Christopher Valin
- 9
- reviews
- 14
- helpful votes
- 41
- ratings
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In Any Lifetime
- A Novel
- By: Marc Guggenheim
- Narrated by: Ramón de Ocampo
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 23
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 22
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Story4 out of 5 stars 22
Dr. Jonas Cullen has spent his career as a groundbreaking physicist defying the odds. But on the best night of his life—the night his wife, Amanda, tells him they’re finally having a baby—everything is taken away when a tragic car accident claims the lives of Amanda and their unborn child. Gutted by pain, Jonas sets out to find a way to bring back Amanda—or rather, find a parallel universe in which she’s still alive. But that’s easier said than done. As Jonas comes to understand all too well, the universe favors certain outcomes…and Amanda’s death is one of them.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Boring II
- By Peter Benedict(Forbidden) on 10-11-24
- In Any Lifetime
- A Novel
- By: Marc Guggenheim
- Narrated by: Ramón de Ocampo
Great story
Reviewed: 10-26-24
I'm a big fan of alternate reality stories, especially when they're done well. And Guggenheim definitely does this one well.
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Advent of the Apocalypse
- A LitRPG Adventure
- By: V.A. Lewis, D. Pidge
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 115
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 107
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 107
Giant fireblasts tear across the earth as the Gates of Hell are ripped open. In an instant, billions are killed. Human technology becomes utterly worthless in the face of the end of the world. Fortunately for Jaco, he barely survives the opening act of the Apocalypse. Unfortunately for him, he has to live through what comes next. Those who died in the initial blast are reincarnated as undead monsters. Massive fiery pits swallow up the center of every major city across the world.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I liked, it
- By Kindle Customer on 11-11-24
- Advent of the Apocalypse
- A LitRPG Adventure
- By: V.A. Lewis, D. Pidge
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
A great take on LitRPG
Reviewed: 10-26-24
one of the main things that determines whether I like a LitRPG book is the setup. It can make or break it for me, in fact. This book has one of the best setups I've cone across.
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An Unexpected Hero
- A LitRPG Adventure
- By: Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
- Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Justin Thomas James, Annie Ellicott, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 707
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 654
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 654
Sorry... Really? Thrust? Anyway, Danny Kendrick was a down-on-his luck performer who always struggled to find his place. He certainly never wanted to be a hero. He just hoped to earn a living doing what he loved. That all changes when he pisses off the wrong guy and gets sucked into a fantasy realm straight out of a Renaissance Fair. Getting used to a new world is tough. It's even tougher when you're surrounded by axe-wielding barbarians, super hot elf assassins, strange magic, and a jaded System that doesn't appear interested in being charged with yet another companion.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Wanted to like it
- By Roy on 10-18-24
- An Unexpected Hero
- A LitRPG Adventure
- By: Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
- Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Justin Thomas James, Annie Ellicott, Ian M. Walker
This is how it's done!
Reviewed: 10-15-24
For me, LitRPG can be hit or miss, but Bruno and Castle knock this one out of the park! Not only is the story interesting and fun, but it's hilarious and the narration is great. I wish more books were like this one.
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4 people found this helpful
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Starter Villain
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10,908
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9,687
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9,681
Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Volcanic Lairs, Death Rays & Cats… Oh My! 😼
- By C. White on 09-19-23
- Starter Villain
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
Fantastic as Usual
Reviewed: 09-27-23
John Scalzi has once again lived up to his reputation and produced another delightful tale, and Wil Wheaton knocks his performance out of the park as usual. I wasn't sure what to expect even after reading the preview chapters a couple of months ago. Would it be more comic book supervillain or James Bond style? I won't give anything away, but I will say that it wasn't exactly what I thought it'd be, and was highly enjoyable nonetheless.
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The Luna Missile Crisis
- By: Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,923
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,712
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,707
The year is 1961. The Cold War is in full swing and the space race is on. Russia aims to send humanity to space. But what if space comes to humanity instead? Yuri Gagarin’s epic flight into space is disrupted when an alien Mothership jumps into orbit, causing a cosmic car crash that defies all odds. Everything changes. The US and USSR must quickly put aside their differences. In exchange for the Earth’s help in the rebuilding of their Mothership, the mysterious aliens, the Vulbathi, offer promises of technology beyond humanity's wildest dreams.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Real McCoy of Science Fiction Goodness
- By Ecualegacy on 02-21-20
- The Luna Missile Crisis
- By: Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
Excellent Alternate History
Reviewed: 07-09-20
I love alternate history stories, and this one is a fantastic take on the Cuban Missile Crisis in an alternate reality. Great use of real-life historical figures and events. Wonderful, fun story with superb narration.
