Michael Bryan
- 9
- reviews
- 2
- helpful votes
- 103
- ratings
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Service Model
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Humanity is a dying breed, utterly reliant on artificial labor and service. When a domesticated robot gets a nasty little idea downloaded into its core programming, they murder their owner. The robot discovers they can also do something else they never did before: They can run away. Fleeing the household they enter a wider world they never knew existed, where the age-old hierarchy of humans at the top is disintegrating into ruins and an entire robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is having to find a new purpose.
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Another banger from Tchaikovsky
- By J. C. Amos on 06-09-24
- Service Model
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Adrian Tchaikovsky
Smart, funny, intriguing
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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The City
- By: Dean Koontz
- Narrated by: Korey Jackson
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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There are millions of stories in the city - some magical, some tragic, others terror-filled or triumphant. Jonah Kirk’s story is all of those things as he draws listeners into his life in the city as a young boy, introducing his indomitable grandfather, also a "piano man"; his single mother, a struggling singer; and the heroes, villains, and everyday saints and sinners who make up the fabric of the metropolis in which they live - and who will change the course of Jonah’s life forever. Welcome to The City, a place of evergreen dreams where enchantment and malice entwine.
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How exactly a 2-star review with 4 hours???
- By justin on 07-01-14
- The City
- By: Dean Koontz
- Narrated by: Korey Jackson
Read the Kirkus review
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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The Silent Corner
- A Novel of Suspense
- By: Dean Koontz
- Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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"I very much need to be dead." These are the chilling words left behind by a man who had everything to live for - but took his own life. In the void that remains stands his widow, Jane, surrounded by questions destined to go unanswered...unless she does what all the grief, fear, confusion, and fury inside of her demand: find the truth, no matter what. There is no one else to speak for Jane's husband - or the others who have followed him into death at their own hands.
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Suspense, well-written
- By Townsend on 10-19-17
- The Silent Corner
- A Novel of Suspense
- By: Dean Koontz
- Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers
Annoying protagonist
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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Bellwether
- By: Connie Willis
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Sandra Foster studies fads and their meanings for the HiTek corporation. Bennett O'Reilly works with monkey group behavior and chaos theory for the same company. When the two are thrust together due to a misdelivered package and a run of seemingly bad luck, they find a joint project in a flock of sheep. But a series of setbacks and disappointments arise before they are able to find answers to their questions - with the unintended help of the errant, forgetful, and careless office assistant Flip.
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Pattern Recognition" Meets "Office Space
- By Pam on 07-04-12
- Bellwether
- By: Connie Willis
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
Delightfully smart and original
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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Three Parts Dead
- By: Max Gladstone
- Narrated by: Claudia Alick
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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A god has died, and it’s up to Tara, a first-year associate in the international necromantic firm of Kelethras, Albrecht, and Ao, to bring him back to life before his city falls apart. Her client is Kos, recently deceased fire god of the city of Alt Coulumb. Without him, the metropolis’ steam generators will shut down, its trains will cease running, and its four million citizens will riot. Tara’s job: resurrect Kos before chaos sets in.
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Great story, but the narrator was off
- By John on 07-27-14
- Three Parts Dead
- By: Max Gladstone
- Narrated by: Claudia Alick
Interesting genre bender
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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The Fold
- By: Peter Clines
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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The folks in Mike Erikson's small New England town would say he's just your average, everyday guy. And that's exactly how Mike likes it. Sure, the life he's chosen isn't much of a challenge to someone with his unique gifts, but he's content with his quiet and peaceful existence. That is, until an old friend presents him with an irresistible mystery, one that Mike is uniquely qualified to solve.
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Loved it until the last couple of hours.
- By shirley on 06-03-15
- The Fold
- By: Peter Clines
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
A bit formulaic, but good fun
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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The River Is Dark
- A Liam Dempsey Thriller, Book 1
- By: Joe Hart
- Narrated by: Eric G. Dove
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In a small town along the Mississippi River, separate but nearly identical attacks have left two married couples brutally murdered in their homes. A young boy—the lone survivor of the killings—now lies comatose in the hospital. And the police’s only lead is the boy’s terrified description of the assailant: a “monster."
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Save you money - and time!
- By M. Gross on 04-03-15
- The River Is Dark
- A Liam Dempsey Thriller, Book 1
- By: Joe Hart
- Narrated by: Eric G. Dove
Predictable and trite
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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Silver Screen Fiend
- Learning About Life From an Addiction to Film
- By: Patton Oswalt
- Narrated by: Patton Oswalt
- Length: 4 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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New York Times best-selling author, comedian, and actor Patton Oswalt shares his entertaining memoir about coming of age as a performer and writer in the late '90s while obsessively watching classic films at the legendary New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles. Between 1995 and 1999, Patton Oswalt lived with an unshakeable addiction. It wasn't drugs, alcohol, or sex. It was film.
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For Patton Oswalt fans and stand-up fans.
- By Brian on 02-19-15
- Silver Screen Fiend
- Learning About Life From an Addiction to Film
- By: Patton Oswalt
- Narrated by: Patton Oswalt
Funny and humane
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
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Area X
- The Southern Reach Trilogy - Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance
- By: Jeff VanderMeer
- Narrated by: Carolyn McCormick, Bronson Pinchot, Xe Sands
- Length: 26 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Dive into the mysteries of Area X, a remote and lush terrain that has inexplicably sequestered itself from civilization. Twelve expeditions have gone in, and not a single member of any of them has remained unchanged by the experience - for better or worse.
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Book 1: intriguing! Book 2: Zzzz. Book 3: WTF!
- By KR on 02-03-15
- Area X
- The Southern Reach Trilogy - Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance
- By: Jeff VanderMeer
- Narrated by: Carolyn McCormick, Bronson Pinchot, Xe Sands
Ultimately Disappointed
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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