Dan McConkey
- 5
- reviews
- 0
- helpful votes
- 129
- ratings
-
Mainspring
- By: Jay Lake
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars 128
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 43
Mainspring is the story of a young clockmaker's apprentice, who is visited by the Archangel Gabriel. He is told that he must take the Key Perilous and rewind the Mainspring of the Earth. It is running down, and disaster to the planet will ensue if it's not rewound. From innocence and ignorance to power and self-knowledge, the young man will make the long and perilous journey to the South Polar Axis, to fulfill the commandment of his God.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Journy well started, but unfullfiled
- By Amazon Customer on 12-14-07
- Mainspring
- By: Jay Lake
- Narrated by: William Dufris
Great premise. Too preachy for my tastes
Reviewed: 01-25-12
What would have made Mainspring better?
I was very excited to start this listen. I am a huge fan of steam punk and the notion of a clockwork world made me tick.The first half proved true to my expectation, but the second half seemed to be more about the main character's steadfast adherence to god's will more than anything. It rang hollow to me. Certainly, a clockwork earth implies a designer, but I just didn't really appreciate how much He took over the story. Talk about dues ex machina.Combine that with a villain who only seems to me to appear when the author needs the plot advanced and, well, I was simply underwhelmed.
Which scene was your favorite?
The librarian
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Destiny Disrupted
- A History of the World through Islamic Eyes
- By: Tamim Ansary
- Narrated by: Tamim Ansary
- Length: 17 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,986
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,671
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,663
Until about 1800, the West and the Islamic realm were like two adjacent, parallel universes, each assuming itself to be the center of the world while ignoring the other. As Europeans colonized the globe, the two world histories intersected and the Western narrative drove the other one under. The West hardly noticed, but the Islamic world found the encounter profoundly disrupting.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A history of the world before the West mattered
- By David on 05-05-14
- Destiny Disrupted
- A History of the World through Islamic Eyes
- By: Tamim Ansary
- Narrated by: Tamim Ansary
Helpful to see the story's "other" side
Reviewed: 02-23-10
Tamim Ansary placed me well in the mind-frame of today's Muslim, looking back at nearly 1400 years of proud cultural heritage, and wondering what happened to such a promising place in global development. From the onset, this book challenged my preconceptions of a culture struggling against modernity and an ideology that western civilization is the goal toward which "developing" nations should strive. It defined for me what is Islam and what it means to have one's ancestry in this religion, ideology, and culture.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Genghis Khan
- Emperor of All Men
- By: Harold Lamb
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 369
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 164
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 165
In the early 13th century, a simple nomad chieftain managed to cobble together a powerful kingdom in the highlands of northern Asia, which was subsequently to challenge the greatest powers of the day. He was triumphant in all directions. This leader was Timujin, whose name meant "Iron Man". He became Genghis Khan, "Universal Ruler", the greatest conqueror ever known - a warrior feared from the British Isles to the tip of the Korean peninsula.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fabulous!
- By Curatina on 06-11-07
- Genghis Khan
- Emperor of All Men
- By: Harold Lamb
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
a little weighty, but still worth it
Reviewed: 05-17-08
I had trouble finishing this one, but I did. I had purchased this book with no research, so I didn't notice its age. It was only after I got into it, when I realized how weighty the text was, that I went back and researched it to discover when Harold Lamb wrote it--1927. In that perspective, the style makes sense, but anyone like me, used to modern "entertain with science" writing might find it thick.
Still, I'm glad I bought it, as I know have a much better knowledge of an exciting time.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
9 people found this helpful
-
Aristotle's Children
- How Christian, Muslims and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom
- By: Richard E. Rubenstein
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 138
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 62
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 63
Best-selling author Richard E. Rubenstein brings the past to life in this engrossing story of social, religious, and scientific revolution during one of the darkest periods in European history. When a group of Dark Ages scholars rediscovered the works of Aristotle, the great thinker's ideas ignited a firestorm of enlightened thought. This is the endlessly fascinating account of the pivotal period in history when the modern era took root.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting story of the rediscovery of Aristotle
- By John on 12-16-04
- Aristotle's Children
- How Christian, Muslims and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom
- By: Richard E. Rubenstein
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
Fascinating, but easy to put down
Reviewed: 05-17-08
I'm not a big philosophy buff, but I am interested in the subject, particularly how it impacted theology in this period. I'm also a history nerd, so this tied in well with at least two of my major interests.
That said, I found myself wanting the book to be over. I'm glad I finished it--academically--but I wasn't as entertained as I am with many audio non-fiction works.
Still, I enjoyed it. Worth a credit if your interests so lean.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Snow Crash
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 21,438
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17,019
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 17,106
Neal Stephenson is a blazing new force on the sci-fi scene. With the groundbreaking cyberpunk novel Snow Crash, he has "vaulted onto the literary stage." It weaves virtual reality, Sumerian myth, and just about everything in between with a cool, hip cybersensibility - in short, it is the gigathriller of the information age.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A solid sci-fi novel
- By Brent on 02-05-03
- Snow Crash
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
Fanastic listen
Reviewed: 05-17-08
The hook of the first chapter is one of the best ever. The rest of thte book doesn't live up to the first chapter, but only just slightly, providing a first rate adventure through a fairly typical cyberpunk universe.
Some of the history built into the premise is suspect, but this *is* fiction. If you can suspend your disbelief for a minute, it really is fun.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful