James

Disappointed : Should have been a stand-alone

Revisado: 02-23-19

I think the author really missed the opportunity to develop the Threshold universe. I was waiting for the Next installment in the Threshold series. This feels almost like a standalone zombie action novel adapted to take the Threshold name (hey, throw pinhead in there and call it Hellraiser something) I love Clines' mystery development in the first two books. His world building, sense of mystery and nice twists are strong enough to carry the stories despite his tendency to resolve the plot by tedious and lengthy action sequences. Unfortunately, this book is mainly tedious and lengthy action sequences. This book suffers from the weaknesses of the first two, but doesn't have enough of the strong points of Clines' work to carry it through. Oh, there are a couple of nice twists that help it rise above just one long zombie fight, but it's not enough to really make it feel like it is part of nor serves the Threshold universe. So, like others, I'm disappointed. It almost feels like Clines' interest lies elsewhere. The other threshold novels can be read as individual works (I didn't even realize the fold was a sequel until the story...forgive the pun...unfolded), but this feels disjoint - in timeline, in characters, in setting, in focus, in atmosphere (or, literal, lack thereof...I guess you could take that literally and figuratively) As a standalone zombie fight action novel - it's...well, just OK, and it isn't what I came for

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Good post-cyberpunk Gibson...with problems

Revisado: 10-12-18

Through the Bridge Trilogy and on into the Blue Ant trilogy, Gibson moved into his post-cyberpunk work that's near-future-to-basically-present and relates more directly to the current world.
Idoru is the 2nd in the Bridge Trilogy

As the second work, I think it suffers from some pacing problems that a second work in a trilogy can have (though his stuff tends to read as stand-alone stories pretty well) - so nothing unusual in that middle child problem - and as long as you are invested in the trilogy, any hiccups wash out in the mix

PROBLEM : audible doesn't seem to carry "virtual light" (the Frank Muller performance is classic Muller with all the quality you'd expect...excellent and easy on the ears. I believe there is a Peter Weller read version as well, but I haven't heard it). That really breaks up the series

I think the MAJOR problem with the trilogy is performance
1) This particular performance is...I'm sorry to say it - just not very good
2) The companion pieces aren't done by the same readers so, as a trilogy, you don't get the "the voice of the trilogy" that keeps things cohesive


I'd hope, esp as it's an older series, audible could maybe work out a deal to rerecord as it is a major work for Gibson

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esto le resultó útil a 11 personas

Was exepcting more

Revisado: 08-16-15

I generally enjoy these medium form (esp read-by-author) memoirs (Bossypants, Born standing up, Girl walk into a bar..., etc)
AND
I enjoy Felicia Day's work (Guild, Dr. Horrible, etc, etc) and am used to her presentation style

The narration was fine. She is, after all, a professional performer and has done enough original material to develop a strong personal narrative "voice".

BUT

I just didn't find the narrative structured in a way that engaged me and kept me engaged.

The depth felt uneven with early life covered with some depth, and the more recent happenings covered in depth, but the middle seemed like it was not treated as deeply.
The balance between the visceral and more objective/factual seemed off on a similar line.

The internal world vs external world lines of though seemed to not mesh at times (I don't mean factually, just what was addressed when. ex the writing of the Guild scripts vs the daily life didn't flow smoothly and I felt like the jumped around a little and couldn't find a way to address overview and chronology effectively)

Overall, the treatment of the various stages (the reminiscence of the long past, the valley of the middle past, and the still-emotionally-charged very recent pass) makes me think the story could use a little time in the cask. I'd be interested to see how the story would be told 5 (or even 10) years from now.

I think these types of works tend to get very bimodal ratings (or, often, as the sample is self-selecting so one mode is "did not comment") - with listeners/readers rating on how much they like the personality as much as it is on the book in hand (ear).

I'm rating the book, not the personality behind it.

I like the author, but found THIS work to be...well...OK....just OK.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

I UNDERSTAND - BUT VOTE WITH YOUR $

Revisado: 07-26-11

I understand that scheduling constraints made using another reader an option that fit the release schedule
better for Penguin. and I don't mean to slight Mr. Glover, it's not an issue with him so much as it is an issue with continuity.

BUT

I would really hate to roll over and prove to Penguin Audio the marketing position of "They'll be disappointed, but they will buy it anyway"

What is offered is not the product I wanted and I fear that by purchasing this product I reinforce that position as valid.

