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Michael Evans-Layng

  • 34
  • reviews
  • 23
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  • 128
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Slow Start But Worth It

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-24-24

They’re clearly setting up a saga with many twists and deep characters. Eager for more! Great world building and convincing alien psychologies and philosophies.

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Many Honest Insights About Love

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-30-24

I thoroughly enjoyed this insightful, blisteringly honest reflection on life and love. I have learned similar lessons about the expansiveness of the human heart and think, as a general principle, that the love we bring into the world is our primary source of real hope.

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Thrilling and Moving Vol II

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-30-23

I liked literally everything about this book and can hardly wait to listen to volume III. I love science fiction but it doesn’t often move me to tears. This did—several times.

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What a great start to a series!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-27-23

I thoroughly enjoyed every word of this exciting, believable book and look forward eagerly to the subsequent volumes. And the author’s reading is first rate to boot!

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Great job getting into a skipper’s head

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-30-23

I have read few books that do anywhere as good a job as this one in portraying the unrelenting stresses and strains of command in general, and convoy protection duty in the North Atlantic in particular. The voice performance conveys tension in every sentence, which is entirely appropriate for the subject matter but can take an emotional toll—like much great literature.

A good companion to this book is Nicholas Monsarrat’s The Cruel Sea, which focuses more on the relationship between an executive officer and his captain. It is equally enthralling and both left me wondering how men could withstand the demands.

This, in turn, reminded me of The Caine Mutiny, and the impact that such duty was said to have had on the behavior and ultimate breakdown of Captain Queeg.

I commend them all to my fellow readers and listeners.

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Great book, just one minor complaint…

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-18-23

My only beef is with one aspect of the performance, and that is the pronunciation of Vannevar Bush’s first name. It’s VAH neh var, not vah NEE ver. Other than that teeth-grinding mistake, the reader did a great job.

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Not every joke hits, but the vast majority do!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-29-23

I can’t remember the last time I read or listened to a book where I laughed out loud or chuckled so often. Talk about blunt honesty with a hilarious—and expertly profane—edge, and this book would be a topic for sure. If you’re prudish this book is probably not for you. If you’re prudish but sick to death of the constrictions such worldviews impose, and the joy they wring out of you, and want to have your puritanical or Catholic cage rattled, this book is definitely for you.

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If you’re curious about technical espionage this is the book for you

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-24-23

A commenter in a Facebook discussion on the SR-71 mentioned this book as a great read elucidating the revolution in espionage wrought by advances in technology from the fifties through the turn of the century. Wow, was here right. Very thorough and insightful writing that delves not only into the enormous technical barriers that had to be overcome but also the bureaucratic infighting and politics that all-too-often hindered progress. Taubman also discusses the limits of technical intelligence vis-à-vis human intelligence as it pertains to more current problems of terrorism and nuclear proliferation and the immense challenges of dealing with the huge volume of visual and audio information now gathered electronically. It kept my interest throughout and I recommend it highly.

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Brilliant Stories and Brilliant Performance

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-09-23

Whoever thought of combining Stephen Fry with Doyle’s great detective had a brain wave of the first order. Besides Fry’s wonderful reading I found his affectionate and well-informed interactions enlightening and entertaining. Great combo all the way around!

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I didn’t want it to end, either

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-19-22

Not too often I weep at the end of a book just because I’ve reached the end. But Barbarian Days got to me, especially knowing the author was the one reading it. Perhaps it got to me as deeply as it did because I’m about the same age as Finnegan and his reminiscences prompted so many of my own. I didn’t find it a particularly profound book in terms of philosophy, yet it moved me to ponder my own life. I’m not yet sure if I’ve found it wanting or not, but it’s good to wrestle with the issues and Barbarian Days has certainly insisted that wrestling; perhaps just getting older has a hand in that too. Highly recommended.

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