Michael
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Across the Nightingale Floor
- Tales of the Otori, Book One
- By: Lian Hearn
- Narrated by: Kevin Gray, Aiko Nakasone
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,311
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,279
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,298
A tour-de-force novel set in ancient Japan filled with passion, fantasy, and feuding warlords. The first volume in the highly anticipated Tales of the Otori trilogy.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful epic story
- By Jody R. Nathan on 10-04-03
- Across the Nightingale Floor
- Tales of the Otori, Book One
- By: Lian Hearn
- Narrated by: Kevin Gray, Aiko Nakasone
Wow! Ninjas & Samurai in a Fantastic World
Reviewed: 11-03-04
4.5 stars. I had a ton of fun listening to this book! It?s basis in historic medieval Japan sets a strong foundation for an intricate fantasy world in which warlords battle for dominance. Characters are diverse, bound by honor or willing to do whatever it takes, many use deceit and cunning, others brute force and terror tactics. An ancient mysterious clan of people called the Tribe, masters of subterfuge, uses their meta-human powers to shift the balance of power among the warlords. The charisma, vileness and personalities of the characters shine through and hone the sharpness of their excitement and pleasure, their pain and loss. Gripping, Enthralling and Tragic!
The story is told from the perspective of each of the two main characters, Takeo and Kaede. This makes for a very intimate experience with each of these people, knowing their every thought, sensation and feeling. I loved following Takeo through his self realization of his buried talents and the unfolding of the huge role he would play in the world after growing up in such a sheltered small town. The end of the story left me feeling unfulfilled and wanting more. Fortunately, this is the first book in a trilogy.
I liked the fact that this book used two readers, one for each of the characters whom the story follows (male for the voice of Takeo, female for the voice of Kaede). My only objection would be that I didn?t particularly enjoy the female reader. She reads slowly, to the point where she is annoying and her intonations do not fully capture the passion and suspense of the moments. The male reader is very good.
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The Sword of Shannara
- The Shannara Series, Book 1
- By: Terry Brooks
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 26 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 9,728
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8,156
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Story4 out of 5 stars 8,178
Long ago, the wars of the ancient Evil ruined the world. In peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Ohmsford knows little of such troubles. But the supposedly dead Warlock Lord is plotting to destroy everything in his wake. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness is the Sword of Shannara, which can be used only by a true heir of Shannara. On Shea, last of the bloodline, rests the hope of all the races.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Finally Unabridged!
- By Nicholas on 04-20-04
- The Sword of Shannara
- The Shannara Series, Book 1
- By: Terry Brooks
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
A Great Fantasy Epic in its own right
Reviewed: 11-03-04
I read this book 18 years ago as a child soon after first reading Tolkiens works, and enjoyed it more than those books (sacrilege I know, but this is a great, and very fun fantasy world). I was rather apprehensive about listening to this book again after reading some of the reviews here, fearing that I would be greatly disappointed and destroy the fond memories I had of it. The 18 years and hundreds of fantasy stories I?ve read since allowed me to experience it as new and I had a great time with it.
Of course it is true that there are similarities to LOTR, but to call this robbery or that it ruins the story would be a big stretch and only be denying yourself a enjoyable experience. Like many fantasies, this is the story of young men coming of age in a perilous world facing an impending doom and only through them overcoming their fears and facing the darkness may the world be delivered into the light once again. This is a classic theme dating back to the Greek epics and loved by fantasy addicts everywhere. For the best of the genre, try Jordan, but Brooks creates a world I enjoyed spending my time in.
Brooks is a creative and vivid writer, drawing you into a vast world filled with wondrous places, a deep shadowed history and terrible evil. Although he does not get into the minds of the characters as much as I personally like, the characters develop strong personalities as the story unfolds and I found myself laughing and fearing with them. His style of story telling works well for creating a fast paced, highly entertaining book. I believe his writing got better in future books, though stylistically it remained consistent.
The reader is good, though there are some things that I found annoying. The characters were not distinct or expressive enough, some of the accents he uses seem out of place, and suspense was not well conveyed.
Audible needs to get the rest of this series unabridged. It only gets better.
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2 people found this helpful
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A Wizard of Earthsea
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Harlan Ellison, Ursula K. Le Guin
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 679
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 175
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Story4 out of 5 stars 173
This first volume of the Earthsea Cycle is an adventure story, a Quest, a tale of a proud, incautious boy who meddles too early with the Dark. It is a pure fantasy telling about a real thing: a boy coming into his power and his manhood...coming of age.
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2 out of 5 stars
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The narrator can make or break a book
- By Amazon Customer on 07-10-03
- A Wizard of Earthsea
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Harlan Ellison, Ursula K. Le Guin
Mediocre & shallow but definitely fun
Reviewed: 10-21-04
3.5 stars. I listened to these Earthsea books primarily because of the upcoming SciFi Channel miniseries. I wanted the further background to world and characters when watching the show. Come December we shall find out if it was worth while.
I tend to go for the fantasy epic genre myself, so I found this book a little empty. The main character, Sparrowhawk, is a great character, but I would I have liked to know him better. Life-changing events come and go and the years flash by. The tantalizing introductions to the diverse cultures of the world left me unsatisfied though interested. I guess this is what got me listening to the other books as well.
The reader has received a lot of criticism here. I thought he was certainly over enthusiastic, but overall I would say his dramatic reading of the book made for a really fun experience. I?m sure this would be great for children (I?m just a big kid myself).
