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Richard Stufflebeam

Phx. AZ United States | Member Since 2007

104

HELPFUL VOTES

8 reviews
714 ratings
851 titles in library
15 purchased in 2013

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Mainspring

UNABRIDGED
- by Jay Lake
- Narrated by William Dufris
Mainspring

UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 24 mins)

By Jay Lake

Narrated By William Dufris

Overall
(105)
Performance
(20)
Story
(21)

Mainspring is the story of a young clockmaker's apprentice, who is visited by the Archangel Gabriel. He is told that he must take the Key Perilous and rewind the Mainspring of the Earth. It is running down, and disaster to the planet will ensue if it's not rewound. From innocence and ignorance to power and self-knowledge, the young man will make the long and perilous journey to the South Polar Axis to fulfill the commandment of his God.
Richard Stufflebeam says: "Journy well started, but unfullfiled"
"Journy well started, but unfullfiled"

Overall
Performance
Story

This book was very enjoyable for the first half; the second half became a bit tedious. The Audio was well done, the story could have been better written.

The world the author creates on the northern hemisphere is vivid, imaginative, and full of intrigue. Earth is an enormous clockwork machine, part of a gigantic clockwork solar system, with a miles high wall running around the equator. The USA is still a part of the British Empire. It is a world full of zeppelins, horse drawn carts, and British troops.

The adventures of the main hero after an angel appears to him are interesting. Political, religious and social intrigues move the hero along his journey.

Until the Hero crosses over the Equatorial wall, then the author changes the style of the book. It changes from a quasi adventure story, to a man against nature survival story, and ends up a hero discovers he can do magic story.

For me, the tedious part was the authors repeated dialog about a scripture verse that is given to the Hero as He crosses the Equatorial wall. Over and over again the verse is repeated as the Hero trudges toward the South Pole, and the super clockwork spring that he’s trying to repair.

The conclusion was marginally satisfying, though I am still unsure of the main villain’s role in the wrap up.

The potential of the first half was not carried through to the end.

29 of 30 people found this review helpful
EVE: Templar One

UNABRIDGED
- by Tony Gonzales
- Narrated by Sean Runnette
EVE: Templar One

UNABRIDGED (16 hrs and 27 mins)

By Tony Gonzales

Narrated By Sean Runnette

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(38)
Performance
(36)
Story
(37)

New Eden: the celestial battleground of a catastrophic war that has claimed countless lives. The immortal starship captains spearheading this epic conflict continue their unstoppable dominance, shaping the universe to their will and ensuring a bloody, everlasting stalemate. But a powerful empire is on the verge of a breakthrough that could end the war and secure their rule over mankind forever.
Stan says: "Very good reading"
"Hard to follow if not a lore fan"

Overall
Performance
Story

Would you try another book from Tony Gonzales and/or Sean Runnette?

Probably not.

What character would you cut from EVE: Templar One?

None, not a one of them was able to get me to give a darn what happened to them.

Any additional comments?

If you've not been very carefully following the lore & political storyline of the EVE online game, you'll be completely lost as far as the plot of the story. By

2 of 2 people found this review helpful
The Revolution: A Manifesto

UNABRIDGED
- by Ron Paul
- Narrated by Bob Craig
The Revolution: A Manifesto

UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 19 mins)

By Ron Paul

Narrated By Bob Craig

Overall
(380)
Performance
(130)
Story
(131)

In The Revolution, Texas congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul has exposed the core truths behind everything threatening America, from the real reasons behind the collapse of the dollar and the looming financial crisis, to terrorism and the loss of our precious civil liberties. In this book, Ron Paul provides answers to questions that few even dare to ask.
Robert says: "Worth your time"
"Compelling Agruments"

Overall
Performance
Story

I was one of the many folks who 2 - 3 years ago thought that Ron Paul was just a complete nut case durring the last election cycle.

The events of the last year or so opened my mind to the point that I was willing to buy this audiobook, and give his aurguments a fair hearing.

I found my self convinced of about 80% of his points.

I don't think that withdrawing our millitary forces suddenly from the globe would be as clean and bloodless as he aurgues, nor that the world would suddenly come to love us after we tell the monsters of the world to "Have at it. we'll just stand on the sideline and watch."

He did convince me that, becoming neutral like Switerland should be the goal we should be moving our national policy to.

If you want to hear political positions and proposed solutions that nobody else is taking, get this audiobook. You may not agree with his positions, but you'll at least have heard his argument, and the reasons behind them.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Daemon

UNABRIDGED
- by Daniel Suarez
- Narrated by Jeff Gurner
Daemon

UNABRIDGED (15 hrs and 57 mins)

By Daniel Suarez

Narrated By Jeff Gurner

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(5288)
Performance
(2404)
Story
(2417)

Thousands of autonomous computer programs, or daemons, make our networked world possible, running constantly in the background of our lives, trafficking e-mail, transferring money, and monitoring power grids. For the most part, daemons are benign, but the same can't always be said for the people who design them.
Erica says: "Possibly The Best Techno-thriller Ever"
"Real world techno-thriller"

Overall
Performance
Story

I got this book after hearing an interview of the author.

