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David

Toronto, ON, Canada | Member Since 2008

11
HELPFUL VOTES
  • 11 reviews
  • 73 ratings
  • 0 titles in library
  • 23 purchased in 2013
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  • Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries

    • UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 8 mins)
    • By Neil deGrasse Tyson
    • Narrated By Dion Graham
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1318)
    Performance
    (560)
    Story
    (562)

    Neil deGrasse Tyson has a talent for guiding readers through the mysteries of outer space with stunning clarity and almost childlike enthusiasm. This collection of his essays from Natural History magazine explores a myriad of cosmic topics. Tyson introduces us to the physics of black holes by explaining what would happen to our bodies if we fell into one; he also examines the needless friction between science and religion, and notes Earth's status as "an insignificantly small speck in the cosmos".

    Lind says: "Well written and well read"
    "Boring, poorly edited and a rehash of a rehash"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Dr Tyson clearly believes in the "tell them what you're going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you told them" method of teaching. Of course Dr Tyson is a respected educator and scientist... but honestly - did a professional editor even look at the manuscript?

    This has got to be the worst popular science book I have _ever_ come across. In all seriousness, it is simply dreadful. I'm glad I only paid five bucks for it. Don't waste your money.

    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Redemption Ark

    • UNABRIDGED (27 hrs and 18 mins)
    • By Alastair Reynolds
    • Narrated By John Lee
    Overall
    (652)
    Performance
    (380)
    Story
    (385)

    Late in the 26th century, the human race has advanced enough to accidentally trigger the Inhibitors---alien-killing machines designed to detect intelligent life and destroy it. The only hope for humanity lies in the recovery of a secret cache of doomsday weapons---and a renegade named Clavain who is determined to find them. But other factions want the weapons for their own purposes---and the weapons themselves have another agenda altogether.

    Michael says: "Stick with this series!"
    "It's good but a minor niggle"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    If you could sum up Redemption Ark in three words, what would they be?

    Alastair Reynolds writes a great tale. He's a former physicist and tries hard to keep his yarn consistent with the universe we inhabit... except in one thing. For some reason, he thinks the flow of time increases in a gravitational well... of course it does exactly the opposite (time slows.) It's a weird error and not even necessary as a plot device - so maybe it's better he sticks to writing. :)


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

    JL's performance is excellent - far better than it was in Revelation Space


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Revelation Space

    • UNABRIDGED (22 hrs and 12 mins)
    • By Alastair Reynolds
    • Narrated By John Lee
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1065)
    Performance
    (643)
    Story
    (643)

    Nine hundred thousand years ago, something annihilated the Amarantin civilization just as it was on the verge of discovering space flight. Now one scientist, Dan Sylveste, will stop at nothing to solve the Amarantin riddle before ancient history repeats itself. With no other resources at his disposal, Sylveste forges a dangerous alliance with the cyborg crew of the starship Nostalgia for Infinity. But as he closes in on the secret, a killer closes in on him because the Amarantin were destroyed for a reason.

    Eoin says: "Defeated"
    "A good story, wrecked by a poor performance"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you try another book from Alastair Reynolds and/or John Lee?

    I have bought several books by Alastair Reynolds. I have several performances by John Lee, but this is by far the worst performance by John Lee that I've heard. The sound levels go all over the place, the background changes, his timbre changes. It really detracts from the performance. Put plainly, it's not up to his normal standards.


    How could the performance have been better?

    It was poorly executed - it really needs to be redone.


    Could you see Revelation Space being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

    Yes, I think the series could be made into a space saga,


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • By the Rivers of Babylon

    • UNABRIDGED (17 hrs and 34 mins)
    • By Nelson DeMille
    • Narrated By Scott Brick
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (307)
    Performance
    (149)
    Story
    (148)

    Lod Airport, Israel: Two Concorde jets take off for a U.N. conference that will finally bring peace to the Middle East. Covered by F-14 fighters, accompanied by security men, the planes carry warriors, pacifists, lovers, enemies, dignitaries - and a bomb planted by a terrorist mastermind. Suddenly they're forced to crash-land at an ancient desert site. Here, with only a handful of weapons, the men and women of the peace mission must make a desperate stand against an army of crack Palestinian commandos....

