy would have ruined the audio theatre that is, "The Sum of All Men".

So engrossing did I find "The Sum of All Men" that before it was over (38 minutes to go), when I realized that it would soon end, I purchased Book 2 in the series, and I immediately began listening to Book 2 when SOAM finished!

In fairness, perhaps I did perceive a flaw? It occurred to me a number of times that the author should have gone back and made a reference to certain characters and histories, rather than merely introducing them in the latter third of the story. He introduced things, it seemed, as a ploy, perhaps to set up the next book?

Overall: Thoughful, engrossing, detailed, romantic, captivating. Well worth the single credit! Well worth the listen!!

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Abridged version just can't do it justice

Revisado: 12-11-11

For the full-force effect of any Tom Clancy novel, you simply MUST be given time to digest it all, and that means, UN-abridged. The facts, the twists and turns, the nail-biting, they all necessitate time to absorb, to saturate, to take it all in. I was in the nuclear Navy when Hunt for Red October was published. Clancy knew his stuff then, and he still is, quite simply, the Command Master Chief of military / tech / espionage novels. Don't shortchange yourself by trying to fit a 30+ hour story into a mere 5 or 6 hours.

If you have no other choice, then 5 hours is better than starving, but remember: you have the honor of sitting at the knee of the master, don't rush through it. You might get to the end, without noting anything of value along the journey.

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