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Always entertaining

Reviewed: 10-13-24

I've read and listened to this one many times over the years. Now the truth is I'm sure I completely agree with King's writing advice. Yes, some of it is quite good, but I'm not entirely sure how helpful it is (especially to new authors). King's style (he's a very intuitive writer) is likely not for everyone and what works for him definitely will not translate to a great many writers. That being said, I find his stories, especially those dealing with his upbringing (you can easily see where many of his story originated) immensely entertaining . If you are a King fan and have ever wondered what make him tick or about his process, whether or not you yourself are also a writer, you're likely to find plenty to like.

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King's spin on Of Mice and Men

Reviewed: 10-13-24

I think it's pretty easy to see the influence that Of Mice and Men had on King in Blaze. And I was all in on this one. I read it back when it first released but I'd forgotten much fo the tale so it felt surprisingly fresh. Ron McLarty's narration is top notch. He really brought poor Blaze's character to life. This is such a conflicting story for me. Given the events of the story it almost feels wrong to be rooting for Blaze, but given the tragic nature of the character the wonderful way in which King writes him you can't help but sympathize with him.

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America down but not out

Reviewed: 10-13-24 Listener received this title free

In the America Offline series, Weber proves once again that he knows how to weave an entertaining apocalyptic tale. If you are at all familiar with Weber's work than you already know he quite good at ratcheting up and maintaining high tension and delivering solid action. In America Offline he does it again. The power grid is down, the worst storm in a century his hitting, the world is erupting in chaos, but Nate Bauer is going to do whatever he has to ensure that he and his pregnant wife survive. There are many series like this out there, and for me my enjoyment always comes to down to whether or not I like the characters, and I definitely do. Solid characters, good actions, and an engaging story make this one worth your time. I also happen to be a big fan of Gary Tiedemann. And when you start an audiobook that is over 26 hours long, you better enjoy the narrator. (Note it did not take me 26 hours to get through this one as I find I almost always enjoyed listen at a playback speed between 1.25X to 1.5X defending on the narrator, for Tiedemann 1.4X is perfect.)

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Big brother meets Saw.

Reviewed: 09-09-24 Listener received this title free

Over the years I have read and enjoyed quite a few books by Iain Rob Wright, but this one...wow. He really pushes things with The Housemates. It's tagged as ' A novel of extreme terror' but I'm not sure that's completely accurate,. Extreme? Yes indeed. Terror? Maybe but not in the traditional sense, at least not how I consider horror, And don't get me wrong, this is not a complaint, I just want people to know what they are in for when they jump into this one. Which is? Extreme brutality. This is Saw level brutality or even Terrifier. You will definitely be made uncomfortable while listening to this one, which is entirely the point. A group of people enter a house, thinking they are entering a reality show competition..which they are, they just don't realize the stakes are to be their very lives, and they have no idea what they'll have to do and endure to reach the end. Wright has never been shy about being graphic is his books when need be, but he definitely takes it up a few notches in The Housemates. The 'games' these characters must endure are wildly brutal, and I must admit I really enjoyed the ride. (not sure what that says about me, lol). I'd definitely recommend this one for people who enjoy extremely violent/graphic thrillers. Aubrey Parsons does a fine job bringing these brutal games to life.

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Steampunk Dickens

Reviewed: 09-01-24 Listener received this title free

Listening to The Clockwork Magician made remember how much I enjoy steampunk and realize it had been much too long since I'd read a steampunk story. Jake Shillingsworth is a great character and his underdog adventure was thrilling, with my favorite part being where he finally stands up for himself. Great story of friendship and overcoming adversity,. Considering how the book ends I am really hoping we get a sequel at some point. Hannibal Hills has such a unique voice and it was absolutely perfect for this story.

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New series shows promise.

