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Ryan

William_McCuan

United States | Member Since 2010

9
HELPFUL VOTES
  • 14 reviews
  • 61 ratings
  • 192 titles in library
  • 23 purchased in 2013
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  • Empire: Star Force, Book 6

    • UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 15 mins)
    • By B. V. Larson
    • Narrated By Mark Boyett
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (432)
    Performance
    (403)
    Story
    (411)

    Kyle Riggs has been away from Earth for a long time.... What’s happening back home? In Empire, the sixth book of the Star Force Series, the story moves in a new direction. Earth falls quiet, and the few reports coming out of the homeworld are increasingly strange. Isolated in the Eden system, Riggs realizes his enemies are forming an alliance against him. Crushed between two monstrous fleets, the last defenders of Star Force must forge their own alliance with the biotic aliens. But which alien race can Riggs truly trust?

    Professor says: "EMPIRE OR COLONY?"
    "Amazing"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Where does Empire rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

    One of the Best


    What was one of the most memorable moments of Empire?

    All of them, there is tension, suspense, action.
    I don't know whats gonna happen next.


    What about Mark Boyett’s performance did you like?

    Great voices, great line delivery! I am hypnotized to the story.


    Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

    I can't get enough of this series, will re-listen again soon.


    Any additional comments?

    This is the fastest I've ever gone through an audio-book. How will it end?
    One of my Top-5 book series!

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Guardian: The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier, Book 3

    • UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 41 mins)
    • By Jack Campbell
    • Narrated By Christian Rummel
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (185)
    Performance
    (180)
    Story
    (181)

    Admiral Geary’s First Fleet of the Alliance has survived the journey deep into unexplored interstellar space, a voyage that led to the discovery of new alien species, including a new enemy and a possible ally. Now Geary’s mission is to ensure the safety of the Midway Star System, which has revolted against the Syndicate Worlds empire—an empire that is on the brink of collapse.

    Hassan says: "Black Jack Going BackHome Again and Again!!!"
    "Seeing diminishing return on the series"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Neither the writing nor performance has improved, overly cardboard characters, all female voices sound the same, the same tropes. I still give it 3 stars, its still good, but a bit of a let down from the stronger books earlier in the series. This one drops a lot of descriptions, new characters are just window dressing, and its shorter!
    Less quantity, less quality, diminishing return on the series.

    I was left with only fuzzy outline of what things look, or smell like, referring to what I conjured in earlier books.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Titanium Rain, Episode One (Dramatized)

    • ORIGINAL (1 hr and 27 mins)
    • By Josh Finney, Kat Rocha
    • Narrated By Lance Roger Axt, Elizabeth Knowelden, Carrington MacDuffie, and others
    Overall
    (1)
    Performance
    (1)
    Story
    (1)

    In 2031 mankind's survival instinct is put to the test when a civil war in China spirals into a global conflict. Nations are torn apart. Millions are killed. And for many, like Air Force pilot Alec Killian, survival will mean shedding some of their flesh in exchange for biotech and machine.

    Ryan says: "Sounds settings were off"
    "Sounds settings were off"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    A typical mix of militant jargon mixed in with sound effects of explosions and gunfire. It was entertaining, but the sound setting were Way Way off, the dialogue was soft so I crank the volume, and the next scene opens with gunfire and yelling!

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Cold War: History in an Hour

    • UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 27 mins)
    • By Rupert Colley
    • Narrated By Jonathan Keeble
    Overall
    (17)
    Performance
    (15)
    Story
    (15)

    History for busy people. The Cold War: History in an Hour gives a brilliant overview of the unusual and non-violent war between East and West that lasted nearly fifty years.From the end of World War Two to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 the world lived within the shadow of the Cold War. Russia and America eyed each other with suspicion and hostility.

    Ryan says: "Nice"
    "Nice"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Informative & Entertaining !
    This lecture series has been great. Always holds my interest, never dull.
    Short and sweet.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Monster Hunter International

    • UNABRIDGED (23 hrs and 34 mins)
    • By Larry Correia
    • Narrated By Oliver Wyman
    Overall
    (3937)
    Performance
    (3352)
    Story
    (3344)

    Five days after Owen Zastava Pitt pushed his insufferable boss out of a 14th story window, he woke up in the hospital with a scarred face, an unbelievable memory, and a job offer. It turns out that monsters are real. All the things from myth, legend, and B-movies are out there, waiting in the shadows. Some of them are evil, and some are just hungry. Monster Hunter International is the premier eradication company in the business. And now Owen is their newest recruit.

    Mariya says: "Killin’s my business and business is fine"
    "Block Buster Hollywood script"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Very Good writing, Great performance.

    Story Lacking...

    The great writing and Terrific performance makes up for the typical hollywood story.

    If you love monster horror movies or shows, you will love this book.

