Steven

I enjoyed both the story and the performance, but neither left me begging for more. 'The Mote in God'd Eye' should definitely be experienced, first. Don't expect any new ideas or entertaining twists. It's solid scifi, but that's all.

Before I start, let me state that I will be discussing minor plot points in 'Angels and Demons,' ' The Lost Symbol,' and 'Inferno.' I don't consider what I will reveal to be spoilers, but be forewarned by the spoiler alert, below. Until then, you won't read anything at all revealing.

I have mixed feelings about all Dan Brown novels since 'The Da Vinci Code.' His storytelling is above average, and his research into history and symbolism adds a welcome depth to all of the Robert Langdon novels. However, this reviewer finds his research in other areas to be so lacking as to seriously detract from the enjoyment of the works.

As usual, Richard Poe's narration is excellent. His work is highly recommended.

MINOR SPOILER ALERT:

Usually, Brown's errors are related to politics, law, and technology. I'll not detail any of the technological errors, as they are usually minor and not important to the story. Frequently; however, legal and political issues are a major story element, and deserve far more attention. In 'Angels and Demons' we have the French National Police (French: Police Nationale) ordering around British officers, on British soil, so blatantly that you would swear the UK must be a colony of France. In 'The Lost Symbol,' we see the US CIA exercising powers that they simply do not have on US soil. The authority of both the CIA and the US military are severely limited within the US as constitutional protections. It's not that I am so naive as to believe that some bureaucrats, politicians, and federal agents of various kinds don't push the limits from time to time, but Brown took it to extremes that would have gotten them arrested in the real world. The CIA does not take over domestic investigations and order around other federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. Whether you agree or not, I think you can see how this detracted from my enjoyment of the story with an issue that could have been avoided by placing domestic counter-terrorism where it belongs - with the FBI. I guess, using the CIA was more dramatic than the truth. To quote Robert Langdon, "I'm a fan of the truth." In 'Inferno,' we have a private paramilitary organisation chasing Langdon and company through Italy, while the Italian Police cooperate, unless I've missed something in the early parts of the book. I don't recall any attempt by the "soldiers" to misrepresent themselves as official persons. Did I miss something? More on this when I write my review of 'Inferno.'

END SPOILER ALERT.


To summarize, I believe that, due to the popularity of the Langdon character, the originality of the symbologist premise, and the overwhelming success of 'The Da Vinci Code,' Brown has become overrated. The stories are good exciting reading/listening, but with serious realism flaws.

It is what it is. Nothing to complain about, but nothing that most Zen/Chan/Taoist practitioners won't already know. If you are new to these disciplines, or just beginning to practice Tai Chi/Chi Gung, then it's probably worth the purchase. At the price, buy it for cash. Don't waste a full credit.

Those who are considering purchasing this book probably already know that the WOT series had it's highs and lows. Jordan started off brilliant, then slowly faded in the middle of the series. However, I believe that those works were essential to the series. No disrespect intended to the great storyteller Robert Jordan, but Brandon Sanderson completes this epic work with a skill and passion that equals, or exceeds, the early Jordan work. This is EASILY my favorite book of the series. If you are new to WOT, do yourself a huge favor, and start at the beginning. If you are a life-long friend, you will leave 'A Memory of Light' with many unanswered questions, but having really enjoyed the ride.

Brilliantly conceived by Jordon, masterfully written by Sanderson, beautifully executed by Kramer and Reading.

My HIGHEST recommendation.

This is the first book in Jack Campbell's "Lost Fleet" series.

It's been a long time since I read/heard a book that left me immediately ready for the next installment. I can find no fault with Christian Rummel's reading- very well done. Black Jack (our protagonist in this series) is my kind of hero. He is quietly competent and ethically sound. Maybe this series should be required reading for all public officials! I found the mix of action and intrigue to be just about right. Some reviewers have commented that, as the series progresses, the "escape" of the fleet (see publisher's intro.) is drawn out too long. We'll see. So far, I'm loving it!

After "The Bat," I thought I was unsure about this series. Now, I think I understand what it is. I completely enjoyed "Redbreast," but I'm still not won-over. Why? I think it's that I don't like Harry, himself. For new potential readers/listeners, Harry reminds me of Jesse Stone. I have to confess that I only know Jesse from the movies. Strangely, I liked that series of movies in a way that I can't really like Harry. Maybe it's the Tom Selleck effect, since they are similar characters. Some additional credit may go to the translator. I'm amazed at how well humorous elements translate. I would normally expect humor to be a highly cultural phenomena, but you would never know that the novel wasn't originally written in English.

I'm pretty sure I will get the next available installment, but I hope that Harry will become a less damaged character over time. I can only do so much of the damaged, whining, unreliable, drunk before I expect to see some improvement in character. I want characters that I can look up to, eventually. I tell you this so that you can judge for yourself. If you find a permanently damaged personality to be more "realistic," then Harry might be your guy.

If anything, Day 2 is even better than Day 1. Nick Podehl's performance was first class in every way.

The story-line kept me up late several nights and sent me checking for a status on Day 3 as soon as I heard the Audible announcer give his usual , "...we hope your enjoyed..."

Attempts at humor in books often get the barest grin out of me, but Day 2 had me laughing out loud - very unusual. There are subtle references that indicate that Rothfuss has some personal knowledge of Chinese internal martial arts. Usually, whether from personal experience or research, these things are often overdone. I appreciate how this knowledge, along with an appreciation for the subtleties of musical performance, are woven seamlessly into Rothfuss' stories.

A very enjoyable look at the political and scientific challenges involved in a program of exploration of Mars. Rudnicki is great, as always. He did a more than respectable job of voices and accents.

Some of the technological references are dated and the characters take actions that I found a bit unlikely, but I enjoyed it overall. If you like your SciFi near-future and with predictable technology, then you will consider Mars to be time and credit well spent.

I'm usually either hot or cold about Koontz. Lightning is one of his better works. From concept to characters, this was a real treat.

The Harry Hole character reminds me a little of Jesse Stone. He's definitely not your squeaky-clean hero. This series was recommended to me by someone who saw that I enjoyed Stieg Larsson's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and its sequels, and I'm grateful that he did. The summary is that it was worth the credit, but I'm not yet hooked and pining for the next book. I've purchased the next available audio book, number 3 in the series. We'll see how it goes. If I don't get a little more out of it, Harry may have to go on the shelf for a while.

Keep in mind, when reading my opinions, that darkish detective fiction is not really my thing, so I don't have a lot to compare Nesbo's work. I thought it was solid believable fiction, and, like Larsson's, very well translated. It felt like it was written for native english speakers. In a number of parts, I was amazed see that the humor translates well. Someone did a great job. Sean Barrett's performance of the various accents was very good, but the voice of Harry never quite fit the character for me. Other reviewers have stated a preference for another reader as Harry, but as this is my first in the series, I can't say. Sometimes, when the reader of a series changes, the new one doesn't get a fair chance. We (fans) like of character's voices to stay the same.

If you like the genre, give Harry a spin. You won't regret the credit, and may get to really like him.

I have read, rather than listening to, most of the 'Wheel of Time', but I think Kramer and Reading both did excellent work. However, you really have to pay attention to follow 'TWOT' in audio due to the number of characters and subplots.

Jordan was so fantastic that I expected to be disappointed by anyone finishing his work, but Sanderson was the ideal author to carry-on this great story from Jordan's notes. His pace feels a little faster to me, and he stays true to the feel of the series.

I will be following Sanderson's other work closely, now that I have discovered him.