Daniel Fahl

a fun quick story

Revisado: 07-12-22

a nice throw back to radio serials. amusing and funny word play and a nice spade adventure.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

This wasn't the book for me

Revisado: 01-21-22

Other people clearly enjoy this book, but it was not for me.

I think that O'Brien writes very interesting characters. There was work put into making several of the characters interesting and well designed. As the book has to switch perspectives often this is a strength in the novel. I liked spending time with many of these flawed people. Though I would have liked to spend a bit more time exploring and mining the old grounds keeper character.

Michael Kramer remains one of my favorite voice actors and he really tried to communicate a lot of emotion and personality. He tries hard to give a lot of the characters very distinct voices. All credit to him for putting in real effort.

I found the pacing of the story made the story boring. For me too much was revealed early on in the book about how these malefactors were committing their crimes. Having it essentially revealed in the first quarter of the book meant I could spend far too much time thinking of all the ways their complicated plans would fail. I was regularly frustrated with the pacing in this book. A story like this relies on ratcheting tension, and for some people knowing how the crimes are done while the protagonists do not for some readers builds tension as characters ignore what readers know are important clues. Sadly, this narrative technique doesn't work for me.

That said one of the chapters in this book, a flash back chapter to explain the motives of the malefactors, was extremely discomforting. I suspect the author wanted to explore ideas of consent and perspective, but the entire chapter felt tawdry and exploitative. I don't think this story needed this level of detail and perhaps the book would have been better with more ambiguity that cruel summer night.

I cannot recommend this book, but I can understand why others liked it.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A fun audio play

Revisado: 10-02-21

First and foremost this is more of a play made up of monologues and soliloquies and George Takei is one of half a dozen voice actors telling this story. George Takei is a good voice actor with a good emotional range. It is a shame he cant do more of the voices in the book as he can do other characters well. the other voice actors do a decent job in the story some more flat then others. Serious work was made in developing music, effects, and voices for this audio drama and it is surprising this much work went into the production. There were several times in the audio production that the sound effects drowned out voices making it harder to understand what was going on which was a shame. People put effort into making this a varied and well developed adventure but struggling to understand what people are saying is a serious problem.

This was part of a series of audio adventures made for Captain Sulu set in the era after he becomes Captain of the Excelsior. The idea of following Sulu on adventures has merit. This is good Trek story about Captain Sulu struggling with his responsibility as an officer and what he sees as a moral quandary. It tells a good story in an hour and I didnt regret the story. It works well enough though I would have enjoyed a little more time exploring the idea. Honestly if my big problem with a story is "I want more of it" then that is perhaps a good mark.

Overall I found this fun and I wish they had done more of these audio plays with Sulu, Uhura, and other Trek characters.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Shorn too close to the bone

Revisado: 10-01-21

First of all it must be made clear that George Takei does a wonderful job as the reader for this book with some really good voice acting. Some of his accents are not great but there are enough well acted characters and moments that he does a great job. In general I am left wondering why he was not contracted to do more audio books in general. Leonard Nimoy does a few scenes in this story but they feel perfunctory and isolated. Considering George Takei can do a very good Spock (and does so in several scenes) I wonder why Nimoy was contracted to do this. The audio book has excellent sound effects and musical moments which serve the plot but are not overloud and disruptive to the story. Good recording quality

This is all a shame because this book has been "adapted" (a necessity decades ago when recordings couldn't be made of most books). This adaptation however cuts so much out of the original book that the story is nearly unintelligible. I have not read the original book but it is obvious major character plot arcs have been excised, scenes removed, and interactions cut short. This removes a lot of tension and makes the story feel haphazard and confusing. The story feels cut to the bone and the quick and that really is a shame. This is abridgement to a terrible degree.

The story itself is actually a fun read. There were some interesting and intriguing scenes. As a Trek story it was really good, in theory, it just suffers from severe editing. I doubt they'll ever do another version of this because the text conflicts with the movies and TV series and that is a shame as I think it was a good story. I would say if you want a fun quick little adventure and the price tag doesn't bother you get it, just be aware this is a very truncated story.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Indulgent Fun

Revisado: 09-26-21

This is a good little story delivering the crossover a lot of fans called for between the original series and next generation. While it can be a little over the top (especially with Scotty's engineering skills) it has a lot of enjoyable moments between crew members and good adventure scenes. I also think the story of the Romulans and the Vulcans as a core reason for the story conflict works extremely well.

Yes this was adapted for Audio which means it is abridged with scenes cut out. It is obvious some of those scenes were important to the story. Still the story works overall and was interesting as told. The abridgement makes sense as it was recorded in an era when such recordings demanded a larger amount of file space or storage items. I do think these sorts of novels could be rerecorded now for the benefit of current listeners.

