Liam T Bear

Comparisons to World War Z are truly earned -- this is the modern-day dragon story we've waited for!

Reviewed: 05-31-25

There are spoilers in this review because I love the characters too much to not include details. However, I've done my best not to spoil the major points of plot nor the ending.

This is a FANTASTIC audio performance with a huge cast of memorable characters thanks to the talent behind them, as well as the overall writing. I loved World War Z (the book, although the movie has things going for it too) and I love stories that are narratives from many sides.

Of course I was just like characters in this book -- I've been a fan of dragons, of books and toys and movies, ever since I was a little kid. I got SO many thrills from the nods to fantasy dragons in the past (from Pern to How to Train Your Dragon to Wings of Fire!), right down to the D&D inference that dragons are colour-coded for our convenience.

If I was asked to pick a favourite recurring character, I'd be hard-pressed between our hilarious ornithologist and the take-no-crap large animal veterinarian from the San Diego zoo (who gets pressed into acting medic, because "mammals are mammals, and if they don't like getting treated by a trans woman with pink hair and 3 months of black roots -- ohhh, sorry, I'm the only one with Dr before my name!").

Every voice has their own vocal performer, and unlike some audiobooks I've found (Graphic Audio, I'm looking at you) the sounds and background are both soft enough but also place-setting enough to truly heighten this to a fantastic listen.

The absolute breadth and depth of characters and settings is both up-to-date and very representative. There's no fuss over gay, bi, lesbian or trans characters, nor fuss over race or class or country. There's the kindness you see after disasters, that Mister Rogers told us to look for -- the helpers, because they are always there. Sharing food, building refugee camps, heroes in unlikely places and no single-note villains, children and grandparents. It's as complex as humanity is, and that's no easy thing to write.

I honestly cannot recommend this highly enough. It's an absolute treat that had me up way too late listening, and finishing by the second day because I needed to know what would happen next. If you've wanted something like World War Z in your life again, or were kind of saddened by Breath of Fire or whatever that live-action dragon movie was, or just want something set today or next year or five years from now... this is absolutely worth your time.

Your time is valuable, and I try not to waste it despite long reviews. I hope this helps if you're unsure, and that you enjoy these intertwined stories just as much as I did.

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Good story, better performance, but has some audio issues.

Reviewed: 05-31-25

First, I loved the scene and setting. I want more stories like this to exist on audible, period. I just finished "Nearly All The Men in Lagos are Mad" (very good, sequel "Only Big BumBum Matters Tomorrow" incredible!) so it was nice to head to an entirely different part of such an incredibly rich and varied continent. I really liked the two siblings, both as characters and in terms of realism -- I cracked up at the all-too-aware "I won't even use the hard R!".

***
Please note that there are spoilers in my review, although I do my best to not spoil the ending.
***

Sadly, where this started to fall down for me was as a purely audio experience. I've listened to plenty of Audible originals that rely extensively on sound effects to get parts of the story across with success... but this is not one of them.

First, the audio fades in and out frequently, and there doesn't seem to be a solution for that. Even if the volume remains unchanged, a conversation can fade down to barely audible, then slowly work its way up to way too loud. While I adore audible presentations that use volume to help indicate how close someone is, this just doesn't seem intentional.

Second, the reliance on crashes and bangs and animal-like screeches does not actually help further the story OR paint a picture in my mind of what is going on. In every full-cast full-performance presentation I have enjoyed, the key has been continual narration -- either in someone's head or, much more neatly, as people separated and explaining their actions to each other. There are walkie-talkies in the first 5min of the performance -- they could very easily have become something of greater significance while still keeping tension high. Chekhov's Walkie-Talkies even.

The sound of crashing and loud Alien-like screams and Predator growls just makes me think of those movies, especially when there's no description or even quick take on something. When audio is all you have, it has to shine.

I think this would do great as a full audiovisual limited series on a streaming platform, like Amazon Prime (conveniently enough). There would be a chance to flesh the characters out a little more, lean even harder into the hypocrisy of colonial Black people visiting colonized parts of Africa to "find themselves " or "get back to their roots" and treating peoples' lives as tourist attractions. There would also be opportunity for subtitles, as there are long swaths of audio that are not in English. While the performance gets the mood across, kind of, it really would be more effective to be able to understand the entire story. I love hearing stories told in their traditional or period-appropriate language, I just... need subtitles, as I don't speak nearly enough languages.

I mean, that's another issue with audio-only performances; the audience has to be able to understand what's going on.

I do recommend this as a listen, but there are some phenomenal Audible Original performances like the Aliens series ones I recommend even more highly as 5-star listens, and quite a few more that are memorable but I forget the titles. I left reviews for them, so there's that!

