Boy, that Neil deGrasse Tyson is one arrogant dude, is he not? I listened to this audiobook, narrated by Dion Graham, and it just rang through so stroBoy, that Neil deGrasse Tyson is one arrogant dude, is he not? I listened to this audiobook, narrated by Dion Graham, and it just rang through so strong. In some parts, it's all I could think about. The science seems sound, but he acts like he's part of something a little bigger than he really is.
I learned a lot from this, as I enjoy a good trip into the sciences. Much as I'm able to understand them I do enjoy reading a lot about the cosmos. I wouldn't say I heard anything revolutionary in here, and he seemed to repeat himself a lot, but it was okay. He reuses the same joke a few times, too. Sigh.
Anyway, it wasn't bad for a boring drive, but I wouldn't recommend it. There are far better science books out there by scientists not so intent to toot their own horns....more
I had fun with this one. Bronson Pinchot was surprisingly good at the narrative and the voices. I wouldn't have guessed he was that good. The story waI had fun with this one. Bronson Pinchot was surprisingly good at the narrative and the voices. I wouldn't have guessed he was that good. The story was okay, not great, but fun in a fairy-tale sort of way. I love a good medieval tale. But this was a little hokey in some places. The miniature dollhouse with all the working components and such... I guess I'm still a little put off by magic in a book. More of a sci-fi guy than a fantasy one.
Oh well, it made for a light-hearted bit of fun to take the mind off the drives a little bit....more
It was a joy to get back into the world of the Gunslinger. This was a fun story, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I do, however, have a few gripes. You kIt was a joy to get back into the world of the Gunslinger. This was a fun story, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I do, however, have a few gripes. You knew I would.
It felt a little bit like Mr. King was rushing his ka-tet through their actions to get them to a place where Roland could tell them another tale of his childhood. We know this happens between the Green Palace and Calla Bryn Sturgis, or between books four and five of the Dark Tower series. But Roland, Susannah and Jake felt a little flat. Now there could be two reasons for this.
Number one is that - and I'm a little ashamed to admit this - I've never actually read the rest of the books in the series. This does not mean I'm not familiar with the story though. Nay, I know it almost by heart, so I do. I've listened to it. And more than just a time or two. Since I own all the audio books of the Dark Tower series, I have found myself delving back into the world of ago more often than I would have believed I could. I've heard it at least three or four times, all the way through. So maybe that's it. Since I've only heard the other books, and those were read by some of the best narrators ever, maybe they made the stories more than what they were in just print. Does that make sense? Since this is my first of the series to actually read, maybe it fell a little flat.
The other reason is just what I said - Mr. King has been too long separated from the story that he has lost its true flame. And thus, he rushed a little, flattening our favorite characters a little in the process just to get them to a point and place where he could tell this story-within-a-story.
So my big question then, must be, why? Why rush at all? Why does Roland have to tell these stories at all? We're led to believe he's a great and fantastic story-teller, given to long sessions of the tongue that sometimes lengthen the very night in which their told. If Roland has a bunch of great stories from his childhood, then it's because they happened. Right? So tell us those stories, Mr. King. Then these books can be read in any order. And you don't have to worry about contradicting yourself in the Tower saga.
For instance, and this isn't really a spoiler that means anything, but it mentions Andy the robot, whom the characters meet in Calla Bryn Sturgis, in book five - Wolves of the Calla. He says they met him later on down the path, but didn't remember having heard about him. That's a lot of stuff to keep up with. Obviously, since the top-level story here was pretty short and didn't cover much, there's not too much chance of stepping on his own toes, but it's still just a little quirky. Because think about this: no one ever mentions a starkblast in any of the other Tower books. But they now know about them. And they also know more about some of the things Roland went through in his childhood. We even learn a little more about Jamie deCurry.
I'm just saying the author is taking unnecessary risks by inserting more story between already-written books. That's a mine field. So, Mr. King, from here out, if Roland has any more to say of his childhood, let's just hear it from your mouth. Not his. Tales From Roland's Youth parts one through five.
Now. On to the story. It was okay. The second-level story, this is. The top-level is Roland, Susannah, Jake and Eddie meandering down the turnpike toward the callas. The story Roland tells is the second-level story. This is where he and Jamie, as young teens go hunt down the skin-man. This story was not a complete let down, but it was pretty weak, in my estimation. Of course it makes one feel good to read about boys who are so superior in the craft that they can tell constables and deputies to get out of the way. It's fun, but it's not real. I've personally never met an adolescent that crafty, who made me feel unwise. Wisdom goes a long way. Whether you're intelligent or not, if you're forty, you just know things a sixteen-year-old doesn't, because you've been there. So it's only just fun.
They come upon the aftermath of this skin-man and have to hunt him down. Well, they do this without much problem at all, in - best I can tell - less than a day. All to the good, but just not much story there. And once again, here I felt like this story was brought just to give young Roland the chance to tell the tale of The Wind Through the Keyhole to young Billy. A childhood story Roland's mother used to read to him.
So we now enter the third-level story. The story-within-a-story. Roland, while telling Eddie, Susannah and Jake his tale about the skin-man, goes into the story that he - in his youth - told Billy. Fun. Very Inception-esque. And this is the tale I most enjoyed. The tale of young Tim Stoutheart or whatever his name was. It was an enjoyable tale, but I'm not sure it was worth all the trouble of writing this book just to tell.
All in all, I had fun reading this. I read it in about three or four nights, I think. A fast, easy read, it was. But I have to say, I still didn't enjoy it near as much as I did Wizard and Glass. And the reason I enjoyed that one so much is because it was about Roland and his young friends when they were mere teens. That was a spell-binding book. Har har. But seriously, it was really good. This one just sort of didn't reach that level. Perhaps no other tale ever will.
