Bill
- 12
- reviews
- 16
- helpful votes
- 20
- ratings
-
Reentry
- SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets That Launched a Second Space Age
- By: Eric Berger
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 362
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 335
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 335
From launchpad explosions to a pernicious cricket infestation to the demanding management style of Musk himself, the rise of SpaceX was beset with challenges and far from inevitable. Find out how the startup beat the odds and flew high enough to outpace their rivals... and where they're going next.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Misplaced focus
- By Sam on 10-01-24
- Reentry
- SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets That Launched a Second Space Age
- By: Eric Berger
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
A real success story.
Reviewed: 05-28-25
This is an excellent and entertaining recounting of Elon Musk and SpaceX. The struggles and successes are well documented and told in an easy to listen to way. The only problem I had was in the epilogue and the author’s comments on Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. Like so many in mainstream journalism and media he thinks Twitter, X, should be for liberals use only. He liked it better when censorship and protecting the Biden administration's gospel on COVID and other policies was the norm. He doesn’t like that the mainstream media are no longer the gatekeepers of information.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Wrong Stuff
- How the Soviet Space Program Crashed and Burned
- By: John Strausbaugh
- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 106
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 96
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 96
In the wake of World War II, with America ascendant and the Soviet Union devastated by the conflict, the Space Race should have been over before it started. But the underdog Soviets scored a series of victories—starting with the 1957 launch of Sputnik and continuing in the years following--that seemed to achieve the impossible. It was proof, it seemed, that the USSR had manpower and collective will that went beyond America's material advantages. They had asserted themselves as a world power. But in The Wrong Stuff, John Strausbaugh tells a different story.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fun and insightful story
- By ryan allison on 05-15-25
- The Wrong Stuff
- How the Soviet Space Program Crashed and Burned
- By: John Strausbaugh
- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
The right book
Reviewed: 05-21-25
Excellent review of the Soviet space program. Very entertaining and well narrated. Would recommend it to anyone interested in this subject.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Seveneves
- A Novel
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal, Will Damron
- Length: 31 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 25,505
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 23,299
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 23,292
A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Odd narrator choice
- By Josh Mitchell on 05-30-15
- Seveneves
- A Novel
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal, Will Damron
Third times the charm.
Reviewed: 05-18-25
This is the third time I’ve listened to this book. First time, interesting story and concept. Second time, better understanding of what was going on, I’m slow. The third listening made me realize how dull, tedious, and boring the book is. Excruciating dialogue and attention to detail killed it book for me. Along with the huge plot holes and poor ending finally made me realize how badly I misjudged the book. Can’t really recommend it. Neal has drastically gone down hill from here with his stories, Reamde and Cryptonomicom are much better.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Doomsayer Journeys
- The Complete Adventures
- By: Steve Wetherell
- Narrated by: CC Hogan
- Length: 20 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 122
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 106
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 105
Fans of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Good Omens - your wait is over! The next ridiculous sci-fi fantasy series from a snarky British guy is here! And now you can experience the complete Doomsayer Journeys Trilogy in one volume!