Jonathan Frakes does a fine job as a voice actor and tries hard to deliver Scotty's accent. I do agree with others his impression of Picard is interesting. Frakes does a good, if thankless, job of delivering this story and keeping it understandable. Unfortunately the recording doesn't help him. I dont mind special effect sounds but if they're significantly louder and drowning out the words of the voice actor or causing pain when wearing headphones that is a problem. Further many of the characters have a weird reverb that distorts their words and makes them harder to understand. These sorts of production issues really hurt the overall end product and cause me to say the book should be avoided.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Read other books in this series

Revisado: 09-26-21

Decked is a charming little adventure story that is as much about a jewel thief and odd ball guests on a cruise as it is about the solving of a murder. Carol Higgins Clark has a distinct sense of humor that reminds me of screwball comedies and silly stories. Her characters are exaggerations and a little absurd while remaining fun. There is a distinct sense of affection for this collection of oddballs and for their stories and foibles on a cruise. Though it would not surprise me if several of these people are heavily based on people Carol and Mary Clark have interacted with in their careers. By the time the story climaxes you care about these odd and silly people and want to see them have a happy ending.

I genuinely had fun with this book though I think it is a little rougher around the edges then the later Regan Reilly adventures. It tells a good story while delivering some thrills and chuckles. There were parts that didnt fit perfectly or well and some characters that did not work but that happens and it was still a fun adventure.

It is clear that this is an abridged book and so some parts feel skipped over and some details are clearly missing. That is a shame however it is also clear those parts were not necessary to solve the puzzle of the murder mystery or the crimes. I do wish this would get a full release but that is unlikely to occur.

I appreciate that Mary Higgins Clark decided to read her daughter's book for the audio addition. There is a distinct kindness to the act. However, I don't think voice acting is her particular talent. She attempts to do a number of accents in this novel and unfortunately they do not come across well in the recording. One major character gets a raspy whisper to their voice which makes them almost hard to hear and another was extremely annoying. Voice acting and reading for an audio book are hard things to do but this really did make the book a struggle at times.

I enjoyed this but as someone who has read other books in this series I suggest skipping this particular title unless your a completionist.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

A good story, but a little rushed at the end

Revisado: 09-24-21

I think overall this is a good book and if you like Goldy Bear mysteries, such as the first two, this is a good addition. You will likely enjoy this book and the recipes are included this time unlike in the audio version of Dying For Chocolate.

Barbara Rosenblat delivers a strong performance. While I still don't love some of her inflection it is clear she is trying to give Goldy a voice and style for these books. I genuinely appreciate Rosenblat's attempts to give many different voices and characterizing the voices. I think she does a good job. However this audio recording has several odd pauses and breaks that made me check to see if my player was working properly. Further it does not divide by chapter, which some audio book readers find frustrating. It isn't a deal breaker but it is frustrating as I think this fails Barbara Rosenblat as a voice actor and the Diane Mott Davidson's story.

I really do love the Goldy Bear mysteries and I think Diane Mott Davidson can have an interesting way of delivering a story. I genuinely liked this book more then Catering to Nobody and Dying for Chocolate (which were both enjoyable). I think the story worked, the clues made sense, and the motive while incredibly petty worked. I think Goldy's monologue on the end was a bit much but clearly some people need to have ideas spelled out.

Overall the mystery itself works, I like how the clues fit together in the end, I enjoyed the escalation of events. I think it had a lot of good moments. I do think Diane Mott Davidson tends to write younger characters a tad peevishly. I found myself feeling that I'd enjoy the story more if Goldy would sit down and have a more earnest heart to heart conversation with some of the characters besides Schulz. At the same time I could easily see a woman like Goldy struggling in her connections to her son Arch.

My big complaint for this novel is that the ending feels very rushed and several plot threads for other characters (especially some of the students and one of the teachers) isn't wrapped up very well. I would have enjoyed a little more time to see some of the other characters lives and the impact of the revelation of who the killer was in this book. I also found the multiple times Goldy consummated her relationship with Schulz to be a bit much for my personal tastes.

To the author's credit she does a great job detailing how Goldy's trauma from her abusive husband as well as the trauma of seeing these deaths impacts her. Diane Mott Davidson makes it clear how these horrifying events impact Goldy and that Goldy does use a therapist. I think reminding the readers that in this book a teenage boy dies horrifically is a good thing to note. I do love how Goldy struggles emotionally to connect with people due to her trauma and how she is healing from her own pains. It was nice to see her move the relationship with Schulz forward finally and it is good to see Goldy healing from her trauma and not staying in the same place we saw her in the first book. I do admit sometimes I find Goldy's judgement and snark about some things frustrating. She can be a very judgmental person and I do wonder why some people talk to her and tell her secrets (the bit in the church in this book frustrated me). The thing is I do appreciate that Diane Mott Davidson wrote such a complex character with so much nuance.