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Heartbreakingly beautiful, and so very familiar

Reviewed: 05-28-25

This was my first novel by Damilare Kuku, but it definitely won't be my last.

I'm an Anglo-Franc Canadian, but I live in a city where over 130 languages are spoken, so accents from around the world don't stop me -- they just can take a little bit of listening to get used to. I listened at 90% speed, which was perfect for me, about the same speed I listen to French books.

I'm going to mangle names, unfortunately, and I apologize in advance. The wonderful thing is that the chapters and partitions not only say whose perspective it is from, but the vocal performance is STELLAR. Even to my unfamiliar ear regional accents between the hometown this is placed in, Lagos, the UK and American influences to Nigerian can be sometimes subtly but very clearly between characters, making them very easy to differentiate between.

This is helped, of course, by the individual voices the author gives each character.

The setting is a new one for me, but one I was glad to be centered in the whirlwind of life of a University town, with a big scary city not too far off. It's such a beautifully told story, in parts and in distinct periods of time that talks about issues that were prominent when I was a kid 30 years ago, and are even more so today. Body image, bullying, sexual harassment and assault, catcalling 14-year-olds -- all this before hitting university. All of this swallowed by young women because they think it's somehow their fault (yes, teens are vehicles solely made up of Id, but still) because their body is wrong, or they're too ____ (loud, funny, smart, etc -- things they're told a man wouldn't want in a wife).

It talks about the pain, confusion, betrayal of children by adults who prey on them. It speaks of the rage and feeling of utter helplessness by parents or guardians when it's discovered, because our one job is to shield the vulnerable from monsters who get a slap on the wrist and head off to the next school to begin the cycle of abuse again.

But this book also talks about the bonds of friends and family, sometimes that stretch to breaking, and sometimes where wounds can be mended. At the very heart of the book are the Professor and his daughters, so very different yet both utterly fierce and resilient enough to weather a lot of life's early hurts. The Professor's sweet humour, utter kindness, and overwhelming love is what binds everyone together.

That, and food. So many wonderful descriptions of food. Recipes and restaurants to try!

Books that remind me that, at the heart of all things, we are human -- fragile and failing at times, but we love our children, we dance when we're happy, and even when we've managed to screw something up royally we have the grace to forgive. It doesn't matter where, what language we speak, what visible and cultural and historical differences we have.

Getting to experience all of this was an absolute joy overall. I bought it for the BumBum. It's worth a credit, no question. If you struggle with non-North-American accents, I recommend listening to the sample and fiddling with the speed, as something should click. It doesn't honestly slow the book down at all, unless you're used to listening at 150% or above.

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HUGE Cliffhanger. Deeply upset as the book just ends halfway through, so you are expected to pay twice for one complete book.

Reviewed: 04-16-25

Spoilers, although I am not going to spoil plot details.

Content Warnings: Mentions and threats of sexual assault, torture and rape, past and current, including of minors (teens). On-page killing and disfigurement, including of minors. Off-page infanticide. Genocide, past and current. Animal harm and death, including sentient animals. Mostly off-page mental, physical and emotional abuse of children. An allusion to self-harm/suicidal ideation.

(Written out like that it sounds like the book is a LOT heavier than it is. It isn't fluffy, but it's not Joe Abercrombie/GoT levels of grimdark either. Much more like Rhys Ford's Kai Gracen series or Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels books, and as those are some of my favourite books in the last 15 years, I want to say this shares that potential).

First off, I really enjoy Kai Butler's books. I expected this to be part of an ongoing story, but I also trust authors. AND publishers, as this may have been a publishing decision -- if it is, it is a very poor one. While authors often have very little control over some things in publishing like cover art, or who the voice talent will be for an audiobook, but this would be the first time I saw a book cut in half solely at a publisher's discretion. Everyone involved usually loves books and in telling a good story.

This is why my review is so bad. I'm happy to pay full price of any of Kai's books -- but they have always been full books. This book ends without anything that would make this a full book, even within a series.

Zero plot resolutions.

Zero 'relationship' resolutions (definitely not even close to any kind of Happily For Now, as NO ONE is happy!).

It ends in the right place to end a chapter, but then that's it.

I don't write full on bomb reviews unless I'm upset, and I don't get upset about things I don't care about. Make no mistake, I was LOVING this book! The writing is solid, the voice talent is good (I was hoping for Greg Boudreaux as I love him paired with this author, and he would elevate it to a 7-star story no question), so I was completely shocked when I was listening and the book just... ended. I even checked several times to make sure I didn't miss something, or that my app hadn't bugged out.

