Action Thriller with some audio issues

“Rogue Empire” is a straight-out action thriller and a part of the Blake Carver series written by William Tyree. The audiobook edition is narrated by Paul Christy. If you are someone who likes rather complex stories involving intrigue, kidnapping, and spies, and counter-terrorism, this book has all of those for you. On the other hand, if you like books that have a good amount of action, suspense, along with some romance, Rogue Empire also is a good book for you. Because the story is rather complex and moves quickly from scene to scene, you will want to listen closely to this one, try not to listen while heavily distracted. Although thriller books are not one of my favorite genres, I did enjoy this book apart from the many issues with the audio quality; discussed later in this review. If any of the above sounds interesting, I would recommend you pick up Rogue Empire and give it a read over the audiobook edition.

What happens when pressure between two already on edge superpowers begins to spiral out of control because of a mis-targeted drone strike which goes awry? Was the botched missile strike simply a technical issue? Was it done on purpose for some other clandestine purpose? Was it due to rogue code injected by someone or something else? All of this happens in the opening chapters of this book. As things progress, both countries come close to declaring all-out war against one another instead of working together to resolve their differences. I am a person who works with technology every day, and overall, I thought the author did a decent job of researching and making sure what was created in the book was plausible. There were only a few instances where I felt I had to suspend belief; but, that was not an issue for me knowing this is a piece of fiction. I thought the premise was well developed and the book progressed in a way that seemed not rushed. In some ways, I felt the book was slower than expected, but this was often to permit better story or character development. The tension continued to build throughout the first half of the book with most of the resolve coming near the end.

I found that I liked the main characters along with their backstory details. I also found that I detested the villains in this book, but I think this was the author’s intention. For me, the book felt like the television series 24, but on steroids. I like that one of the characters had a disorder called total recall (not the movie) which was more like having a photographic memory. This disability is used sparingly, so the character is not like one of the X-Men or other superheroes. However, this power does assist him at getting out of a few situations as the story unfolds. Not only are we dropped into exquisite world locations, but you are also introduced to some quite interesting and unique technology. And, where there is technology you seem to always have hackers and malicious just around the corner. For me, having a female U.S. President was a bit of a twist in the book and a nice surprise.

I’m not sure I would recommend this book for younger readers as there are times a fair amount of vulgar language is used. Often such language is in small bursts and usually confined to one or two characters. In some ways, it was not used as frequently as I would have suspected, however it was present and seemed to get worse as the book got closer to its end. As expected, there are also a few scenes that may not be appropriate for younger readers due to graphic violence or subject matter.

So, let me move to the area that I had the most difficulty with this book; its audio quality along with some slight narration issues. Paul Christy has a fair number of audiobook narrations under his name, so I was surprised to find the issues I did with this book. There are numerous places where you can clearly hear the audio has been patched or edited. I’m not sure if the book was being written at the same time it was narrated and edits needed to be injected after the fact. But, there were enough instances that I lost count and these often distracted me enough that it pulled me out of the story for brief moments. Two examples are around the 1:20 and 1:54 minute marks. There were also a few places where volume inconsistency was observed along with a few mispronounced technology phrases, such as URL spoken as ‘eral’ and not the letters themselves. If you are one who is a purist when it comes to your audiobook quality, I would steer clear of this one and pick up the book instead. If you are one who can get past a few bumps along the way, the book is still worth it even having a few blemishes.

In summary, if you like thrillers or enjoy books involving political conspiracies and counter-terrorism, I suggest you pick up this book and give it a listen. That is if you can get over the many audio recording distractions and some of the language found in this book.

Disclaimer: I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

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Great Listen!

Enjoyed the story and the narration. Worth a credit!

"This book was provided at no cost for an unbiased review."

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Great story. Engrossing performance.

This is my first Blake Carver exposure. The story line was intriguing, the narration excellent. Character development could have been a bit better.

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Shivers up my spine!

I had shivers up my spine as the awesome voiceover artist Paul Christy dramatized Willam Tryee's book "Rogue Empire". Paul Christy's husky voice does wonders in bringing this book to life!! I will continue listing to more books in this series for sure!

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Thrilling and fun.

I loved this book. it kept me on the edge and I really enjoyed the ending. looking forward to the next one. "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

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Great Thriller

"Rogue Empire" begins with breaking news from Tripoli, a tragic accident, the US has mistakenly directed a missile to foreign allies... the story develops into a suspenseful thriller from there with the presence of an American intelligence agent, Kyra in Tripoli, fleeing for her life. A modern day epic thriller, "Rogue Empire" will keep you on the edge of your seat. Kyra "never imagined that becoming a field operative would entail becoming a mail order bride for one of the world's most wanted terrorists." The author enlists charismatic characters, including Blake Carver, another intelligence operative, as well as intriguing scenarios. It is clear the author knows his way around the world - Tripoli, the White House, rural Virginia, Las Vegas, and more. The author leaves the listener waiting for Book 2, as Blake Carver must go to London... Recommended listening.

Paul Christy was excellent with the delivery of the story

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6 people found this helpful

Not Just Another Spy/Adventure Story

“Rogue Empire” is a straight-out action thriller and a part of the Blake Carver series written by William Tyree. I enjoyed the audiobook edition and it was well narrated by Paul Christy who is well match for this story. This is not just another adventure novel but has complex plot lines involving intrigue, kidnapping, and spies, and counter-terrorism, this book has all of those for you. It also has those personal elements that hook you into the stork and the series. Rogue Empire has an exceptional story that takes you on an exciting trip with an unexpected twist. A note: this story is rather complex and fast moving so you will want to set aside time closely.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
Note: When selecting books to read or listen to for reviews I try and select authors and stories that interest me. Sometimes I am fortunate and other times not so fortunate. Either way, I try to review the books with integrity.

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Made me exceed the speed limite

Would you try another book from William Tyree and/or Paul Christy?

I would definitely try another William Tyree novel and I hope it's narrated by Paul Christy. I feel the narration matched the tone of the book perfectly.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Just the right amount of a twist in the ending... I thought I picked up some forewarning of what was to come. I was wrong.

What does Paul Christy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Paul Christy brought just the right amount of emotion and personalized the characters for me. Some narrators go too far in attempting to vocalize characters. Paul Christy has a subtle way of making each character identifiable without losing my belief.

Could you see Rogue Empire being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

It would be perfect for a Netflix type series. The lead would have to be played by someone with grit.

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Great Story, Great Characters

The plot of the book includes many of the elements you would expect in an international thriller. Kidnapping, espionage, murders, explosions etc. It was all there and then some. What really made the book great for me were the well developed and well portrayed characters. Even the dog had me rooting for him! I will definitely go back and listen to the other books in this series.

I was provided a free copy of this audio book in exchange for my honest review. In my honest opinion, it is well worth your time and money.

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Rogue empire

What did you like best about this story?

This is one of those stories that come along that makes you want to listen to the audiobook , a non-stop until you get to the end.

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2 people found this helpful