Branden

I Got the first four Womens' M.C. books as a package. Had I known how formulaic and uninspiring they would prove to be, I would have skipped the whole lot. Adding to my disappointment was Carolyn McCormick's narration. I LOVED her as Dr. Olivette on Law and Order in early seasons, so I really expected a good read. I was sorely disappointed. Her inflection and emphasis are so wrong so much of the time it's distracting. I recommend avoiding this book.

I really liked John Steakley's writing style, and Tom Weiner's narration interpreted that style perfectly. If a sequel is ever written, I won't hesitate to read it. I will definitely read his other novel Vampire$. I hope he writes more novels. I'm a fan after just one book.

The plot is okay. The writing is mediocre. The narration is bad. It is another case in point that authors are not usually very good narrators, even for their own works. All that said, if you like getting a lot of material for just one credit, try it out. You kind of become numb to the narration after a while and can listen to the story, which is not great, but it will kill some idle hours.

I LOVED this book. It is chock full of historical detail, which, I believe, took the author years to research. The multi narrator format took a little getting used to. I wasn't crazy about Joanne Whaley's voice; it grates on me. It's worth persevering, though.
A few pointers:

*If you're looking for a "vampire" book, beware. The book is more focused on the history and activity of Dracula than on a bloodsucking rampage.

*If you are bored by detailed descriptions of places and history, you probably want to read the abridged or skip the book altogether.

*If you have difficulty understanding foreign accents, beware. There are many nationalities depicted in the book.

*If you're expecting an action-packed plot twister, this isn't your book.

*This book was made to be savored, not gulped down.

I had read the Abarat books by Clive Barker, so I was eager to read this one. The plot synopsis sounded wonderful, so in I plunged. It was terribly gory in a needless sort of way. It was also not too witty or fun. I kept wondering if Clive was having a laugh, and maybe that "burn this book" was a hint to readers that nothing much was going to happen, so we might as well burn the damn thing.
On a more positive note, I liked the narrator, and would love to hear him sink his teeth into something substantial.

This book was fun and funny. The writing was clever and the narrator was really good. I really look forward to reading the sequel.

I enjoyed the book very much. The baddies ARE really bad--it's a fairy tale. Juliet Stevenson is great, as usual. It's a good "empowerment" book for young girls, I think. Coriander is definitely ahead of her time as an educated, independent female in the 1600's. It's quite an entertaining read. Maybe not for young kids; there is some real "evil stepmother" type mistreatment that could be disconcerting. But, then, Grimm's and most other fairy tales are the same.

I was on the edge of my seat, for about 30 minutes. The main character IS creepy. Nothing happened. After that it was an excruciating test of will to continue reading, hoping that SOMETHING would happen. Maybe in a second? Maybe in a minute? Good grief! This was an exasperating, unsatisfying read. Also, there was an audio tag saying it was Audible Kids. I don't think some of the language makes it appropriate for kids of any age.

Dracula has always been one of my favorite novels. If you've already read the novel and are looking for a good audio version, I recommend this one. The characters really come to life with the narration. If you're a fan of Dracula/vampire films and are looking for a similar book, remember Dracula was published in 1897. This is every bit a Victorian novel, and is thoroughly imbued with the sensibilities, language, and sociology of the period. If you're looking for action, blood, and rip-roaring carnage, this is not the place to find it.

I liked the historical aspects (accurate or not), and the idea of science and religion juxtaposed, but some of the characters' motivations were thoroughly laughable. In addition, the epiphanies that "solve" the riddles of each clue are not only unbelieveable, but they come only after an agonizing period of you yelling at the protagonist because you have already figured out what his next move should be. I have no desire to read more Dan Brown if this is his idea of a publishable plot.