No. The book is just split in half, with the second half not yet released. Even if it was, honestly, I would not have run to buy it even though -- well, cliffhanger, left VERY MUCH hanging!

Instead I feel very much betrayed, and also deeply disrespected. Whether it was a terrible way to try to build hype, or an attempt at seeing if people will indeed pay full price twice just to get one complete book, the entire thing has left a tremendously bad taste in my mouth.

I will be getting a refund for this. I'll also be contacting the publisher with why I have such a problem with this. Reviews are for other readers and listeners, however, so this is for you and hopefully will give you some information to let you make fully aware decisions with. I'm good if you agree or disagree! I just want us all to he able to spend our credits (or worse, be unable to be eligible for a refund!) with full peace of mind.

Quite frankly, for LGBTQ2IA listeners and readers, I think we deserve these Happily-Ever-Afters (or even Happily-For-Nows) even more fiercely, because we were denied them for ourselves, and 'professionally' published and platformed stories about them, for so very long. That might be the deepest cut of all.

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How can adventure, magic and new worlds still be an instant comfort read? This pair.

Reviewed: 02-23-25

Sam Burns and Greg Boudreaux, that is! Having fallen absolutely in love with Burns' writing in the Sleeping Foxes series, seeing another of their books again paired with my hands down favourite performer ever meant it was an auto-buy.

There's great worldbuilding, really cool magic systems, all kinds of great characters, wonderfully written and brilliantly brought to life. It's funny, it's sexy and spicy, it's full of caregiving and intrigue without Big Misunderstandings or anything honestly requiring a content warning from me that is outside of the book's description.

While this book came to a satisfying end, I had already bought the sequel by the time the epilogue rolled through. Technology is grand -- I get to start listening to the next as soon as I post this review!

I'd absolutely recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed Rhys Ford, Alice Winters, and honestly... I tend to buy books for Boudreaux (or as Greg Tremblay) first, and I have yet to be disappointed. He could probably read me a menu and make it riveting, he just has SUCH a great range, variety of voices and personalities inside of him -- along with authentic accents from a dozen or more cultures to really bring worlds to life.

I will buy this pair together every day of the week for a full credit and be sure it is worth it every single time.

I forget who wrote "Happy Ending", but just the preview from that book shows off a ton of Greg's talent (and it's a great book besides, totally recommended for people who enjoy this!). If you like Rhys Ford's Kai Gracen series (and do I ever -- yes there are things in the first book that at first blush might look problematic and sexist, but you can trust Ford as well because it makes 100% sense as the series progresses and Kai's background is brought to light), if you like awesome LGBTQ2IA+ chatacters getting happy endings because we all deserve happy endings, if you like Urban Fantasy and High Fantasy and new magic systems, you're going to have a very good time.

I'm diving back in and hope you will too!

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Great story truly spoiled by subpar performance

Reviewed: 02-19-25

I'm keeping this review as spoiler-free as possible, but there may be some!

I'm honestly disappointed that a story that is totally my jam was so badly spoiled by the performance that I stopped listening during the non-PG scene (I figure this is not exactly a spoiler) and just wasn't interested enough to continue through the end. Maybe I can finish with the ebook, but then, I'd likely want to re-read the entire thing to see what I wound up tuning out thanks to the performance being so incredibly awkward.

Sometimes it's hard to know if errors are in the text and are just faithfully reproduced by the performer, but in this case I think it definitely boils down to lack of experience, preparation, and doing re-takes of chuffed lines. Instead, there are common words mispronounced, lines (including internal monologue of characters) said in another character's voice entirely, and maybe most awkward of all, the performer uses "she" pronouns several times instead of "he" during the very-much-identifying-as-dudes non-PG scene.

I love Romance of many, many different stripes, but the ones that I get to see myself reflected in are still pretty thin on the ground. At least with this level of worldbuilding.

This book 100% should have been my jam -- magic, spy/thiefy stuff, and people with magic hiding it in plain sight. Instead, a cast that should have been wonderfully diverse are plodded through with the same bored "Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?" monotone with token efforts at white accents attempted if you can consider their "Russian" accent as sweeping as a Texas drawl would be considered "American". In fact, that's the only way to differentiate most of the characters, bland accents on equally bland conversations, grocery shopping regarded with the same disinterest as "I just want you so badly".

I'm genuinely upset on behalf of the author, as this diverse cast of characters in such an iconic and interesting place as Manhattan in the 1920s are just whitewashed into something that is as dry and tasteless as plain soda crackers.

Is the book worth reading? I'd go with a very much yes. I'm sure there are still some anachronisms and possibly an error or two, but those wouldn't really bother me much on their own. Sadly, I'd classify the audio version as eminently skippable -- even more so if it's no longer being offered for free.

