John Kidwell

Better than I expected

Revisado: 11-28-20

Based on Paolini's Inheritance Cycle I was not too enthused. His story was good, but, maybe it was the narrator or something else, but I just couldn't get into it. The Eragon novels were young adult in nature, caught between a YA format and an adult format and did not quite succeed. Whatever the reason, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is a much better, more mature work, built upon a lot of thought and research. The story is at times not quite dark, but very suspenseful, and shows potential for much light in what I hope will be sequels. It was a labor to get through the Inheritance Cycle, It was a joy and a certain amount of excitement to read To Sleep in a Sea of Stars.

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Monsters Are Real!!!@!@!@!!@!

Revisado: 11-13-17

I am not a horror fan. Having said that, I love Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge. Most horror stories show the fragile human men and women screaming in terror, so much lambs for the slaughter of the powerful and evil monsters; vampires, werewolves, etc. It is a delightful change to see humans fight back and kick monster butt. This is the first of the series that I have listened to, and have since purchased the rest of the series and read all but the last two. Every thing I have read so far is great. Oliver Wyman is a really effective narrator, and his narration of the first person story line is great.
Audible 20

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Tear Jerker

Revisado: 03-03-17

Any additional comments?

I have been a Science Fiction and Fantasy fan since I read my first novel in the early sixties. In the early seventies I got into Robert Heinlein’s books, and read, among other of his fine books, “The Green Hills of Earth, and Other Stories,” a collection of short stories. I don’t really remember much by way of emotions when I read it back then, but I do remember that I enjoyed the book a lot. In December of last year I purchased “X Minus One” in audio format from Audible.com. I was wandering around Harbor Freight Tools listening to the story, and had to go to the back of the store, and hope no one saw me crying my eyes out.

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A must read for any conservative!

Revisado: 08-24-16

Would you listen to The Last Centurion again? Why?

I am listening to it again, this is my second time!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Last Centurion?

The whole book is very memorable, and the fact that he writes in the first person for this book, makes his description of military chain of command, and it's relationship to civilian political oversight particularly... Well lets just say, to a lessor extent, "been there, done that!"

Have you listened to any of Dan John Miller’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't think that I have listened to Dan John Miller before, but his narration was very good. He meets my criteria for a good listen, by his pleasant voice, his ability to make the story his own by his vocal inflections, and the intensity of his narration. You believe that the story is his to tell

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

Laugh yes, cry, no, but the book elicits a wide range of emotions

Any additional comments?

I am waiting for the next book, a narration of Bandit Six's wife's story.

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Urban Fantasy at it's Best!

Revisado: 06-26-12

Great concept, that of a Christian soccer mom, who by virtue of her training and faith, is ready when the time comes to utilize both in defense of self and those who will never know what she has done for them. Tension is high, action is quick, I hope dearly that he continues with this story line. Overall a great read or listen.

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Better than any of the movies.

Revisado: 06-13-12

I first read the Martian series by Edgar Rice Burroughs in the 50's & 60's. Barely into my teens, the series excited me and really provided a boost for my imagination. I decided to buy the Audio version after seeing the movies "A Princes of Mars" and John Carter of Mars. It had been over 40 years since I had read them, but I just didn't remember the stories that way. I was right, but I wont go into the differences as this is not a review of the movies. "A Princes of Mars" was written in 1912, and upon re-reading the book (audio) I find that he was ahead of his time in many respects. The creator of Superman was probably a reader of Burroughs. E.E. "Doc" Smith, author of the Skylark series, was probably one too. There are probably more that I have not made a connection to as yet. As I said, it was written in 1912 and his personal attitudes, as seen through his main character, John Carter, a Civil War veteran who fought for the south, come through very clearly. His southern mentality are part of the story, and the reason that he react to the situations that he encounters the way he did. All in all, I find "A Princes of Mars" and for that matter, the rest of the series, to be a very good read.

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Great story, not so great narration.

Revisado: 10-19-11

Book 5 of the Safehold series is just as excellent as the first four books. Exciting action, a story of truly epic proportions, philosophically and religiously deep in thought, How Firm a Foundation continues to hold my full attention from the first word to the last.
What made this one hard for me was the narrator. He has a good speaking voice, but shows little change in tone or inflection from one character to another. This is especially true of the female and young characters.

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