David Burke Grenfell
- 161
- reviews
- 114
- helpful votes
- 237
- ratings
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The Shadow Mark
- By: Mason Thomas
- Narrated by: Marc Biagi
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Auraq Greystone, once a military officer with a promising future, exists on the fringe of society. Accused of murder, Auraq is on the run from the ax—until two fugitives crash into his solitary life. One is a young man named Kane. The glowing marks on his arm pulse with an otherworldly power, and they have made him the target of a sinister organization called the Order of the Jackal. When the old man protecting Kane dies in an ambush, Auraq swears an oath to take his place.
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My new fav book. And WHO is this NARRATOR??? 😍😍
- By Zell Oakley on 06-16-23
- The Shadow Mark
- By: Mason Thomas
- Narrated by: Marc Biagi
Great new narrator and a good book
Reviewed: 07-14-23
I don't like to say much about a book as I personally prefer to know very little about a book before I read or listen to it. I enjoy the mystery unraveling. This is a fine fantasy tale with some gritty action and clever story telling. While I personally found the balance between story and explanations and descriptions to be a bit heavy towards the explanations and descriptions, I was never bored nor was I tempted to skip ahead.
What I really want is to applaud the narrator. He did a great job of using different voices for the various characters. You know who is speaking by the voice used. I only had to skip back once to hear something a second time because I missed it the first time. This is often a problem when voice acting is too clever or when whispering is acted out. I don't know how much responsibility for missed dialog rests on the sound engineer and how much on the narrator but this recording was great. In this case it was one short whisper and I got it on the second try. This is the only book narrated by Marc Biagi that I see in the Audible catalog. I hope he gets as much work as he wants. I started another book after finishing this one and was immediately disappointed that Mr. Biagi wasn't narrating it. If you want an original fantasy tale or to be introduced to a great new narrator, give this book a shot.
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Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours
- By: Jim Butcher, Marvel
- Narrated by: Jack Meloche
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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No evildoers have tried to flatten Peter Parker in weeks. His marriage to Mary Jane is stronger than ever, and he's enjoying his job as a high-school science teacher. Life is good. Naturally, that doesn't last. When Peter learns that his old enemy, the Rhino, is on a rampage in Times Square, he suits up as Spider-Man to stop the destructive villain in his tracks. But he's unexpectedly foiled in his attempts by the Black Cat, a former ally and old flame. The Cat informs Peter that the Rhino is just a distraction - the real threat comes from a group of Ancients.
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Jim Butcher is the best
- By Osvaldo on 09-10-19
- Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours
- By: Jim Butcher, Marvel
- Narrated by: Jack Meloche
Very good
Reviewed: 02-03-23
The star rating thing... This book is very good for what it is. it is hard for me to give... okay I am changing it from 3 to 4 stars. Don't think it is going to blow you away. It simply has charm an depth as you might expect from a novel written by a good author. A satisfying super hero story.
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The Prisoner
- A John Wells Novel, Book 11
- By: Alex Berenson
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Evidence is mounting that someone high up in the CIA is doing the unthinkable - passing messages to ISIS, alerting them to planned operations. Finding out the mole's identity without alerting him, however, will be very hard, and to accomplish it Wells will have to do something he thought he'd left behind forever. He will have to reassume his former identity as an al Qaeda jihadi, get captured, and go undercover to befriend an ISIS prisoner in a secret Bulgarian prison.
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Another Winner from Berenson
- By Snoodely on 02-04-17
- The Prisoner
- A John Wells Novel, Book 11
- By: Alex Berenson
- Narrated by: George Guidall
maybe the best yet
Reviewed: 09-22-22
My memory is poor and so I can't reliably claim that this is the best John Wells book so far. I know that I have liked or loved them all. This one is fantastic. I don't know if Mr. Guidall deserves 5 starts instead of 4 but it is hard to tell when the total package is this good. As is typical of Mr. Berenson, the telling of the story seems to be supported by expertise in the subject matter and all issues of character, religion, politics, etcetera, are treated with respect whether evil or not.
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The Ink Black Heart
- By: Robert Galbraith
- Narrated by: Robert Glenister
- Length: 32 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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When frantic, disheveled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn’t know quite what to make of the situation. The cocreator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie’s true identity.
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Great so far, but grab a physical book…
- By Stephanie on 08-30-22
- The Ink Black Heart
- By: Robert Galbraith
- Narrated by: Robert Glenister
Over LONG?
