David

Not Pirateaba's best work

Reviewed: 06-04-24

I LOVE LOVE Pirateaba's Wandering Inn stories - I'm a PreOrder and Binge, fan. But I had a lot of trouble with this book. The main character Cara is a bit too dysfunctional and weak, even at the end of the first book she barely pulls her head out to think clearly. She definitely does not go with the 'when in Rome" saying and in general is too hard to listen to. Worst of all - she sings - a lot - entire pop songs that I do not know and that turn me like Garlic does to a Vampire. I was constantly going "EEEWW" and Skipping ahead through the story over and over. I've read a lot of Piers Anthony spell-singer stories in the past but at least they spare you having to actually listen to the songs.

Andrea Parsneau does a good job narrating and rolling with this task of actually singing. The songs absolutely aren't for me and I skipped through so many of them, but I won't hold it against her performance. However, I didn't believe that I was listening to a native Irish or UK woman at all - but rather a California Native like myself. As cool as Andrea is - it probably would have been smart to get a different narrator for this particular series.

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A Captivating Novel

Reviewed: 03-26-24

To quote Roy Batty from Blade Runner "Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave"

'Annie Bot' nails that dynamic - what it is like when one person has total power and control over another. The power dynamics in the story reach out into very realistic toxic relationships of trapped people that exist around us, making it hit home all the harder.

As a reader I can't say I'm completely satisfied with the ending, but that probably has more to do with my own personality and choices I would have made as a Male. However, the writing and characters were very excellent and the Novel in its entirety is a great little hidden gem of a story with a lot going on in it. I highly recommend reading this Novel without spoiling or reading too much of the story ahead of time.

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Wrong Narrator for this project.

Reviewed: 03-04-24

This is a well written little story - but for all his acting talent they picked the wrong narrator for a rough, smart mouth Texan and a parade of back woods psychos. Tom Butler's narration - while technically well executed - sounds like a dead ringer for Ryan Reynolds with his Canadian Accent and smart mouth dialogue..

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A pretentious "trapped by monsters" story

Reviewed: 01-23-24

I thought this was going to get interesting and creative - buts soon as it starts you get served up a worn out and boring "people trapped in a building surrounded by monsters story"

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2 people found this helpful

Wonderful - until it falls apart at the end

Reviewed: 01-22-24

Ruth Ware's story is wonderfully constructed at first and held me fast with its setting and mood - but rapidly fell apart at the end. The story so neatly constructed and masterfully narrated eventually careens down a ridiculous rabbit hole of unbelievable character behavior and unrealistic coincidence, and cardboard villainy to wrap it all neatly up. If you're a fan of old timey Agatha Christie British 'who done it' novels - then you're going to absolutely Love this. If you're a hard boiled crime lover or into the supernatural stories - turn away and look elsewhere.

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My favorite Voice Actor - but not a good read

Reviewed: 11-16-23

Wil is my absolute favorite voice actor - I buy just about any work he narrates. This however, I couldn't finish this book.

Wil's difficulties just keep coming - 23 hours of listening to Wil fail and flail and suffer. What I really disliked is that it's really no fun listening to his old memoir with his new narration being overly critical of his younger self and painfully woke (yes Will you said you were not, but buddy you are) It becomes Terribly tedious to hear Wil say the wrong thing then have older Wil apologize and critique himself for being politically/socially incorrect. Then verbally beat himself and apologize again. Stop that. It would have been better if he had simply edited his earlier works to be less offensive and whiny and give himself fewer beatings. It seems like maybe Wil still has some self esteem issues with his constant berating of his younger self.

I think maybe in another 20 years if Wil goes back - maybe he'll be able to be more happy and be a little more forgiving of his younger less enlightened self. Most of us were pretty stupid when we were young. The material is difficult and heartbreaking enough to listen to without having present day Wil stop the story and kick young Wil in the teeth for being a product of his time and not using modern terminology or being a little more enlightened and worldly.

Maybe i'll go back to this -- but after 10 hours I had to put it down. This is almost 24 hrs of book - like 3 solid days of downer content. I listen for pleasure, and there just too much suffering in this book.