In the interview he said that all on the tech in the novel does now exist, and could (if used by the right people) do exactly what is laid out in the novel.

Listen to the story, and let the fact that it may come true keep you up at night.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful
Coyote: A Novel of Interstellar Exploration

UNABRIDGED
- by Allen Steele
- Narrated by Peter Ganim , Allen Steele
Coyote: A Novel of Interstellar Exploration

UNABRIDGED (17 hrs and 36 mins)

By Allen Steele

Narrated By Peter Ganim, Allen Steele

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(530)
Performance
(242)
Story
(248)

The crime of the century begins without a hitch. On July 5th, 2070, as it's about to be launched, the starship Alabama is hijacked - by her captain and crew. In defiance of the repressive government of The United Republic of Earth, they replace her handpicked passengers with political dissidents and their families. These become Earth's first pioneers in the exploration of space...
Michael says: "It gets better"
"Poorly read"

Overall
Performance
Story

The Narrator speaks in a plodding, pause between each word, way. It was so bad it was difficult to get into the story.

I stopped listening 4 chapters into the story. Why? The awful narration coupled with the start of the story being the "Conservative Fascist" took over the USA, and the Air Force captain and his crew saves the Universe by stealing the only starship after they had replaced the original passengers with the good (oppressed liberals) people.

If you believe Conservatives are Nazis going to take over the USA and don’t mind a 1st grader reading the story to you, buy this audio book.

25 of 52 people found this review helpful
13 Things That Don't Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time

UNABRIDGED
- by Michael Brooks
- Narrated by James Adams
13 Things That Don't Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time

UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 58 mins)

By Michael Brooks

Narrated By James Adams

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(1297)
Performance
(454)
Story
(463)

Science starts to get interesting when things don't make sense. Science's best-kept secret is that there are experimental results and reliable data that the most brilliant scientists can neither explain nor dismiss. If history is any precedent, we should look to today's inexplicable results to forecast the future of science. Michael Brooks heads to the scientific frontier to meet 13 modern-day anomalies and discover tomorrow's breakthroughs.
Stephen says: "10 interesting chapters-read epiloge first"
"Know it all's Bane"

Overall
Performance
Story

A great listen. The 13 things are well explained. Each one is explained as to how they were found, why they don't make sense, and some of the theories that are being considered to explain the problems.

Expanded my grasp of reality and really got me thinking.

The perfect gift for someone who thinks they know it all.

34 of 37 people found this review helpful
The Precipice: Book One of The Asteroid Wars

UNABRIDGED
- by Ben Bova
- Narrated by Scott Brick , Amanda Karr , cast
The Precipice: Book One of The Asteroid Wars

UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 23 mins)

By Ben Bova

Narrated By Scott Brick, Amanda Karr, cast

Overall
(270)
Performance
(55)
Story
(56)

Once, Dan Randolph was one of the richest men on Earth. Now the planet is spiraling into environmental disaster, with floods and earthquakes destroying the lives of millions. Martin Humphries, fabulously wealthy heir of the Humphries Trust, also knows that space-based industry is the way of the future. But unlike Randolph, he does not care if Earth perishes in the process.
Qbook says: "A Fun Series With Good Science"
"Couldn't get off planet"

Overall
Performance
Story

I stopped listening to this one just a few chapters into it. I just couldn't get past the massive dose of Eco-Doom Global Warming propaganda enough to even start enjoying the story.

5 of 10 people found this review helpful
In the Courts of the Crimson Kings

UNABRIDGED
- by S. M. Stirling
- Narrated by Todd McLaren
In the Courts of the Crimson Kings

UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 28 mins)

By S. M. Stirling

Narrated By Todd McLaren

Overall
(101)
Performance
(24)
Story
(26)

Jeremy Wainman is an archaeologist who has achieved a lifelong dream: to travel to Mars and explore the dead cities of the Deep Beyond.
Teyud Zha-Zhalt is the Martian mercenary the Terrans hire as guide and captain of the landship Intrepid Traveller. A secret links her to the deadly intrigues of Dvor il-Adazar, the City That Is a Mountain, where the last aging descendant of the Tollamune Emperors clings to the remnants of his power.
Pie says: "Comic book time"
"Martian political thriller"

Overall
Performance
Story

Taking place in the same alternate history setting as the novel The Sky People, but 12 years latter and on Mars, I found the story to be very entertaining.

While the theme of the series (research into the Lords of Creation) was carried over from the first book, there was also an emphasis on the Marian political system and the "Game of Thrones" intrigues.

A prior review mentioned that they found the narration irritating. I personally did not have any problem with the narrators voice, or the characterizations. I had little difficulty telling which character said which line.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful