Chalkkdust

A globe trotting adventure story where the hero saves the world and gets the girl? Nothing wrong with this genre, in fact I'm a big fan of this type of story. But The Ark, which seemed like a really great idea as a premise, was lacking in execution.

I know these books can be great without having to be a literary masterpiece, but the author's complete reliance on blind luck to get our heroes out of any jam was quite annoying.

...a scholar who just happened to take hand to hand combat and weapons training, accessing weapons that are always found when she really needed them.
...Multiple ambushes averted because of a lucky glance in the right direction.
... Truth serum used on someone that just happens to be in the 5% of people unaffected.
...A backpack that performed more like a magicians hat and always seemed to have the one unique object to foil the bad guys plans?

The coincidence and luck required to propel this story forward went beyond the suspension of belief.

I think the inclusion of the main protagonist into the story was forced. Our hero originally had no idea what was going on, was in fact clueless. Only after attempts on his life (ordered because he knew to much) did he decide to get involved and discover who was behind this. I'm still trying to understand that logic.

I actually enjoyed the narration, the multiple dialects made the conversation easy and enjoyable to follow.

Overall, I was disappointed because the story idea was great. This is the start of a series, and I hope the author's storytelling will continue to improve throughout his novels because as much as I disliked this first effort, I'm liking the ideas enough to give his second novel a shot.

Following an outstanding novel can be tricky and most attempts seem to fall short. Larry Correia does not succumb to this and gives us an exciting second glimpse into the world of Owen Z Pitt and his band of monster hunters. The adrenaline laced writing combined with the stellar performance of Oliver Wyman will not disappoint the fans of the original book.

I've always been a fan of Baen books and their hardcore science fiction offerings however I was not sure how they'd do in an audio format. If you're in the same boat, rest easy for Monster Hunter International was perhaps the most entertaining audio book I've ever listened to.

The story involves, we'll you guessed it, lots of monster killing. Nothing we haven't seen on any Sci Fy movie of the week. But that's just the setting, for what makes this book stand out is the clumsy but lovable hero we experience this adventure through. Owen Zastava Pitt is your average humble accountant and part time championship shooter who one day happens to kill a wear wolf with his bear hands... yadda yadda.... saves the world... yadda yadda...

You know the saying "you can't make this stuff up?" We'll, Larry Correia can. And rather than rolling your eyes, you find your self listening just a little longer to find out what happens next.

The action scenes are superb and plentiful. The monsters themselves are ripped straight from pop culture with nothing surprising or new (these vampires don't sparkle which is a plus.) What's nice is the fact that most modern monster lore is included. From mythology to fantasy and Bram Stoker to HP Lovecraft, this book has it all. It's rednecks vs vampires and orcs vs the old ones.

This book is a B movie plot with an A list cast who gets it just right to be solidly entertaining.

And the narration is some of the best I've ever heard. This is my first audible book read by Oliver Wymen, but it won't be my last. When it comes to dialect, the guy's got range. I found my self listening to an oafish weight lifter, a trailer park red neck, and a German aristrocat having a conversation. I had to double check the book information thinking it had multiple readers.

No wonder this book was a 2012 Audies finalist.

The book is interesting and exciting but lacking in likable characters. The science is full of holes but I think the author(s) aren't pretending otherwise. In fact, one of the characters reflects on all the implausibilities of the situation and seems to be ok with unanswerable questions and impossible results. As to the characters themselves, this novel falls flat. The few characters that generated interest were either very minor characters or left the story surprisingly early. I looked upon the final cast of this story with the same lack of emotion or sympathy as the critters in the "microworld" might look upon them. The other issue I have is the theme of the novel, as it can't quite decide between being an adventure story or a horror story. I think if the author(s) had pushed harder in one direction or the other the quality of the book would have been better.

The strength and saving grace of this novel is the setting. The description of the micro world itself was fascinating and scene stealing, keeping me hooked despite my frustrations with plot holes and weak attempts at character development.

As it stands, Micro had its moments, and despite the above mentioned issues, I found myself always wanting to listen just a little longer...

If you enjoy Lincoln Child's solo novels, then you will enjoy this as well.

Child tends to write fast paced science and techno thrillers that are light on the science and tech. This is not a bad thing for quick summer reads when our goal is simple escapism. Utopia is nothing less, and nothing more.

The suspense and action is where the strength of this novel lies, in fact, it depends on it. The characters have zero development throughout the story as if they were merely props in one big action sequence. But hey, that's what we want in these kind of stories right?

For those that have read the first two books, be warned... Shattered Hourglass is a disappointing third entry into an otherwise decent series.

Where the first two books are journal entries from a man surviving post zombie apocalypse, the third is...well I'm not quite sure what it is.

The ending is so rushed, it feels like we're reading notes for a fourth novel that the author decided not to write.

And the main story feels like the author was planning on doing a collection of short stories within the same universe but instead attempted to tie them together for the sole reason of rushing out the next novel in the series.

Deep Storm fits in the category of fun, quick, and not to cerebral reads. It's an adventure story with a few shocks and surprises along the way, however the end is never really in doubt.

I'm really starting to like Scott Brick. His general cadence and tone makes it easy to become immersed within the story.