SenatorPerry

I should have read the reviews.

Revisado: 11-16-23

I grabbed this to listen to during a particularly long outdoor project. To cut to the point, the author takes objective stances that are a combination of historical perspective and present perspectives combining them in ways that crafts opinions and thoughts that ultimately detract from what could have been a much more fleshed out story. In that gibberish of a sentence you should get that it felt like the author was trolling us at the cost of the book. I mean that very much.

To be clear, the author takes a stance on current social issues that are not relevant in context of the story and forces them into the dialog. It doesn't feel like the character's dialog, but the author's dialog. A character unhinged and acting out of anger spews a comment that could only be in context of a person in 2021. Not even today would such a comment flow out of the mouth of a person. It would be as natural as myself randomly criticizing blood letting as a medical practice in modern conversations.

Outside of the trolling by the author, the concept of the story is okay. The writing started out great, but it was hard to stay committed to the story when reality breaking trolling statements were added. The twist wasn't that much of a twist, but the idea of relativity getting circumvented by virtual reality is an interesting concept and needs more exploration.

Overall, I would say give it a listen. There are probably better works, even by this author, that are more worthy.

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Needed to fill in the show's story

Revisado: 03-03-23

Enjoyed the presentation, story, and background info. Only thing I didn't like is the abrupt stop.

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One of the few good views of naval battles....

Revisado: 10-17-17

This book was a complicated read. The material is light enough and the imagery created by the narrative was great, but the perspective is from a single person in a very limited way. Maybe it just wasn't what I thought it would be?

The main character happens upon the luck that we only hear about from those that are so lucky in wars. The unlucky's story only exists as fiction told by the fish feasting on them. You get a perspective on naval battles that really reaches back to US Civil War stories where a line of people faces a line of people with the pace and efficiency of meat grinding determining the winner or the battle.

The audio performance was great. The overall writing reaches points of Pride and Prejudice with the side stories. At least in 5-10 minute sections you suddenly wonder whether you were the target audience for the book (I am a fat hairy old man). In total the story only lacks in the aspect that there are so many extra pages of the narrative that could be squeezed in here or there. It put the story at three stars only to reflect the title gave me a different perspective.

The Napoleonic Wars are only a waiter at a restaurant where the main characters are eating. They serve to move the story along and give structure, but in the end nobody learns the waiter's name and after the steaks are served it kind of disappears.

Those sitting on the fence should read the book. You will enjoy it. There is nothing else that gives you the same first hand battle perspective that I have found. One of the few books that actually talks about how all sailing vessels of the time ran pumps continuously. Great research.

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He is just like me....

Revisado: 09-27-16

My guess is that many people immediately say this sounds like me. I want a boat. I want freedom to correct my life's rut. Nerd? That is me. The book started strong, but ultimately it gives into the nagging sense of self-doubt that anyone looking for inspiration probably already knows. As other reviewers have posted, the ending ties up a story in a way that is not satisfying. Even if it is exactly as stated, it just left a lot of us hanging.

Trying to stay clear of what happens in the end is essential. Don't google Glenn. Don't look at his Facebook page. Don't search for the boat registry. Don't search for Joyce. Just let the book unwind naturally. I went to search for a picture of the boat and found more than I wanted to know, which nearly left me wanting to abandon it.

My guess is that Glenn and I wouldn't get along very well, but not really because of Glenn. It is like getting a pony when you are a child. You imagine riding and having companionship only to realize it is 90% effort and 10% joy. Still, as others have hinted, that one situation that we are left out of really describes life.

It is hard to recommend this book to others. For those that ignore that, the sailing terms used are reasonable to understand. In my life my feet have never stepped aboard a sailboat, but a few short searches was enough to find out a locker = closet. Berth = bedroom. Furling = Rolling up the sails. Stuff like that is easy to overcome. It isn't a barrier to understanding the story.

And in the hopes that Glenn may read this one day, you alone stopped me from buying a sailboat. My wife will very much thank you for your efforts if she figures out why my bucket list has a scratched out entry.

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Abandoned During Reading

Revisado: 09-27-16

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I started this book thinking the content would be very different. With the changes in the past few weeks a lot of the content and comments are not relevant. Without giving away too much, let us just say that citizenship questions and religious questions are definitively settled making the crux of the content dated.

Has Scorched Earth turned you off from other books in this genre?

It is highly likely I won't dive into this genre again. It isn't so much this book, but attempting to write a book based on changing landscapes is not easy to do. Essentially you need to read the book now, or rather a few months ago, and freeze time.

What about James Edward Thomas’s performance did you like?

James did well.

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Okay... Predictable.

Revisado: 01-14-15

It is read like a new chapter of Ready Player One. Almost like a stream of consciousness by a character telling a story in a bar. That isn't a compliment, at least not in the scope of the book. When a character tells me something is awesome it feels like it is trying too hard.

That being said, read the book and don't give up as it slows down or becomes predictable. You may be surprised or at least feel better at the end than you would if you stopped reading or had never read the book. Just don't get too mad when you only learn the rules to the game when it is over.

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Well, it is Sherman....

Revisado: 10-10-13

Would you listen to A Soldier's Passion for Order again? Why?

I can't say I would listen to this book again. The content is well arranged and the story told is good, although the initial moves to best characterize the debate between Northern and Southern opinions is rather simplistic. I live in South Carolina and when approached about an opinion on Sherman it is easy to see him as a war criminal by today's standards and unethical by his own standards.

Going into the reading with a biased perspective you get the opportunity to understand Sherman as a man. The book covers his religious views, family life, loss, gains, and carries you all the way up to the ending (he dies... hope I am not giving anything away).

Much of my frustration with this material is that you get a perspective that he is one of our own when many of us consider him as an invader. His burning of Columbia is met with the same comments we hear everyday, but truthfully we see a person that had no issues with disrupting the organizations that develop fundamental changes to a society. That is, churches and schools.

In presentation the story is good. I disliked some of the more questionable details getting left to the end. Some periods are glossed over, but it would be difficult to find someone that in South Carolina welcome Sherman to dinner as the text seems to imply.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator seems to have variations in volume and tone, which I believe is due to rerecording sections. I could swear I heard a telephone ring in the background of the audio, but you would only notice it with the volume at an extremely high level.

The only issue I have otherwise is that all of the characters seem to have a similar voice. Sherman's voice is okay, but often it sounds like he is talking to himself.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I can't say anyone can listen to something so long in one sitting...

Any additional comments?

I know the first review and make or break a book. I honestly enjoyed this book and would recommend it. It is not the best, but it is more than enough to keep you entertained and presented well enough to enjoy at points. You will get frustrated and will experience joy at certain passages.

You should get this book and listen to it, but keep in mind that you may find yourself repeating sections as you get confused. When the narrator bumps into the microphone you will hear a loud noise. He careful about the volume of listening. Most of all, enjoy the book.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Episodic Content As Compared to Books 1 and 2.

Revisado: 11-12-12

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book as a continuation of the other two books in the series, but it would not stand on its own without some attachment already established with the Characters. In this case, it was a relationship that was well established and make the book a good read.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The book had very few high points after reaching a climax in the first pages. It almost reminded me of a book written completely for a conversion over to a movie. The scene descriptions were lacking in places. The fights were, if played out in real-time, only described to the length of a few seconds.

What does Katherine Kellgren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Katherine Kellgren is absolutely wonderful with her voicing of the characters. Without her I feel that the book would have been discontinued within the first few hours as a lack of forward momentum and predictability.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to this book in sessions of 1.5 hours at a time. That was sufficient for the pace of the book.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend the consumption of the books in order to avoid a lack of interest in the characters in this shift book.

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