So overall if you liked the first two books in this series you are likely to enjoy this one. I think it was a good story well written.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

A fun time

Revisado: 09-20-21

Greg Cox clearly knows Star Trek or at least researches the show well. This book was full of amusing call backs to a number of excellent episodes of the series. Greg Cox also captures the feel of an original series episode in many ways. This book was a fun little romp using the setting of the original series to tell a new story. Anatres Maelstrom has in many ways written a novel that captures the mood and character of the show.

The story itself is more like several smaller stories locked together. While a major incident has caused the enterprise to come to this part of space the various major characters have to go on various side missions and adventures to deal with the larger problem. Generally set in the later years of the Enterprise's Five Year Mission you can see how the Chekov, Sulu, Uhura, Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty and the rest have influenced each other and their careers moving forward. In some ways it feels like a story about how Kirk has caused his staff to grow and become bolder people and how their adventures have improved their skills and talents.

I enjoyed how hopeful, fun, and adventurous the story became exploring its concept and these characters. giving the various crew members their own little plots and stories. Further exploring how some parts of settled space and civilian people living on the frontier without the resources the Enterprise has was an interesting concept to flesh out. I would have enjoyed if the story had focused a bit more on some moments of tension between the Baldur 3 colonists who distrust the Federation and explored that tension a bit more but that clearly isn't the story Greg Cox wanted to write and the story he made was really fun and interesting.

This story makes me want to read more books by Greg Cox who clearly knows how to put together a fun and interesting story.

Robert Petkoff does a fine job voice acting this book. I enjoyed how he tried to give emotion to the text and act. Further he did an excellent job with Chekov's accent. He did a number of good voices and moments. While at times I had a little trouble telling some characters apart and I didnt love his voice for Spock this was minor in the face of general competency and a well read book. Excellent production quality to the recording as well.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Meanders too much

Revisado: 09-16-21

I did not enjoy this book. I would not call it a bad book, it is clearly reasonably written and effort was put into it, but this was not the right book for me. I think the author tried very hard to put together this story. Other people will likely enjoy it a great deal but I did not. I found the book to read like a distillation of other authors successful works. It is fine to build on other people’s successes but some innovation might be useful, otherwise one might start noticing the problems in these works. Such as: What plot purpose did it actually serve for the protagonist to be estranged and divorced from her husband blaming him for an accident she was involved in? Why is her mother missing a plot element (for the series) here in this story? Why was there a random recipe for a sausage frittata? A woman pursuing her dreams and opening a small business after a major life change from divorce and accident is a very common trope and one I enjoy but I think it needs some variations.

The book meanders far too much with several digressions that don’t serve the main plot. Melanie spends several chapters going to adopt a dog and going into the details of that adoption but that doesn’t serve the plot of finding the murderer and getting the inn reopened and could have been streamlined. The dog is important to the plot, how you get the dog less so, and the problem is the book is filled with such digressions. There is an entire plot point where the characters go to Portland to get antiques appraised and then repeat the same thing with another antiquarian in another town, and don't gain any new information (such as a suggestion of who made the fake).

Melanie and her Grandmother Liza should be characters we want to spend time with. We should want to see them succeed. Sadly, I found their dynamic irritating and draining because it repeated itself often and never really changed. Just constant prodding about who the two women are dating and arguing about the existence of the ghost. The entire book feels like it needs to repeat its points several times and as such the murder mystery and its solution feel like after thoughts that tread water most of the story.

The audio recording quality of this book is competent with no skips, volume issues, or odd sound artifacts. This is a well-produced audio book. Clearly people worked on this audio book to deliver a competent work. I found that I did not like Tavia Gilbert’s voice acting. Again, this is an issue of personal taste, but I found her reading frustrating. She brings a very breathy voice to most of the characters to the point where I thought Melanie was having a panic attack in every chapter, and I don’t think that was the authors intent.

Overall I found this book frustrating to listen to, but I suspect other people will enjoy it. I just dont think this one was made for me.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A fun quick tale

Revisado: 09-15-21

This story mainly works as a read in one day experience. It works on momentum and speed. Still as a fun little story from Mary Higgins Clark about two of her favorite characters. The clever Alvirah and the steady Willy outwitting and out planning the various threats around them. The basic idea for this story is how will Willy and Alvirah outwit kidnappers and find a way to have a happy ending.

The story has charming moments and good pacing. Alvirah as usual is very clever in her maneuvers. Clark knows how to write some interesting side characters. It isn't her greatest work but if you like Clark's writing you'll likely enjoy this one.

Carol Higgins Clark enthusiastically reads this story and tries hard to give the characters a good voice and style. I find her reading voice a little annoying but other people might enjoy it. She clearly is trying to give everyone a voice and she enunciates well and makes it clear who is speaking. The audio recording quality is good.

Really it is a fun light little adventure with some amusing comedy moments. It might be a fun and quick little story you will really enjoy.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña