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Beware: not for the faint hearted. The author didn't pull any punches in describing life in a post-apocalyptic world. At times it was almost painful to listen to - a result of the author transporting the reader into a world of isolation, hardship and challenge. The characters are believable - the baddies are really bad and the good people aren't too saintly - especially as times get tougher. The horrifying thing is that those in the know say this really could happen...God, I hope not... To be obliterated in a nuclear blast (ground zero) would be kinder.... A long book but necessarily so. Well worth the time - but be warned...you may need to take a break every now and then. Parts of the story are quite depressing. It's definitely made me see the things we take for granted (such as electricity and fresh water) in a different light. Great work by both the author and the narrator.

Brett Battles never fails to delight. The action keeps moving, the plot is plausible and exciting. Again, this is one for the men or the women. Good 'espionage' stories are hard to come by and all of Battles' books are exceptional. Just buy it! You won't regret it.

Vince Flynn fan or not you're pretty hard to please if you don't love this book. Flynn has a magical way of keeping the action moving without ever coming close to corny. The characters are real and you will quickly get to know them even if you've never read a Flynn book. But, treat yourself and read them all. There are lots of references to the past and you will better understand the sequence of events if you know the history. Rapp, Hurley and Kennedy battle the evil doers once again - all with a hard edged attitude. No flowers and roses in this one. Get invested in Mitch's latest antics. I only wish there were more authors that could write like this. As usual, Guidall tells the story as though its coming straight from his head, not a book. Sheer brilliance.

Kept me interested. Lots of gore and technical battle stuff. If that appeals to you it will probably keep you interested. I did have a vested interest in what happened to the characters and that, to me, is what keeps you wanting to continue with a book. Not your typical scary zombie offering but the behaviour of the 'powers that be' (military and political) is disturbing... The narrator does a great job. Well set up for a sequel.

I tried really hard - honest, I did. The story line is both obvious (a cardinal sin in the 'thriller' genre) and unbelievable. The narration is corny and over-done - the characters lack-lustre. One thing I insist upon is that I have some buy in about the fate of the characters. I found myself not caring what happened to them one way or the other. Normally I am fairly tolerant. I respect the writing craft and believe its not easy to write an interesting story that has wide spread appeal. But these characters are just not real. How can a vigilante (whose obsession is to punish evil-doers of crime, including perpetrators of sexual violence) turn to his girlfriend and say that, in bed, the only word he forbids is 'No'. Purrrrlease. Makes me want to have a crack at a novel myself... I'm sure I could improve on this. Aaarrrgh! I will confess that I'm not feeling well at the moment and a tad cranky. But that's just when I want a book to distract me. Not working. Next...

Mark delivers his trademark brand of dark, dry humour again. Some reviews are less than flattering but I disagree. Sure, its not the best of the series but highly entertaining nonetheless. There are key plot twists that you will want to know about before dipping in to the next release in the series. If you're already a Tufo fan you won't be disappointed. Some stories die out because the author has exhausted the concept. This is not the case here.

I am always nervous with prequels. Sometimes it seems as though the author doesn't quite know where to go next - so they go backwards. It was great to learn of how Quinn himself ended up 'in the business'. A few good surprises and the story explains a lot about the 'later' Quinn. I love a good yarn about covert ops and this one did not disappoint. Battles has a way of keeping your attention every step of the way. Realistic and exciting. As usual Scott Brick is perfect. The only complaint I have is it ended too soon. Highly recommended! If you haven't read the entire series you're missing out.

I'm not sure about the books outside this series but if you haven't followed Quinn's (anchor character) journey in this series (and you like a bit of well intentioned deviousness) then you're missing out. Battles is a master at taking story lines in different directions and crafting the evolution of characters. Mentor and 'student' become equals, but in a realistic (however surprising) way...to say any more would be too much information. Best value for money would be to read the entire series. I have and all were highly entertaining. Its frustrating trying to find well written espionage. They're usually either corny or unbelievable. As usual Scott Brick is perfect as narrator. Often narrators are distracting. Scott is a natural and always adds to the experience. I'm still curious about how an author can make you bond with a character that doesn't lose any sleep over killing. The 'means justifies the ends'? So, if you want to 'get even with the baddies' take a ride with Quinn. By the way: this book is for the ladies too. You won't regret it.

It's not often I can't force myself to continue with a book but this was just too painful. I've been an audible listener for over two years and I'm okay with listening to a book that's only half got my attention but this was ridiculous. One non stop description of gore, unrealistic reactions from the 'normal' people and a narrator that spoke in a bizarre accent that was somewhere between New Zealand, Dutch, American and Australian. It hurt to listen to it. A cross between boring and unbelievable. I cannot believe this was published in any form. Flat characters (no substance) and grating narration. I don't think I could finish without being paid to do so.

An excellent read. Incredibly detailed which would usually be boring for me. These authors are masters at painting pictures. All the details were relevant and added depth to characters or scenes. A great test for any read is the chapter change. If you don't want to move on to another chapter purely because you just want to know (right now!) whats going to happen next in the current scene, well: it's a really good sign that you've been drawn right in. Stephenson and George manage to make the bizarre and incredible, well - credible and feasible. Sure, I had a couple of moments where I thought 'Come on, guys - too far!' But then they'd just keep going and justify the entire premise. A very long piece of work that I didn't want to end. Great sense of comedic timing and irony. Unusual for a thriller/drama. Thanks guys. I'll be listening to Cobweb next.