Pie

I LOVE the disc world series, most especially the night watch books. You cannot believe how bummed I am with the new narrator. He has turned the wonderfully madcap characters into proper british citizens. Yuch. I have tried twice to listen to this book and have not been able to get past the introduction of the new Carrot and Vimes voices. I keep telling myself this is the same author and reminding myself how much I laugh while "reading" these books. It would probably be okay if I'd never heard the Nigel Planer books but I DID and I thought he did a FABulous job. Man. This is terrible. I am SUPER bummed out man. And (as of this moment), I have COMPLETELY wasted a credit. I will try again but I'm not holding out for much luck with it. I thought Pratchett was GOLD. Well, his narrator isn't. Slow. Plodding. Proper. Ugh. You just don't know how bummed I am at this moment. Sheesh.

Nice balance of description vs. dialog, etc. Well done... it's just the choice of details I don't care for. In The KingKiller Chronicles, you are given DETAILS. "Boring" details, interesting details... the kind that make a Life (or at least simulate it somewhat)...and it just happens to occur in fantasy land. It's not all titillating and scandalous things that only happen a LOT on TV, etc...with the window dressing of fantasy. I mean really... the only way to show movement in a story is NOT by JUST setting up adversarial relationships between a whole bunch of people. If I wanted THAT kind of story...I'd head for "fiction" baby...or watch some "reality" TV. Ugh. This is SCI FI/FANTASY. I wish they'd come up with a new category SCI FI FI? "Reality" Fantasy? LOL. Anyway. This story doesn't drag as much as many of this sort....but it does start bogging down as the "characters" gain "momentum". I mean, we have to find out about the slave collar that makes women do things that they'd rather not... and the sad widow who is turned on by the beautiful, mysterious young lady... and the bureaucrat who is more wealthy son than fair minded official... and the boy charged with rape who didn't really rape THAT girl, the slavers and their past, etc. etc. etc. Jeez. It's a shame. I REALLY enjoyed the Dresden stories. They got kinda dark in the details...but...the story MOVED along nicely and had humorous highlights (Bob, the Skull, etc.). I got EIGHT HOURS into this one and said, "I've had it." Stopping here baby. Not my cup o' tea.

I can't believe that THIS series was counted as one of my FAVORITE's for soooo long. Jeez. I JUST got book 1 ...with tons of trepidation. I have recently re-purchased a few books that I had put in that "Favorite Sci-fi/Fantasy Books of All Time" category ....which did NOT live up to expectations. Well, just add another one to the bunch. I am amazed. I realize NOW that this was a mild precursor to George RR Martin's series: very early soap opera (a feuding fantasy royal family dancing across magic space, etc.). Wow. Don't get me wrong. The first time I read George RR Martin's books I was amazed. I loved them. It was when I went to re-read them to get up to speed for Feast Of Crows... that I realized how much I disliked them. To this day I haven't read Feast Of Crows...although I do own it. LOL. All the soap opera elements: double-crossing EVERYONE, adultery, murder, etc. etc. ... while the fantasy elements are pushed into the background. At least the Amber series was VERY mild in that aspect (that's why it was a precursor). The magic is MORE present than the soap opera.... or at least they're running even-Steven. Anyway.

The character development is very thin. The story is extremely dialog driven (and it's TV dialog nonetheless). Etc. Etc. Wow. I was SUCH a sucker. Apparently I was.... easily satisfied and at that.... with FLUFF! LOL.

The self-deprecating humor of the main character keeps it humble (and funny)... which kinda balances out some of the over-the-top comic book action. Which isn't a bad thing but, it's very much a Game brought to "life" (so to speak). Guns are given loving attention and LOTS of detail but it's not gory. Go figure. This book runs a strange balance. Know these things and you'll probably enjoy it tremendously. Very much in the style of an arranged/managed roller coaster ride (I can't tell you why I say this without really giving away details that could spoil your story and I won't do that). Interesting characters. Interesting situations. But. I won't be going onwards... but I'm sure PLENTY of people will... and... quite happily :)

Gibson writes with a very dense, thick weaving of concepts... artistically presented :) This early book is very easy to get into and pretty easy to follow (comparatively speaking). Almost plain English from a Gibson-ion fan sort of standpoint. BUT you will have to pay a little bit of attention until you get your feet under you. LOL. Three separate story lines converge, slowly. Very interesting story. Not terribly dated...but a tad...although not in a too jarring way if you are willing to let the story carry you along. I enjoyed it a LOT... but I'm not really "normal". Form your own opinion :)

Well written. Layered and complex (enough). Slow unveiling. Dark and brooding storyline. No cheating by the author to make it all fit. Wow as to the end. The story twisted and turned and twisted again (hurricane winds you know). Not a HUGE surprise but an enjoyable ride. All I asked for, from this book, was some solid entertainment and it delivered :) I found the denouement and the questions asked by the author ghosting my mind afterwards.... Jeez.