So at the end of the day, I give Keyhole two and a half to three stars. Nothing really wrong with it, per se, it was just a little weaker than I expected. Perhaps Roland's time has come to be put on the shelf. Maybe his story is told. Let's start a new saga....more
Mr. Burke's descriptive narrative is remarkable. It's the primary reason I enjoy his books at all. I'm not terribly fond of the old western cop dramaMr. Burke's descriptive narrative is remarkable. It's the primary reason I enjoy his books at all. I'm not terribly fond of the old western cop drama series itself, and I've never read a paper book by him. I listen to the audiobooks because Will Patton reads them all. And if you haven't listened to Will Patton reading James Lee Burke, you have denied your ears a wonder.
Not much to say about the story line. Sometimes I found it hard to follow with all the characters, but it moved along nicely, it seemed. It wasn't overly interesting or not. It just was what it was. Like I said, I listened to listen.
I finally ended up abandoning the book because it's been too long since I started it (seven months) and it's been too long since I last listened (at least five). Maybe I'll give it another shot someday....more
Do audiobooks make or break one's experience of the book in general? I'm starting to believe they can. Maybe they don't always, but they certainly havDo audiobooks make or break one's experience of the book in general? I'm starting to believe they can. Maybe they don't always, but they certainly have the capability to. In the last book club meeting I attended, we discussed The Martian Chronicles at length, and I was the only one in the room who didn't absolutely love it. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I listened to Ray Bradbury monotonously read through the book, giving no real voice or excitement to the characters portrayed therein.
In the case of Duma Key, I would have to say hearing it helped. It didn't make me love the book, for there is much to be desired. But it did bring me to end up liking it. Now John Slattery is not one of my favorite narrators. But he gave pretty good voice to Wireman, with whom I really became enamored. He's one of the best characters Stephen King has ever written, if you ask me. I would really enjoy reading more with him in it.
The book itself isn't bad. The story is a little hokey, but then there aren't many of King's that aren't, are there? I don't read him for the stories. I read him for the writing, and namely, his characters. Edgar, the protag in this one, is a one-armed man who begins painting, and those paintings have special power. I'm okay with that, I guess. But what really carried the book were the subtle nuances that don't really have much to do with the plot at all.
For instance, on Edgar's healing walks down the beach, he goes a little farther every day, until he can finally see a man sitting in a lawn chair under an umbrella. They exchange waves. Edgar goes a little farther the next day, and the next, and so on. He finally sees the man sitting out there with an extra lawn chair. This man doesn't rush out to meet Edgar. He sits there waiting for him with a jar of iced green tea. After a few more days, being in shouting distance, he asks if today will be the day Edgar comes all the way. Nope. Not there yet. The man doesn't argue or shake his head or rush out to meet him - he accepts and understands. Then finally the day Edgar makes it all the way, they finally meet. And the man has again saved him a chair, and pours him a glass of tea. He doesn't ask why it took so many progressively longer walks for Edgar to finally arrive. He doesn't ask about the missing arm. He just instantly accepts him. And furthermore, has an instinctive understanding of why Edgar didn't come all the way out the first time. It's brilliant character development, and I came to love Wireman long before I ever met him for that reason.
Another instance is the sayings placed throughout the book - especially poignant in the beginning. "Wireman says, 'In our memories, we all stack the deck.'" Not the quotes themselves, even though some of them are pretty good. But the fact that Edgar refers to them many times, long before we ever even meet Wireman.
There are so many little things like that that kept me reading this. One part was the captive audience, of course. I'm driving to and from work, or dance class for the daughter, or football for the son, et cetera. I have to listen to something. And I hate to put down an audiobook if there's not just a really good reason to. But the other part was that there were these little nuances that attracted me so casually to the story. Like I said, the story itself could have come or gone. It's the involvement and interest in Edgar Freemantle's life that made it worth sticking it out.
Some of the things were hokey, like I said. But some other parts were ridiculously powerful, and had me smiling and giggling - or crying - like a little girl. The art show at the Scoto Gallery was brilliant. Really well written, that was. Another was the way Edgar interacted with his If So girl, Ilse. Having a daughter of my own, I can relate well to that. And if you were to have asked me last week if I thought King (or anyone, for that matter) could pull off a bit of ventriloquism and maintain my interest, I would have made a sour face and said, "Good luck, dude." But seriously, I wouldn't bother wasting my time even listening to that hogwash. They find a doll. They need to talk to her. Someone must perform some ventriloquism. Sigh. Okay. I'm already listening. I've invested over twenty hours to this book. So hit me with it.
Dear God.
And once again, this part might have had a lot to do with listening to the book. But when that doll's voice came to life, I got chills up my spine. And the character who performed the act of puppetry, the least likely candidate in the book, well, it was just right. It popped. Loudly. And furthermore, having entered that scene and knowing what was about to take place, I rolled my eyes and sighed pretty heavily. Again, thinking I'd probably just wasted the last twenty hours of investment in this garbage to have it come to this puppet bit. And as the scene got going, a cool came over my body. My neck tingled, and my arms grew chills. And it changed my perception of the entire book. I said aloud, "Okay, now this is going somewhere."
The end was good. It looks like Mr. King has finally begun to invest more spirit into the endings of his books. And he did this one pretty good justice. Considering what had to happen, and what did happen, it was all in line with what you would expect. Not that it was predictable.
There were parts I didn't like, parts where I thought characters came by information a little conveniently, and such. But they weighed far less than the good parts. And the great parts are enough in number to make this a book worth listening to. Or reading. And in the end, I felt not a bit like I had wasted my time. I'm going to say I liked this book well. If I could give half-step ratings, this would get three-and-a-half stars. So four is okay, three is okay. But use them both....more
I had pretty good fun with this one. It's a big story, all over the place. I really enjoyed the bits with Tony Donuts. I wasn't completely impressed wI had pretty good fun with this one. It's a big story, all over the place. I really enjoyed the bits with Tony Donuts. I wasn't completely impressed with the interactions with Erin when she was two years old, because that leads to temporal gaps that can't easily be explained. For instance, if she's gone back in time to two years old, that means she was unsupervised for at least that much time back when she was two. This doesn't seem realistic. Then, a merman who lives at the bottom of the pool doesn't really either.