    It was very funny & very exciting, but a little shallow.

    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • The Ghost Brigades

    • UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 28 mins)
    • By John Scalzi
    • Narrated By William Dufris
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1122)
    Performance
    (627)
    Story
    (634)

    The Ghost Brigades are the Special Forces of the Colonial Defense Forces, elite troops created from the DNA of the dead and turned into the perfect soldiers for the CDF's toughest operations. They're young, they're fast and strong, and they're totally without normal human qualms.

    wendy says: "Great story"
    "Blah blah filler"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you try another book from John Scalzi and/or William Dufris?

    I'll try...


    What was most disappointing about John Scalzi’s story?

    Too much blah blah dialogue. Clique plot. Simple characters.


    What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

    Performance was Ok' "he said, she said, he said, she said, he said, she said"


    You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

    Not really, your not missing much but not reading it.


    Any additional comments?

    A real let down, Old Mans war was funny, original, exciting, full of surprises.
    Its sequel was dull, bland, and at times obnoxious.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Swarm: Star Force, Book 1

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 39 mins)
    • By B. V. Larson
    • Narrated By Mark Boyett
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1667)
    Performance
    (1518)
    Story
    (1519)

    Kyle Riggs is snatched by an alien spacecraft sometime after midnight. The ship is testing everyone it catches and murdering the weak. The good news is that Kyle keeps passing tests and staying alive. The bad news is the aliens who sent this ship are the nicest ones out there.

    Mark says: "Finally some ORIGINAL scifi action."
    "You have to get through the first few chapters"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What made the experience of listening to Swarm the most enjoyable?

    The unfolding of characters, and the surprises you discover


    What did you like best about this story?

    It had a good character development, believable and understandable character reactions and choices.


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

    Just a great presentation


    Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

    This book is a little more emotional then the others, you feel sad & angry with the characters.


    Any additional comments?

    This book is more a development and intro to the whole series. Its wonderful on its own, but its Just the beginning. One of my favorite series.

    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
  • Battle Station: Star Force, Book 5

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 43 mins)
    • By B. V. Larson
    • Narrated By Mark Boyett
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (660)
    Performance
    (613)
    Story
    (614)

    In Battle Station, Kyle Riggs faces new challenges, new alien fleets, and learns the secrets behind the war he has been fighting for years. In the fifth book of the Star Force Series, the Eden system is in humanity's grasp, but can they keep it? Star Force is weak after a long war, and many yearn to go home. Knowing the machines will return with a new armada eventually, Riggs seeks a more permanent solution. Along the way, worlds are won and lost, millions perish, and great truths are revealed.

    William says: "Non-stop Sci-Fi Action"
    "Need Book 6"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    If you could sum up Battle Station in three words, what would they be?

    Fun, Extra Fun, Exciting


    What was one of the most memorable moments of Battle Station?

    Riggs internal monologue just rings too true on my own perspective


    Which character – as performed by Mark Boyett – was your favorite?

    Quan !


    Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

    Smile, need to know what happens Next. Book 6 PLEASE


    Any additional comments?

    Too short, lets hope this series has an ending worthy of its beginings

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • The Scorch Trials: Maze Runner, Book 2

    • UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 22 mins)
    • By James Dashner
    • Narrated By Mark Deakins
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (488)
    Performance
    (352)
    Story
    (358)

    Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to. In the Maze, life was easy... until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago. Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland....

    Paul says: "Fast pace, new twists and more mysteries"
    "Again, meh~"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What did you like best about The Scorch Trials? What did you like least?

    Neat Ideas, Great Performance by the reader.

    Redundant writing, not enough visual descriptions


    If you’ve listened to books by James Dashner before, how does this one compare?

    Very simular


    Have you listened to any of Mark Deakins’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    Not sure.

    Very good performance*


    Was The Scorch Trials worth the listening time?

    Yes, but not whole heartildly


    Any additional comments?

    The main character re-iterated his story like 4-5 times in this! How many times can you have a scene of the main character explaining himself, and of course, have the listener believe him? Re-title this one (main character explains himself to everyone he meets, and travels through a desert)
    Still a neat listen, the reader makes it worth while

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Maze Runner: Maze Runner, Book 1

    • UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 50 mins)
    • By James Dashner
    • Narrated By Mark Deakins
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (828)
    Performance
    (559)
    Story
    (562)

    When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade - a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

    Shawn says: "Great Storyline and a Fun Read"
    "Interesting, but lacks sophistication"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you consider the audio edition of The Maze Runner to be better than the print version?

    No


    What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

    The puzzles and twists were great.

    The writing itself was unrefined


    Have you listened to any of Mark Deakins’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    No


    Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

    it could be broken up


    Any additional comments?

    Neat Idea, Great Names, great characters, but the writing was redundant and amatur

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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