I think of what could have been done with a performer like Greg Boudreaux/Tremblay, who can make a menu sound like the most interesting thing you've ever heard, or Justine Eyre who can keep a cast of a hundred characters from around the world perfectly memorable and extremely region-accurate even over the course a 15+ years and counting series of audiobooks (her m/m stuff is great, too).

I try not to pan performers too hard as I know it is a difficult job that requires three times as many hours as are actually recorded... but enjoying so many fantastic audio performers has been a big part of what I love about Audible. Even Chuck Tingle's voice performer is, in his own words, "A straight guy with a sexy voice", but he doesn't hesitate with the off-the-wall ideas like "My Pumpkin Spice Latte is a Lesbian and also my Lawyer's Lover and It Is Okay Because People Are Allowed To Enjoy Things That Other People Enjoy Too So Let People Enjoy Avocado Toast". This? This terribly sweet-not-heat book is performed by what is made to sound like a straight person going "Ewwwwww" when two boys kiss on TV.

Bleh.

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Great performance, and an answer to WTF happened.

Reviewed: 02-14-25

I tried writing a spoiler-free review, but it wound up being super long just to say "The performance and quality of cast were fab, the story needed even 5 more minutes to finish satisfyingly, and the added production like sound effects etc distracted from the final story".

More importantly, having the story left with all the threads left dangling was totally unnecessary, as most reviews seem to shrug it off as existential or "Oxygen deprivation, bad stuff happens." Which is rough because all of this was in fact set up before the climb.

So, a total spoiler timeline and answer of wtf happened:

- Denali is not a technically challenging climb, as it can be done with just boots and crampons (the bladed boot-bottoms climbers use for ice and snow). That doesn't make it EASY. It is still a deadly mountain, as all of the over-10,000ft climbs are -- that high, climbers cannot get enough oxygen just from breathing the air. My biggest question was "Why did they not have bottled oxygen, even as an emergency, as it's not considered optional by 99% of climbers?", because it doesn't matter how physically fit you are.

- Bottled 02 is added weight and cost, but it is considered necessary by all but the most foolhardy (or arrogant, or self-absorbed, pick a word) climbers. Doubly so when ithers are roped in with you.

- Josh wanted to climb Denali and Finn was on-board as they were best friends. Climbing any mountain requires gear, experience, money, and bodies. Josh and Finn asked everyone else they could to climb with them and were turned down until they almost jokingly asked Doug.

- Finn was going for himself and Josh originally, but during the climb, it was because he had been offered a (potential) book deal by the author at the New Yorker (that he eventually gets).

- This book deal is why they climbed into a storm; Finn had the satellite phone for the weather reports, and despite knowing a storm was closing in, told them the weather was fine. In truth, the sat phone for days had been telling people to descend off the mountain. If Finn didn't climb, however, the book deal was off. Once you descend, you can't just start back up again. Most mountains only have a small window (in weeks, perhaps a few months) of a climbable season per year.

- Finn was suffering from serious altitude sickness by the summit day: his lungs were filling up with fluid, and his brain at one point was bleeding.

- Doug took Finn's meds in retaliation for his cheating with Abby, to try to make Finn feel some of the same pain he was feeling. Doug did not understand what they were or just how serious Finn's condition was. Josh had his eyes only on the summit, so also did not do anything about it.

- Doug confronted Josh in the cave over Finn's worsening condition (he was dying) and the storm that they were now climbing in. Josh said he would get help -- AFTER he climbed to the summit. A scuffle ensues, and Doug blames himself for Josh's death. In truth, Josh made it to the summit, but died there in a crevasse hidden by the storm. If he had descended, Josh would likely have survived and saved his friends from further harm.

- Doug, unlike Josh, climbs to get help during the storm in the cache of emergency supplies below them, then climbs back up to Finn in the cave. The bottled oxygen and the medication were all that kept Finn alive. Despite this, the damage was done -- Finn has asthma and has lost feeling in one hand from frostbite/exposure, ostensibly from pulling out his recorder and taking off his glove while climbing.

- Doug crashes Finn's big book tour finale in New York with the final damning piece of evidence that Finn's premeditated actions caused the disaster: He knew about the incoming storm and the alert messages for days prior. Instead of telling his friends, he lied. He also lied about his health.

- When three people are roped in together, it means two people are there to hold firm if a third falls. Ultimately, all three friends failed at this duty, putting selfishness ahead of the lives of their friends. Only Doug redeemed himself: he saved Finn.