Reviewed: 07-02-24

Marko Kloos's Frontline series is one of my favorite sci-fi series ever. I was truly bummed when it came to an end, so when Scorpio arrived I was thrilled to be able to jump pack into that universe. Sadly, while I enjoyed the story. While for the most part I enjoyed Alex's story for survival (and of course loved Ash) it just didn't live up to the adventures of Andrew Grayson. It also didn't feel as focused. Yes, a number of the other Frontline books meandered a bit here or there, but the last quarter of the novel was Alex adjusting to life after her time on the colony world and figuring out where she wants to go from there. That is not to say it wasn't interesting, but it felt like the climax of the story happened way too early with the rest just being a 'cool down'. Yes, it sets up the promise of more to come and you can bet I'll grab the next book if/when it comes out but I just couldn't help being just a little disappointed. But as my review title suggest, the series shows promise.

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Some wonderful gems in this one.

Reviewed: 06-12-24

Even after all these years King continues to entertain. You Like it Darker is another collection of short stories/mini-novellas, all of which are enjoyable, some absolutely brilliant. With the standouts being Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream and Rattlesnakes, the quite unexpected sort of sequel to Cujo with a slight nod to Duma Key. As long as King keeps writing them, I'll keep reading & listening to them. For the most part the book is narrated by Will Patton and two of the stories are by King himself. And I have to say I really enjoy when King reads his own work. I still have found memories of listening to him read The Drawing of the Three when it originally released on cassette tapes decades ago.

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Such a fantastic series & spectacular narration

Reviewed: 02-20-24 Listener received this title free

I’ve read through this series twice and have now listened to it as well. And as always I’m left pondering it’s one major flaw:It ends. Serious, it’s just too short. Each time through I don’t want it to end. I want the adventures of Randy and Clovis to continue on. I’m also struct by one immutable fact: when it comes to audiobooks Harmon Cooper just has a knack for picking the right people to bring his characters to life. As much as I enjoyed reading the series, the audio version takes my enjoyment of the books to entirely new level. Clovis was already one of my favorite characters that Cooper has created but the way in which Daniel Wisniewski chose to voice him…well it’s hard to imagine being able to make a character that is a spell book so endearing. And Rebecca Woods does a fabulous job as well. I just hope that somewhere down the line Cooper will decide to return to the series and we get a chance to once again adventure with Randy and Clovis…and Shadow Lily as well.

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popcorn flick

Reviewed: 02-10-24 Listener received this title free

I call this one a popcorn flick. You know those summer movies that are tons of fun as long as you don't think too much about them. And I do not mean that as an insult at all. There are just times when you want to check out of reality and enjoy some fun. Author James Prescott might have gone a bit heavy on throwing most sci-fi tropes in The Fifth Kind, but it's still a fun time. Fast paced action and a wild story. The book in narrated by the talented Gary Tiedemannn who does an outstanding job, as he always does.

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1 person found this helpful

Great character, solid story, only one issue..

Reviewed: 01-05-24

I've been reading Stephen King since I was 8 and he's without a doubt one of my favorite authors. And Holly a fabulous character and it was nice to see her get a chance at the starring role. The story is excellent, with some truly twisted and evil villains, and the ending is intense in an almost 'Misery' style way. Now social issues are nothing new in King's books. And while I don't agree with him on all his views, they've never bothered me in the least. Mostly because he usually weaves those views into the story in a seamless unobtrusive way, but over the last several years King's become way too obsessed with social issues politics. I first noticed it on Twitter. His fun posts about Molly (his cute 'evil' dog) were replaced with angry rants about Trump. It can't be healthy to be so angry and spend so much time fixated on the ex-president. Now I fully believe he has the right to think whatever he wants but the worst part is how his constant need to bash Trump really pulled me out of the story. A few minor edits, toning down the over the top Trump bashing would have only enhanced the book. We've seen King handle race well in so many other books (numerous Dark Tower Books and The Green Mile just to name a few.) He used to know how to be subtle so there is no need for him to use a sledgehammer here. of course it won't stop me from reading his work in the future, (already have his next book preordered)

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