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Old Man Parker

Me am Pop-Surrealist Tiki-Artist living and making Art on the active volcanic "Big Island" of Hawaii. Aloha.

Kailua-Kona, HI, United States | Member Since 2009

28
HELPFUL VOTES
  • 47 reviews
  • 55 ratings
  • 105 titles in library
  • 21 purchased in 2013
FOLLOWING
2
FOLLOWERS
6

  • Kraken

    • UNABRIDGED (16 hrs and 9 mins)
    • By China Mieville
    • Narrated By John Lee
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (460)
    Performance
    (210)
    Story
    (205)

    With this outrageous new novel, China Miéville has written one of the strangest, funniest, and flat-out scariest books you will read this—or any other—year. The London that comes to life in Kraken is a weird metropolis awash in secret currents of myth and magic, where criminals, police, cultists, and wizards are locked in a war to bring about—or prevent—the End of All Things.

    Peter says: "A New Favorite Author"
    "Creepy creeps up from the deep..."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you consider the audio edition of Kraken to be better than the print version?

    yes


    Who was your favorite character and why?

    hero - quite the adventure, you learn so much in such an strange world from his step by step path into this magical and hyper-verison of Harry Potter.


    Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    fantastic!~


    Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

    yes... but there is soooo much I could not. I enjoyed days of this amazing tale...


    Any additional comments?

    Harry Potter for adults. Smart adult, who like a good mystery and are not too squeamish about creepy bad guys killing people is really creepy ways....

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • An Old Friend of the Family: The New Dracula, Book 3

    • UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 24 mins)
    • By Fred Saberhagen
    • Narrated By Robin Bloodworth
    Overall
    (6)
    Performance
    (6)
    Story
    (6)

    The Southerland family left the old world to start anew in America, but little did they know that a blood-feud, older than history itself, would follow them through the generations to come. Kate Southerland, the first born of the latest generation of Southerlands, has been murdered, but she is not dead. Her little brother, Johnny, has also vanished, a severed, bloody finger the only clue. But the Southerlands have no clue what they've fallen into....

    Amanda Pike says: "I'm glad these are finally coming out!"
    "Sherlock Holmes & Dracula team up to battle Evil!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you listen to An Old Friend of the Family again? Why?

    Yes, it's very good.


    What other book might you compare An Old Friend of the Family to and why?

    Well, Book 2 of this series, where Dracula Meets Sherlock for the first time.


    Which character – as performed by Robin Bloodworth – was your favorite?

    I like his Dr. Watson very much. always the voice of radon. While, Dracula can add in things that make a bit more drama - and in his favor.


    Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

    Yes.


    Any additional comments?

    I loved this team up of Sherlock Holmes and Dracula so much I am longing for Dr. Frankenstein and his monster to become part of that great pulp action writer, Dr. Watson's stories!

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Seance for a Vampire: The New Dracula, Book 8

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 53 mins)
    • By Fred Saberhagen
    • Narrated By Robin Bloodworth
    Overall
    (4)
    Performance
    (4)
    Story
    (4)

    Bram Stoker portrayed Dracula as a terrifying creature of the night: heartless, soulless, preying on the pure and innocent. Fred Saberhagen, bestselling coauthor of the official movie tie-in for Bram Stoker's Dracula, shows another side to Dracula as the vampire is summoned by Dr. Watson to rescue Sherlock Holmes.

    Amanda Pike says: "I'm addicted to this book series."
    "Sherlock Holmes & Dracula fight ancient EVIL!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

    I already did.


    Who was your favorite character and why?

    I still like Dr. Watson...his is the voice of reason.


    Have you listened to any of Robin Bloodworth’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    He is an amazing reader! Love his old accents.


    If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

    When an ancient evil threatens all London, Sherloch Holmes seeks the aid of an old family friend: Dracula!


    Any additional comments?

    I LOVE these two books featuring Sherlock & Dracula, wish there were more. Maybe against a were wolf, or a wizard, the undead? More please!

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Ex-Heroes

    • UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 2 mins)
    • By Peter Clines
    • Narrated By Jay Snyder, Khristine Hvam
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1505)
    Performance
    (1306)
    Story
    (1313)

    Stealth. Gorgon. Regenerator. Cerberus. Zzzap. The Mighty Dragon. They were heroes. Vigilantes. Crusaders for justice, using their superhuman abilites to make Los Angeles a better place. Then the plague of living death spread around the globe. Despite the best efforts of the superheroes, the police, and the military, the hungry corpses rose up and overwhelmed the country. The population was decimated, heroes fell, and the city of angels was left a desolate zombie wasteland like so many others.

    Don says: "A great read if you like heroes or zombies!"
    "Superheros vs Zombies"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you listen to Ex-Heroes again? Why?