Very very cheesy and corny dialog. Think of every old fashioned PI story or movie you've ever seen and THIS incorporates ALL of the cliche lines, etc. ...gathered into one tall tale. You're being TOLD a story by a PI (who KNOWS everything and could NOT be surprised by anything 'cause he's seen it all...). You are not invited into the story, you are sat firmly on the sidelines...outside the story but in reach of the supposed witticisms. Sorry. Don't mean to be a smart a** about it, but the main character tends to bring that sort of thing out. LOL. I laughed all the way through part one (it was THAT cheesy) and when part two started...I realized that I could NOT finish this one. It was just too much. Ugh. Anyway. If you like the TRADITIONAL sort of private eye story (think Barretta, etc.)...you will probably appreciate this one. I didn't even make it back into the nightside (the second half of the story) so I missed out on all of the magical stuff. The irony is that I am a HUGE King Arthur buff, so it is shocking that I just couldn't get through to the end. I guess my tolerance for really corny, cliched dialog did me in. The narration was excellent. Go figure.

If stories with a LOT of foreign names (people, places, etc.)... bothers you, than you might re-think this. Keeping track of everyone/thing took a bit to get in place (especially across three time lines :) IF you can ride the flow AND you JUST let the story flow... it's a very strange and interesting tale. It doesn't hand out answers on silver platters ...but it does put interesting questions in your head. Nice character development without the OVER explaining and hand holding through a story line that is SO COMMON ...so often. LOL.

The first book is an adventure story. Nice mysteries, etc. This story, the second one, wants to be a soap opera. We get to go DEEP with the characters and there are SO MANY of them and things happen to them (a pretense at development) ...and it's another day in TV land acting AGAIN. I got about 12 hours into it but when they start talking about auctioning off another woman's maidenhead (aka marry her off to someone she doesn't want to marry)...I just sighed. This was the second? third? love interest angle in the story. An ADVENTURE STORY? Not again. That was the last straw. With the King Killer Chronicles...the author doesn't bait and switch you... you find out in book one, from the very beginning, that his story is going to be about character and a LOT of detail...but the story will move forwards and a thousand characters will not be developed...just one, really. In the Dresden stories, the author starts out with an adventure story that goes deeper with each book. Layers are slowly allowed to accumulate. Fun stuff really. No bait and switch. It's a slow, gradual process. With the Titus Groans series... you are DEFINITELY made aware that the details will ABOUND and that it will get REALLY surreal and thick. No starting off with an interesting, light and fluffy story in book one that will be lost beneath TV land acting in book two... and stereotypical "character" development that can be handled in quick little bite-sized chunks. VERY EZ to digest. Ugh. And...HECK. I really liked book one. I can't even finish this one. That stinks. I liked the mysteries. Found them interesting. These new characters, etc. .... are mostly boring and predictible. If you like the type of kind of writing found in Game of Thrones, Royal Assasin, etc.... you'll probably enjoy this. Get your popcorn ready freddy baby. I'm outta here. Darnit.

I'm not a big fan of ensemble cast reading...but it REALLY works well here. I've debated FOREVER on picking this book up and reading it. It's such a classic story and a basis of SO MANY vampire stories since... but... never could get myself to pull the trigger. Totally missed this version..., never really noticed when it came through...but ran across it in another reviewer's notes while checking up on a completely different book. LOL. Intriguing.... pushed my back-and-forth over the edge. That reviewer was right. Top-notch talent brings a classic tale to life. Nicely done.

Excellent, above average vocabulary by the author. Mythology sounds authentic. BUT..., the story almost comes across as a beer tale told from the end of the bar by a college kid. No real involvement, just a made-for-vicarious-living sort of story. Very similar to a James Bond sort of tale.... You are never really worried that the character will be in any real danger, etc. Again....not bad...but.... A LOT of details from today (music, tv, etc.) ...that will tend to date the story eventually. I got through the two stories that I picked up on sale...but I probably won't be going onwards... The dog is funny. A little forced but... Anyway. There are books that I just COULDN'T finish and these two weren't those sort. Just... eh. Make your own judgement....