Kevin

Yes, if they're interested in how a cyberwar might play out in its early stages. No, if they're looking for an intricate plot, character development, etc. Clancy's The Hunt for Red October reads like a chess match. Threat Vector was like watching the game end in 4 or 5 moves. In a word, it's anticlimactic.

This was my first time listening to Lou Diamond Phillips. He a very good narrator; easy to understand with enough variation between characters to keep it interesting. He could slow down the pace a little, but you get used to his speed after a while. I'd definitely listen to him again.

I could see it, but I wouldn't see it. This would be a typical Hollywood blockbuster; full of hype with little substance.

Clancy spends more time describing military machinery and tactics than he does in developing characters and in spinning an engaging tale of strategy and deception.

The Germans' repeated justification for initiating the war and for the mass killing of civilians in Belgium is remarkable.

John Lee is, in my opinion, just about the perfect narrator. This performance did not fail to impress as usual.

As my first book on WW1, I found it very informative. I plan on reading more, but this was a good starting point as it delves into the politics leading up to the war and through the critical early battles. It does not describe the fighting in any great detail, but focuses more on the movement of the armies and the strategic decisions made along the way.

I would suggest opening a few maps of the early stages of WW1, particularly the Map of the Battle of the Frontiers and the Map of the Tannenberg Campaign. I found them online.

The countless times Junger ended up being one of the only men standing when people were being blown up and shot all around him. He counts over 20 holes in his body by the end of the war and somehow survived.

I wouldn't call it a moving story. Junger doesn't delve deeply into emotional aspects of war.

What I found most interesting wasn't the carnage that took place all around this man, but how he regards it. You're listening to someone from another age who thinks in terms of bravery, cowardice, duty, and honor. There's no talk of trauma or PTSD, and it leaves you wondering how they dealt with it back then.

One of the best.

When he described the look in the eyes of his friend's father, after his sons and daughter had been imprisoned, tortured, and the daughter executed. It was shocking to find out what happened in those prisons and to hear it from one who had seen it happen to people he had known all his life.

Yes.

This is a great story from a man who made choices and took risks that most of us will never have to. He chose to betray his country after witnessing horrendous acts of cruelty, risking his own torture and death in the process.

As with Pillars of the Earth, I found myself missing the characters in World Without End once I was finished. The author has a way of drawing you into the lives of these people at an early age. By the time they're adults, you feel like you've known them all their lives. I found myself wanting more of the same and had trouble picking up another book for some time.

The narrator, John Lee, is fantastic. He moves seamlessly from one regional accent to another. He gives each character a unique voice, maintaining these over the length of this 40 plus hour reading.

If I could give this a 4.5 rating I would, with Pillars deserving a 5.0. The reason for the difference is that World Without End seemed a bit too similar in plot. My advice would be to read or listen to Pillars first. If you like it and want more of the same, you'll find World Without End does not dissapoint.