Pennalie

I love Stephen Colbert, but this was such a disappointment. Every once in a while, on the Colbert Report, you realized that Stephen just stretching for time...not enough material and 4 1/2 minutes to fill. Over and over again I caught myself thinking--that's what he's doing here. Just stretching for time--in a REALLY short book to begin with. Yes there were many moments of cutting satire, but surrounding them was way too much over-cute, meaningless routines. Perhaps these were the monologues that didn't make it onto the Colbert Report.

If you've ever wondered what it would be like if the genius mind of Stephen Colbert was ever loose to go deep into American hypocracy, taking the time to connect the dots of all that we pretend to be and the liars who spin the American dream.......well, this is not that.

But if you like the Colbert Report and wish you could pay $20.00 to get 3 hours of it, then this is thePERFECT audio book for you.

Will Patton nails the narration with the kind of southern drawl that lets you close you eyes in the coldest February night and blieve you're sipping lemonade in a 1950s hot Florida summer afternoon, So wonderful is this gossiping drawl to lay out the horror that comes quickly as the cold war takes a chilling turn.

This was my first WhisperSync audible purchase and I loved going back and forth from Kindle to Audible. The story was suspenseful and filled with entertaining characters--best described (as the author does throughout) as Shaggy, Daphne, Velma and Fred. Oh how we cheer for "Shaggy" and adore the sharp-tonged, Russian "Velma" and the blue-haired "Daphne" as they solve all the riddles of the universe locked in apartment.....oops, spoiler alert.

As with most Sci-Fi, when you finally look behind the curtain it is never quite as thrilling as the pages you just raced through to get there. But Peter Clines does not hold back on any of the potential for other-worldly adventure.

All that being said, by far the best feature of this audio-book is the narrator--Ray Porter. For my next audible purchase, I will definately seek out another book based on his narration. He was able to use different voices for each of the characters in this vast ensemble--not an easy task with the various ethnic backgrounds and the different women involved. And he did so masterfully. When the final threatening voices are added at the end of the tale, Mr. Porter nailed the haunting/threatening voice which sounded (to me at least) similar to Gollum. Bravo on an outstanding narration!

If you want to spend the next 9-10 hours solving puzzles and running for you life--this is absolutely the story for you!

The suspenseful way the story developes grabs you from the very start--all the way to the epilogue.

Zuckoff was able to weave the various characters in such a way that each one leaps off the page--from the spunky WAC, to the troubled parashooter, to the chief of the Dani tribe. I especially enjoyed the anthropological data so experately woven into a dramatic narrative.

The book is action-packed throughout. But the post plane-crash survival of the 3 main chacters, their injuries and treatment was especially gripping.

As an aside to any parents who want to choose vivid audio-books for their entire families--this book thoroughly entertained my whole family on a recent road trip. There is plenty of action and moments of drama--but never overtly vulgar, no over-the-top language or sexuality. This is increasingly rare to pull it off believably--but Zuckoff rose to the challenge.