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
if you like the hitchhikers guide. this is for you
- By LOKI on 09-12-22
- The Doomsayer Journeys
- The Complete Adventures
- By: Steve Wetherell
- Narrated by: CC Hogan
All right
Reviewed: 03-18-24
Tedious, too many needless chapters that seem to drag the story out longer then it needs to be. Not as clever as Hitch Hikers Guide.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Shogun
- The Epic Novel of Japan: The Asian Saga, Book 1
- By: James Clavell
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 53 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10,841
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 9,825
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9,787
After Englishman John Blackthorne is lost at sea, he awakens in a place few Europeans know of and even fewer have seen—Nippon. Thrust into the closed society that is seventeenth-century Japan, a land where the line between life and death is razor-thin, Blackthorne must negotiate not only a foreign people, with unknown customs and language, but also his own definitions of morality, truth, and freedom.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A Wonderful Story and A Wonderful Study of Bushido
- By J.B. on 03-04-15
- Shogun
- The Epic Novel of Japan: The Asian Saga, Book 1
- By: James Clavell
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
Excellent
Reviewed: 01-22-24
Read the book when it came out in the 70s. Excellent now as then. Highly recommend it for insights into Japanese culture.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Of Mutts and Men
- By: Spencer Quinn
- Narrated by: Jim Frangione
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 676
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 610
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 605
When Chet the dog, "the most lovable narrator in all of crime fiction" (Boston Globe), and his partner, PI Bernie Little of the desert-based Little Detective Agency, arrive to a meeting with hydrologist Wendell Nero, they are in for a shocking sight - Wendell has come to a violent and mysterious end. What did the hydrologist want to see them about? Is his death a random robbery, or something more? Chet and Bernie, working for nothing more than an eight-pack of Slim Jims, are on the case.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Love the Chet and Bernie Adventures
- By Michele on 07-09-20
- Of Mutts and Men
- By: Spencer Quinn
- Narrated by: Jim Frangione
Can’t wait for the next book
Reviewed: 04-15-21
You can’t go wrong with Chet and Bernie on the case, Best detectives in Arizona.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
A Hole in the Sky
- Arkship Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Peter F. Hamilton
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Klett
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 704
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 615
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 615
Sixteen-year old Hazel lives in the Daedalus, a starship that is flying in search of a new world. The ship has been traveling for 500 years, searching for a world to settle in after having to abandon its last world. Everyone on board Daedalus lives a very simple existence in farming villages. The age of machines supplying their needs was lost during a mutiny 500 years ago.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
What happened?
- By Trip Williams on 03-24-21
- A Hole in the Sky
- Arkship Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Peter F. Hamilton
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Klett
No more, please!
Reviewed: 04-15-21
Peter, may I call you Peter? After all I’ve purchased all your books on Audible, so I feel like I sorta know you. Anyway, please take your time writing the sequels to the Arkship trilogy. Matter of fact, why don’t you write another series in your usual style before continuing with this series. I’m sure my 10yr. old granddaughter would be mildly interested in Arkship, but I’m not. You went off the rails a few years back with Misspent Youth, I hope the current fair isn’t a new trend. Please stick with stories in the Commonwealth vein, or the other wonderful stories you’ve written, you’re good a that, not so much with Arkship. Well I’ve probably said more than I should have, just be sure to warn people about the Arkship series with a big YA label. Thanks for your time.
Bill
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
The Luna Missile Crisis
- By: Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,947
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,732
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,727
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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
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
You won’t be disappointed
Reviewed: 04-24-20
Excellent story, best combination of sci-fi and political intrigue I’ve heard in a long time. Voice acting was great, kept my attention through out the whole story. I highly recommend this audio book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Six Frigates
- By: Ian W. Toll
- Narrated by: Stephen Lang
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,435
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,184
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,182
Before the ink was dry on the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of a permanent military had become the most divisive issue facing the new government. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship? Would a navy protect American commerce against the Mediterranean pirates, or drain the treasury and provoke hostilities with the great powers? The founders, particularly Jefferson, Madison, and Adams, debated these questions fiercely and switched sides more than once.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
BE ADVISED THIS BOOK IS ABRIDGED
- By George Carpenter III on 09-11-08
- Six Frigates
- By: Ian W. Toll
- Narrated by: Stephen Lang
Excellent book
Reviewed: 12-06-19
An easy listen on the founding and battles of the U.S. Navy. The political infighting, weapons cost over runs of the times could be lifted from today’s news papers. Well worth your time.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Thank You for My Service
- By: Mat Best, Ross Patterson, Nils Parker
- Narrated by: Mat Best
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 14,342
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 12,939
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 12,881
Members of the military’s special operations branches share a closely guarded secret: They love their jobs. They relish the opportunity to fight. They are thankful for it, even, and hopeful that maybe they’ll get to kill a bunch of bad guys while they’re at it. You don’t necessarily need to thank them for their service - the pleasure is all theirs. In this hilarious and personal memoir, listeners ride shotgun alongside former Army Ranger and private military contractor and current social media phenomenon Mat Best, into the action and its aftermath, both abroad and at home.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
If Deadpool was a ranger...with less cancer
- By Rick Valkyrie on 08-21-19
- Thank You for My Service
- By: Mat Best, Ross Patterson, Nils Parker
- Narrated by: Mat Best
Must reading for every College snowflake.
Reviewed: 11-06-19
Excellent story of service to ones country, a journey from a teenager to manhood. Should be required reading on college campuses.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful