"still amazing!"
Haven't read the book, but Steven Pacey is an awesome narrator!
I still like Glokta. And Logan. And West. Okay, most of these characters are my favorite because they are basically trying to do the best they can given their circumstances and the world they live in. Both would reject any pity directed their way. In this novel there are no soft characters- they wouldn't survive long in the world that Abercrombie has created.
Steven gives all characters their own voices. He even does a great job of narrating Glokta's inner dialogue. That is hard to do- often you listen to a book and it takes you awhile to figure out that the narration are the thoughts of the character. Not so here. Glikta's mental musings are done fantastically! Pacey narrates all the characters with full emotional effect, and I was captivated the whole time,
This book moved me. I was spellbound. I couldn't wait to hear what happened next throughout the book. It isn't a happy book- there are no fairy tales here- but it is a compelling book.
Be warned, this book is more gruesomely graphic than the first. It's still a captivating book, and I couldn't put it down, but I wasn't quite ready for some of the gruesomeness. That's the only reason that it doesn't get a full 5 stars in every category.
"A definite must."
I really liked the dilemma of bramble. Bramble sprouts as a result of using magic. Even though everyone knows it, individuals still use it, justifying their needs for magic despite the effect it has on their society. This tension between the needs/wants of the individual and that of society as a whole is such a fascinating element to the story.
Both narrators evoke such emotion in their reading, I was mesmerized by the pictures they painted in my head. I felt that Jonathan Davis read a little too slowly for my tastes, but he still did a great job.
Yes, but I don't want to spoil it for everyone else. I was drawn into the characters as they struggle with their moral quandary- what begins as a very clear right/wrong situation becomes much more complicated as the stories develop. I really wanted the story to continue to explore this. I just wasn't ready for these stories to end, they were that good!
"Vicious...and riveting"
Abercrombie does a great job of making you love and loathe the characters. He walks this fine line and it is so compelling that you just can't stop listening!
This is not a pretty novel, and the characters are not noble people. That makes this story even more riveting- you keep waiting for the characters to be redeemed, or at least redeemable. Even now, I want to know what Shivers got up to after the story ended.
you will hate this story, the characters in it, and you will love this story and the characters in it. Abercrombie is genius at building this tension and leave you craving for more!
Narrators can make or break a story. I totally think Steven Pacey does a better job with these particular books (he's grittier, I think), but Page does a good job bringing the characters to life.
"riveting"
There are so many. Don't want to give any spoilers away, so it's hard to say, but I loved the story as it weaves the lives of so many different characters together. I loved them, felt sorrow with them, was angry with them, loathed them at times. But the important thing there was that I always FELT something in this story. I couldn't wait to get back into the car, or go to the gym, or take my dog for the walk so that I could listen to it again.
The inflections of his voice are amazing, and really help bring the characters joys, worries, fears, and devious plannings to life. He is an excellent narrator
The film version doesn't hold a candle to the book! Listen to the book
"I really, really, wanted to like this book..."
I read so many positive reviews about this story, I was pretty excited to get started. I was very disappointed unfortunately. The voices in the narration were forced, and the accent sounded like a really bad imitation of british accent. Some of the voices given to people seemed inappropriate, too. the young monk Myron sounds like an old man, and a bit of a moron.
The story itself was a little heavy-handed. Sullivan seemed to HAVE to tell you everything about completely dumb details- who cares that Myron can't figure out stirrups? Glad you mentioned it, but you don't have to spend 10 minutes of narration on it. It was like he felt he needed to prove he had really thought about the backstory by writing it all down.
I think there is a really good story in here, and I really want to hear it. I just think that a really good editor needs to look at it first.
"fantastic mystery novel!"
Christian Rodska is amazing! He really brings the story to life by truly conveying the characters emotions, and the author's sarcasm. It's a great murder-mystery set in Rome, and Marcus Didio Falco is the perfect hero.
There was a definite journey in the book. I liked how there were several threads to follow, it made the mystery even more fun to solve.
This was my first intro to Rodska. I can tell you that I WILL find more books of his to listen to!
I am extremely disappointed that the whole series isn't here. I guess I will have to go find the paperback copies to fill in the gaps!
"Very Well-Done!"
This was a GREAT BOOK! I was amazed at how seamlessly the author wove actual historical events into this 'biography'. I was so engrossed in the story that I kept having to remind myself that this was a work of fiction and not an actual biography. So impressed with this book! The narrator has an even voice, and I was mesmerized listening to him. I was hesitant to buy this book for a while- I didn't want to waste my credit on another silly vampire novel, but I was so wrong! This was a fantastic book!
