Katie

Fantastic

Reviewed: 09-10-22

I have been an ElfQuest fan for 40 years or so. I am also a avid audiobook fan. I was excited to back this project to bring ElfQuest alive in another format that I love and to audiences that haven’t been able to experience ElfQuest. I can’t wait for the series to continue. There is much more to this story! If you are a fan of epic fantasy, don’t miss this!

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Could not stay awake

Reviewed: 07-02-19

Slow. Way too slow . . .
There us nothing for me too say about this book. It is boring.

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1 person found this helpful

Reads like a great dystopian novel

Reviewed: 09-21-15

Excellent dystopian novel, in league with The Giver, Hunger Games, Divergent Trilogies, The Handmaid's Tale and other excellent novels in that genre. Like others in the genre, this is a first-person point of view narration, making it quite personal.

Oh. Wait. This ISN'T a novel - not a work of fiction, but rather a memoir. Beyond Belief, indeed. That people, in this day and age, in our real world, are really living like that is inconceivable. And yet, they are. As disturbing as that is, when one considers that the "Church" of Scientology isn't the only cult brainwashing and abusing its members, and that we share a world with them, it is beyond disturbing.

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Gourmet Gargoyle Needs Better Ingredients

Reviewed: 08-19-15

Fantasy murder mystery...

Okay, but not stellar by any means. I don't regret reading it, but I won't be jumping right into the next in the series, but there is some chance I might return to the series later.

The gourmet gargoyle is fun. The time spent on discussion of vegan foods and herbal teas is mind numbing.

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6 people found this helpful

Breaks out of the cookie cutter mold

Reviewed: 08-17-15

Woman inherits house, visits it to determine what needs to be done to prepare it for sale, falls in love with the house, moves in, discovers a mystery (or 3) and makes shocking discoveries about the past inhabitants... Cookie cutter stuff. We've all read it before, right? I have - several times.

But... it turns out that this novel was fresh enough to keep me interested and had a wonderful pace that maintained the feelings of suspense, mystery and discovery.

Anna Romer's prose is beautifully descriptive and sets the scenes wonderfully - trees, flowers, birds, insects, sounds, sights, smells - all part of the mood. I'm a naturalist in my neck of the woods, but am not familiar with many of the Australian trees, flowers and birds mentioned and felt compelled to pause in my listening while I looked up trees, flowers and birds that I'm not familiar with. It is a credit to any book when it inspires a reader to expand their knowledge.

The narration Eloise Oxer was perfectly suited to the novel.

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Well researched, non-sensational, but a bit rough

Reviewed: 08-02-15

As long as the subtitle of this book already is, it would have been accurate to include a few more words, those being "In the colony of Maryland."

That this book was well researched and written by a historian, rather than one dabbling in history, is quite evident. It is also completely lacking in sensationalism. Nothing is stated as fact that isn't supported by primary source material and the reader/listener is always informed of the primary source of information. These aspects of the book are traits that I much appreciate in a work of non-fiction. "Just the facts, ma'am." The product of that research is well presented in a well organized flow of information.

That said, had I not been obligated to write a review, having accepted a free copy for an unbiased review, the introductory chapter may have turned me off. The introductory chapter is poorly written/poorly edited. It gave me a very poor first impression. It is definitely not to the same standard as the rest of the book. The introductory chapter seems to have been a last minute and rushed addition. I don't know who thought that introductory chapter was necessary, but I found it completely redundant. If we are going to read (listen to) the book, we don't need a detail of everything we are going to read (listen) about, cataloged chapter by chapter. The chapter was as redundant as one particularly poor sentence in that chapter that included the phrase "such as, for example." Another poor example from that chapter is "committed crimes or otherwise broke the law." My high school composition teachers would have bled red over those sentences. The inclusion of this poorly edited and unnecessary chapter detracted from the book and I would encourage editors to leave it out of future editions. I would encourage readers/listeners to either skip the chapter or grit your teeth and get through it, because what follows is worthy of your reading/listening time.

I listened to the audio edition of this book. The narration style employed by reader Sally Martin for this production is well suited to the work with clear and precise enunciation, well paced delivery and an informative and authoritative tone.

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast.

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An Audio Book Within An Audiobook!

Reviewed: 06-30-15

I listened to the audio version of this novel, narrated by Ari Fliakos, and I'm so glad I did - because, as it so happens, there is an audio book within this audio book that is a key element of the plot. There's also a book store, an RPG (role playing game, for the uninitiated), a fantasy novel - on audio, graphic & font design elements and computer/Internet geeky stuff. Whoa! So many of "my things" all in one novel. Oh, there's also a secret society and the ultra museum. Now, that might sound like it's a bit too crammed or contrived to work - but it does work. It works very well. It all comes together...

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Decent installment - but feels like a bridge

Reviewed: 06-29-15

It is often the case in a series of books that the books in the middle can't stand on their own - they feel like a bridge. That is the case with Dragons From The Sea. The character of Halfdan doesn't undergo any major further development. However, such is the case with periods in life, too. However, his story does continue to unfold and does so in a way that keeps the reader/listener engaged. I look forward to continuing along Halfdan's journey in the next two novels in this series.