- At the very end: Abby cashed Finn's check, that had been included in the ARC (advanced review copy) of the book he sent to Doug. She used the money to finance, in part, her solo climb of Denali at the end; that's what all the talk of permits is.

So there's the story threads, set out a little more clearly, I hope.

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Full of gambling ads at full volume mid-sentence. That's not a podcast or a book.

Reviewed: 01-09-25

Not just ads mid-sentence, which I've bever experienced in an audible podcast before, but maximum volume gambling ads compared to the very quiet narration.

Considering that a look at other podcasts by this author have ads inatead of a book cover saying they have moved to a different paid platform (but still leaving just the covers up as advertising against Audible's TOS), I suppose I'm glad I found out very shortly in that the entire behaviour is scummy when there are plenty of other things I listen to.

And not for free. Podcasts are paid out of audible membership fees and earn more through more engagement -- these are here just to scam money from Audible as well as try to shill very shady betting sites and apps for another few pennies.

Gross.

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A Gripping Mystery from the Deep.

Reviewed: 11-11-24

CN: This series contains violence against children, and very much needs that warning. It also contains warnings for body horror, emetophobia (vomiting sounds and sfx), harm to and the explicit description of a necropsy of an animal. Strong language is used, because a lot of people will outright one-star a book for it, so you have been warned.

Humans have evolved to be afraid of the dark. It's what has kept us alive -- not venturing out when the most dangerous predators hunt with far superior senses. Not sticking our hands into unknown holes. Not venturing into the deep water, where the bottom lies too far beneath to help you.

This thriller was a lot of fun, the sound effects and absolutely spectacular performances by the cast (especially Tom and Ida) making this what a regular audiobook could not. (I love regular audiobooks as well, but go into these expecting something quite different; my first was one of the Audible Original Alien franchise, and it was a spectacular way to learn a whole new genre!)

A note about the sound effects. Post effects are added as part of the bumpers for the start and end of each episode. Someone made the disastrous decision to include the movie-shorthand-for-creepy high-pitched long tone that absolutely destroys people with tinnitus. We hear that all the time already, thanks -- blasting it over speakers or directly into your ear, repeatedly, has people cringing and scrambling to change volume. It's brought up to painful levels over the other bumper effects, and is honestly what stays with me the most as a negative. It's a small thing but it absolutely took away from my experience. Since reviews are for listeners, not creators, I've also written to the team about it.

The atmosphere for this book is phenomenal. I spent the time imagining rocky outcroppings and beaches shrouded in mist, very much like Fallout's Far Harbour atmosphere. Well-loved but hard-used boats and harder-used people as the sea scours everything within its reach, not distinguishing between creature and cove.

And out there, in the deeper waters, where light does not touch the bottom, is something else that is just as harsh and uncaring. Something on a collision course with this tiny town that will change absolutely everything.

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Unlikable characters, or antisocial perspective?

Reviewed: 11-08-24

CW: This book contains depictions or mentions of murder, rape, sexual assault, and suicide. It also has depictions of consenting sex. There are swears, because that matters to some folks.

**SPOILER TERRITORY**

Other reviews do an excellent job talking about the plot, the twists and the turns. In theory, I liked the story until about 3/4 of the way through but was willing to finish as stuff went further off the rails. Some of the conclusions reached by Lily and Harry (mostly Lily, Harry exists to open a couple of doors) are not just out of left field, they're past the fence, over the road, and out of the river behind left field.

A lot of the book worked for me, especially some uncomfortable things like people just getting married because the other person asked and it's expected. About giving over agency of yourself and your future to someone else because it's easy and makes you no longer responsible for anything that happens. Of how self-proclaimed pick-up artists target women lacking confidence and burrow through their shields, isolating them and following the signs of an abusive relationship as if it is a map.

Of how growing up in a home that does not teach nor practice love, empathy or fairness can mean children growing to adults without these can severely hinder them, especially regarding other human beings.

These things I liked, although I'm not sure how much the author did intentionally.

What I did not like came more from how characters were written, and the overall perspective of the book. It all occurs from such an antisocial slant, this affects all of the characters in the book and the decisions they make. There is no concept of love, of empathy, of caring about other people whatsoever.

Martha has no friends. Lily has no friends, and despite being surrounded by family, each person living in the house is totally isolated, just three islands near one another. Lily has no job and does nothing -- and while we get a lot of hints that there is a previous book with Lily and Harry and enough of a relationship that he's being called her boyfriend, she only talks to him when she needs something from him. Lily's father, despite having a daughter who has put her life on hold because her parents can't separate for some reason despite hating each other, refuses to acknowledge anything she does for him as more than simply his due. His highest compliment is "You kept my attention". They aren

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