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5 people found this helpful
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The Midnight Front
- A Dark Arts Novel, Book 1
- By: David Mack
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 19 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 86
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 75
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 77
On the eve of World War Two, Nazi sorcerers come gunning for Cade but kill his family instead. His one path of vengeance is to become an apprentice of The Midnight Front—the Allies’ top-secret magickal warfare program—and become a sorcerer himself. Unsure who will kill him first—his allies, his enemies, or the demons he has to use to wield magick—Cade fights his way through occupied Europe and enemy lines.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic! Can't wait to read the sequels.
- By Christopher Valin on 02-22-20
- The Midnight Front
- A Dark Arts Novel, Book 1
- By: David Mack
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
Fantastic! Can't wait to read the sequels.
Reviewed: 02-22-20
David Mack is one of my favorite Star Trek writers, so when I saw this book I had to check it out. Midnight Front has a lot of the best qualities of Harry Potter, Dresden, and other supernatural series without being the least bit derivative. As a historian, I love the way Mack weaves his narrative into actual WWII events, using real-life historical figures. As a reader, I love the story, the way magic works in his world and, especially, the message about life and the afterlife. Highly recommended!
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2 people found this helpful
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The Way into Magic
- The Great Way, Book 2
- By: Harry Connolly
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 373
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 337
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 335
Having lost the prince to the madness of The Blessing, Tejohn and Cazia are the only people who know of his plan to retrieve a secret spell that might - just might - turn the tide of battle against the grunts. But Tejohn's body is broken, and Cazia has been stripped of her magic. Worse, both are being held captive: Tejohn faces charges of treason in the lands where he was born. On the other side of the continent, Cazia is a prisoner of the Tilkilit queen, a creature with a desperate, deadly plan.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great reading, great plot, great characters!
- By patrisi on 09-14-16
- The Way into Magic
- The Great Way, Book 2
- By: Harry Connolly
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
An Excellent Middle for the Trilogy
Reviewed: 09-13-16
What made the experience of listening to The Way into Magic the most enjoyable?
The characters are complex and the story is compelling.
What other book might you compare The Way into Magic to and why?
Some parts of it remind me of A Song of Ice and Fire, but it's not very close.
Which scene was your favorite?
My favorite scene was when Kazia spoke to the eagles.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Just enjoyment.
Any additional comments?
Overall, I thought the narrator did a very good job, but through parts of it he had a strange cadence and a sort of lilt at the end of sentences that made me notice the narration and pull me out of the story.
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Victory
- Legacy Fleet, Book 3
- By: Nick Webb
- Narrated by: Greg Tremblay
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,246
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,133
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,135
United Earth burns. The Swarm runs rampant across our space. We mourn the loss of thousands of ships and millions of fallen comrades. Billions of fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers - all gone, all dead. It is time we end this, for our moment has come. But victory never comes without sacrifice. Heroes are not taught nor trained but forged in blood and ashes. Our grandchildren's history books will tell our story and glorify the heroes and legends.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I got lost...
- By Kalin B on 12-08-17
- Victory
- Legacy Fleet, Book 3
- By: Nick Webb
- Narrated by: Greg Tremblay
Another great performance of a great story
Reviewed: 07-08-16
This was not how I expected the trilogy to end, and I couldn't be happier. I can usually figure out where a story is going, and I'm always glad when I'm wrong.
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The Paladin
- By: Kevin G. Summers
- Narrated by: Nick Wescott
- Length: 1 hr and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 13
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12
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Story5 out of 5 stars 12
Devastated by the loss of his older brother, teenaged Jared Weiss dons a mask and cape in pursuit of vengeance. He becomes The Paladin. Unfortunately, the real world isn't like a comic book, and wherever The Paladin goes, disaster is never far behind. Will Jared be able to avenge his brother before he winds up in a grave beside him?
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Realistic Take on a Teenage Hero
- By Christopher Valin on 02-24-16
- The Paladin
- By: Kevin G. Summers
- Narrated by: Nick Wescott
A Realistic Take on a Teenage Hero
Reviewed: 02-24-16
If you could sum up The Paladin in three words, what would they be?
Realistic teenage superhero
Who was your favorite character and why?
The Paladin, since he's a realistic version of someone like Robin.
What about Nick Wescott’s performance did you like?
He sounded young enough to be the character.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I wanted to, but I wasn't able to.
Any additional comments?
I really enjoyed this story.
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3 people found this helpful