You no longer follow Ronald

You will no longer see updates from this user when they write new reviews, or suggestions based on their library or recommendations.

You can re-follow a user if you change your mind.

OK

You now follow Ronald

You will receive updates from this user when they write new reviews, or suggestions based on their library or recommendations.

You can unfollow a user if you change your mind.

OK

Ronald

Davis, CA, United States | Member Since 2008

4
HELPFUL VOTES
  • 11 reviews
  • 121 ratings
  • 0 titles in library
  • 39 purchased in 2013
FOLLOWING
0
FOLLOWERS
1

  • Great North Road

    • UNABRIDGED (36 hrs and 34 mins)
    • By Peter F. Hamilton
    • Narrated By Toby Longworth
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (216)
    Performance
    (198)
    Story
    (195)

    A century from now, thanks to a technology allowing instantaneous travel across light-years, humanity has solved its energy shortages, cleaned up the environment, and created far-flung colony worlds. The keys to this empire belong to the powerful North family - composed of successive generations of clones. Yet these clones are not identical. For one thing, genetic errors have crept in with each generation. For another, the original three clone "brothers" have gone their separate ways, and the branches of the family are now friendly rivals more than allies. Or maybe not so friendly....

    Ethan M. says: "A modern master of epic SF does what he does best"
    "If its Peter Hamilton, I know I will like it"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you listen to Great North Road again? Why?

    I don't usually re-read books, so no, probably not.


    What other book might you compare Great North Road to and why?

    Along the lines of the Commonwealth and Void series, Great North Road fits right into Hamilton's unique take on the future. I would personally recommend the Commonwealth and Void series books over this, but I still loved it.


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

    Great reader - I am a fan


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

    Avatar with a bad attitude.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Mind Games: Disillusionists, Book 1

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 50 mins)
    • By Carolyn Crane
    • Narrated By Rebecca Wisocky
    Overall
    (159)
    Performance
    (137)
    Story
    (130)

    Justine Jones has a secret. A hardcore hypochondriac, she’s convinced a blood vessel is about to burst in her brain. Then, out of the blue, a startlingly handsome man named Packard peers into Justine’s soul and invites her to join his private crime-fighting team. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal. With a little of Packard’s hands-on training, Justine can weaponize her neurosis, turning it outward on Midcity’s worst criminals.

    Rae says: "Great Start to New Series"
    "Is that a headache, or a tumor growing in my head?"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Where does Mind Games rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

    A fantasy Stephanie Plum? Sure, why not? Perhaps not quite so funny as Janet Evanovich, but its a fun romp nonetheless.


    Who was your favorite character and why?

    Justine's hypochondria (is it imagined - or real?) is very entertaining.


    Any additional comments?

    I will definitely read the other books in the series.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Red Country

    • UNABRIDGED (19 hrs and 53 mins)
    • By Joe Abercrombie
    • Narrated By Steven Pacey
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (372)
    Performance
    (336)
    Story
    (330)

    They burned her home. They stole her brother and sister. But vengeance is following. Shy South hoped to bury her bloody past and ride away smiling, but she'll have to sharpen up some bad old ways to get her family back, and she's not a woman to flinch from what needs doing. She sets off in pursuit with only a pair of oxen and her cowardly old step father Lamb for company. But it turns out Lamb's buried a bloody past of his own. And out in the lawless Far Country the past never stays buried.

    Rob Cron says: "Stop Punishing The Author"
    "Cynical Fantasy at its Very Best"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What did you love best about Red Country?

    The characters in any Joe Abercrombie are as hard boiled at it gets. Its like Raymond Chandler meets George RR Martin. Or maybe its a fantasy version of an Eastwood Spaghetti Western. Red Country is a fun, violent imaginary romp.


    What about Steven Pacey’s performance did you like?

    Great narrator - perfect pairing with Abercrombie.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • House of Suns

    • UNABRIDGED (18 hrs and 16 mins)
    • By Alastair Reynolds
    • Narrated By John Lee
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (655)
    Performance
    (367)
    Story
    (367)

    Six million years ago, at the very dawn of the starfaring era, Abigail Gentian fractured herself into a thousand male and female clones: the shatterlings. Sent out into the galaxy, these shatterlings have stood aloof as they document the rise and fall of countless human empires. They meet every 200,000 years to exchange news and memories of their travels with their siblings.