Reviewed: 09-16-22
I can imagine getting bogged down by this book if I read it. Listening to it I had no trouble with the length. the handling of the characters, especially our protagonists, is masterful in my opinion. I can see this book as triggering for folks sensitive to murder, underage sexual couplings, disabilities, internet bullying, misogyny, and who knows how much else. I mention a lot there but the misogyny and cyber bullying are fairly rampant. The other rough stuff is less so. To those not involved in the online game community, how awful it can be may be a bit of a surprise. I didn't see this book as going over the top in that regard. I think a good mystery reader could figure out the culprit(s)? before the end. As usual, there seems to be a lot of possibilities. Note taking is probably a requirement for those without a great memory. LOTS of characters. The narration was great. I do find myself wanting to know if urinal is your-eye-null in English and otherwise in Americanized English. There are a few of these fun pronunciation bits. Another fine Strike novel. Now waiting for number 7...
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Red Phoenix Burning
- By: Larry Bond, Chris Carlson
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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North Korea has one of the world's largest standing armies, capable of unleashing a massive arsenal of chemical and nuclear weapons. With an unstable government, led by the Kim dynasty under absolute dictator Kim Jong Un, North Korea more closely resembles an organized crime ring than a real nation-state. Millions live on the edge of starvation while Pyongyang's ruthless generals, crooked bureaucrats, and vicious secret police wage a covert war against each other to expand their rival fiefdoms.
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Confused...
- By Ronda on 03-24-16
- Red Phoenix Burning
- By: Larry Bond, Chris Carlson
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
Solid book and narration
Reviewed: 09-02-22
The first Red Phoenix book was also very good. the plot in that book seemed preordained to me. So it was mostlty the characters and specific scenes that maintained interest in the novel. In this book I felt that the author could choose many directions for the confrontation to go. This provided more suspense. The narrator did a great job. I am looking forward to my next Larry Bond novel. Trying to get Dangerous Ground, which seems to be one that Audible does not have the rights to make available...
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Impact Winter
- By: Travis Beacham
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 4 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
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From executive producers of The Walking Dead and Travis Beacham, the writer of Pacific Rim, comes a heart-stopping Audible Original featuring a brilliant British cast. It’s the near future and seven years since a comet hit the earth and blotted out the sun. The world is a dark, frozen landscape. And then, beastly creatures emerge and take over. A story of apocalypse, horror, and adventure, Impact Winter is a wholly original new saga created just for Audible with immersive 3D audio that dares you to pop in your earbuds and listen in the dark.
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can't stand the sounds
- By Joseph on 02-18-22
- Impact Winter
- By: Travis Beacham
- Narrated by: full cast
simple short and well done
Reviewed: 08-12-22
As the title says, it is a simple story that is well performed. To be fair I confess that I Do Not Like radio play style stories. I almost shut it off 5 minutes in with the stupid music and editing choices... but... the sound engineering of the actors is very good and the actors did a great job. So kudos to the sound engineering department for handling the difficult task. Too often in books I have to turn the sound up and down because of sound engineering choices. Not here. If you enjoy radio play style story telling or "full cast productions" then you should really like this one. Assuming that the book description doesn't put you off.
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Mount Fitz Roy
- By: Scott Sigler
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 29 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
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The sequel to the number one Audible Best Seller Earthcore, Mount Fitz Roy continues the tale of Patrick O’Doyle and Bertha Lybrand, who were part of the horror show that occurred far below the mountains of Utah. They learn that the "mother of all motherlodes” discovered there was not unique, that there is another deposit similar to it three miles beneath the towering peak of Cerro Chaltén on the disputed border between Chile and Argentina. O'Doyle, a middle-aged former member of a disgraced black-ops unit, gets his aging team back together to go after this fortune.
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Incredible
- By David on 12-03-20
- Mount Fitz Roy
- By: Scott Sigler
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
A real page turner
Reviewed: 10-08-21
I don’t usually give 5 stars to anything but the best of the best. I gave Earthcore only a 3 because it left me a bit disappointed in certain aspects. Together the books are a solid 4 for me, so just short of the best of the best. They are near the top for me in the thriller category. Depending on how broadly one defines “thriller”, I have read or listened to hundreds of them. This pair is among the best.
No spoiler review. I cared more about the characters in this book than I did in Earthcore. This book hits the ground running and never slows. Maybe 1 in 50 books has me sitting in my van listening to a book while I eat my lunch or listening for a few minutes after arriving at a destination. This is one of those few. Earthcore did not have that effect on me. Solid protagonists and enemies abound. Plenty of plot twists.
I am definitely going to try some more Sigler books. Ray Porter’s performance for the women was better in this book in my opinion. I find everything else about his performances to be very good. I never have to skip back to figure out what he said. He differentiates the voices without obscuring the dialogue.