But that's the thing about Sci-Fi. You take that as truth if it's backed with good science - even made-up science. The talking dog, deer and parrot - well, they're explained well enough that you accept them. But telling me a two-year-old can conjure up the plans and furthermore command the attention of the whole bar to make it happen? Just a little uncomfortable.
I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Robinson though, and really enjoy his stories. This one was fun, as I listened to Barrett Whitener narrate it. He's got a pretty good voice for this stuff....more
This book read like a parable from the Bible. Literally. Like the whole time, the author's intent was to teach me valuable morals and life lessons. ThThis book read like a parable from the Bible. Literally. Like the whole time, the author's intent was to teach me valuable morals and life lessons. The narrator's voice and character interpretation didn't help much with this. Maybe he got the same initial impression. Anyway, I thought it was going to be a great tale at first, but it just carried on and on giving me valuable lessons. Which aren't that valuable.
And then it got to the point where it was just ridiculous. Like when the boy talks to the wind. Or his heart. Yeah. Literally, his heart. Remember that song from the eighties? Listen to your heart! Nothin' else you can do! Yeah. That kept popping into my head. "The boy listened to his heart. Then he told his heart to please never stop talking to him." Are you kidding me right now? Then he talks to the wind. And heaven. And the sun. Yawn.
It was all I could do to fight through this book, and only did so because by the time this crap started happening I was halfway through it and there was only two hours left. And I was in the back of a van riding home from work. In traffic. In the rain. And was going to be a captive audience for about that amount of time. Seriously, this is just not a good book. In no way was it believable - not even as fables go. I mean you grant some fiction for the fiction. But when someone turns himself into the wind? Dude. Come on. Just go jump off a cliff. Waste of time.
Weak ending. Weak characters. Senseless story. Ridiculous parables. Ugh. One star all around. Two at best.
Thank GROVER I am finally finished with this. For some reason I was determined to stick it out, even though I should have abandoned it around the timeThank GROVER I am finally finished with this. For some reason I was determined to stick it out, even though I should have abandoned it around the time Beatrice abandoned her faction. There may be some spoilers in this review but you may want to use them as a checklist, and check them off as you go along, confirming the plot points you predicted correctly. The plot was almost entirely too predictable. So let me begin with a quick run-down of the plot, then a series of questions.
A post-apocalyptic young-adult-genre world has forced a city to divide into five factions. Abnegation, Dauntless, Candor, Amity and Erudite. Children grow up to reach sixteen years of age, and then are tested to find out which faction they most closely resemble, and then they're allowed to choose which one they want to join. They have to pass initiation to join the faction they choose. And if they fail to do so, they become factionless. Which is pretty much homeless. No job. No home. But supposing they do pass initiation, they then supposedly go to work in this new faction and are no longer allowed to see their families ever again. It's actually mentioned that you pretty much disown your family if you choose a faction other than the one you were born into. If you don't fall into one of these five personality types then you're abnormal. You're what they call Divergent. And that can be dangerous. Why? Don't ask stupid questions. And don't ask how ninety-nine percent of humanity doesn't fit more than one of these broad generic (lame) categories.
See, I consider myself pretty dauntless. Nothing really scares me. I'm also very candid. I speak my point of view, and people tell me I'm sometimes too honest. Erudite? Sure. I think I'm pretty smart. I'm also okay with amity. The only one I wouldn't fit into would be abnegation. I'm pretty selfish. So I guess I'm divergent. And that's a really bad thing. (Don't ask me why.) So here are a few of my questions.
Firstly: why is the city divided into five factions? Oh. To keep them from going to war with each other. Wait. To keep who from going to war? The factions? There were no factions. So you created the factions to keep them from going to war with each other. Am I getting this straight? Okay. Moving on.
Secondly: why are the factions at war with each other? Ummm... Don't ask stupid questions. But they are.
Thirdly: once you choose a faction you have to go through initiation. Why? Why do you make them choose if not all sixteen-year-olds are built like twenty-five-year-olds? What if they fail the initiation? Oh. That's simple. The initiate becomes factionless. This is akin to being homeless, because you can't get a job now. Why? Why not just let them go back to their faction they were born into? Uhh...
So let me get this straight. If I'm not tough enough (say I'm a sixteen-year-old little scrawny girl) to kick everyone's ass in the initiation, then I don't get to join. And I am now homeless. But you want everyone in these silly factions to prevent war. But you keep them competing against each other, and competing against the initiates. This breeds homelessness. Do I have this straight? Okay. Just checking.
So let's say I'm trying to join the Dauntless faction. We jump onto moving trains (to prove we're dauntless) and jump off of moving trains (to prove we're stup-- -I mean dauntless) and jump off of seven-storey buildings (to p- ) wait. Why the hell are we jumping off of buildings again? Someone could get really, seriously injured. Or dead. But they want me to join. Then try to make me fail and keep me out. And mock and chide and insult and abuse and threaten and assault me. And I'm supposed to be excited about this. And want to compete so I can join you so that I can eventually become like you. And insult, mock, threaten and assault people. And I decide to sneak out to go see my brother in another faction. And nothing really happens to me. So why not just quit? Just go back home and find a job? What, in other words, the effing F.
This is the worst plot-line I've ever heard of. Seriously. Nothing makes sense. Everything that puports to be plot contradicts itself. This is either the stupidest society I've ever seen us evolve into, or someone shouldn't be a writer. I hate to jump on any bandwagon saying she's trying to write another Hunger Games here, but it sure feels like it. Like the author just wanted to whip something up real fast, thinking she could be as big as Suzanne Collins. So, what do I need to do to get into the YA dystopian world? First, split the city/state/world into factions or districts. Then create tension by making it almost impossible to join. Then make some lithe little nothing-of-a-girl rise to the top against all odds so people will love her and root for her. Oh. And throw in a cute boy. Not the dorky boy who would typically be found liking a girl who sort of resembles him. But the hot one. The Freddy Prinze Jr. Sigh. Dear grief.
