Henrik

It is interesting but the ending fails to land

Revisado: 05-28-19

Your typical spy fare with old style counter intelligence tricks, which seem increasingly implausible in the modern world. Nonetheless, it has some momentum that stalls out in the last third.

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Interesting but not engaging

Revisado: 05-27-19

This was my second Noah Hawley book. It is an exploration of time and of family. While interesting, it never completely connected. Not a waste of time but not an easy listen.

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Great book but a brutal apocolpitic experience

Revisado: 05-29-17

Where does The Road rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Road is towards the top of the books that I have listened to, but it could never be at the top because I like some sunshine and happiness in my world. The Road is a barren experience that is exquisitely written, but tears at you and builds a depressing feeling of doom and hopelessness that only mildly recedes at the end. For years I have been a fan of apocalyptic fiction, but this really drags you down into the world in the way it might well be. The scant pleasant moments of life peep through the grey dismal dangerous world. I could only listen for chunks here and there and definitely could not and did not want to pound through it.

What did you like best about this story?

The best thing about the book is the book itself. You are reading a book that is written by probably one of the best American authors of this era. His writing is amazing its own way. I love trashy books and am not a literary snob, but even I can appreciate really special writing when I listen to it.

Any additional comments?

For people like me who want to escape from reality and do not need additional depression in their lives, pick a good time to listen to it. It is not an easy listen that will take you on an escape. It takes you to an apocalyptic nightmare, and when I left I felt it clinging to me like the ash and dirt of the book. Its that type of experience so tread with care. That being said you should definitely listen to it. It is just great writing.

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Funny but not not Scalzi's best

Revisado: 05-29-17

Would you try another book from John Scalzi and/or Wil Wheaton?

Absolutely, Scalzi is an entertaining writer with fun (and sometimes funny) dialogue. Wil Wheaton is the proverbial milk to the proverbial Oreo that is Scalzi. It may be that another narrator could do the job as well or maybe better, but if it ain't broke don't fix it.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The end definitely wandered from my perspective. In addition, the underlying 4th wall theme felt like it ran out of gas. That being said it was what it was and I am not sure that Scalzi could have done anything substantial to improve it other than write a different book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Maybe. I could see it being fairly funny at the beginning and then falling apart in the middle and end.

Any additional comments?

Scalzi is one my favorite authors. In an era in which everyone is angry and the world seems to be upside down, it is nice to have something that is an escape to make you laugh. We all need to laugh.

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Better than most thrillers

Revisado: 05-29-17

What did you love best about The Kind Worth Killing?

The change in perspective between the protagonists and the interweaving of the murderer and other characters. It is an interesting and sometimes uncomfortable evolution of the killer. It peels back different narratives over the course of the novel which is unusual and not entirely predictable.

What other book might you compare The Kind Worth Killing to and why?

I am not sure. I haven't read "You" yet but I suspect it has some of the same themes. That is part of what made the book special (Gone Girl has some similar strands).

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The performance was solid.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I became very uncomfortable with the potential child molestation scene. Without giving much away there is a scene that implicates child molestation and having two young children has made me more sensitive about these themes. The book was well written enough to make me uncomfortable listening to this.

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Not Shakespeare but damn is it funny

Revisado: 05-29-17

What did you love best about Fuzzy Nation?

Scalzi is my new John Irving. I am sure that others will take exception with that comparison, but Fuzzy Nation and some of Scalzi's other books (not the early Old Man War novels) are some of the few novels that have made me laugh out loud which is more than I can say for other books that I read.

What other book might you compare Fuzzy Nation to and why?

John Irving books - not as good as the World According to Garp or A Prayer for Owen Meaning. It is just funny and outlandish. If you want to laugh and dialogue that is punchy, this is a great book for you. It is fun and funny.

What about Wil Wheaton and John Scalzi - introduction ’s performance did you like?

Wil Wheaton narrates almost all of John Scalzi's books. He does a good job and delivers things well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laughing out loud. I can't remember the last book that made me laugh out loud since a John Irving book. I am sure that there have been some, but Fuzzy Nation will be one that I remember.

Any additional comments?

In this dark period, we all need to laugh. Try it out.

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Brutal

Revisado: 05-28-17

The more I listen the pickier I get. This was pretty awful. The book had no real drama and is not compelling. It could have been done in three hours for all the action it included. Instead you suffer through an additional eight hours of romantic crap about a galant spy and his model/former drug Addict-shallow one night stand/occasional spy. The terrorist is shallow and the terrorist plot is so uninspired that it boggles the mind. Silva is a decent writer but his product is more terrorizing than his story.

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It's not Suspect

Revisado: 05-21-17

I have listened to a few Crais novels. Suspect was very good. The Two Minute Rule was good. The first three Elvis Cole novels were bad. Hostage sits somewhere behind The Two Minute Rule. It's alright but not much more. The overlay of too many improbable stressors and the paper thin bad guys doom the book from being much more than ok pulp. The last Lehane book I read, A Drink Before War, was probably better although still not good. The writing was better but the story wandered. Here the writing isn't as good but the story while not good doesn't wander.

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Wandering Boston noir

Revisado: 05-07-17

Make no mistake, this is noir. Lehane's writing is good with a bent toward the noir stereotypical dialogue, which is good and bad. However, the plot and characters wander quite a bit, and it feels like Lehane couldn't get enough his snarky dialogue and stereotyped characters. If perhaps he had a more focused tale to tell, it might have worn better
The narrator did not help the cause. For one, this is a Boston story so a Boston accent seemed necessary but was noticeable in its absence. For another, his female voices were annoying. I don't know why, but they really bothered me.
In summary, it's not the worst thing I have read. I liked some of the cheese, but it is not a life changer.

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Interesting but not captivating

Revisado: 04-25-17

I do not know a tremendous amount about Roman history so it is an interesting vehicle to learn something about it - a fact based fictional recreation of the period. However, Devil in a White City it is not. It lacks a dynamic energy or real propulsion. If you are curious about this era in history, then it may be worth your while, but don't expect excitement.

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