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The Tombs of Atuan
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Gabrielle DeCuir, Ursula K. Le Guin
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 342
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 107
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Story4 out of 5 stars 108
Compex, innovative, and deeply moral, the Earthsea Cycle fantasy sequence has been compared to the work of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, and has helped make Ursula LeGuin one of the most distinguished fantasy and science fiction writers of all time.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Not bad
- By Daniel on 11-08-03
- The Tombs of Atuan
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Gabrielle DeCuir, Ursula K. Le Guin
I wouldn?t do it twice
Reviewed: 10-21-04
I listened to these Earthsea books primarily because of the upcoming SciFi Channel miniseries. I wanted the further background to world and characters when watching the show. Come December we shall find out if it was worth while. I tend to go for the fantasy epic genre myself, so I found these books a little empty.
This book started off terribly; boring and dispassionate. I was disappointed that Sparrowhawk was no where to be seen, though I knew he would come in at some point. This book didn?t captivate me the way the first one did. Sparrowhawk had a life which provided a great foundation for an adventure story. The first half of this story lacked any real sense of adventure, and no truly endearing characters, but managed to redeem itself somewhat when the character of Sparrowhawk is introduced and the heroine, Arha begins to question the life she is living and the roles she serves.
I have never had so much trouble with a reader as I did with this book. At times she reads at an agonizingly slow pace, and the tone of her voice is dull and droning, which really didn?t help with the rather boring first half of the book. This reader almost made me give the book a 2 star rating, but I felt that would do the book injustice.
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4 people found this helpful
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The Great Hunt
- Book Two of The Wheel Of Time
- By: Robert Jordan
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
- Length: 26 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 47,427
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 40,045
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Story5 out of 5 stars 39,988
For centuries, gleemen have told the tales of The Great Hunt of the Horn. So many tales about each of the Hunters, and so many Hunters to tell of.... Now the Horn itself is found: the Horn of Valere long thought only legend, the Horn which will raise the dead heroes of the ages. And it is stolen. In pursuit of the thieves, Rand al’Thor is determined to keep the Horn out of the grasp of The Dark One. But he has also learned that he is The Dragon Reborn - the Champion of Light destined to stand against the Shadow time and again. It is a duty and a destiny that requi
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great continuing intro
- By Andrew on 11-15-05
- The Great Hunt
- Book Two of The Wheel Of Time
- By: Robert Jordan
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
Wow! Engaging intricate world with deep characters
Reviewed: 10-21-04
Reading a novel like this I feel I should be kissing Jordan?s feet. How anyone can create such an immense intricate world filled with such deep, diverse characters is just mind blowing. I?ve listened to the first two books in this series and can?t wait for audible to come out with the rest. I was happy to find that this second book started right where the first left off with all the same characters to whom I had grown attached in the first book. Listen to The Eye of the World first.
After the incredible experience and the shattering end of the first book, Jordan expands on this world, having introduced many parts of the world in the first book which play a bigger part in this story. It makes the reader feel they have an intimate connection to the world as the stories that were introduced in the first book are explored in further detail here. New villains and old ones, betrayal and treachery, make you fear for the characters you feel close to.
Be forewarned that if you hate mental narratives, this book is probably not for you. You will spend long periods of time in minds of different characters, each giving you unique perspectives on the world and other characters. Like the first book, this book has some of the most thrilling action sequences I?ve encountered in my reading. In fact, there is a bit more action than in the first, though Jordan doesn?t neglect to continue developing the characters and world.
The readers are superb! There are two readers, a man for scenes where you?re following a male character and a woman for when you?re following a female. They capture perfectly the emotion of each character and scene. I?m relatively new to audio books, and these reader make a great case for how listening to a story is so far superior to reading one. Their voices paint the world with a clarity not possible when reading (written word is so primitive, huh?).
Great books! Can?t recommend highly enough.
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33 people found this helpful
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The Eye of the World
- Book One of The Wheel of Time
- By: Robert Jordan
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
- Length: 29 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 68,020
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 58,199
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 58,110
When their village is attacked by trollocs, monsters thought to be only legends, three young men, Rand, Matt, and Perrin, flee in the company of the Lady Moiraine, a sinister visitor of unsuspected powers. Thus begins an epic adventure set in a world of wonders and horror, where what was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Your first step down a very long and winding road.
- By Lore on 06-29-12
- The Eye of the World
- Book One of The Wheel of Time
- By: Robert Jordan
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
Wow! Engaging intricate world with deep characters
Reviewed: 10-21-04
Reading a novel like this I feel I should be kissing Jordan's feet. How anyone can create such an immense intricate world filled with such deep, diverse characters is just mind blowing. I've listened to the first two of these books and can't wait for audible to come out with the rest of the series. One thing I was particularly happy to find after reading the first book was that the second started right where the first left off with all the same characters to whom I had grown attached in the first book.
In this first book in the series, Jordan begins with a common fantasy theme with childhood friends being drawn out of their small quaint world and becoming an intricate part in the impending doom of the world. Much more so than most books, I found myself deeply involved in the story, engaged with the deep characters and rich world. The struggles that face each of the character and the crises each must come to terms with kept me listening late into the night.
Be forewarned that if you hate mental narratives, this book is probably not for you. You will spend long periods of time in minds of different characters, each giving you unique perspectives on the world and other characters. This is not to say that this book is not filled with great action, only that there are periods between where Jordan builds your bond to the characters and understanding of the world they are in. This book has some of the most thrilling action sequences I've encountered in my reading.
The readers are superb! There are two readers, a man for scenes where you're following a male character and a woman for when you're following a female. They capture perfectly the emotion of each character and scene. I'm relatively new to audio books, and these reader make a great case for how listening to a story is so far superior to reading one. Their voices paint the world with a clarity not possible when reading (written word is so primitive, huh?).
Great books! Can't recommend highly enough.
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3 people found this helpful