Randy

Fun!

Revisado: 12-21-24

Loved it! Perfect Chuck Wendig. Narrator was 4 of 5, some really good, some just pretty good. Still, overall, 4.33 . Engaging premise, well constructed, good characters, the right people got (proportionally) what they had coming, and the end kept me guessing.

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Gritty, greasy, kind of amazing

Revisado: 12-16-24

I had some long road trips so powered through this relatively quickly. It’s like a brutal backcountry hike of ups and downs and exhaustion but ultimately very satisfying. Because it plunges through racial issues so directly, it can be hard to take at times. Simmons doesn’t pull any punches or dance around our 2020s sensitivities. Parts of the book are overly brutal, overly racist, and overly graphic, but it’s that brutality that sort of defines the universe the characters have had to endure. In the end, the powers that some of the characters used on others was certainly no more horrible than our human ability to treat others with inhuman savagery. For a book written around a fanciful premise, it was pretty terrifying in its reality. And given the politics of the day, it actually seems a bit plausible.

Last thought: I was drawn in to the thoughtful discussions contained in the book. The musings were subtle enough that if you are a racist or care little for certain groups within your community, you might actually wonder who the antagonists are - those seeking power, or those trying to control it.

A remarkable book.

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Different enough…

Revisado: 12-03-24

First off, I liked this book. Taking place in 1983, I was that age at that time and found myself relating to the characters in interesting ways. Growing up in a small Oregon town, there were some similarities to their small town. I liked the characters and the relationship. I thought the racial issues were interesting and well articulated but not overwhelming to the story line. The story is methodically developed and evenly paced. It is carefully crafted and very, very thoughtful. That said, installed near the end because O thought some of my favorite characters - or perhaps the ones I identified most with - were being implicated in a way that felt manipulative or perhaps cliche, but in the end it didn’t go that way. The climax is dark and harsh but gives a full conclusion in a not unsatisfying way.

So, yes, well written and voiced. Not a new theme but delivered in a way that made it fresh and relatable, sad, engaging, etc.

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I’m a fan! Inventive and fun.

Revisado: 11-03-24

I bought this because it was a cheap and long listen that sounded interesting. So glad I did! The character development was excellent. I really came to like the key figures. That it involved first-nations characters and perspectives and was written in a supportive and non-exploitative manner was very appreciated. This series was especially interesting and engaging.

The supernatural beings were enough different to be fresh as well. I’m not sure how to write a review on this but as an old guy who likes a break from the standard, I found this to be fresh, funny, full of action, well written and hard to put down. I don’t know much about the author but I’m now going to look up more of her stuff. The narrator was good as well. His female voices maybe not the best but it’s easy to ignore that. For much of the reading/performance, he’s spot-on.

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Shocking!

Revisado: 10-15-24

Good episode. Complex. Joe needs to let others start to take the reins and we’re sort of headed in that direction. The Beer Can is hot!

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Still fun to listen to.

Revisado: 10-10-24

Craig Alanson is the king of technobabble and RC Bray delivers this type of science fiction like no one else can. Sure, same old beer can and same old Joe Bishop, but the battles are well written, the characters interesting, and there’s just a lot of creative genius in putting these crazy stories together. Aftermath is more of the same, which is t a bad thing on a long drive across the state.

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Hard to stop listening!

Revisado: 09-18-24

I lived in Chicago in 1985-1986. My daughter lives there now. I’ve visited the parks and remaining buildings and was vaguely aware of the 1893 Worlds Fair. But now I feel like I’ve lived it! I want to go see those places again and revisit Graceland that when I last visited was full of unfamiliar names. When last I was in Chicago I visited Oak Park and toured the Frank Lloyd Wright houses, so this too takes on a new relevance. And the murder, HH Holmes, so perverse and elusive and yet I’ve known people like him who outwardly were charming all the while scheming on where to plant the knife.

The author expertly weaves these two story lines together in a way that really tells two different stories with overlapping story lines. There is a little whiplash going from one story to the other but the juxtaposition makes it all the more riveting.

Very good. I won’t look at Chicago the same again.

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Useful and enlightening!

Revisado: 09-09-24

I spend as much time on the ocean each summer as I can, specifically on the central Oregon coast boating out of Newport’s Yaquina Bay. I built a 30’ boat for these trips and have travelled 50 miles into the ocean, but I also sometimes fish or cruise within a few hundred yards of the beach. I also spent my life in boating safety circles and have examined many fatal boating accidents. If surf fished and climbed jetties and walked many beaches. My next goal is to boat the inside passage to Alaska.

Therefore, the contents of this book were fascinating! I wish I’d read it years ago. The presentation covers so many perspectives. I’ve never surfed but found that information relevant as well.

The narrator does a good, no-nonsense read of the book. The blending of the two authors is well done and provides the up-to-date science along with interesting history.

This book helped me understand what I see when I’m out on the ocean surrounded by nothing but water. The understanding makes me a better captain.

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Fascinating, well read.

Revisado: 08-31-24

What I get from this book is that Capt James Cook was a complex man of his time, in the magical era of exploration, who at times was forward thinking and egalitarian but sometimes seething and dangerous. I live in Oregon and have boated in some of the areas described in the book. I know the names of these landmarks but not really the names behind them. This is a full-faced look at a disastrous third voyage, unflinching and generally non-judgemental but with a strong effort to explain the historical context and the human impacts of the actions. I enjoyed it.

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Excellent entrance

Revisado: 08-20-24

I appreciate James Corey’s thoughtful approach to sci-fi and how he builds the universe that his characters exist in. I loved the Expanse so was glad to see this release. I feel like it’s going to be an interesting ride as the humans build their small army to fight. Some may think it a bit slow and methodical but it’s a good change of pace from the over-the-too sci-fi so common now.

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