    Why, so many characters so much happens so fast


    What did you like best about this story?

    the idea. I thought of this back in the early 90's and wanted to make a comic book of it ever since.


    Which scene was your favorite?

    the fight scenes


    If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

    Zombies VS Superheroes


    Any additional comments?

    YES - WTF! WHY are the super heroes getting bitten? Why the Heck aren't they wearing kevlar and extra bite proof gear if they don't have super bullet proof skin? Doesn't it seem like the first thing you would do in going into battle against ZOMBIES is make sure you are wearing protective gear!! DUH! Huge mistake.
    Other than that I loved it.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Holmes-Dracula File: The New Dracula, Book 2

    • UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 13 mins)
    • By Fred Saberhagen
    • Narrated By Robin Bloodworth
    Overall
    (6)
    Performance
    (6)
    Story
    (6)

    World-famous “consulting detective” Sherlock Holmes faces a terrible crisis: a ring of criminal masterminds has threatened to loose thousands of plague-infected rats into the streets of London. But the Black Death isn’t Holmes’ only problem. A lone killer haunts the city. His calling card is a trail of corpses, drained of blood to the last drop.The key to solving both crimes rests in the hands of a mysterious nobleman recently returned to London on a personal matter. His name is Dracula.

    Melinda says: "Robin Bloodworth's narration is top notch!"
    "The ultimate Villain vs the best Detective ever!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you listen to The Holmes-Dracula File again? Why?

    Yes, and I have - I paint, and listen to great books while I work - and this is one of them.


    Who was your favorite character and why?

    Hard to say - Dracula turns out to be just as interesting and enjoyable as Sherlock Holmes!


    Have you listened to any of Robin Bloodworth’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    Not yet -but he's amazing. His Dracula is hypnotic , his Holmes is cleaver & witty...excellent!


    If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

    The Ultimate Villain vs the Best Detective of all time! The winner saves, or enslaves, the world!


    Any additional comments?

    I have searched for a book like this. Found a few Holmes vs Dracula books, However, NONE are as good as this one! This is so far superior than any of the others... I'm so glad I found it.
    I now want to read the rest of the Dracula tales. If only now Fred Saberhagen would write Dracula vs Batman, what a tale that would be!

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Seven Wonders

    • UNABRIDGED (14 hrs and 37 mins)
    • By Adam Christopher
    • Narrated By Nick Podehl
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (11)
    Performance
    (11)
    Story
    (11)

    Tony Prosdocimi lives in the bustling Metropolis of San Ventura – a city gripped in fear, a city under siege by the hooded supervillain, The Cowl. When Tony develops super-powers and acts to take down The Cowl, however, he finds that the local superhero team Seven Wonders aren’t as grateful as he assumed they’d be….

    Old Man Parker says: "Super Heroes told in a wonderful adult, smart way!"
    "Super Heroes told in a wonderful adult, smart way!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you consider the audio edition of Seven Wonders to be better than the print version?

    YES. I paint. I don';t have time to sit and read. So I paint and listen.


    What other book might you compare Seven Wonders to and why?

    The Ace's High books. Because of the smart and superior writing , taking super heroes and telling would would REALLY happen, socially, politically, legally, emotionally...smart clever, and it builds with street fights & action up to mighty cosmic battles on scales that Kirby would be happy with.


    What does Nick Podehl bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

    Wow, he does great voices men and women! Hard to tell it's just one guy!


    Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

    no. I and to listen to it a few times to get all the details and delicious emotional inter-play between complex characters.


    Any additional comments?

    Much smarter than most of the super hero movies. Adam Christopher knows how to tell a story - he knows how to build characters, and how to build the action till you are on the edge of your moon base fortress of solitude seat! Excellent. Wonderful. I hope there are more in this series with these characters - Adam Christopher has a endless creative mind for developing an endless array of heroes and villains - and not afraid to give very powerful characters on the level of Super Man all the physical and emotional struggle they can handle - you are never bored, or sure the heroes will win because they are VERY powerful ...because there are so many things in the "real world" and the "Wonder World" that would thwart a hero no matter how powerful they are.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Black House

    • UNABRIDGED (26 hrs and 32 mins)
    • By Stephen King, Peter Straub
    • Narrated By Frank Muller
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (152)
    Performance
    (131)
    Story
    (131)

    Twenty years ago, a boy named Jack Sawyer traveled to a parallel universe called the Territories to save his mother and her “Twinner” from an agonizing death that would have brought cataclysm to the other world. Now Jack is a retired Los Angeles homicide detective living in the nearly nonexistent hamlet of Tamarack, Wisconsin. He has no recollection of his adventures in the Territories....

