Jeff

If the friend were into fantasy, then absolutely. The First Chronicles of Amber are fantastic and I've loved them since I first picked them up in the early 80s. Alessandro Juliani does a terrific job capturing the deadpan tone of the protagonist. It's a nice piece of work.

Hard to say. Sword and board fantasy meets 70s snark. I'm not sure there is an apt analogy. I can say that it is intelligent fantasy, with some nice insights into the theory of the multiverse and how there can be infinite variations of reality.

He captured the deadpan snark of Corwin quite well. I thought he also brought Eric's pomposity to life nicely too. He did a good job with the female characters, not relying on just a falsetto to differentiate them. The only quibble I have is that he has a tendency to rely on nasal intonations for ostensibly weaker characters - Random and Raine, for example.

I'm A What and I Can Do What?

Great books - classics of fantasy literature.

Absolutely. Books 1 and 2 introduce the characters. Book 3 gives us the match to the fuse. Book 4 sets the stage. Book 5 is where the overall story arc really starts. I think that the books from 5 through the end will form one coherent narrative to take us to the end.

Ummm ... that thing I wanted to have happen, that almost *had* to happen finally happened.

Also the fleshing out of Tir Na Nogth was nice - getting a feel of the place and the inhabitants gave it depth.

As usual, Luke Daniel's does a magnificent job.

See liked best #1.

Still going strong, though as with the last couple of books, a little less Oberon would be appreciated. Moving from loyal hound to sausage snarfing Yoda has been a little jarring.

Yes I would and probably will. Partly because I'll want to refresh my memory as later volumes are published and partly because I just plain liked it.

Pick a Dresden Files book. Magical protagonist in a non-magical world, beset by troubles, some of his own making.

Daniels is just pitch perfect as Atticus.

Not a extreme as that, but the fate of one of the characters in the earlier books made me very, very sad.

As expected, the darker tone continued with this book. It's starting to shape up as a nice series with a flawed but fundamentally good protagonist. It's nit picking a little, but I also think the character of Oberon is getting a wee bit overused.

It's good - don't get me wrong. I love what Kevin Hearne is doing and I think Luke Daniels is a great narrator. But this book is more about establishing the backdrop for what is presumably coming next.

I rather liked the campfire story sequence. I know others have pushed against it, but I like that story within a story mechanic.

He's just a perfect voice for Atticus. He captures his mood and feeling with the nuances of his voice.

Someone's Coming For You Thor, And This Time It Isn't Loki

This book does represent a change in tone. The first two books were more or less lighthearted in their story telling. This one starts to get a little darker and moodier. Motives aren't clear cut, Atticus isn't always a good guy, or at least not always a correct guy. The story here seems destined to be the backdrop for the remaining books in the series. As such, it's perhaps a little long on exposition, but I don't really mind that. Much like the Dresden Files fourth book, this book seems to mark a transition from what was a couple of stand alone stories to a longer form story arc. I think the lighter tone of the first two books may be lost, but I think the richer story more than makes up for it.

It's a good audiobook. Luke Daniels is a great reader for this, and Kevin Hearne did a fantastic job weaving the story.

The Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher. In both cases the stories are about men who practice "magic" in a modern day setting and in both cases the protagonists are every day men with extraordinary talents.

He was the perfect voice for Atticus, capturing the attitude, feeling and depth of the character. He also does a fantastic job with Oberon. Not everyone can voice a dog well.

Wicked Witches of the West Meet Their Match

I'm really enjoying the series thus far

Absolutely. The series is a wonderful blend of humor and humanity.

Can't say as it would spoil the plot, but there's a scene at the end between two characters that will break your heart a little.

Wow. His everyman, smartass take on Dresden. The world-weary strength of Murphy. The unsureness on Molly. The emotion he brings to the big scenes. He's simply the perfect narrator for the series. No slight to John Glover, but Glover's Dresden feels more like Butters - the whole character becomes older, less wisecracking and more clinical. Marsters brings the characters and the scenes to life. All readers read differently, but I know I'd have missed a lot of the emotional nuances of many scenes had I read the book. Marsters brings it to life. I don't know of a better compliment to pay James Marsters other than to say that he's no longer Spike from Buffy to me. He's Harry Dresden.

See the memorable moment. Plus the entire Wild Hunt scene, where Harry fights a rather unexpected tubby guy.

Brilliant writing by Jim Butcher, who manages to take a wholly supernatural premise and make it as down to earth as the city he obviously loves, Chicago.

Just to be fair, I'll say this - I thought this book dragged in places. I'm not sure there was much to be done, though. When you kill the main character and go through an extended goodbye like Ghost Story, and then you bring him back again, with a major change to his character (hello caveman Winter Knight), you gonna have some splainin to do.

I'm looking forward to the remaining books in the series, though I dread the eventual end. I also cannot urge Penguin Audio enough - sign Marsters up for the remainder of the series. He's too good to let go.