    Patti says: "A good story, but a lot of characters"
    "Too many silly mistakes"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What did you like best about By the Rivers of Babylon? What did you like least?

    I've read most of Mr DeMille's books. This is an early one - so I expected it to be a little rough around the edges. I wasn't disappointed.


    Would you recommend By the Rivers of Babylon to your friends? Why or why not?

    I'm ambivalent about this. Maybe if they were really desperate but I'd certainly not suggest this over (say) Word of Honour or In Country.


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

    His performance is very good and his mastery of multiple accents makes it easy to distinguish the characters - even when DeMille doesn't spell it out.


    If this book were a movie would you go see it?

    Probably not. It's not that good, the plot reads like a film script and the topic is really dated.


    Any additional comments?

    I was annoyed by silly errors - things like expecting the moon to rise and set between sunset and sunrise. This NEVER happens.This might have been necessary as a plot device but it is either sloppy or it shows a lack of inventiveness..

    It's also weird to think that at the time the story was written - 1978 - BAe and Aerospatiale hadn't realised that the Concorde was a technological triumph but a financial disaster.... Trying to convince readers that Israel - the most pragmatic nation on earth - would buy these aircraft is just weird.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Winter of the World: The Century Trilogy, Book 2

    • UNABRIDGED (31 hrs and 48 mins)
    • By Ken Follett
    • Narrated By John Lee
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (3035)
    Performance
    (2497)
    Story
    (2499)

    Winter of the World picks up right where the first book left off, as its five interrelated families - American, German, Russian, English, Welsh - enter a time of enormous social, political, and economic turmoil, beginning with the rise of the Third Reich, through the Spanish Civil War and the great dramas of World War II, up to the explosions of the American and Soviet atomic bombs. As always with Ken Follett, the historical background is brilliantly researched and rendered, the action fast-moving, the characters rich in nuance and emotion.

    Dave says: "Great book but DON'T BUY - AUDIBLE VERSION SKIPS"
    "A good performance spoiled by dreadful editing"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What did you like best about Winter of the World? What did you like least?

    The Century series started well. Like Follett's Magnum Opus (Pillars of the Earth and its less wonderful sequel), it chronicles the interaction of a few families and how the world. Some of the story is quite interesting.


    What was most disappointing about Ken Follett’s story?

    The endless repetition, repetition, repetition that's supposed to explain why characters are doing things.. This _might_ be necessary in a thousand page book but it's hardly essential in an audiobook which people might listen to over a week or so.

    I was also disappointed by Follett's inability to capture the true horror of WW2.

    Finally, the audio production had random editing errors where the narrative jumped to a random place then jumped back. Clearly, it wasn't listened to before it was shipped out.


    What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

    John Lee is a consumate performer. Like his earlier work, his range of voices makes the series,


    Could you see Winter of the World being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

    No, I don't think it is movie material - things move way too slowly.


    Any additional comments?

    Please fire the editor.

    2 of 4 people found this review helpful
  • Reamde

    • UNABRIDGED (38 hrs and 34 mins)
    • By Neal Stephenson
    • Narrated By Malcolm Hillgartner
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (2635)
    Performance
    (2298)
    Story
    (2324)

    Richard Forthrast created T’Rain, a multibillion-dollar, massively multiplayer online role-playing game. But T’Rain’s success has also made it a target. Hackers have struck gold by unleashing REAMDE, a virus that encrypts all of a player’s electronic files and holds them for ransom. They have also unwittingly triggered a deadly war beyond the boundaries of the game’s virtual universe - and Richard is at ground zero.

    ShySusan says: "Not perfect, but worth a listen."
    "Great until part five..."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Where does Reamde rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

    It's not in the same league as Anathem or the Baroque Cycle, so it's far from his best.


    What was one of the most memorable moments of Reamde?

    A rather depressing one - the reader seems to skip a chapter or two which destroys the story... and then he goes back to a previous chapter. VERY POOR POST PRODUCTION.


