james Hamm

The Best Science Fiction Series I’ve Read or Listened To

Revisado: 04-20-24

The Galactic Now is an absolute masterpiece! I was completely captivated by the seamless blend of science fiction with believable characters and a gripping plot.

Also, the narrator's performance was beyond exceptional, breathing life into each character with such depth and authenticity.

The Galactic Now is a must-experience for any science fiction enthusiast! I am anxiously awaiting the next book!

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Entertaining, Less the Reader's Sound Effects

Revisado: 10-06-22

For the most part, I enjoy Andrew Mayne’s books. They can get a little outrageous and challenge the suspension of disbelief, but they are entertaining and intriguing. This book is also engaging, save for some of the reader’s performance. He is a good narrator, but when action scenes arise and he starts shouting bang, boom, pew, pew, crash, bam and assorted other words/sounds to indicate gunfire, crashes, and other threatening events. Imagine an eight-year-old with a toy pistol running around your living room yelling bang, bang, bang, pew, pew! It gets old fast. At times I just stopped listening because I was annoyed so much with the overexpressed action sounds.

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I Felt Like I'd Seen the Movie

Revisado: 06-23-22

This book is a follows a pretty common theme explored in many novels and movies, and unfortunately, I felt nothing really set it apart from those that have come before. While I think the narrator is quite talented, by the end of the book I was feeling like stomping my ear-pods because of the whiney sullen voice given to the daughter character of Vivian, This may have been a spot on interpretation of the character's tone and delivery but I simply got sick of hearing her talk. Early in, I was hoping the drama of the story would eventually revolve around Vivian's horrific death under the wheels of a large runaway trolley.

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Fantastic Book!

Revisado: 06-20-22

WOW - I didn't see it coming. I listen to a lot of audio books because much of my work is production oriented and I listen while I work. It's unusual yet greatly appreciated to be surprised by a story these days, but Caitlin Wahrer did it for me and Soneela Nankani did a masterful job giving voice to the book's complex characters. On a side note, when this is made into a movie, I can only imagine Shohreh Aghdashloo being cast as Alisa.

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Sarah Scott makes this title...

Revisado: 02-08-22

While the story good and entertaining, I can't say enough about the narration of this book. Sarah Scott captured the main characters so well! With change of tone, pace, and inflection she brings the characters to life. I felt like the voices were so believable because the narration defined each as a distinct individual character. In many books with a cast of central characters I can get lost as to who is who, but I knew exactly which character was speaking by the nuanced performance of each voice. I’ll be on the lookout for other books narrated by Scott.

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Instant Favorite and Anxious for More!

Revisado: 08-31-21

I listen to a lot of books, but I don’t generally write reviews because while many of the books I listen are good, few are as exceptional as Prelude to Ascension. I usually listen to books in my car and when working, but with this book, I found myself taking additional time to listen more often because I found the story so compelling.
The pros are elegant and unlike much science fiction, the characters feel whole, grounded, and fundamentally human. The story is intelligent, crafted with exceptional creativity, detail, and care, requiring the reader little effort to suspend their disbelief.

Also, Samuel Peery’s performance is outstanding. He captures the essence of this story, lending to the depth of the characters, the subtle swell of tension, and overarching sense of discovery.

I can’t express how much I enjoyed this book. It easily falls into a list of my top 5 and I am anxiously awaiting the next installment.

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Clever, Creative and Fun

Revisado: 02-04-15

Would you listen to A Dirty Job again? Why?

Moore's storytelling is so masterful and captivating, I'd certainly listen again. The light drama and keen metaphysical humor consummate to shape an amusing, ingenious fantasy. Fisher Stevens' masterful performance compliments Moore's sharp and witty prose, making the audio book - A Dirty Job a delightful adventure.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Charlie's employee, Lily, the sharp-tongued goth teenager, is my favorite character. I particularly enjoyed the banter between Lily and Charlie and appreciated their deepening friendship as it was tested by a wide variety of preposterous supernatural incidents.

Which scene was your favorite?

I think perhaps the final scene, in which Charlie's ultimate fate is exposed was my favorite scene in the book. It was the perfect ending to an extraordinary tale of good and evil.

Who was the most memorable character of A Dirty Job and why?

The dogs or hell hounds, Mohamed and Alvin, are true stand outs. They provide a great deal of comic relief and must be cheered for, as they often come to the rescue.

Any additional comments?

Dirty Job is an innovative, offbeat story that was a joy to experience. I've recommended it to friends and I look forward to more of Moore's chronicles as well as well as Fisher Stevens' performances. Bravo!

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A Real Horror Story

Revisado: 01-23-15

Where does NOS4A2 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've been doing a lot of reading and listening lately (59 books over the last 8 months) and NOS4A2 ranks pretty high in my growing catalog. The story is sagacious, imaginative and astutely envisioned. NOS4A2 surges to life in the first few pages and careens ahead at a mercurial pace to an epic finale. The story never slows or wanes from its nimble advance while deftly shaping an escalating tale of Gothic tension, horror and suspense.

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

Ok, let me first say that I might be biased. I love Mulgrew and have since she was installed in the captains chair of the Starship Voyager. Her warm, knowing tone and gravelly voice are like coffee and cigarettes. In NOS4A2, she doesn't disappoint. Her Performance is astounding. She owns the story and pours life into each character cultivating sentiment and evoking anxiety and suspense. Her thoughtful performance constructs a sympathetic heroine and loathsome villain, while enriching and ameliorating an enchanted, macabre odyssey.

If you could rename NOS4A2, what would you call it?

If I could rename NOS4A2, I think id title it Wrath.

Any additional comments?

So many novels and movies in the Horror genre these days are wan fables that adopt abundant gore and carnage to garner their Horror classification. NOS4A2 however, is a true tale of Horror in ever sense of the word. If you enjoy well crafted fright, you'll likely appreciate NOS4A2.

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One of the most interesting characters I've heard.

Revisado: 01-15-15

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

While I could not say that this book is a stellar success, it provides an interesting perspective from an neurotic, sociopathic stalker. My interest in the story was really piqued by the reader. His performance is so spot on for this crazed hipster character that you can't help but listen. It's like trying to turn away from a train wreck.

What about Santino Fontana’s performance did you like?

His performance lifted the quality of the experience of this book, Had I read it myself, I think it would have fallen low on my list of good reads.

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Not as good as the Wool series.

Revisado: 01-15-15

What did you like best about Half Way Home? What did you like least?

I've read several of Howey's books and found them to be well crafted, compelling sci-fi stories. The author seems to focus on dystopian communities of isolated people and generally handles the subject well. This book however, seems less thought out and falls a bit short of the success of the authors previous writings. I found it difficult to suspend disbelief and image the world Howey creates. Also, the characters are thin and not fully rounded, resulting in difficulty in gaining interest in their plight.

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