    Ethan M. says: "Science fiction in Deep time"
    "Another Reynolds Classic"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What did you love best about House of Suns?

    The problems of faster than light travel was quite interesting


    What was one of the most memorable moments of House of Suns?

    Hard to pick one - the concepts of FTL, age of the universe/advanced civilizations, near eternal life, cloning - there are many such moments.


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

    John Lee is my single favorite narrator. He is


    Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

    Well, neither actually, though there is always unexpected humor in Reynolds' books I think the reaction was one of thought, of considering future possibilities in new ways.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Falling Glass

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 37 mins)
    • By Adrian McKinty
    • Narrated By Gerard Doyle
    Overall
    (709)
    Performance
    (510)
    Story
    (500)

    Richard Coulter is a man who has everything. His beautiful new wife is pregnant, his upstart airline is undercutting the competition and moving from strength to strength, his diversification into the casino business in Macau has been successful, and his fabulous Art Deco house on an Irish cliff top has just been featured in Architectural Digest. But then, for some reason, his ex-wife Rachel doesn’t keep her side of the custody agreement and vanishes off the face of the earth with Richard’s two daughters. Richard hires Killian, a formidable ex-enforcer for the IRA, to track her down before Rachel, a recovering drug addict, harms herself or the girls.

    G. Love says: "Even an Angel of Death needs a halo..."
    "Irish Cool"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

    Definitely. This is a really fun book with great pace and lots of action and adventure. There is a wonderful contrast between the desperation of various scenes versus the cool and aplomb of the main characters. There is lots of urban cynicism interspersed with genuine enthusiasm and optimism. Makes for a great read with lots of funny little moments.


    What about Gerard Doyle’s performance did you like?

    Terrific. Great job of portraying the various characters.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • A Memory of Light: Wheel of Time, Book 14

    • UNABRIDGED (41 hrs and 55 mins)
    • By Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson
    • Narrated By Michael Kramer, Kate Reading
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (2711)
    Performance
    (2464)
    Story
    (2490)

    Since 1990, when Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time® burst on the world with its first book, The Eye of the World, listeners have been anticipating the final scenes of this extraordinary saga, which has sold over 40 million copies in over 32 languages. When Robert Jordan died in 2007, all feared that these concluding scenes would never be written. But working from notes and partials left by Jordan, established fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson stepped in to complete the masterwork.

    Terrell Sanders says: "The saga that brought 'Epic' back to fantasy"
    "A Fitting Finale"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What made the experience of listening to A Memory of Light the most enjoyable?

    It was really fun to read the culmination of such a long series. I've read every one of the books. Obviously, some are better than others, but Brandon Sanderson injected vigor into the last few volumes.


    What was one of the most memorable moments of A Memory of Light?

    Evolution of Rand al' Thor's character.


    Have you listened to any of Michael Kramer and Kate Reading ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    Can't recall specific books by this duo, but they are terrific. Work well together.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Blackout

    • UNABRIDGED (18 hrs and 48 mins)
    • By Connie Willis
    • Narrated By Katherine Kellgren, Connie Willis
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1453)
    Performance
    (771)
    Story
    (775)

    In her first novel since 2002, Nebula and Hugo award-winning author Connie Willis returns with a stunning, enormously entertaining novel of time travel, war, and the deeds - great and small - of ordinary people who shape history. In the hands of this acclaimed storyteller, the past and future collideand the result is at once intriguing, elusive, and frightening.

    Paul says: "A Masterwork - across two parts."
    "A bit of a groaner"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

    No. I did enjoy the first book in the series - Doomsday Book. And although I had inexplicably missed the second book, this third installment is bogged down in a number of areas, particularly by a very limited set of character personalities. I also found a lot of the predicaments extremely similar the Doomsday Book.