"great murder-mystery!"
I thought this story was fantastic! What a fantastic Sherlock Holmes adventure! I thought that Faye did a good job of intertwining a Holmes mystery and the Ripper murders. There were so many twists and turns and classic Holmesian deductions that I never wanted to stop listening! The only reason that I didn't give it a 5 for story was that I felt that the ending was a little too neat and tidy and served to the listener with a little bow on top. It was a little too abrupt and seemed like the author was in a hurry to wrap it all up.
I love Simon Vance. He is a fantastic narrator. Part of the reason I got this audiobook was because he was the narrator. He does not disappoint in this book, either.
I think, after reading the other reviews, that this book is best for the casual Holmes enthusiast, not the diehard one. If you are familiar with Holmes tales, that helps, but then you can follow along without being disturbed by discrepancies with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original interpretation. All in all, though, this was a great listen. I enjoyed it thoroughly!
"Very Compelling"
This was a story of a man who has had a very privileged life...and then had it taken away from him. I thought that Archer's revelations about how the other half lives was very compelling. You can feel his growing outrage at the system as he learns to navigate this. Although he is talking about life in a British prison, there are obvious parallels. What a unique story- Jeffrey Archer is clearly outraged by his own conviction,and struggling with his situation but here he is confronted with people who have clearly struggled against circumstances Archer has only written about in his stories. You can feel the transition as he becomes more outraged and horrified about those other individuals. What a transformation for a self-described "conservative millionaire".
His narration. Jarvis gives all of the characters a unique voice, and reads the first person narrative very well.
Sort of. I always wanted to know what happened next. But since this is a diary, there are great breaks in the story if you have to turn it off (or in my case, get out of the car). I never really wanted to stop listening, but since I had to, it was nice to have easy places to stop.
I am a big fan of Jeffrey Archer's books, so I was fascinated by his real life story. Be warned, though- if you want to know about the rest of his experiences, you will have to read them- they aren't on audiobook. I HAVE read them, and they are just as good!
"too heavy-handed for me"
I think that this story needs less- Rothfuss is a little to heavy-handed in his attempt to make his readers understand his world. There are endless similes and metaphors. I don't think that there is a paragraph that doesn't have at least two metaphors in it. It get frustrating after awhile. I like to be able to see the characters in my head, to see the world as they do. I felt like this story tried too hard to MAKE me see it, but all it did was irritate me. In one instance Rothfuss describes a voice as deep as thunder, then two sentences later he describes it as deep as the ocean, and then again he describes it as deep and sonorous as... I forget what it was, because by that time I was cranky. Too much metaphor didn't let me as the reader/listener have to time to enjoy the story. During the story of Lanray (sp), he describes the character as not being mad, then close to madness, then on the brink of madness, making a deal that would only lead to madness, but yet the character isn't mad? I got about 5 hours into the book, then had to stop. I just couldn't take it anymore.
The overuse of metaphor in the book, as I mentioned above. Also, he was so caught up in his descriptive adjectives, that his characters would be weary, then cold as stone, then nonchalant, then weary again, then bubbly and happy all in the space of 5 minutes of dialogue. I just couldn't get into it. After 5 hours of the story, I still don't really know or care who Kvothe is, or who Baste is, or know or care why Kvothe is hiding out as an innkeeper. I was so ready for this book, too, after reading all the other reviews of this story. Very disappointing.
I liked his voice, but it felt like he took long pauses in awkward place in the story. It could have just been me, though. He did do a good job creating separate voices for the different characters, though.
Does it get better? As I said, i only got 5 hours into it, and it is a long book. Maybe someday when I am on a really long road trip I will try it again!
"Compelling!"
I loved how the book told the stories of each of the main characters individually. the parallel timelines are so much fun to listen to. Having two narrators take the male/ female roles also made it pleasant to listen to.
Maisie Clifton. I really like this woman. She never gives up, and her perseverance is an inspiration to the characters in the book, but also to the listener. Wow!
Maisie Clifton.
Yes it was. I listen to audiobooks in the car and at the gym, and this book kept me on that elliptical machine much longer than I usually am, and when I got home, I would actually sit in my car in the garage to listen to "just a few minutes more".
I don't know how I am going to wait for the next one. archer left us quite the cliffhanger at the end of this book, and I am impatiently waiting for the next book to come out!