lashbrooke

Let down by unique but hard to understand narrator

Reviewed: 07-07-24

Agreed with everyone complaining about the narrator. I guess I can see how his voice creates a unique atmosphere for a series like this, but it's also simply hard to understand esp if you're playing it on speaker.

I don't think it's worth sacrificing clarity for ~vibes.

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2 people found this helpful

Great performance by the narrator!

Reviewed: 06-04-24

I enjoyed this book overall. The story is ok, not super groundbreaking or anything but it is very heartfelt.

The performance is great though! The narrator puts just enough to the different characters to make them feel distinct, but doesn't overdo it with the accents or voices.

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Lives up to the hype

Reviewed: 07-23-21

Read great things about this book. Seems like in the forums I frequent, this is the go-to recommendation for a King novel and I completely understand why.

Craig Wasson really did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life. I think it adds that extra layer of immersiveness that elevates the story. When I finished this, I was very emotional. I don't know if I would have felt that way if I had just read the paperback, so big kudos to him!

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Informative and easy listen

Reviewed: 05-26-20

I like how the information is packaged in a way that is easy to follow and understand without feeling like a lecture. Definitely learned some things that I wouldn't have gone out of my way to read about.

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Overall a very good story, with a couple of issues

Reviewed: 05-23-20

I will start by saying that it's still a very enjoyable listen overall. I can see how it earns its praises.

First issue is about the switch between full cast and single narrator performance, which is what everyone has pointed out.

Second is more about the main character. I admit that I never read a sci-fi or fantasy novel before, so maybe this is a common thing.

[Minor spoilers ahead]

The issue is it felt like the main character suddenly just became a different person when he gained his powers. Maybe it's because there's a time jump, though it seemed like the change happened immediately after his father died. It just felt too sudden and jarring.

I guess I'm used to seeing that process plays out – when someone discovers a power and they go through a learning process and we get to see them slowly get more and more confident and self-assured. By contrast, his powers didn't feel as "earned", so when he acts like the Messiah that he is, I find that I'm not rooting for him as hard as I want to, which is slightly disappointing.

Another factor is I feel like once he changes, he comes across as almost disrespectful towards his mother at times? Like he sees himself as higher than her. I know that he technically is but you don't often see that in a protagonist, which again makes him a little less likeable for me personally.

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Faux spiritual story with decent cast performance

Reviewed: 05-17-20

I was expecting something more easy and calming, but this feels a bit cringe-y and faux-spiritual. It would feel very different if it had been written by an actual monk sharing their experience, because that would have given legitimacy to the story and "lessons" it preaches.

As it is, it feels like when someone is talking to themselves, making up an argument and then the perfect comeback to it. It feels very hollow in that sense. There are also parts that are straight up unrealistic, like how a character can make people see illusions or heal people like they have magical superpowers.

I appreciate that it's trying to teach the listeners life lessons, but it's neither here nor there. It's like a self-help book that is packaged in this weird, unrealistic story and it fails at both genres.

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Lovely listen

Reviewed: 05-12-20

In the first 10 mins I was worried this would feel very wooden, like they were just reading lines from the book. The first few jokes felt quite wooden, but the banter actually got very natural after that.

Not sure how much of the audiobook was exactly as written but for the most part it felt like they were really just chatting and telling stories rather than like, *reading* something, which was very lovely.

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Overall not bad, but expected more from Hawley.

Reviewed: 03-31-20

SPOILERS alert!

It is an enjoyable book but I just wished the ending is more satisfying. It finished right after the 'climax' of not only the plane crash, but also the whole Bill Cunningham thing. Speaking of which, it is kinda maddening thinking that in that world many people would still eat what Bill (and Doug) spew up and take their side even after what Scott said.

I suppose it is realistic in that sense (just look at today's media), but it's still quite enraging to me as someone who gets attached to the story. It just leaves you with a very frustrating feeling at the end. The plane crash cause is also quite unsatisfying, again I suppose it is realistic to have it be this coincidence and that it's all because of a sad manchild and not because of some organised conspiracy theory type thing, but yeah it just feels not "worth it" I guess.

I really enjoy the performance of the narrator though.

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Really cute and easy listen!

Reviewed: 03-02-20

Listened to this in one go. The cast is great and it's a very light, adorable rom-com type story. Nothing extraordinary but it's great for what it is.

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1 person found this helpful

Really enjoyable listen!

Reviewed: 03-02-20

If you're familiar with Craig's work and humour you would love this. Exactly what you would expect from him – humour, honesty, heart, sprinkled with some serious but beautiful moments that feel genuine and never phony or forced. It really makes me miss his regular presence on TV and radio!

The format is more like a short story collection rather than a traditional linear autobiography, but it doesn't bother me. He already wrote an autobiography anyway so it makes sense that he's just adding interesting stories from his life.

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