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Matthew Swope

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Brilliant‼️

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

Reviewed: 06-26-23

Outstanding writing. Perfect, spot-on Narration. What a brilliant character study. Exquisite use of details. Simultaneously, an exploration of the emotional turmoil of divorcée, the ethics of a cutting edge researcher, the definition of humanity, and so much more.

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In brief…

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

Reviewed: 09-25-22

Narrator was satisfactory, but ideally would’ve been Japanese or at least of Japanese descent. Would’ve definitely improved the authenticity of the experience.

This story is notably different from the film, despite the advertised tie-in. The film is much better, but if you want a different take then give a listen.

I waited for a sale and I’m glad I did. This is a good story, but not worth a full-priced credit.

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Engaging story, unsatisfying ending

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

Reviewed: 05-15-20

It hooked me from the beginning. Each episode propelled me to the next to find out what happened. And the podcast “found recordings” format was the perfect device for telling the story. But...

Horror-mysteries like this build up so much tension & anticipation that they demand a big payoff at the end. And that is this story’s one glaring weakness. It just did not deliver enough of a reveal-twist to live up to everything that came before. Otherwise, it was very entertaining for all but the last few minutes.

Fans of THE BLACK TAPES podcast should feel right at home with Unheard.

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Engaging story, unsatisfying ending

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

Reviewed: 05-15-20

It hooked me from the beginning. Each episode propelled me to the next to find out what happened. And the podcast “found recordings” format was the perfect device for telling the story. But...

Horror-mysteries like this build up so much tension & anticipation that they demand a big payoff at the end. And that is this story’s one glaring weakness. It just did not deliver enough of a reveal-twist to live up to everything that came before. Otherwise, it was very entertaining for all but the last few minutes.

Fans of THE BLACK TAPES podcast should feel right at home with Unheard.

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Intriguing Premise Not Delivered On

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

Reviewed: 03-16-20

My disappointment with this book comes entirely from my expectations. The premise is so clever - a dogged detective who tries to find purpose & motivation in a society that no longer values such things. There is so much space here to explore armchair philosophy and the common man’s existential struggle surrounded by common people experiencing the same in their own way. That is not what we get. The looming cataclysm does color attitudes, but Winters does not take a deep dive.

As for mysteries, I prefer when there is a chance for readers to piece things together. Or in the very least, when the clever detective ties it all together in the end for you to say, “Oh, that’s clever. I didn’t see that, but I could have connected the dots if I paid a little closer attention.” This isn’t necessary, of course. Agatha Christie, the grand dame of murder mysteries, often pulled unknown players and unseen clues out at the very end that nobody but Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot could have seen. So, it’s only a minor ding. But Winters has the ability to do it here and chose not to.

Finally, the reader didn’t do it for me. I know, when it comes to narrators, beauty is in the ear of the beholder. But to me, I feel readers are like actors and I judge them accordingly. Did they bring the character(s) to life the way I imagine them in my mind? Did they completely inhabit the character or did they occasionally sound like they were actors playing a role (or doing a voice)? Did they draw me in and keep me? Berkrot did mostly good on most levels, but I could have liked another reader to take a run at it. His tone and inflection sometimes gave me the sense that the protagonist was self-loathing rather than just uncertain. And in a world where most of the other characters were not particularly fond of his determination, the reader could have found a way to make him more universally appealing to the readers.

I wanted to like this book more than I did because the premise set high expectations. It was a pretty good murder mystery and the approaching doom did show itself in how characters comforted themselves. I just would have liked for the existential threat and it’s consequences on individuals and society to have been pulled a little more into the foreground. I won’t be finishing the series.

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Best Dresden yet

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

Reviewed: 02-28-20

Storm Front hooked me. It was a fun, plot-driven page-turner that promised a fascinating world.
Fool Moon sorely disappointed after that initial thrill such that I honestly wondered if a different author ghost wrote parts of it. In fact, I quit the series after originally reading this paperback 15 years ago.

I’m glad I gave it another chance because Grave Peril feels like the author and the character come into their own. This book begins to seriously deliver on the hints and backstory and greater fantasy world Butcher’s been teasing.

Characterization is vastly improved such that I felt propelled more by the character of Harry Dresden and his relationships with those close to him than by the exciting plot twists.

The supporting cast gets more filled in and fleshed out here. Butcher’s female characters are still described in ways that cone off as fan service and they very often play the role of the damsel needing rescue. But many of the supporting characters now feel richer in their own right and in how they highlight new aspects of the titular narrator.

Harry’s romantic relationship w Susan, the tabloid journalist, builds toward some emotionally resonant and truly unpredictable moments.

Dresden has improved as a character.
Butcher has grown as a writer.
And, thankfully, Marsters gets better at bringing the words to life with each book. The apparent lack of a pop-screen on the microphone in the first book resulted in way, way too much mouth noise. I can say this has improved as the reader has also found an effective delivery that works well for Harry.

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A refreshing vision of life after us

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

Reviewed: 10-24-19

Maberry presents a refreshing view of human life after the fall. Through the eyes of two brothers, he shows us how humans inevitably sort themselves, no matter what the circumstances.
1) Those who believe might makes right. They may appear to do what’s right, but only ever because it benefits them. You can call them evil, if it suits you.
2) Those who will usually do what’s right if it’s easy, but won’t if it’s not. This makes up the bulk of us. They aren’t bad people, they just aren’t inherently good people.
3) And those who do what’s right simply because it’s right. Because if they don’t, nobody will. They are rare, but humanity is redeemed because they exist among us. You wouldn’t be wrong to call them heroes.

A 15yo boy thinks he knows how the world is. He quickly and repeatedly discovers how wrong he is. And, through that painful discovery, becomes a man.

I’ve read zombie stories that made me curious about what a zombie was before they turned and whether they feel & think. But I don’t think I’ve ever been led to feel compassion for them.

The plot develops along familiar lines - most of the “surprises” are foreshadowed - and it ends about as you’d predict it would, but it is no less satisfying for it. And ultimately, I shed a tear for the loss and the pain and the characters felt, even the pain that comes with doing the right thing.

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This is an epilogue, not a novel

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

Reviewed: 10-19-19

This is decent, for what it is. Plot wise, it is satisfying enough, but showcases Bourne’s best writing in the series which makes it a bit sad that he didn’t flesh this out. This feels like a kindness to series fans - to provide some resolution to the central character we’ve cone to know over three novels. I don’t know if Bourne tired of the series or just had better writing opportunities present themselves following his success with it, but this is little more than an epilogue to quell fan demand for an ending.

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1 person found this helpful