A lot of this book is just so stupid it makes me want to shoot myself in the face. Which apparently the author knows nothing about. Every time a gun is brought up, someone "clicks a bullet into the chamber". And at one point, this gem:
In an instant, I see his finger poised over the trigger and hear the bullet slide into the chamber...
I'm sorry, Ms. Roth. This is not at all how a handgun functions.
I'm sort of a captive reader in the car. I ride in with three women with whom I work. I'm not interested in their cat chatter, so I like to listen to audiobooks. I can't read or solve Cubes or play Android games - because I get carsick. So I listen. My alternative to deserting this one was to be completely unproductive on the rides between work and home. Well, I guess I could have bought another book. The really sad part is that I already own Insurgent - the second audiobook in the series. I bought them both together. Lesson learned.
Don't ask me right now if I plan to listen to the second one. This one was so torturous I almost automatically have to say no. But then I sure hate to have wasted the money on it. And I've already invested twelve hours in the story. Is it really that horrible that I can't finish it? Nah. It's not that bad. If I were sixteen, I'd be loving it. Especially with all the kissing and chill bumps up her spine and all that nonsense. But as long as the reader doesn't stop down to analyze what he's being told (why the factions?, etc.) then the book is actually pretty enjoyable. But if you haven't already bought it, or you're younger than say, twenty or so, then no. Don't bother with this one. Go read Hunger Games instead.
I have a lot to say about this book. It was a big book, so it needs a big review. And by big, I mean twenty hours. I listened to it on audiobook, youI have a lot to say about this book. It was a big book, so it needs a big review. And by big, I mean twenty hours. I listened to it on audiobook, you see. I think Jonathan Davis was a great narrator, but he reads very slowly. He's very precise with his words, and his pauses between sentences are often pregnant with wait. This probably added several hours throughout the entire book. But it's also big because Bacigalupi was very liberal with his words. If words cost money, he spared no expense.
It was good. Well written. Mr. Bacigalupi has a way of romanticizing famine and plague, terrible conditions and even rape with such smooth words. They feel like warm honey running over your skin. It's very easy to latch onto the world, and feel like you're part of it. His world is a post-apocalyptic version of ours, a couple of hundred years in the future. Not that he ever actually comes out and tells you that, mind you.
Beyond this, I found it very hard to follow. I was never sure who the white shirts were: were they trade or environment? I eventually had to go read about it on the internet. I'm not sure if I wasn't paying close enough attention when it was explained to me, or if it was really just that difficult to follow. That is a downside to audiobooks, I guess. You do have to pay really close attention. And this is deep story. Not light. I feel I would have benefitted greatly had I read it first. Or not ever listened to it at all - just read it in print somehow.
There were several main characters - but not too many to keep up with. No, it wasn't the number that made it hard for me to keep up with. It was my general confusion about who was whom. Akarat and Pracha and Kanya and Jaidee... Well, Akarat runs the Trade Ministry, and Pracha the Environment Ministry. Or was it the other way around? And Jaidee was a white shirt. Which means he worked for Environment. Or were the white shirts Trade? See where I get confused? And since it never really came out and told me point blank who is who, I found it hard to follow. Maybe I just missed it. And therein lies another small problem: I didn't quite care enough to go back and listen. I figured it would just reveal itself if and when it needed.
Look at it this way: some people go to musea to look at the art with an appreciative, knowing and educated eye. They stand and stare at the painting. They admire the brushstrokes, the quality of the canvas, the way the oil shines... They can tell you who painted it just by the selection of colors and contours. Then there's another group of people. This latter group just likes to look at pretty pictures. I put myself in the first group when reading some books. And I don't know what it is - but somewhere along the way a switch gets flipped and I turn to the second group if I discover something lacking. This is one of those books that did that to me. The words are beautiful. It's nice listening to Jonathan Davis masterfully detail the world of the Thai. Very cool words. Dirigible. Somdet Chaopraya. Emiko. Nippon genehack weevil. Blister rust. I could listen to it all day. But at some point it got so complicated that I just turned off the part of my brain that really cares. I'm not saying it's so complicated I can't follow it. Or I don't have the capability of understanding it. I'm saying I don't have the desire to.
I'm also not saying I don't understand what's going on at all. Just some of the things I let slip by me. Shrug. The point is, it didn't really matter to me in the end, because the story wasn't so great that it grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me into submission. YOU WILL PAY ATTENTION. THIS IS GOOD STORY. And that's not only because I listened to it. I listened to Peter Clines's 14 a few months back. And that was good. That demanded my full attention and understanding. That was good story. Story worth following. This? Well, it's all right.
I'm not one who sinks into the let's-throw-stones-at-Paolo-Bacigalupi group. I don't believe he's a racist just because Emiko, the windup girl, is a stereotypical Asian woman. I think he had an idea for her, and used it. It fit with the gene-ripping of fruits and foods, and the calorie men's mission. It all sort of went hand-in-hand. Like I said, it was very attractive to the ears - and I'm sure to the eyes as well. But the story just didn't have the weight of Something That Mattered. I don't know why. I guess I never could attach to the characters with any amount of real concern. I didn't connect. I couldn't relate.
So I said all that to get to this: the story was hard to follow, mostly because Mr. Bacigalupi wanted it that way. He wanted to keep it a mystery until the end. Not hard to follow as in keeping up with the characters - that was just my lax attitude. I'm talking about what's really going on in the story. You can't really tell until the end. And stories like that better be damn well told, if you ask me. They better grab you by the shoulders and shake you. Demanding your attention. And the bottom line is this one just didn't. ...more
Well this had a little bit of everything. Suspense, thriller, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, adventure and mind-bending awesomeness. I was hooked from the fWell this had a little bit of everything. Suspense, thriller, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, adventure and mind-bending awesomeness. I was hooked from the first moment the flap mentioned weird stuff going on in an apartment building. I'm not interested in a haunted apartment. But if every room is different and weird stuff happens - I get interested real fast. Hidden rooms, locked doors that go nowhere, staircases blocked off by steel walls... Sign me up dudes.