Earthcore would be 3.5 and Mount Fitz Roy would be 4.5, if I could give half stars ;)
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Earthcore
- By: Scott Sigler
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 20 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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EarthCore is the company with the technology, the resources, and the guts to go after the mother lode. Young executive Connell Kirkland is the company's driving force, pushing himself and those around him to uncover the massive treasure. But at three miles below the surface, where the rocks are so hot they burn bare skin, something has been waiting for centuries. Waiting...and guarding. Kirkland and EarthCore are about to find out first-hand why this treasure has never been unearthed.
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Awesome Book. Well written and very creative!
- By Leslie on 06-25-17
- Earthcore
- By: Scott Sigler
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
Hard to rate
Reviewed: 09-24-21
I can see that the vast majority of listeners gave this 5 stars. Maybe I should be giving it a 4. I know I am stingy with 5 star ratings. This is a good book. I immediately purchased and began listening to the sequel when I discovered that it existed.
This book is a thriller. Suspense. Who will live? Who will die? Will everyone live? Will everyone die? What is really going on? The book is longer than this type of book typically is. Thankfully some of that length is because some characters or relationships are developed here and there throughout. It isn’t a ‘set the stage, introduce the characters, hold on for the wild ride’ tale. Expected twists. Unexpected twists. All of that was pretty good but maybe too long. The down side is that it is tough to root for almost any character in the book. Sigler and Porter somehow made me care just a smidgen but only barely. But the slow development and reveal helped draw me in. The female characters didn’t quite reach that bar for me. Tough, serious, respectable, but actually care about them, not for me. Porter’s voice acting was really great through a lot of the book but I felt that the women didn’t make the grade. I may be blaming Porter for Sigler’s characterization. Or maybe it is just me. 4.8 stars. Everyone loves this book. I liked it. Whatever illogical stuff was in it did not bother me, which is a big plus in a book this long that meddles with science and conniving people. If the sequel gives me some better female characters I will probably get the Infected series which are loosely prequels to Earthcore. Someone needs to update Scott Sigler’s fantasticfiction page. It doesn’t show Mt. Fitz Roy and it doesn’t show the relationship between various books in the Sigler Universe.
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Terminus
- By: Peter Clines
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Original Recording
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Murdoch’s past has finally come crashing down on him. His former girlfriend. His Family. He’s been happily avoiding them for ages, trying to live something close to a normal life. But now he’s been drawn back into another one of their ludicrous attempts to bring about the end of all things. Anne is tired of living in the past. She’s finally looking to the future and embracing her destiny. She’s going to lead the Family forward on their greatest, final crusade to destroy the hated Machine of their long-time adversary.
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Super dope entry in the Threshold series
- By Sandra L. Etemad on 01-30-20
- Terminus
- By: Peter Clines
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
Focuses on the background story
Reviewed: 09-16-21
While it isn’t necessary to have read “14” or “The Fold” before reading “Terminus”, I recommend it. The story of “Terminus” is focused on the background story of “14” and “The Fold”. Also the third book, “Dead Moon”, which I have not read. “14” is a favorite of mine. Quirky, hinting at horror but not nerve rattling to read or listen to. I listened to “The Fold” without knowing that the books were related and loved it. Especially when it unexpectedly became related. “Terminus” is not barely related. It is specifically related. As a comparison it is equivalent to The Dark Tower series by Stephen King in that many King books touch on The Dark Tower but the series is focused on the background story of that universe. “Terminus” is more stressful than “14”. We also get the story from multiple points of view. The various protagonists creates a deep connection to the story. How will these characters with conflicting motives work it out? Will they all survive? I am not a super fan of the Ex-Heroes series but that may be because I am reading them instead of listening to them. My ability to apply myself to reading has greatly diminished. I have no specific complaint. I just am not highly motivated to get to the next page. They are well told ‘The Walking Dead with super heroes” books, in my opinion. The Peter Clines books that start with “14” were all ‘can’t wait until my next listening moment’ books. I hope you find them the same. Ray Porter doesn’t amaze but he has a genuine quality and skill that worked very well for me. Like Wil Wheaton. They don’t create characters with their performance and they don’t distract from the story with their performance. I am always happy with either’s performance.
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Sharpe's Tiger
- Book I of the Sharpe Series
- By: Bernard Cornwell
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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1799. As the British Army fights its way through India toward a diabolical trap, the young and illiterate private Richard Sharpe must battle both man and beast behind enemy lines, in an attempt to push the ruthless Tippoo of Mysore from his throne and drive his French allies out of India.
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Believe the Hype!
- By Angela on 03-15-07
- Sharpe's Tiger
- Book I of the Sharpe Series
- By: Bernard Cornwell
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
Good book
Reviewed: 05-21-21
I, due to other’s praise, hold Cornwell on a high pedestal. This book is good. I don’t find it noteworthy. I respect the history explained in the book and really appreciate Cornwell’s afterword in which his expands on the history and explains where he changed it. I will be reading/listening to the rest of the series. Narration was okay.
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