Nathan

I cannot get enough of this author

Revisado: 06-11-21

Tool of War follows on the heels of so many other amazing books by Paulo. This novel starts a bit slowly... but it soon builds to draw the reader in. There is a bit of Tool in every one of us... I can't be the only reader recognizing the "dog" hidden beneath my own human skin.

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Inspiring

Revisado: 06-17-20

I am not sure why some people feel they must agree with everything in a book, speech or story in order to give it full marks.
The author expresses a number of views in this book which would not be my views, but there is no reason I should think that all of my views are correct. I received a great deal of inspiration for my own life from this story, although few of the author's experiences are ones that I can directly relate to.

This book—of all the hundreds I have purchased from Audible—is probably the book I would recommend above all others. A book that changes my life for the better? What could be more valuable?

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Steve's narration makes this book

Revisado: 05-19-19

I bought this book based on the reviews and my own interest in guitar. I was not disappointed. Steve has great stories about the glory days of recording in LA... he was at the center of it. He is self effacing, and although he throws around a lot of big names, it is because he was there with them.

Steve's burned-out-rocker voice adds so much character to this listen.

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Every seemed too familiar

Revisado: 05-01-19

If you've done a lot of reading, there is very little new for you in this book. Everything sounds like a story you have read before. In fact, as I listened, it seemed to me that the "novel" might have begun as a loose collection of short stories which was later decided would become a novel by inserting a bare thread of a plot line to hold the stories together. There's everything from the beloved dog to the schoolyard bully to the mysterious stranger. There's the spooky campout in the woods and ... well, you get my point.

There is nothing "wrong" with this book... it's just too much of a rehash of cliches.

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

A lark

Revisado: 09-16-18

No one who sees this cover and reads the title is expecting a serious read (I hope). The story is ridiculous and implausible, as is probably the author's intention. I suspended all disbelief (absolutely necessary) and was mildly amused.

My main criticism is a seeming conflict between the supposed ages of the characters and their behaviours/conversations. The characters are supposedly high school age, but they act more like college sophomores, while speaking like middle school kids.

If you buy this book with low expectations, you might not be disappointed.

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A great idea for a book, but...

Revisado: 02-25-18

The premise for this story is good, and the book began as an interesting listen. But the further into the book I got, the more silliness ensued. It became too "juvenile" for lack of a better word. I did finish the book, but I would think twice about recommending it.

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A lot of telling in this novel—not enough showing

Revisado: 12-15-17

The writing courses I have taken always emphasize "show, don't tell." Don Winslow begins this story with a very long session of telling. I almost gave up on it. Eventually, he gets around to some action, and although Winslow often goes back to telling, the plot is interesting enough to keep the reader involved. The dialog is particularly good.

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An "OK" listen

Revisado: 12-15-17

I really don't know how this book got such great reviews. It's a very ordinary book with no particularly sympathetic characters, no particularly unique plots twists... nothing to recommend it. It's what I would call a "time waster." If you like private detective novels, and this book is on sale, it might suit you. Or maybe not.

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A different spin on the usual dystopian future

Revisado: 11-30-17

As I listened to "Scythe" I often thought of all that was wrong with the novel... but in the end, I would buy the sequel, which says everything that needs to be said, I suppose.

The problems in this book are mainly that the author was lazy with the details of the world he created. Supposedly in the distant future (with much of the technology you would expect), fuel-powered conventional helicopters are still in use, and characters still use handwriting to communicate with ink pens and paper. Anachronisms like these kept me from getting completely immersed in the story. I suspect that the author did not want to get bogged down in detail, when his story is about ideas not things, but the anachronisms were distracting to me.

This book abounds with ideas. At one point a character is riding in a conventional car and thinks, "How strange to need to see where you are going to get there." Small thoughts like this really added to my enjoyment.

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Great Sci-Fi after the fashion of Arthur C. Clark

Revisado: 11-11-17

This was an excellent listen. What could be a confusing story is made clear by the skill and technique of the author.

The author occasionally dips a little too deeply into allegory, as though he thinks his readers will not be clever enough to get his point, but the story was entertaining enough that I could forgive this.

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