Dan

Book 9 starts a new story. The stage is expanding and so are the characters; there is a risk that the world grow too big. Unlike in the Weber/Ringo "Prince Roger" series, where the main characters move from horde to horde, this series is bringing new hordes onto the orginal stage. Also, technolgy is developing at a frightful pace. Nuclear weapons if not aliens in flying saucers can't be far off (the raw materials for nuclear weapones were introduced in Book 2).

Also, I'm often reminded on Charles Stross's "A Colder War"......Don't go into the light!

Not only was the book boring, its fixation on toture was very off-putting. I give two stars because, like book 1 of the Splatterjay series, there is a story somewhere in there amongst the shock and gore.

Very good science fiction; excellent writing and narration; this book is definitely worth hearing. But, like many of the classics, some of the jargon should be updated for the 21st century (like what was recently done in Fuzzy Nation). Also, the theme is a little depressing, and unnecessarily so. Some chapters, while likely shocking in the 60's, now are not so much.

The author introduces too many characters that actually "Speak" throughout the story, and some of these characters are not at all human. So the plot is a little hard to follow even though the underlying plot is relatively simple. It's like if all of the aliens presented in the original movie Star Wars had lines. Also, with so many different characters, it's hard to care about any of them. It's likely why one of the most cogent characacters is the evil cyborg, who is more often presented alone. At one point the author even seemed to introduce God as a character, but thankfully didn't give God any lines.
I didn't hear the 1st in the series and I likely won't. But, The story did build to a climax that may deserve a final book.

All of the books of the Cobra Trilogy series were very enjoyable. They are well written and Stefan Rudnicki gives his usual professional reading.

As with book 1, book 2 is a very pleasant surprize. The story is strong and so is the delivery. I believe that the word 'Cobra' in the title tends to convey that the book's content may be somewhat puerile; but if you're thinking this is GI-Joe Cobra, think again.

A good buy for any fan of the series, Book 6 has a much stronger story and tighter plot than Book 5. In fact, maybe the authors should consider the wisdom of deleting weak chapters from the final version of their novels. But, once again, the main problem with book 6 is with the narrator; who, admittedly does a much better job on book 6 than he did on book 5. It’s like he is sometimes struggling to see the text (maybe he needs his vision checked). For example: in an early entry he read, “ The emperor moved gracefully down the line as he - - ----- - - - had often done amongst his people.” It gets much worse as near the end of the book. To state it plainly, Jerry Sciarro, does a much better job of narrating than John Hough. I don’t know if the producer is saving money by switching narrators, but, the current narrator will drive away customers. I really don’t know if I like book 5 or not because it was so agonizing to hear. It really is a big issue, there is essentially a QC problem with the product. Give Jerry his money ------------please!

The narrator does a very poor job. It’s as if the recording is in one take and the narrator is reading the story for the first time. Also, the writing is a little sloppy. For example:
He thought, “blah-blah-blah-blah.”
He continued, “yada-yada-yada-yada.”
He concluded, “bada-bada-bada-bing!”

Why not just write: He thought, “Blah-blah-blah-blah. Yada-yada-yada-yada. Bada-bada-bada-bing!”
You have to admit that it’s a little hard for a narrator to deliver a character’s lines with all those useless interruptions.
Unfortunately, I WAS such a Sten fan that I’ve already bought Book 6. So, I’m very worried right now.

Reminiscent of a SNL: "What's up with that" sketch". There is a plot that weaves through an almost carnival setting. Some are funny; but it's a little exhausting. I kept thinking that maybe Larry should get off of that stuff.

I didn' t like the 1st story about the "Death-Bird" at all. In fact, my mind kept drifting to the low rating and scathing review that I was soon to submit. Then, goaded by a particurlarly annoying section, I angrily pushed the advance to next section button. Still, fuming about the good money I wasted, the 2nd story starting getting my attention. It wasn't bad at all so I kept listening. I liked all of the rest of the stories, and in fact, listened through to the end in one sitting. So, I'm thinking that maybe I was wrong about the "Deathbird" too. No, not wrong; as a story it stinks. It may work as a poem in some academic setting; where students assign alternative meanings to black and white. But, it was not what I wanted to hear; and frankly, the authors depiction of a giant "one-eyed-death-bird" is a little weird.

William Dufris does a great job on the story (reminiscent of "Destroyermen"), but the story kinda drifts a little. The problem may be that there are not really any bad guys in the book; things just get outta hand like in a cafeteria food fight. The Secretary of State is an interesting character, and so is McLANAHAN!!! But, most of the characters are very forgettable.