primrose

Another wonderful book by this author!

Reviewed: 07-21-24

I absolutely love this series. The world building is complex but comprehensible, the characters well drawn individuals, And the story was edge-of-my-seat compelling. There is nothing formula or everyday about this book. I was sorry to see the end because I didn't want to leave these characters behind. The narration was wonderful as well! I really felt I was hearing the characters voices. Highly recommended!

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Great narration!

Reviewed: 01-02-24

Didn’t know what this was going to be about until several chapters in, and I’m glad I stuck to it. At first I didn’t like the accent and bad grammar, but when I tried to read it and not listen, I couldn’t. Somehow the dialect needs the accent, so it’s far superior to listen to this instead of read. Can’t wait to listen to book 2!

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Very enjoyable book with a couple of issues

Reviewed: 11-15-21

I love post-apocalyptic books, and since this was one of the books Stephen King has recced, I figured it might be good, and it was. Great character development, and a description of landscapes even I can understand with my poor visualization ability. The narrator is extremely good at voices, and except for a couple of female characters (the narrator has a deep male voice), I easily recognized who each was. The story was written in 1987, so it was assumed that the Soviet Union and the US were still nuclear enemies. I was a little apprehensive about the book being dated, but except for tiny parts (reel tape in computer mainframes, names of cars that don't exist anymore), the story seemed fresh. I felt for the characters, loved and seethed and cried with them, and the ending was very satisfying. It's also a very long book, which always ups the enjoyment factor for me.

The one star I held back from my rating is because of a couple of things involving Black characters: While Black characters were not stereotyped in themselves (in fact one my favourite main characters is Black, and is written very well), they were described upon first meeting as "a Black woman with grey hair" or "a skinny Black man", while White characters were just described as "a man with a grey beard" or "A woman with red hair". In other words, as if White were the default. Also, the narrative voices of Black characters were often stereotypical, one minor character even saying "I gots ta", and "Lawd", things like that. The story is compelling enough that I didn't stop listening, but when it happened it definitely took me out of the story. For those who don't want to hear this kind of narrative, I recommend reading the hard copy, although I'm not sure if the issue lies only with the narration or if some of it is written into the story, as I don't have a hard copy of the book.

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2 people found this helpful

Couldn't finish, will try the hard copy

Reviewed: 07-22-21

The premise of this book is interesting, but the narration (by the author) is in my opinion almost unlistenable. I have no doubt that this is a great book about communication between trees and how fungi play a role in this, and the science behind it. However, I couldn't keep listening because the author has no voice for narration, stumbles over and mispronounces words. I would like to find an audio copy done by a professional reader.

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50 people found this helpful

Compelling with minor flaws

Reviewed: 07-19-21

I found this book difficult to put down, for its compelling story and creepy setting. There were a few minor flaws, the worst for me being that this is a book written in the first person and narrated by an American character, and yet British terms were sometimes used, such as jumper instead of sweater. I also found it inaccuracy in the scene about administering narcan to one of the characters. The standard syringe with narcan and it is intramuscular, not intravenous. I found the narration listenable, although the author needs to work on his pronunciation of some words, such as Samoyed. Would I recommend this book? Yes, to people who like a fast-moving story and it's a general fan of apocalyptic novels. The minor flaws in it are a little annoying, but definitely the story is worth it. I hope you have

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Steampunk meets zombies in the Pacific Northwest

Reviewed: 06-21-21

I thought I read a hard copy of this book years ago, but apparently I didn't finish it because halfway through the book everything was new. I really enjoyed it, I thought the narrators were great, and the story had me sitting in my car after work waiting for the end of a chapter. The story has a lot of the elements I love all in one piece: Steampunk, alternate history and zombies. I plan on listening to the next installment in the series.

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Great story, great author, wonderful narration!

Reviewed: 05-10-20

I read the story in book form a few years ago and loved it and wanted to experience it in a different way. Robin Miles is an expressive narrator, and her voices are true to the characters.

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Excellent story, wonderful narration!

Reviewed: 02-15-19

I bought a hard copy of this book to read years ago but had some difficulty getting into it. As an audiobook, however, I could hardly stop listening to it. The narration is excellent, the story is wonderful and rich with lovely pros and strong, fleshed-out characters that I really cared about. I highly recommend this book to anybody who wants a great audiobook that will keep them riveted until the end.

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Loved it!

Reviewed: 07-28-17

I've read this story many times in book form. Listening to my favorite book in my favorite story being told to me by such a talented narrator makes it even better. it's like I'm hearing it again for the first time, if that makes any sense. I'm learning new plat points and nuances that I missed in my many reads. I highly recommend this method of hearing to anyone who already loves the story as well as those who wish to experience it for the first time.

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Excellent performance of an amazing story

Reviewed: 04-24-17

I read (and loved)this book as part of the His Dark Materials series about 10 years ago. I wanted to reread in anticipation of the upcoming companion book, and thought I would listen to the story this time. I was not disappointed. The narration by the author was lovely, lyrical, and expressive, which is not always the case with author-read audiobooks. The cast reading the parts individually made the story all the more enjoyable; I felt as if I were hearing an exciting radio play. I highly recommend this performance, especially if this is your first experience with audiobooks. It's also a story that will probably never completely leave you, and that is a very good thing.

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