The story itself was very strong. Character dev was done in a most delicate and very classy way. Clines introduced characters, usually one at a time, in about every chapter. He didn't, say, have Nate walk into a room and meet nine people. There's no way I can keep up with who's who in books where the author does that. Clines introduced them slowly, and thoroughly, so I got to know each one before the next one came in. Very nicely done!
The one thing I felt like should have been a little stronger was the basement level of the apartment. True, the characters spent several days beneath the building, but - well, once you read it you'll see what I mean. There just seems like more to investigate down there. I felt a little let down - even though he explained everything adequately. I can't really explain it better than that. Without spoilers, anyway.
There were some very chilling scenes in this book that I think would have been better, had I actually read the book instead of listening to it. This narrator has a tendency to be way too articulate with some of his words. Read this to yourself: "'Blah Blah?' asked Tim." Yes, he finishes saying 'asked' perfectly, pronouncing the T-sound at the end, before he starts on the word Tim. Every time. Doesn't look like a big deal, but most of us don't talk like that. It comes out sounding like 'ask Tim' when most of us speak. Not a big deal? Try listening to that during an intense scene. Not my favorite narrator. He was pretty good with voices, but overall exposition wasn't impressive. I'll probably pass on any future titles bearing his name.
Bottom line: give this one a go if you like sci-fi! I really enjoyed it. I will probably seek this out in e-format and read it again at some point. Great story, fast-paced and full of mystery, just as advertised. ...more
This wasn't good. It wasn't good at all. I'm sorry, but it just wasn't. The stories themselves were mediocre at best, and kind of repetitive in spiritThis wasn't good. It wasn't good at all. I'm sorry, but it just wasn't. The stories themselves were mediocre at best, and kind of repetitive in spirit and theme. And furthermore, there just wasn't really anything Martian about them. I mean, any one of these stories could have happened anywhere. One of them to me seemed like Ray actually just changed a few words in so he could add it to this compendium. It was about a haunted mansion where a guy animates corpses and robotic bats and whatnot. On Mars.
Seriously, it just wasn't as good as I've always believed it would be. Based on other people's reviews, I thought it would be poignant and sweet and just wonderful. Well, it wasn't. And I guess the terrible reading by the author has a lot to do with the fact that it was recorded in 1974. Maybe they hadn't yet come out with dramatic readings. Either way, it would have done better at least with a better narrator.
Bottom line, I was sorely disappointed with this one, and would not recommend it to anyone. Not even Mars buffs. ...more
By what sort of strange coincidence did I finish this book tonight, marked as number 19 for the year? Odd, indeed. Another great installment to the DaBy what sort of strange coincidence did I finish this book tonight, marked as number 19 for the year? Odd, indeed. Another great installment to the Dark Tower series. More plot-driven, as I mentioned in an update. There's a certain mission known to the reader, as well as the Ka-Tet from almost the beginning. To stop the wolves. The previous books were looser in their way, meandering toward an unknown goal. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Of course, if you've made it this far into the series, you're not going to stop here. And neither am I.
This was a lot weaker than the others. In order of awesomeness, I'd rate them as follows:
Book 4 - Wizard and Glass Book 2 - The Drawing of the Three BooThis was a lot weaker than the others. In order of awesomeness, I'd rate them as follows:
Book 4 - Wizard and Glass Book 2 - The Drawing of the Three Book 1 - The Gunslinger Book 3 - The Waste Lands Book 5 - Wolves of the Calla Book 6 - Song of Susannah
Now why do I think my order of bad-assedness should matter to you? I don't know. And it probably doesn't. But you are reading this review...
This was the weakest so far, and I think mainly because he chose to focus primarily on Susannah, who to - to me, at least - is the weakest character in the ka-tet. I think she's okay, but I'm never comfortable with her, because I've never really gotten to know and respect her like I do the other characters. (view spoiler)[What with her schizophrenia, I just can't really attach to her. I don't like who Detta is, at all. She's scum. I don't really like Odetta either. She's a thief. And you don't really hear much from her. Susannah is pleasant, and powerful. A great female protagonist for the group. But she keeps being overtaken and eh... I just - well, I'm just kind of tired of it, is all. And this Mia character? Yeah, I could have totally done without yet another incarnation. Let's just move along. (hide spoiler)]
Another thing I kind of grew tired of through this book was the Comalla chants between each "stanza". Uh, that's getting old, Steve. And furthermore, didn't we leave Calla Bryn-Sturgis behind in the last book? No need any longer for the rice chants.
So this whole book is about the development and bearing and coming forth of the chap. Mordred Deschain. Well, we've only got one book left after this, so he either better make some big moves or be completely bad ass, or this entire book here is unjustified. Wouldn't you agree?
And finally, while I think (view spoiler)[the way the characters found, met and engaged Stephen King - and furthermore, the reason for their meeting - was clever, let's sit down for a minute, take a deep breath, and think about this. Stephen King writes himself into the book as a character. Seriously, Steve? Well, you may be the first ever to do that. And... And, well... You know what? Okay, you've got some balls, and your ego must be... Okay. I don't know what to say. I mean, I guess it's actually kind of cool. Yeah. You know what? I actually kind of think it's cool. Arrogant? Maybe. But why not? I mean the reason he's in here is to fulfill a plot device. (hide spoiler)] Which makes sense. So, more power to you! ...more
I come to this review both sad and satisfied. I have so much to say about this book - this series - but not nearly enough words to say it. This is byI come to this review both sad and satisfied. I have so much to say about this book - this series - but not nearly enough words to say it. This is by far the longest epic saga I've ever read. Well, not by far. I guess the Academy series by Jack McDevitt was six books. But King is known for his tomes. This seven-book series is more like ten in terms of the thickness of the volumes.