The audiobook listener sometimes has to wait extra time for the audio edition (look at the release sequence weirdness on Audible with the Joe Pitt "Already Dead" series) -- I would rather wait until the original reader's (Marsters) schedule clears and get the product I want at a later date.

At this point, the listener has invested around 150 hours (not to mention the purchase of 13 or so titles) and cooperation from the publisher would be appreciated.

Penguin Audio - Please consider a "special collectors edition" rerecording -- even if digital only

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

another solid installment

Revisado: 08-03-10

If you are at this point in the series, you are probably already invested.

More of the same (in a good way) - solid writing, great voice work (hey, it's Brick)

One observation, not really a criticism -- the story in this installment is a little less self-contained. I think the episodic plot, the immediate issue or "mystery" that the protagonist deals with, takes a back seat to service the overall plot arc of the series. there is less about the immediate threat and more about complications in the recurring world and overall situations, and the story ends with issues maybe a little more open. It feels like a set-up for the next installments.
(much like Part II of abt any classic trilogy behaves)
It's not really a negative
while it would be a clever trick to be able to close the story AND keep momentum, that would just be a clever trick -- I think the change in pacing keeps the series from falling into a "set em up...knock em down" monotony and seems to be a common and natural place to open up a story to a larger arc (Dresden Files book 3 does this very clearly and the Harry Potter series also follows this rhythm for instance).


-the short term characters,situations nd themes are quite interesting
-the author is not afraid to make the threats a little more abstract and complex (protagonist having to juggle multiple elements)
- the long term characters are not too precious for change

If you are this far in, you'll enjoy it, I did

just prepare to immediately want book 4 (in production) to tie things up.

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

A very good counterpoint piece

Revisado: 04-25-10

The book is a manifesto and it not only makes that clear in the title, but the author cops to it and while taking a strong position, LEAVES ROOM and GIVES PERMISSION for the reader to think differently or disagree.
So, while a manifesto, it didn't feel myopic and it wasn't merely a "preaching to the choir" confirmation piece -- it is a thoughtful take on some modern issues that doesn't require one "join this side" nor throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Agree or disagree or something else (I found myself doing all 3, sometimes on a single issue) -- I think it's worth a listen

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esto le resultó útil a 10 personas

CAUTION! - PLEASE READ BEFORE LISTENING

Revisado: 11-08-09

THIS IS *NOT BOOK 3 IN THE SERIES!!!

I think the first review nails it, it's the same high quality in and of itself, BUT messes up the flow
At first I thought the author was going for a different "backstory" approach and was waiting for it to fill in and listened to enough to say
1) it's consistent with the other books in terms of quality
both by Huston and by the reader Brick
2) You'll get overall plot arc spoilers which is a drag

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Compelling modern hard sci-fi

Revisado: 04-04-09

I really enjoyed this one...a lot...really refreshing

It's a dense, demanding work. Watts, a marine mammal biologist, requires that the reader keep up and isn't afraid to put out a term or concept without spoon-feeding. Given his background, he's covering the areas of intelligence, consciousness, language, etc from sort of a neuroscience perspective (which can have a bit of a different feel than some of the classic physics-driven hard SF)

As can happen with hard SF sometimes (Clarke is a good example) the plot itself can be more of a scaffolding for the exposition of speculative concepts...so I think plot-driven reading isn't the best way to approach the read (not that there isn't a plot, just if you focus on the plot, you miss the goods and can misunderstand the pacing..the pacing and "payoff" is in the concepts, not the plot)

After about - Oh 1,200 or so audiobooks I'll say this one really refreshed the medium for me (not so much in production style, which is fairly typical, but in the writing and the type of attention you have to give this work)

It's a different type of read - but well worth it and I enjoyed it greatly
Really some fresh air

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esto le resultó útil a 61 personas

Not just for vampirophiles

Revisado: 10-01-08

Fun listen - I found it an updated "hardboiled" detective noir that HAPPENS to be set in a vampire context.
The story is well constructed, the characters are interesting, the protagonist is vulnerable and while the exploration of the vampiric dynamics and culture is fresh and interesting, the story doesn't rest on vamp mystique to interest the reader


You don't have to wear a lot of crushed velvet to enjoy this one! :D

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esto le resultó útil a 10 personas

Pretty much what "they said"

Revisado: 07-18-08

Not a comic guy myself, but familiar enough through pop culture (all the superhero films, etc) that the treatment of the superhero mythology was easy to access

light and witty, and well paced so it didnt wear

the narration is EXCELLENT and the swapping of narrator (and first person character) keeps things from dragging

This one is extremely user friendly and just plain a hoot!

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