Aaron

Fails so hard it wins

Reviewed: 06-04-17

I love this whole series. This book in particular was awesome. Bevan does such a good job with combining the serious fantasy elements with the mundane real world. He is also great at character development and keeping those characters true to their nature regardless of consequence. "God damn it, Cooper" has become the refrain of the series when something really messed up is going to happen. Although, after this story, Cooper may have lost his world champion "I am the dumbest" belt to an unlikely contender with a come from behind victory.

Also, yet another great performance from Jonathan Sleep. He is the perfect match of character voices and a tone otherwise of general boredom (I promise I mean this as a compliment) to drive the theme home.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Hank is once again, delightfully dumb

Reviewed: 06-04-17

Not sure where to start here. Chances are if you are listening to this audiobook, you have been following the series. For people just getting started there are probably a few points which are a little confusing or odd. For people following from the beginning it is another great installment of Hank's ridiculous antics.

My favorite part of the entire series is the interactions between Delovo and Hank. Those interactions are so well crafted and hilarious.

Each story adds to an overarching theme. No idea what that theme is and I kind of like not knowing. I am looking forward to the next book.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Decent story, Exposition heavy

Reviewed: 06-04-17

The overall story was a pretty good stab at a space opera with humans in a non-traditional role. It was so good that I thought I could ignore the common problem with stories like this, which is the danger of excessive exposition. I made it about 5 hours in. Not bad if you know that I absolutely hate being told how to interpret every part of a story. It's a pet peeve of mine. So other people will, very rationally, think this is a great story. And I wish them the best. This story needed a bit more in the way of editing, a little more show, and a little less tell for my tastes.

Also, I am starting to think that R.C. Bray really likes stories that allow him to say the word potato. It's nowhere near as frequent as The Martian, but enough times in the beginning to be noticeable.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A very pleasant surprise

Reviewed: 10-24-16

I am always weary of universal glowing reviews, but I have to say they are right on in this case. A fun story from start to finish with a good mixture of humor and science without being a dense could of exposition. I can't wait for the rest of the series.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

I hope you like exposition

Reviewed: 01-19-16

I can only describe my experience with this book as baffling. The story idea was somewhat interesting. The way it is told, not so much. The key word here "told." All stories balance between showing and telling, but not this one. Between the run-on sentences, strange perspective shifting, and lack of any faith in the reader to remember details or any draw conclusions, this story is basically +20 hours of exposition.

The story arc made very little sense. The characters were not believable or sympathetic and usually one dimensional. The tone was all over the map. Descriptions were needlessly long and sometimes just bizarre.

This felt more like a rough draft than a polished story.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

36 people found this helpful

Brilliant writing technique and hilarious story

Reviewed: 12-15-15

This story uses one of the most interesting techniques to tell a story I have heard in a long time. I have read or heard stories that break the fourth wall, but never as successfully as this one. The interaction between Gary, the cloak, and the listener is amazing and hilarious. Gary is also one of the few characters as a supervillain that is likable and believable. Superhero plots often fall into the trap of making a character too bland or predictable. The character of Gary was anything but bland or predictable. I was reminded at several points of the show South Park where a giant overarching narrative or destiny so integral to the plot asserts itself and the characters just repeat "Don't care. Don't care." The world building is also well done in how it makes sense to all the characters instead of trying to cater to the reader's world, which is much appreciated. I can't wait for the next book and hope this grows into a much longer series.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

Interesting story, but odd narration

Reviewed: 07-29-15

I usually enjoy a story which does not have a clearly defined antagonist and protagonist. This story was no exception. The idea of a handbook for how to be evil was very tongue in cheek and a great device.

The narrator had an odd cadence in the way he read. His character voices were good and varied to give each character their own life. The way he read the story kept me from becoming too immersed. It almost sounded like he was reading the story as he was writing it. There were elements where that type of narration was perfect, but it was very strange when narrating exposition and dialogue between most of the characters. I think I would have enjoyed the story much more if I had read a hard copy.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

An instructive and wonderful story

Reviewed: 06-13-15

I thought this was a great continuation of round world through a mixture of scientific explanation and fictional story telling. It brings new perspective to the possible existence of narrativium in all worlds...or at least ours and Discworld.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

A solid story

Reviewed: 02-04-15

I loved hearing the actions preceding episode one as well as some of the episode one story from the perspectives of the soon to be emperor. My only problem with the story was the long sections of pure exposition either through dialogue or narration. But I understand that telling the story of those sections in other ways would have doubled or even tripled the length of the book and may have caused the story to lose the central focus. That being said, I was greatly entertained by the story and performance.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Words that really work

Reviewed: 08-19-13

Where does The Truth rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Truth is hands down my favorite Terry Pratchett book of all time. The audiobook is very well done. The quality of the recording is excellent and Stephen Briggs does an amazing job with some fairly tricky dialogue.

If you have listened to Going Postal or Making Money (hopefully in that order) and enjoyed them, then this is definitely the book for you.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mr Tulip. Pratchett has always been very creative with language, especially as it pertains to curse words. I love how he often makes a reader fill in the blanks with suggestive wordplay. This book is an example of that wordplay at its best.

Which character – as performed by Stephen Briggs – was your favorite?

Again, Mr. Tulip. Although Otto is a close second.

Any additional comments?

This book deals with some very deep philosophical elements and is well constructed from start to finish. The multiple storylines, the humor, and technical craft to bring it all together. If you haven't listened to it or read it, both are well worth the time. The audiobook in particular is an extremely enjoyable experience.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!