Anyway, it was good. It was great, even. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will definitely be revisiting it in the future. I have each of these seven books in ebook format as well, and would love to read them by word for my next endeavor. Though the journey has been made exceptional by the voices of George Guidall and Frank Muller. I also decided not to engage The Wind Through the Keyhole in audiobook format, for I don't think Stephen King's voice would do the story much justice. I will be reading it by word though.
So, down to The Dark Tower. This book was better than Song of Susannah, I think. But I do have some serious complaints. If you're going to write yourself into the story, making yourself a character in your own book, need you talk to the audience throughout? I mean, it seems to me that Stephen King writing himself as a character in the story is already breaking some rule of storytelling. But also backing up and saying, "Our characters have now journeyed here and there, so let's take a look at Susannah again..." and other such nonsense is just absolutely against the law. Hell, King himself even says not to do that in his book On Writing - which was written before this one! Don't ever talk to me! When you, Stephen King, talk to me during the telling of the story, it forces me out of the story. It reminds me I'm listening to your tale instead of being involved in it.
Aside from that, the story itself was good. Obviously, King didn't know how to end it - though he did a better job than usual. At the end he sort of attacks the readers saying we don't know when to quit, and that we're going to bitch about the end, and boo hoo hoo... I lost a lot of respect for him as a writer at that point. One one hand, he's really in touch with his readers, and this is proof he reads some of our letters. But on the other, I think he should just write the stories and not worry whether we're happy with the end or not. After all, people have made him rich beyond belief on half-baked endings for many years.
He then goes on to give us the option of stopping there. He says, "You can stop here and be satisfied. Be happy with the last image I just gave you. But if you insist on carrying on, you will probably be unhappy." Whatever. And then the actual ending?
I loved it. (view spoiler)[It was heart-wrenching when Roland cried out, "No! Not again!" as he remembered being through this same scenario many times. He only remembers reaching the Dark Tower just as he opens the final door on the top floor. Then he's pulled through it to start the journey all over again. AGH! That made me sick. All that life lost and all those struggles and fights and all that bloodshed and sickness... How many people has he drawn and journeyed with and lost at the end, only to do it all over again? We'll never know. Very good way to end the series. (hide spoiler)]
I hated it. (view spoiler)[What a dump. What a cheapskate, chicken-shoot excuse for ending a story. Cowardly. Why not have him open the top door to find Walter O'Dim standing there with a crossbow pointed at Roland's heart? "I told you that you'd never reach the top floor, Gunslinger." And then pull the trigger and Roland takes a bolt to the heart, tumbling backward down the stairs. His eyes shut against the cold darkness of the inner stairwell, having never realized his life-long dream. Shrug. Maybe not. But it's better than having the top floor just be the desert we saw at the start of book one. Come on. Easy way out. (hide spoiler)]
Sigh. So yes, I really did love it, and I really did hate it. And I really did love the series. I will be re-reading it again in the future. And listening again. Probably many times. So that speaks volumes for it. Let's break it down:
Writing: 4 Storyline: 2.5 Storytelling: 3 Total Score: 3 Performance: 4 Series Rating: 4...more
I think this was the best installment of the Dark Tower Series so far. The author takes us back in time to when Roland and his Ka-tet were mere boys.I think this was the best installment of the Dark Tower Series so far. The author takes us back in time to when Roland and his Ka-tet were mere boys. You get a peek inside a young gunslinger's mind as he hones his craft and learns some valuable life lessons. There may be a bit of bias in my rating here based on Frank Muller's incredible presence as he breathed life into the characters.
It was some of the best fiction I've ever read (heard). Finally getting to meet Cuthbert, Alain and Susan Delgado was just truly spectacular. This book starts with the current group on board Blaine the Mono, where they have to present to him a riddle he cannot answer. That was a major highlight. Then there's a standoff in Hambry, where the young gunslinger and his band make themselves known and show the Big Coffin Hunters who they're dealing with, which is another major highlight. And then there's the all-out war between Roland's Ka-tet and Jonas's at the fall festival. This is the final climax.
Toward the end of the book, we approach the glass tower, which - well, I'll let you judge for yourself. But the (view spoiler)[likeness to the Wizard of Oz was a little gay to me. A little bit ridiculous, it was. It didn't culminate into anything important in the end, but you decide. Not quite sure why King felt like he needed to put that bit in, myself. (hide spoiler)] But aside from that, it was really, really well written, and overall just hands-down a fantastic installment to the series.
Sadly, this is the last one in which we hear the brilliance of Frank Muller's reading. Then it's back to the pretty goodness of George Guidall. I shall miss Frank greatly. ...more
When reading a series, it always gets difficult to discern and remember where the story picked up and left off at the ends and beginnings of which booWhen reading a series, it always gets difficult to discern and remember where the story picked up and left off at the ends and beginnings of which books - so I'm having trouble remembering where this one began. But I know I enjoyed the whole thing. However, this was not a typical Stephen King ending. Usually he ends his books in exactly the wrong way - as if he just suddenly gave up on the story and abandoned it midway through a thought, leaving the reader asking himself what he just put himself through.
There have been several King novels that ended nicely though. The Waste Lands falls somewhere in between. I think rather than giving up, he just let it end abruptly, but left the story open for another sequel. It's almost as if he wrote books three and four as one, and then chopped them in half making them two separate entities. And this is where the first half ends. Not bad. Of course, I will be beginning book four, Wizard and Glass, on my way home this evening. I've already purchased and downloaded it, and the story awaits.
This speaks largely for my feelings on this book though - seeing it not as a standalone story, but part of the greater whole. I mean that you shouldn't be reading this review if you haven't read the first two installments of the Dark Tower series. You wouldn't just pick up book three and start there. So obviously, at least to me, is that one would want to read the entire story. The entire series. So how can one review a singular installment without considering the whole?
Well this one was as good as the others. Frank Muller was brilliant as always. And King has led us to love and respect and cherish the time we have with this group of characters. If you came reading this review because you just finished The Drawing of the Three, then carry on, my friends. Let this review tell you that it's okay to continue your quest with Roland and the gang. The story doesn't end here, and it continues to get better. Carry on. Read this one with full confidence that the series is still going strong. And I'll see you on the other side of book four.