    What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

    Most of it was very good, then I started hearing about submarine guns... (instead of submachine guns.) Really, this is POOR


    Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

    NO. it's supposed to be a page turner not a work of literature


    Any additional comments?

    Please fix part five

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Dead or Alive

    • UNABRIDGED (20 hrs and 39 mins)
    • By Tom Clancy, Grant Blackwood
    • Narrated By Lou Diamond Phillips
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (3999)
    Performance
    (1854)
    Story
    (1856)

    Jack Ryan, the former president of the United States, is out of office, but not out of the loop about his brainchild, the “Campus” - a highly effective, counter-terrorism organization that operates outside the Washington hierarchy. But what Ryan doesn’t know is that his son, Jack Ryan, Jr., has joined his cousins, Brian and Dominic Caruso, at the shadowy Campus. While a highly effective analyst, young Ryan hungers for the action of a field agent.

    Robert says: "Same great Clancey - Great narration"
    "A long time in the coming"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Tom Clancy fans will enjoy how old characters drom the 80's and 90's are being re-worked into the plot. It seems that Mr Clancy is setting up for another series. IMO, It's not worth a solid 4, but it's worth more than 3.5 so it gets my nod.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Pump Six and Other Stories

    • UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 36 mins)
    • By Paolo Bacigalupi
    • Narrated By Jonathan Davis, Eileen Stevens, James Chen
    Overall
    (124)
    Performance
    (73)
    Story
    (73)

    Paolo Bacigalupi's debut collection demonstrates the power and reach of the science-fiction short story. Social criticism, political parable, and environmental advocacy lie at the center of Paolo's work. Each of the stories herein is at once a warning and a celebration of the tragic comedy of the human experience.

    Julia says: "I never wanted the stories to end."
    "Enjoyable but very disturbing"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I don't think this is up to the standard of "The Windup Girl" - few books are - but this has some interesting ideas. It's clear that the author used these as fuel for WG - so it would probably be better to read this one first.

    4 of 5 people found this review helpful
  • Sundiver: The Uplift Saga, Book 1

    • UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 33 mins)
    • By David Brin
    • Narrated By George Wilson
    Overall
    (292)
    Performance
    (113)
    Story
    (118)

    For nearly a billion years, every known sentient species in the universe has been the result of genetic and cultural guidance - or "uplifting" - by a previously uplifted patron race. Then humans are discovered. Having already uplifted chimps and dolphins, humanity clearly qualifies as an intelligent species, but did they actually evolve their own intelligence, or did some mysterious patron race begin the process, then suddenly abandon Earth?

    Madeleine says: "Very engrossing and well read"
    "Below average and disappointing"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I purchased this recording based on having enjoyed reading Brin's book "Earth."(Yes people really did that once!) I found the plot of "Sundiver" weak, the characters thin and the narrative stilted. Sorry - I don't think it warrants the 3.5 stars that it appears to have. In all seriousness, if offered to a publisher now, it would probably not see the light of day.

    The performance by George Wilson is good, apart from a couple of amusing spoonerisms.

    1 of 2 people found this review helpful
  • Pandora's Star

    • UNABRIDGED (37 hrs and 26 mins)
    • By Peter F. Hamilton
    • Narrated By John Lee
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (3144)
    Performance
    (1530)
    Story
    (1564)

    The year is 2380. The Intersolar Commonwealth, a sphere of stars some 400 light-years in diameter, contains more than 600 worlds, interconnected by a web of transport "tunnels" known as wormholes. At the farthest edge of the Commonwealth, astronomer Dudley Bose observes the impossible: Over 1,000 light-years away, a star...vanishes. It does not go supernova. It does not collapse into a black hole. It simply disappears.

    Devin says: "Great Epic Scifi"
    "First Class SF"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I wasn't aware of Peter Hamilton's work, so I bought the audiobook on the recommendation. I'm very glad I did - it is one of the most entertaining listens I've had in a long time. Be aware tho' that you're going to need to get part 2.

    1 of 2 people found this review helpful

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