Sean

And also very glad the next book in the series is also available. I'll be downloading it right after finishing this review.

I just saw this book is on sale for $5. If that sale brought you here, don't hesitate and buy it now. Really. Stop reading this review and click Add to Cart.

There was never a dull moment in this book. I usually only listen to my audiobooks on my commute, but I had this one playing on the speakers of my phone while doing work around the house. Strong plot with good twists and sub-stories.

The characters are easy to relate to, despite their enhanced abilities. The sense of learning of their abilities at the same time as some of them were was quite engaging.

Many reviews of this book discuss Pinchot's narration. The adolation spewed in his direction is almost laughable, until you experience it. All praise thrown upon him is well deserved. Add my name to the list of those who will look for books narrated by him as a way to find new titles and authors to try.

I am 3/4 of the way through the 3rd book of this series, and can say one thing with certainty.

Fitz Chivalry is an idiot.

Seriously. I just finished a part in the book where, again, I was yelling at the moron protagonist to get his head out of his backside and see what the heck was going on. There have been at least half a dozen points in this story where I was doing the same thing. But this particular time really has me irritated. It's to the point I can't root for this imbecile any longer. I am a full work week and a half into this story, and I don't know if I can finish it.

The story is told from his perspective. So other than the historical information presented at the beginning of each chapter, Fitz knows everything you know. Yet the most simple deductions regarding several situations he encounters are completely lost to him. Some he figures out in a few 'pages.' Others take him a full book before he puts it together. Long or short, you'll be screaming at him like I do to get a freaking clue.

And this character was trained by the master assassin to observe and deduce? The seven duchies are in a heap of hurt, then.

Or is the idiot in this story Robin Hobb, who can't move the story along without turning his protagonist stupid for a short time in order to create a plot device?

I enjoyed the first book enough to spend a credit on the second. And was interested in the story enough to spend a credit on the third book. But if I had never bothered with this trilogy, that would have been fine.

And I am seriously considering giving up on it now. This latest idiotic move by Fitz hasn't even been 'revealed' for certain yet, but it is painfully obvious to the reader. The fact that it isn't obvious to Fitz just makes me want to give up on him.

Save yourself 83 hours and choose a different book.

This book bored me. It might have gotten better later, but I was so bored at the one hour mark I moved on to my next credit.

I gave the audiobook 3 hours, almost a third of it, but gave up. I had no interest in any of the characters or their mundane lives. I didn't care to find out what happens to them.

Not everyone's life is interesting or full of intrigue, but it seems that most of our lives are more interesting than what was occurring in the first 3 hours of this book. If I had it in paperback, I doubt I'd have lasted that long.

The best way I can describe this is, "meh."

The 4 stories did keep my interest. I wanted to know how each would turn out, but all but the first story left me disappointed.

In each story, you are taken into the mind of the protagonist in an attempt to experience the drama from their perspective. But Big Driver is experienced every week by fans of cop shows. The Darcy Anderson story is over before it gets good. And Fair Extension, well, I can't think of a way to express my feelings without spoiling it.

Many of King's audio books have been plagued by annoying and grating mood music, and at time poor narration. This is not the case for It.

Steven Weber does a fantastic job. So good, I might look for books he narrates even if the author is unknown to me.

The presentation is also clean and free from added music. If you have avoided King's books in the past due to a bad experience with this on a previous one, don't avoid this one.

As for the story itself (odd how the production has often taken the focus on these books, eh?), it is now one of my favorite King books. I found it more chilling than The Shining, and I was always anxious to get back into the car to hear more. Typically, I'll put the audio books on for just my commute, but I'd put It on for 10 minute trips to Home Depot.

Good book, good production. More than worth the monthly credit.