This book is the second installment in the tale of the Dark Tower, where the Gunslinger encounters three doors on the beach. Through these doors he inThis book is the second installment in the tale of the Dark Tower, where the Gunslinger encounters three doors on the beach. Through these doors he invades the minds of people from other worlds. The book begins on the beach with the Gunslinger awakening to the icy cold wash of ocean water on his legs, and the site of "lobstrosities" milling about in the twilight. These monsterous beings speak in an almost human voice weird questioning sentences. This was very powerful imagery for me, and I think it showcases (and sets) the mood for the entire book. There were parts that seemed to drag on unnecessarily - like the bits about Detta Walker's interaction with the plate and "the crack". But most of the book was very vivid, powerful and remarkably well written.
I'm beginning to really attach to the crusade of the last gunslinger. Roland is a thoughtful, articulate and intelligent character, and I like to imagine I share some qualities with him. I am also very aware and fond of King's use of "the High Speech" as the Gunslinger details what he knows to his growing band of adventurers. It's eloquent and sober. I enjoy it very much, and appreciate the realism at the spirit of his words, when he mispronounces things that are not of his world, like "astin" for aspirin. He also calls sandwiches "popkins" which is a sort of old English label from our world. It kind of illustrates the changes that go on that we scarcely notice as our world moves on.
As the second installment of a long chronicle, this one started off right in the middle of action. As Roland awakens and tries to catch his bearings, it sort of puts the reader in the same position. We start off in the story wondering where we are and what's going on. We know no more about the alien creatures surrounding him than he does. They ask him their alien questions, "Did-a-chick? Dum-a-chum?" and I think we feel as lost and afraid as he does. In part, I attribute this to King's masterful enterprise. The other part, I suppose, is the reader, Frank Muller. He's got a great voice for this kind of story, able to play all the characters very believably and with a poignant intensity. Thumbs up. I shall be finishing this series the same way I started it: on audiobook. ...more
Good. Real good. What we've got here is a true spawn of science-fiction meets fantasy. And I quite enjoyed it. Clearly, he's got a lot of story to telGood. Real good. What we've got here is a true spawn of science-fiction meets fantasy. And I quite enjoyed it. Clearly, he's got a lot of story to tell, and I'm in for a lot of reading as I want to read the entire Dark Tower series.
I think the most powerful element here is the characters. Each is defined and developed really well and there exists a closeness to them, wherein you find yourself missing them as they leave the story by death or exit. The story itself is good enough, though I'm not sure where the idea of the Dark Tower came from. It is beyond size. The rail-head and nexus of all times and places? Of all universes? It's necessarily too big for my feeble human mind to grasp, according to the story. So of course, I'll endeavor to do just that by continuing to read the books.
For being such an old King novel, this was really a good one. One of my favorites, and I'm curious as to why I didn't heed the advice of friends and start this one sooner.
George Guidall's voice is perfect for the part. The first few sentences he read frightened me a little. I was worried I wouldn't adapt to it. Nonsense, obviously. He was remarkable. ...more
This was a fun, quirky read. Even coming from a woman.
You see, if you had read the book, you would get that joke. Okay, see, the thing is, I didn't reThis was a fun, quirky read. Even coming from a woman.
You see, if you had read the book, you would get that joke. Okay, see, the thing is, I didn't realize she was such a radical feminist. Not a big deal, really. It doesn't change what I think about her. Shrug. I still like her. And she's still hot, in a librarian sort of way. She just needs to do something about that scar.
Boom. Two for one, folks.
Seriously, though. It was fun and informative. I laughed out loud several times during the listening sessions while I was driving. And now I know more about Tina Fey than I ever thought possible. Or necessary.
The storyline is not really as applicable in this case as the performance, seeing as how the author is reading it. Her writing is very solid though. I respect that highly. ...more
Listening to audiobooks is a great way to read. Especially when they're read by someone like Will Patton. I think I could tolerate a phonebook in hisListening to audiobooks is a great way to read. Especially when they're read by someone like Will Patton. I think I could tolerate a phonebook in his voice. The performance, however, will not affect my rating of the book. That's totally separate.
This wasn't a bad book at all. I'm not really into murder mysteries so much - though I continually find myself reading them. Not sure what to make of that. Maybe I am into them. I just haven't really ever read any great ones. Either way, Jolie Blon's Bounce was okay. I thought the texture of the story was much greater than the plot itself. Burke's descriptions of the bayous and the surrounding areas, the sky, the trees, the faces - those were rich and wonderful. He is definitely a very talented writer.
This story seemed to bounce all over the place though. I felt a little detached from the characters at times, and couldn't really keep up with who was whom sometimes. It's like he made leaps in assumption that lead to the suspicion of certain individuals - leaps that I just couldn't get. Either this cop had some clairvoyant powers, or the author just left some logic out of the narration. I followed though, with allowances for my own ignorance, assuming I had either forgotten or just not paid attention properly.
Another annoyance of mine is Burke's fascination with descriptions of sexual encounters. Why does he - why does any author - feel the need to describe with any detail at all the sexual encounters of the characters? It's completely unnecessary. A waste of time. I have no desire to hear about what happens between the sheets with these characters. Burke uses the work 'sex' a lot in reference to the male's genetalia. "She stroked his sex before putting it inside her." It's like the word 'penis' is too clinical and 'dick' is too graphic. Well if you find yourself describing someone's 'member' in any situation other than the clinical, you're probably getting too deep into an area of the story that's better left to the imagination. Go masturbate, get it out of your system, then return to your writing. Seriously. There were five or six sex scenes in this book.
