Anonymous

A well crafted read, well worth your time.

Reviewed: 07-28-24

Kevin Hearne sisnangreat time crafting the characters, standing a few tropes on their heads both for the human and non-human characters. I could foresee multiple potential resolutions up to the very end, and I appreciated the direction and note the story ends on.

Smart characters wresting with real world hurt and real world neighbors while dealing with a very bizarre scenario. Highly recommended.

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A very fun take on a superhero story

Reviewed: 06-20-20

I took a gamble on this one, and I’m very glad I did. Interesting characters, fun perspective on the superhero business. I’m glad to see there are more in the series. On to book 2...

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1 person found this helpful

A good dealOf interesting context and backstory, but the performance leaves a lot to be desired.

Reviewed: 01-24-20

I appreciated the research that went into writing this book. The author breaks the fourth wall a bit more than worked well for me; I’d prefer to keep the opinions more in Web blogs and less in a book I’m looking to for context and Easter Eggs I’ve missed. That said, there was a good deal of interesting content I hadn’t encountered in other books covering Stranger Things.

Patrick Miller’s performance is simply bad. He mispronounces words and well-known names. He takes odd breaks at what I have to assume are line breaks. It’s extremely distracting throughout the performance.

Summary: if you love Stranger Things, I recommend the book for backstory and context. Go into it expecting a jarring reader, and hopefully you’ll be able to focus on the information and not be too distracted by the uneven delivery.

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1 person found this helpful

Great story, good narrator, but learn to pronounce the names!

Reviewed: 01-06-19

Overall I really enjoy this series. The narrator is generally solid in characterization, which makes it maddening when he repeatedly mispronounces Aristotle in the first book, and Epsilon Eridani in this book. And the Audible rep who introduces and closes the audio refers to the “Bobby-verse” (a poor rendition of Bobiverse...
seriously, it’s a minor but regular irritant throughout the presentation.

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Looking forward to following this series. A great start.

Reviewed: 07-17-17

Glynn Stewart has created an interesting and entertaining mash-up of magic and high- technology in a starfaring civilization. My one minor grumble is that this appears to be a compilation of short stories; a bit of additional streamlining to reduce ee- introducing characters and core story elements would have smoothed the story flow a bit.

I recommend this one. I've picked up the next two in the series.

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Inventive and an all-around fun and engaging read

Reviewed: 04-15-17

What can I say, so very many cultural references from the 70s, 80s, and 90s are interwoven into this future tale of pseudo-dystopia. It left me wanting to return to the world Cline has created to see what the protagonists will do next. And yet the story felt complete, rather than the all-too-common, "stay tuned for our next 15 sequels."

I highly recommend this story. Will Wheaton dies an excellent job with the narration, and in particular an ironic twist 2/3 through the story. A very adroit touch.

I'm looking forward to exploring Cline's book, Armada, next.

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Classic YA Science Fiction that still resonates

Reviewed: 08-02-16

This story stuck with me from my first read 35 years ago. it was fun to listen to again from a much different perspective.

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first science fiction novel I read 40 years ago

Reviewed: 06-11-16

I first read Space Cadet in second grade. Heinlein's YA SF books are a great introduction to adventure and dreaming about the future. it gets a bit didactic at points, and our understanding of the solar system has changed a lot over the years since this book was written, but it still captures a sense of the possibilities waiting for us if we ever really choose to head out into space. A fun look back at how we used to dream the future would be.

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Interesting concept - variable execution

Reviewed: 12-27-15

In many ways, this is more a libertarian wish-fulfillment yarn than science fiction. The characterization is inconsistent, the story requires acceptance that everyone in a position of authority is corrupt and varying degrees of highly incompetent, and that only the antihero protagonist is capable of long-term strategic planning. There are times when the protagonist is sympathetic, and others where he is sadistic and sociopathic. Not a bad read if you can handle the inconsistencies.

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A well-written historical fantasy/science fiction

Reviewed: 05-03-13

Would you listen to The Map of Time again? Why?

Yes, the first time through, you likely won't catch all of the author's clues as to what is truly fantastic and what is misdirection within the world of the narrative. I plan to go back and listen through from the start of this book again after I complete the sequel, the Map of the Sky.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Herbert George Wells is my favorite. His life weaves through the plot lines of the other characters, and he is engaging and well developed.

Have you listened to any of James Langton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first book with James Langton as narrator. I thought he did an outstanding job of capturing the Victorian Era feel of the writing.

Any additional comments?

It took me a bit to really catch the rhythm of this book. For the first 30 minutes, it seemed a bit too cute in tone, but I'd encourage you to give it a chance. It's well worth the time, and highly enjoyable.

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