J. Liu

A big letdown compared to his previous works.

Reviewed: 01-23-23

I was a huge fan of Recursion and to a lesser degree Dark Matter and Upgrade is not even close to on par with those two.

Spoilers-lite: It seemed like just a few fight scenes and a bunch of descriptions about a post semi-apocalyptic world and specific genes and what they would do if upgraded. Pretty boring.

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2 people found this helpful

Suffers from the same problems that "14" does.

Reviewed: 06-27-15

What did you like best about The Fold? What did you like least?

I like the initial setup and mystery concerning how the fold works. The protagonist is likeable and well conceived. His gift and it's characterization are well done.

However.... --SPOILERS--

Just like his prior book "14" which is written in the same fictional world as "The Fold", both start out very interesting, lots of little clues to a central mystery that needs to be solved. The denouement in both is just terrible. Neither story answers many of the riddles presented and the book goes from a mystery into an action adventure. And not a particularly good one. Far too many words are spent detailing various inconsequential injuries. People act stupidly (running into the portal Jamie? Why?) And the idea that a remote C4 detonator is only able to be set for 5 minutes and 30 seconds and unchangeable?

Worst of all, the trans dimensional enemies are really lame. They're spear throwing, stone age tech aliens led by a fleshy flying tentacled whale? And they're going to take over modern day Earth? LOL. Get real. A wing of A-10 Warthogs would shred that flying beast with depleted uranium rounds before it got within a mile. A surface to air missile would blow a hole in it the size of a Hummer. The ground units would be completely wiped out by a single tank division in a matter of days. What are they going to do, throw spears at an Abrams M1 tank?

The first 80% of the book was enjoyable, the last 20% was unbearable.

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3 people found this helpful

Liked the book, narration could been better

Reviewed: 05-28-15

Would you consider the audio edition of Seveneves to be better than the print version?

No. There's a couple of diagrams in the book that really help with visualizing the latter parts of the book. But more importantly, I really thought the female narrator who begins the book was not a good choice. Her vocalization of the male roles is really poor. I really wish they could have used the same woman, Jennifer Wiltsie, who read Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age". She did amazing work with that book and would have done a much better job with this one. The male reader was fine.

What other book might you compare Seveneves to and why?

I think Seveneves is a lot like Stephenson's other works like Cryptonomicon and Anathem. Building worlds and describing tech without as much emphasis on plot turns and twists.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really that kind of book.

Any additional comments?

A good addition to the Neal Stephenson library. Not his best, but I enjoyed it.

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71 people found this helpful

A very good reading of an excellent book.

Reviewed: 05-11-15

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

If you're already read Cryptonomicon, this audiobook is a good way to "re-read" it while you're on the go. Dufris does a great job with the narration, despite what other reviewers have said. I don't know what they expect, but Dufris does all the voices well. Accent, infection, tone, emotion. The biggest downside to the audiobook version is the lack of diagrams, maps and the problems inherent in listening to mathematical formulae and code-text instead of seeing it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bobby Shaftoe. Crazy. Smart enough to do his job well, but not smart enough to understand it. Dufris does a great job with his voice, conferring the "ready for anything" nature of the character. Not how I voiced him in my head when I read it, but a great rendition.

Any additional comments?

Cryptonomicon is one of my favorite Stephenson novels. Dufris does a great job narrating it, about as good as can be expected given the source material, but overall, I believe it's a book better read than listened to.

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A very good reading of an excellent book.

Reviewed: 05-11-15

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

If you're already read Cryptonomicon, this audiobook is a good way to "re-read" it while you're on the go. Dufris does a great job with the narration, despite what other reviewers have said. I don't know what they expect, but Dufris does all the voices well. Accent, infection, tone, emotion. The biggest downside to the audiobook version is the lack of diagrams, maps and the problems inherent in listening to mathematical formulae and code-text instead of seeing it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bobby Shaftoe. Crazy. Smart enough to do his job well, but not smart enough to understand it. Dufris does a great job with his voice, conferring the "ready for anything" nature of the character. Not how I voiced him in my head when I read it, but a great rendition.

Any additional comments?

Cryptonomicon is one of my favorite Stephenson novels. Dufris does a great job narrating it, about as good as can be expected given the source material, but overall, I believe it's a book better read than listened to.

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A Very Good First Book in a Promising Series.

Reviewed: 08-02-13

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

Yes. If they were interested in a modern urban fantasy, this is an entertaining book that shows signs of producing a promising series. The lead character is well conceived and the sidekicks, cohorts, magic system and lore are developed sufficiently to create a believable universe. There are some good laughs and action too.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Oberon, of course.