Narrator Jeff Hays is consistent in his delivery, keep the the flow of the story steady. I appreciate the manner in which he gives voice to Halfdan as Halfdan tells us his story - as though Halfdan was telling his story to an intimate group. The narration is a good fit for the novel. Some female voices could be better, but they don't distract or detract from the work.

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2 people found this helpful

Out of the ashes...

Reviewed: 06-29-15

The Big Burn has been a frequent topic of conversation among my circle of late, as the current conditions in Montana, where I live, and the other Western states are frequently compared to those in 1910 - the year of the Big Burn. Then, as luck would have it, this title was among 100 titles offered in a surprise snap sale at audible.com (a sale that ends when you close your browser). So, I picked it up.

As soon as I started listening to it, I questioned the wisdom of listening to it at this particular time as I am already suffering from anxiety concerning the conditions for massive wild fires. As I began listening, that feeling deepened. You see, I learned that our current conditions are actually far WORSE than those of June 1910. That June was rainless in both years the present year and 1910 have in common. However, winter of 1909-1910, I learned, was a winter of above average snowfall. There was deep snow pack. The book describes Wallace, ID as having 10 feet of snow on the valley floor. Last winter, by contrast, the Northwest received very little snow and areas that should still be under snow pack in early June were not just devoid of snow, but also already completely dried out. Our current conditions are worse. Far worse.

And yet, our current conditions are better. In 1910, the National Forest Service was a brand new agency and conservation was a new concept, oft derided and vehemently combated by industrialists. The Forest Service had very little staff, and even less funding - so much so that Forest Service rangers bought their own gear, uniforms, boots, horses, etc. Prior to the Big Blow Up (yes, we capitalize those words in my neck of the woods), there were 2500 fires burning in the NW and, even after nabbing would-be miners off of trains, emptying the jails to put men to work on fires and deploying the Buffalo Soldiers, there was less than 1 (un-trained in fire fighting) fire fighter per fire. In that regard, current conditions are better, as there are thousands of trained fire fighters, heavy equipment, airplanes and helicopters - and roads. Yes, roads. Roads by which to access fires, build fire lines, etc.

But this book, and indeed the aftermath of the Big Burn, is not all about the many fires and the Big Blowup firestorm that consumed 3.2 million acres, though that is a dramatic tale all by itself. This book relates the history of the creation of the National Forest Service, its early years under its first chief, Gifford Pinchot, and enthusiastically supported by President Teddy Roosevelt, then its decline and near termination in any practical sense under President Taft - and then how the fire of 1910 illustrated the importance of the agency, leading to not only the growth of the agency, but also, and most importantly, to the growth of the concept of conservation in the United States. It might be said that the fires of 1910 saved the forests, kindled widespread support for the concept of conservation and, thus, preserved the character of our land. It might also be said that the subtitle of this book is a bit misleading as, while Teddy Roosevelt is one of my heroes and was surely instrumental, and had the position to affect great changes, he was surely not alone in the cause for conservation.

Most striking in the work are the nuggets of personal diaries and logs, correspondence and official dispatches as they establish the character of the men involved and the time. As those are the real gems of the book, much as I'm tempted to include a quote to illustrate, I won't - it's best that the reader or listener come upon them without them having been spoiled. Just one hint: the very untypical love affair that Gifford Pinchot carried on for much of his life would have kept the gossip columns busy were he to have been a prominent man in our time.

Most heartrending is the way in which our government failed to compensate the families of those who died in the attempt to preserve national resources as well as those who were horribly and permanently injured. I'm not talking about the lack of settlements for injuries, though that would be bad enough. Men were literally pressed into service and then didn't receive any medical treatment for their wounds because they were unable to pay for doctors and hospitals and our government refused. Forest Service staff did take up collections, but they were poorly paid and had shallow pockets. Families received no compensation - not even burial expenses - for those lost in the fire.

The name Ed Pulaski has, in the years since, become legendary. However, he never received needed eye surgery to improve the vision loss he suffered in the fire. In fact, he couldn't even take sick leave to recover from his wounds as there was no sick leave pay. He wasn't even able to pay for legal assistance to patent the tool he designed for use by fire fighters. His tool is his legacy as much as is the lives he saved, but that tool earned him no money.

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2 people found this helpful

Considered Required Reading With Good Reason

Reviewed: 06-16-15

"Some are more equal than others..."

Animal Farm has long been considered "required reading" by many. As it so happens, I was never assigned this book in school - the other American literature classes were assigned it (and my mom always assigned it to her classes), but my class was assigned much longer and, shall we say, more difficult reads. Being a book hound, I generally read what the other classes were assigned, too, but I had never got around to this one until recently. In all honesty, it was probably the length (or lack thereof) that kept me away, as I tend to prefer much longer works. But, in preparation for a recent road trip, I stocked up on on audio books and did some bargain shopping. This title was available to Kindle Unlimited members with whispersync for audio either at no additional cost or for very little cost - and it is just $3.99 on Audible now, I see.

I'm sorry I put this work off for so long. "Some are more equal than others," indeed.

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