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Michael Bryan

  • 9
  • reviews
  • 2
  • helpful votes
  • 103
  • ratings

Smart, funny, intriguing

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

Reviewed: 08-23-24

Great character-based sci-fi, a philosophical exercise, a morality tale, plus an amusing romp with a personable robot. Well-paced, with excellent narration. Made me laugh, made me think.

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Read the Kirkus review

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

Reviewed: 02-02-23

Ambitious, a little slow, some very appealing characters, with just a hint of the supernatural. I enjoyed this book, but agree with others that it is quite a departure from Koontz’s typical works. It has some flaws (well described in the Kirkus review), but worth a read if you’re in the mood for a literary novel.

I greatly appreciated the inclusion of a backstory about the forced relocation and imprisonment of AMERICAN CITIZENS of Japanese descent during WW II- too few are aware of this shameful episode in American history.

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Annoying protagonist

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-23-23

I’m a Koontz fan in general, but this book was tedious, with no wit or humor evident. The protagonist was unlikeable, and there was no resolution to the plot, despite a 14 hour runtime. I advise skipping it.

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Delightfully smart and original

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

Reviewed: 01-08-23

I almost never bother to write reviews, although I listen to 150+ books a year. But this one grabbed and delighted me in the most original way. It’s a meditation on science and serendipity, a charming, low-key romance, and a snarky sendup on pop culture and corporate speak, all in one. As a former research scientist now working for a large pharmaceutical company, I found it particularly delightful, but anyone with an interest in science would enjoy it. The narration is perfect.

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Interesting genre bender

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-24-15

I loved the world building in this story. Afresh take on the fantasy genre. I did not love the narration: found it off putting and annoying.

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A bit formulaic, but good fun

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-06-15

Story was a little predictable, but I liked the hero a lot. Sort of a missed opportunity in developing the romantic interest. The antagonist was not so much sci-fi as Lovecraftian. Pretty nakedly sets up a Men-in-Black-like series with the hero.

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Predictable and trite

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
1 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 05-19-15

I expected something more creative based on Hill's prior work. This story was rather boring and predictable. The characters were shallow and one never gets real insight into motivation other than stereo typical behavior. The antagonists did end up rather sympathetic, but were portrayed as nothing more than victims of their circumstances. Really disappointing.

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Funny and humane

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

Reviewed: 04-10-15

Loved the book, just wish it had been longer and more discursive about the movies he loves and why he loves them.

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1 person found this helpful

Ultimately Disappointed

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 03-06-15

Kept me hanging on, but ultimately let me down with an ambiguous story arc and fairly shallow or just plain inexplicable character motives.

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