Which scene was your favorite?

Atticus's initial conversation with the Hindu witch.

Any additional comments?

I hate to do this, but there is no way I cannot bring up James Butcher's Dresden Files series when discussing Hounded. The two are very VERY similar, however, I don't think Hearne handles the melding of magic and modern worlds as well as Butcher does. Too many non magical people know of the magical world in Hounded and the consequences of performing magic in front of non-magic users are not nearly severe enough. Some people are memory wiped and others are just very accepting of it.

The use of "nerd" pop culture references is prevalent in both series as well, but Hearne's handling and use of them is a bit clunky and not always appropriate. Butcher's use is much more subtle and inventive. It flows better in the Dresden Files books.

Lastly, the pets. [SPOILER ALERT] Oberon is really funny. Genuine laugh out loud moments. However, I do think there's some inconsistency in how much he understands about humans and the world. At times he seems really oblivious and others he seems too perceptive. Mouse, the Fu Dog from the Dresden Files doesn't speak at all, he communicates his intelligence and intentions non-verbally, but I don't find him any less endearing and well rounded as the verbally gifted Oberon.[END SPOILER]

All that said, I really enjoyed Hounded. Even though I cannot help to compare the Iron Druid Series to The Dresden Files series, I'll be the first to admit it's a bit unfair. TDF is up to book #14 (and I"ve read them all) and this is just my first book in TID series. And anyone who's read TDF all the way through, knows full well that the first books weren't anywhere near as good as the later ones. Based upon the strength of Hounded, I'm more than willing to stick with TID series for at least a few more books.

The narration is excellent. Good job with the accents and rhythm.

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Yeah, we need James Marsters back....

Reviewed: 09-29-11

The book was great. Excellent chapter to the overall series. But having John Glover read it just isn't the same. After 12 books, James Marsters IS Harry Dresden. It's not really fair to Glover having him step in like this. It's like following Led Zeppelin on stage.

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Jennifer Wiltsie needs more work.

Reviewed: 01-21-11

I already own the physical book and I wanted to pick this up so I could "re-read" it in the car. What a treat. I don't think I've ever heard a reading done this well. The voices she successfully pulls off in this book range from 4 year old Nell to a Brooklyn accented Confucian judge to an elderly Scottish warrior and everything in between.

TDA is one of my favorite Stephenson novels, and hearing it done just great justice by Jennifer Wiltsie was a pleasure.

I only wish she would read more books that I would be interested in listening to.

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One of the all time greats marred by spotty audio

Reviewed: 03-23-10

The story itself is fantastic. Deservedly hailed as one of the greatest stories ever told, sci-fi or otherwise. A fully realized and richly detailed alternate universe filled with science, religion and political intrigue. A must read.

Unfortunately, the audio recording does not fulfill expectations. While far better than the original single reader audiobook (be glad you didn't spend 25 hours listening to THAT) the 2007 version is marred by the bizarre decision to have each reader read a chapter or section rather than have each reader read a character's part throughout the book. In other words, the voices for each character change throughout the book!!! Why? Baron Harkkonen's voice suffers the most. At one point it sounds like Michael Clark Duncan is voicing him and others it sounds like a sleepy Orson Welles.

It's a shame that one of the greatest books ever written has never received a proper translation into another medium. David Lynch's movie was stylistically and visually fulfilling, but the story edited and changed dramatically. The Sci-Fi channel's 3 part miniseries held more closely to the original plot, but the budget and casting left alot to be desired. The original 1997 audiobook was read in a horrible monotone and finally the 2007 version's inconsistent readers. Hopefully someday Dune will receive a treatment that it deserves.

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346 people found this helpful

Entertaining and fast paced but formulaic.

Reviewed: 03-23-10

Very Michael Crichton like in that it exposes and explains a technology and creates a story to show it's dangers. Some familiar archetypes are here as well. Grizzled cop, sexy female scientist, man with a checkered background etc. etc. The core technology it exposes and Suarez's depiction of the frailty of our current society were the highlights, however, these are hampered near the end by stretching believability and asking us to buy in. Nonetheless, I found it really entertaining and listened to it in just a few days.

Also, any comparisons of Daemon to Neal Stephenson's works are laughable. This is much more mainstream and pulpy. Dan Brown and John Grisham's works are more appropriate comparisons.

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4 people found this helpful