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1 person found this helpful

Best Werewolf Novel I've read in a long time.

Reviewed: 08-22-23

Best Werewolf Novel I've read in a long time - both Intelligent, and Primal - with a steady Unflinching examination of itself.

Glen Duncan writes a wonderfully classic Monster tale - that somehow feels 'New' by not being watered down, or homogenized into some toothless, mainstream young adult novel trash. This is not for the timid reader or horror tourist. No Twilight or Hunger Games here. If you like old Stephen King Novels and Hammer Horror films - then this is for you.

There is a lot of sophisticated character development here, couched by plenty of action and horror. Many pleasing story twists and turns to keep the story interesting and opens up a whole universe of classic hammer horror avenues the author could explore.

The protagonist is a werewolf who's lifespan of several centuries has left him numb to his monthly killings and whos only other compulsion is seeking sex with women he generally has great distain for. Much of everything is described with a dry, clinical British narration whether its recalling terrible past murders or brief, crude loveless sex. The characters behavior and the narration - made me think of Daniel Craig's portrayal of James Bond. He's a scarred and tired man who's killed so much and experienced so much cruelty, that he's just done with life. He's Sexy, cold blooded, and at a certain level, crude and a brute beneath his veneer of a sophisticated British man, The phycological injuries and horror he's chosen to keep living through heap upon him and we see how he's made choices, going from a 'man' to the amoral 'werewolf'

So now - if you can take it - go into this story head first and blind. Enjoy just jumping in and letting this unfold. It's quality stuff. The kind of good horror fans scrape and search for and paw through all the junk to find..

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The downside is it's all narrated by 'Murder-bot"

Reviewed: 06-27-23

I found this kind of hard to follow and my interest waning because this is narrated in the first person by the 'Murder-bot' character. This makes the storytelling awful at time. It just couldn't keep my interested and I listened not out of enjoyment but just wanting to finish this novel and be done with it.

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Never for the squeamish or the easily insulted.

Reviewed: 06-27-23

Maarten turns his edgy wit to his travels again.

So is Maartin bias? -- Sure! Funny? - heck yeah -- but he's also not wrong about what he's seeing either. I can see a lot of folks getting their panties in a twist if they think this is going to be some soft love letter to China - NOPE - at best this is a Loving Roast Comedy night for a retiring colleague who used to get on your nerves a lot..

The book opens with Maartin living at Sacramento CA and then onto China for his book research. Having grown up in Sacramento I can say Maartin's wit is calibrated to be brutal - but he's honest. So while I felt slightly maligned having my hometown so roughly treated my Maarten - having lived there I know he's on the level. Many Parts of Sacramento are like someone transplanted bad sections Oklahoma City to CA. His names for his Meth-head neighbor's kids is so perfect - omg. I pity him for living in a dumpy part of the city.

So I imagine Maartin's treatment of China is the same - truthful, but rough handling. And lets face it - his Wit is Funny as hell. Lots of insight - plenty of harsh humor in the face of man of life's frustrations. Maartin's books are never for the squeamish or the easily offended. It is however very worth the listen to his new material here. IF you liked his first book - then you'll know what you're getting into here.

Bon Voyage! or in Chinese - lù shang xiǎo-xīn!

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Will hook you right away, but has poor resolution

Reviewed: 06-08-23

The story has a good setup and will likely hook you from the start. The Narrators are both excellent and are perfect casting for the Novel's characters. The story gets rolling and its easy to empathize with the Husband and Wife and to accept and believe their character faults. The authors really did their research on the theater of war in Afghanistan too. This is all charming and hooks you in.

Oddly enough its the whole supernatural stuff that was weak - but it feels like it wasn't a mystery to me - perhaps just half baked. Under developed if you will. Whatever you choose to call it - it was a tad underdone and unsatisfactory. I don't like sitting through nearly 13 hours of a novel to end the way they did. Questions largely unanswered. I liked the people - but for a supernatural book - the supernatural part of the story was the weak link.

That all said - I would read another book by this duo, or either one of them working solo. I might even read a sequel to this Novel in the hopes of a more adequate resolution..

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