    R. A. Frank says: "Delightful detective story with a magical twist!"
    "Black House? EE-Gad! More like CRAP HOUSE!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

    To enjoy this book you need to have more of a teen-ager's reading expectations. Perhaps even a pre-teen. You have to be following the long, unending, and boring "Dark Tower" crap-fest that King has been spewing froth over half his career.


    What was most disappointing about Stephen King and Peter Straub ’s story?

    I wanted a good "HAUNTED HOUSE" story, instead I got a promising serial killer plot that turned into a stupidly over-complex, and silly "Lord of the Rings" with golf carts and silly voices.


    Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Frank Muller?

    Few indeed would be the talented reader able to make this sad mess sound right. Perhaps Mark Hamil doing "The Joker" could read it as a huge laugh. That might work.


    What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

    Disappointment. MAJOR disappointment. Mr. King is not good at writing alternate worlds... that's Clive Barker's thing. If I wanted "other-dimensional fantasy-adventure", I'd pick up "Weave World" by Clive Barker. Maybe something by H. P. Lovecraft.


    Any additional comments?

    What happened to Stephen King? He was a great writer once. Then, he got off on this stupid Dark Tower "other-world" Lord of the Rings with cowboys in the land of OZ thing. I wish Mr. King would write some horror stories that take place on planet earth, with earth people, again. PLEASE. It seems to me Mr. King is a closet fantasy writer and he secretly frets to tell stories about hobbits and elfs and Gandalf. Maybe he should write some Harry Potter stories and get all this out of his system. Then, perhaps, he can come back and write grown up stories for us grown up readers. Worst of all, the reader of this very silly story does some very silly voices. Oh gawd! The voice of the "EVIL" bad guy is so pathetic! I cringed every time he spoke. Oh, jeepers creepers, that was sad! Maybe ten year olds would be entertained and scared, but I was annoyed and bored.This MUST be a book for young readers. That's all I can think of, as an excuse for it's mega-lameness. Please, Mr. King, finish up this overly long and stupid "Harry Potter and the Dark Towering Dingleberry" epic, and come back and write some adult stories.

    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • The Haunting of Hill House

    • UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 31 mins)
    • By Shirley Jackson
    • Narrated By Bernadette Dunne
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (146)
    Performance
    (111)
    Story
    (116)

    Four seekers have come to the ugly, abandoned old mansion: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of the psychic phenomenon called haunting; Theodora, his lovely and lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a lonely, homeless girl well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the adventurous future heir of Hill House.

    Mark says: "Superb Reading of Horror Classic"
    "Perhaps the best haunted house tale of all time."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Where does The Haunting of Hill House rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

    One of my favorites.


    Who was your favorite character and why?

    Well, hard to say, Elie, who you see much of the story through is going mad, so is not all times very likable, I think the Dr. who put together the experiment is interesting, the sexy woman psychic is fun, the idle rich boy is not very deep...perhaps the house itself is the strangest character.


    Have you listened to any of Bernadette Dunne’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    She has a great voice with depth and texture, wonderful for a ghost story, a crime drama, or a tale of terror.


    If you could rename The Haunting of Hill House, what would you call it?

    That's a hard one. "The Haunting of Hill House" is a classic title which sounds so right. It chills with it's mere words. Perhaps a second book could be called "The Hunger of Hill House"?


    Any additional comments?

    This is one of the all time great "Haunted House" stories. It set the bench mark for most every haunted house that has come after. If you love the horror genre, you MUST listen to this book. It's a classic.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Ice Hunt

    • UNABRIDGED (15 hrs and 43 mins)
    • By James Rollins
    • Narrated By John Meagher
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (310)
    Performance
    (119)
    Story
    (121)

    Carved into a moving island of ice twice the size of the United States, Ice Station Grendel has been abandoned for more than 70 years. The twisted brainchild of the finest minds of the former Soviet Union, it was designed to be inaccessible and virtually invisible. But an American undersea research vessel has inadvertently pulled too close - and something has been sighted moving inside the allegedly deserted facility, something whose survival defies every natural law.

    Mobilis says: "Scooby Doo With Scarier Monsters"
    "Ice Station Zebra/Orca"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you listen to Ice Hunt again? Why?

    Yes, it's got lots of creepy moments.


    What did you like best about this story?

    A smart action/adventure sliding down an icy weird twisty tunnel in the manic science of WWII plus a nice mix of some prehistoric horrific stalking creatures lurking about a forgotten secret military base in a floating iceberg/science lab.


    What does John Meagher bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

    Good reading, good story telling. Key stuff.


    If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

    Frozen horror thaws out... hungry!


    Any additional comments?

