Matthew R. Fomby

I was really surprised at how much I liked the Dresden books. They are decently written, but the narration is superb, in my opinion. I was excited when two new books (this and Proven Guilty) came out on Audible. I listened to Proven Guilty in about a week, but when it came to White Night, the file was corrupted in the first 10 minutes. Half of the first chapter was cut out, and then the second chapter has another cut, with some insertion of something further in the book (I assume). This is the second time this has happened to an Audible selection. Considering how much I get from Audible, this is a very good percentage, but still irritating enough to make me comment.

I suppose it was ok. I was expecting something of a historical mystery, maybe something like the Da Vinci Code meets the Dresden Files (love Dresden but hated Da Vinci, so perhaps an intelligent Da Vinci Code staring Dresden?), but it was far, far more romance than mystery. It is also one of a series, since the book never wraps anything up.

The characters seemed a little too shallow. Diana seemed to docile, and far too weak. I am trying to raise a strong willed daughter into a confident woman, and I do not want her falling to pieces when some tall dark stranger comes around. But this is what happens here. The female characters were too weak. The male were too overdone, too out of proportion. I got the impression that Matthew would look like something out of a comic book, physique exagerated to all extremes. He was a stereotype, which is a negative in my opinion.

My wife, who loves the Outlander books, will likely enjoy this. I was only mildly interested and only finished it out of obligation (I did spend a credit on it). I found the history of the characters somewhat interesting, I would be more interested in Matthew's history and experiences in Palestine for example. That being said, I would not recommend unless you like romance more than history.

When I saw this for $1.95 I thought this was a steal. It seemed too good to be true, and ultimately it was. I do not know what the issue is, the narrators themselves, or the recording which is halting and interrupted, but do not waste your money. I love the book, but the audiobook is very bad.

I am conflicted on this review. I liked the book, it was good, but it seemed to have no point. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I like the characters, the setting, and I am content to listen to an "Adventure in the Life of Temeraire" story. That being said, I felt like the previous books were going somewhere, and this one seems to have no ultimate vector. If this is what the author intends, I can live with it, but I noticed a difference in the story. I will see what happens with the next few books, which I still intend on reading/listening.

I wanted to write because of the negative review of the narrator. He is different, I agree, and I honestly liked Jesse Bernstein better, but he was first and it could simply be loyalty. Nevertheless I do not think the narrator was terrible, just different.

As for the story, it is not bad. It is more of the same, random run-ins with mythological characters, fight scenes, etc... And since this tends to work, I am not very unhappy. I listen to these before I give them to my kids, and this one, like the previous, will certainly inspire the imagination, which is my goal. If you liked the previous Percy Jackson series, this is more of the same, no more, but certainly no less.

Any good story is about characters set in a location. Good Science Fiction is the same as good historical fiction or good fantasy. The story is important, the setting is simply a place where the story occurs. In very good fiction, the setting is as alive as the characters, but does not dominate the characters. This is the case with Omar Yusuf. The story is about an old, somewhat broken man, who still feels that justice matters. The setting is good enough to almost hear the adhan drift through your window, but it is not the focus of the story. Omar Yusuf is. The setting is good enough to feel the land around you, but it is the story that drives the book. I am through books 1 and 2, both are good. I will update on 3 and 4.

Another success for Carey. The narration was, as usual, excellent. The story took me a little time to get into, but ended interestingly and left me looking forward to the sequel. I know the book is already out in England, so I would like to see it in the USA.

I do not know why Romans are always portrayed with a British accent, but here the graveled Cockney narration Christian Rodska uses is absolutely superb. I love Audiobooks, and a good narrator can make or break a book, let alone a series. Here, both Mr. Rodska and Ms. Davis blend wonderfully. Marcus Didius Falco’s Rome is enthralling and his investigations through the political nuances of intrigue and deception kept me sitting the car listening well after I should have gone into work (playing on the car’s stereo, not headphones, I am a responsible driver). An interesting and fully fleshed cast of supporting characters helps create a world that is as interesting as it is believable. If only Audible would acquire the rest of the series!!!

I give this four stars, since it is not Jane Austin (Yes, red blooded American males read Jane Austin), but it is very good. I am also surprised and pleased with the narration. I liked Mr. Marsters as an actor, and I hope he continues with the Dresden books in the future.