Will Patton is a master reader. His characters are easily differentiated, and clever; creative. I'd like to hear some more of his work. However, most of what he's read has been James Lee Burke novels. I'm torn - because I want to hear Patton perform, but not sure I want to hear Burke's novels. I do want to read some more of them - and his daughter's work too - they're both award-winning authors. But I may stick to the written versions rather than audiobooks. ...more
Wow, what a fascinating tale! I think King really did well working outside his comfort zone with the science-fiction genre. Historically, my chief comWow, what a fascinating tale! I think King really did well working outside his comfort zone with the science-fiction genre. Historically, my chief complaints with King's tales are his endings. The Stand anyone? Seriously? But here I wasn't let down. Well, not completely.
The end of this story... could it have been better? Well, yeah. But I'm not saying it was bad either. It wasn't typical King bad. I'm also not saying I could have done better. I think it was probably appropriate. I think quite possibly, the protagonist did exactly what I would have done, given his age. However, I, the reader, wanted him to do something different. I wanted him to finish what he had run from the Green Card Man intending to do.
(view spoiler)[I like that he decided to leave Oswald alone. Frank Dunning as well. I like that he was just going to let history happen the way it was supposed to, and just go for Sadie, and only Sadie. I respected that. I was a little disappointed when he gave in to his better judgment and went back to 2011 once and for all, leaving the obdurate past to itself. But, like I said, I can't say I would have done it differently. He was, by this time, some twelve years Sadie's senior. She might not have loved him again. Oh, and just for the record; that "wet ripping sound" he describes at the end of the book when Jake is visiting Harry... Dear God that's creepy. Terrifyingly eerie. (hide spoiler)]
He got pretty long-winded with all the crap between Oswald and his wife. I think he could have trimmed off about an hour of that. And the one thing he says in On Writing you should never do is use adverbial dialog attribution. Uh, Steve? Have you forgotten you said that? Aside from all that though, the story itself was great. All said and done, this was probably my favorite book by King. I'm a big time-travel guy, you know. And it also didn't hurt that Craig Wasson read it. Damn, that guy has a great voice for characters! I'm going to give this review - as well as all my audiobook reviews - another category called performance. That will be for rating the narrator. ...more
Seriously? Yeah I know she didn't have much to write about. It was the early 1800s. She's a fine writer, I'm sure. I had no trouble with the writing.Seriously? Yeah I know she didn't have much to write about. It was the early 1800s. She's a fine writer, I'm sure. I had no trouble with the writing. The grammar, the style, everything was sound. In fact, I very thoroughly enjoyed the reader - Elizabeth Klett. She added vocal inflection which gave these characters life and realism. She made the pretentiousness and arrogance jump out of the page. Good job, Ms. Klett. Good job.
But this is not a review of the reader. Even being a sort of captive audience to this book, as I was listening to it when I drive - and I drive a lot - I still had to eject it and move on. I would rather listen to radio commercials than this horse shit. Even with Klett's amazing vocalization of it. I got a lot further hearing her reading than I think I would have had I been reading the paper page.
"Oh darling, you're much better than she is, to be sure!" Vomit. He said, she said, you need to go spend the week at this guy's house so he'll like you and want to marry you so you can inherit his wealth and justify your family, dahling. Vomit on a pile of horse shit. On and on and on. What a complete waste of time. To what end was all of this? Why? Who cares? I don't. I'm done.
This book has probably taught me more about writing than anything else I've read or heard. I also have a copy of this one on CD audio book, so I can lThis book has probably taught me more about writing than anything else I've read or heard. I also have a copy of this one on CD audio book, so I can listen to it while I'm driving.
The beginning of the book is a poignant look into Stephen's childhood and adolescence, wherein you hear about how and where he grew up, and how he came to be a writer, then how he got his first book published. It's very moving, as he really had nothing before.
The second half is about how he writes. He preaches the laws of grammar, but also gives a lot of insight into style and spirit. This is where I learned so much and vastly improved my style. King's stories aren't the greatest - they've all been done, and sometimes better. But the way he tells them is so rich. He is a master of the craft. His writing and grammar are immaculate, as he takes great pride in making sure he follows the rules. It's a breath of fresh air to a grammar fanatic to read his work, so reading this book was a nice insight into the world of King, and how he does what he does so well. I'd recommend it for any Stephen King fan, if you just want to touch up your grammar skills, and especially if you're a writer. ...more
2007 Review: I've read this book several times now, and it just gets better every time. There are so many ill-fitting characters who intrigue you and2007 Review: I've read this book several times now, and it just gets better every time. There are so many ill-fitting characters who intrigue you and keep you guessing, and so many weird scenes that seem so out of place, and subplots that can't have anything to do with the story - that by the middle of the book you're thinking he's either going to fail completely at tying it up at the end, or he's going to be a masterful artist who is able to pull it off and sell you the story. Well, friends, he achieves. He leaves no loose ends dangling.
The only problem I have with this book is the expectation the author has of the reader to know some things about Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the late poet. It might help to have read The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and Kubla Khan before you endeavor Dirk Gently. If not, you'll not know what they were doing at the end of the book. If you have read Dirk Gently, and would like to hear my thoughts on the explanation, check out the spoiler.
(view spoiler)[Kubla Khan only has one part. They mention in the book finding the "altogether stranger second part". Well my theory is that the second part talks of the spaceship orbiting the earth, and how to access it. It's basically an instruction manual for Michael Wenton-Weakes when they send him out into the mud to the tower of spaceship with which the book begins. When they pop back to the 1800s quickly and pay Coleridge a visit, Dirk talks him out of writing the second part of Kubla Khan, and thus, Michael Wenton-Weakes no longer has instructions on how to get to the mother ship, and thus (again) the mother ship explodes in the sky above the waiting group. It's quite an intricate plot device, and - like I said - probably important that you're familiar with Coleridge's work, lest you be forced to divine the answer to the riddle on your own. (hide spoiler)]
So aside from that singular outside reference, the book ties itself together very well and makes for a very enjoyable, and fun read. Recap: points off for leaving us without the reference to Kubla Kahn and points off for his notoriously bad writing, but the storytelling rating pulls it back to a valuable total score. I added a half-star bump to the average just because I loved the book so much. ...more
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