    Started a bit simple, thought it was going to be nothing new, but took on some good turns as it went. Nice to explore prehistoric monsters you don't hear much about: Killer whales with legs and claws and smarts like jungle cats stalking an eerie icy maze / WWII secret lab military base created by desperate powers - no one was guilt free when the world was destroying itself.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Cabinet of Curiosities: A Novel

    • UNABRIDGED (17 hrs and 4 mins)
    • By Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
    • Narrated By Jonathan Marosz
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (263)
    Performance
    (233)
    Story
    (230)

    In an ancient tunnel underneath New York City a charnel house is discovered. Inside are 36 bodies all murdered and mutilated more than a century ago. While FBI agent Pendergast investigates the old crimes, identical killings start to terrorize the city. The nightmare has begun. Again.

    Nancy says: "Enjoyable, but not my favorite"
    "Jack the Ripper vs Pendergast"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Where does The Cabinet of Curiosities rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

    Top 10


    What other book might you compare The Cabinet of Curiosities to and why?

    The Relic, the Reliquary... also H.P. Lovecraft's "The Terrible old Man": of the mysterious old man with a terrible power for murder, & "The Shunned House": with it's long family history of strange happenings and deaths, & "the Hound": with it's horrific collection of strange things and the terrible fate of the collectors. But maybe Lovecrft's "Herbert West-Reanimator" with it's gruesome surgery/magic and underground tunnels and horrific out comes.


    Which character – as performed by Jonathan Marosz – was your favorite?

    Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast; he is the Elric of Melnibone of the F. B. I. - in this tale he becomes more pale (nearly albino), more strangely alien, and wizard-like. The story passes from a New York dectetive noir story and veers towards becoming a sword and sorcery adventure. Quite exciting, and very twisted! Pendergast is revealed to be even stranger than thought, with some VERY strange family, and he's becoming less human and more like Elric with each book.


    Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

    Yes, however... it was too long to get it all in...it's a wonderfully twisted tale that gets weirder and more twisted the more you hear...and yet retains it's brilliant wit and it's ever so smart human questions on "just really what would you do if..."


    Any additional comments?

    These horror/crime stories reach nearly insane Lovecraftian madness, but, unlike Lovecraft, Preston saves us from falling into insanity with a hero of such power as to match the terror & alien-other-ness of the weird-crimes echoing ghostly step for step. I thrill to these books with their very creepy "Tales from the Crypt" pre-code grotesque and chilling violence. But most of all, what these are really about is that I love the ultimate X-files investigator - the one man who could face such mind-bending horrors and win - our hero: Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast. The more I read and discover about him, the more questions there are about his shadowy past, and the stranger he becomes, but the more heroic and awesome. He's one of the all time great anti-heroes. He is Sherlock Holmes & Elric of Melnibone & Carl Kolchak & Bela Lugosi (as a southern gentleman) all transmogrified together into a dreadfully delicious tall, black-clad, ice-cold, albino Vincent Price of a man: Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Reliquary: Pendergast, Book 2

    • UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 48 mins)
    • By Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
    • Narrated By Dick Hill
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1776)
    Performance
    (932)
    Story
    (921)

    Hidden deep beneath Manhattan lies a warren of tunnels, sewers, and galleries, mostly forgotten by those who walk the streets above. There lies the ultimate secret of the Museum Beast. When two grotesquely deformed skeletons are found deep in the mud off the Manhattan shoreline, museum curator Margo Green is called in to aid the investigation.

    Jim says: "An unsurpassed thrill ride"
    "The Children of the Kothuga!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    If you could sum up Reliquary in three words, what would they be?

    Inhuman Subterranean Under-dwellers!


    What was one of the most memorable moments of Reliquary?

    It was a mandatory follow up to "The Relic" - you discover the truth about the monster, some character's real motivations, and get more action from characters you've already come to care about. Near the end, it actually becomes so action driven it seemed like an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, but really had a keen darkness much like Robert E Howard's "Children of the Night" series.


    Which character – as performed by Dick Hill – was your favorite?

    Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast; he is the Elric of Melnibone of the F. B. I. - in this tale he becomes more pale (nearly albino), more strangely alien, and wizard-like. The story passes from a New York dectetive noir story and veers towards becoming a sword and sorcery adventure. Quite exciting, and very twisted!


    If you could rename Reliquary, what would you call it?

    The Relic - Part Two: or... "The Lurking Fear: Pendergast vs the Morlocks".


    Any additional comments?

    Tremendous writing that goes way past a cop story, and walks down one of those 6 block long dark museum hallways towards H.P. Lovecraft material: actually It's a LOT like Lovecraft's "The Lurking Fear", but with more action worthy of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E Howard's "Children of the Night" stories. I enjoyed it very much!

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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