    How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

    I would have liked to see a better variation on the theme of being stuck in the past and not being able to return to the characters' present time. Specifically, the characters get stuck in rather banal and uninteresting predicaments. One example, is a measles outbreak quarantines one character where she doesn't want to be for three months. Sorry, a three month quarantine is not interesting.


    What aspect of Katherine Kellgren and Connie Willis ’s performance would you have changed?

    Kellgren does a limited set of characters very well. However, the characters she is given from the author are limited in their ranges. The children are all misbehaved. The young ladies all slightly befuddled, the older women are almost all severe.


    Was Blackout worth the listening time?

    NO!


    Any additional comments?

    This book also had a hanging ending - so their is at least one more book to get through. Frankly this two-book set could have been edited down by quite a bit.

    The concept of the series is still sound, but more interesting adventures are needed, and getting stuck in the past with balky time travel technologies combined with under-equipped protagonists gets thin quickly.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Go the F--k to Sleep

    • UNABRIDGED (6 mins)
    • By Adam Mansbach, Ricardo Cortes (cover illustration)
    • Narrated By Samuel L. Jackson
    Overall
    (9879)
    Performance
    (5100)
    Story
    (5276)

    Academy Award nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) rocks this mock bedtime story, capturing a hilarious range of emotions as the voice of a father struggling to get his child to sleep. Go the F**k to Sleep is a bedtime book for parents who live in the real world, where a few snoozing kitties and cutesy rhymes don’t always send a toddler sailing blissfully off to dreamland.

    Darwin8u says: "Read the F--king REVIEW!"
    "Something Any Parent Has Experienced"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

    The story is probably only three minutes long, but its terrific.


    What was one of the most memorable moments of Go the F--k to Sleep?

    Samuel L. Jackson


    What about Samuel L. Jackson’s performance did you like?

    Here is the perfect narrator


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

    Not sure - way to short to be film.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Caliban's War: The Expanse, Book 2

    • UNABRIDGED (19 hrs and 50 mins)
    • By James S. A. Corey
    • Narrated By Jefferson Mays
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (321)
    Performance
    (293)
    Story
    (295)

    James S.A. Corey’s best-selling hit Leviathan Wakes earned Hugo and Locus Award nominations. In Caliban’s War, the second chapter of Corey’s Expanse series, a desperate Earth politician works tirelessly to prevent war from reigniting. Meanwhile, upheaval takes root on Venus and Ganymede. And amidst this tumult, James Holden and his crew on the Rocinante are charged with the impossible task of saving humanity from a terrifying fate.

    Ethan M. says: "No sophmore slump as both plot and writing improve"
    "Super Book, Delivers in every way"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

    If one likes adult sci-fi, this is absolutely the right book.


    What was one of the most memorable moments of Caliban's War?

    No single moment; the pacing of the book is very good. Dialogue is well thought out, and action scenes are terrific.


    Which character – as performed by Jefferson Mays – was your favorite?

    Avisarila is my favorite fictional character this side of Tyrion Lannister.


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

    YES!


    Any additional comments?

    Can't wait for the third installment.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book 5

    • UNABRIDGED (49 hrs)
    • By George R. R. Martin
    • Narrated By Roy Dotrice
    Overall
    (6340)
    Performance
    (5237)
    Story
    (5235)

    Dubbed the American Tolkien by Time magazine, George R. R. Martin has earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. Now the number-one New York Times best-selling author delivers the fifth book in his spellbinding landmark series - as both familiar faces and surprising new forces vie for a foothold in a fragmented empire.

    J. Cano says: "A tale of two publishers:"
    "After so long a wait, I expected more"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    First, the narrator. He does a fine job with the male characters, but the female characters are poorly done. Would have been better with two narrators - Dolstice for the male characters and storyline, and a strong female narrator for the women.

    I've given the book four stars, but three and a half is more accurate. At 50 hours, the characters/stories could have move much further along.

    I can't believe we waited over five years for this. Frankly, I'm afraid that Martin is going to pull a Robert Jordan and another young gun like Brandon Sanderson is going to have to finish the series. Frankly, Sanderson is all around superior to the distracted Martin right now.

    4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Report Inappropriate Content

If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.

CANCEL

Thank You

Your report has been received. It will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.