"Didn't meet my expectations based on reviews"
Yes. I rarely replay, but I think technical details will be even more meaningful the second time around.
This was my first.
Jeff Gurner's performance was spot-on! He gave the hero and his team unique, appropriate and vivid voices. I could not have imagined those accents on my own. Absolutely no complaints on performance!
The Next World War is Here.
Good premise but I didn't find any memorable twists or turns to speak of. It was only mildly suspenseful.
"Richly Crafted Story & Superb Narration!"
This book (and the series) are among the best I've heard.
No spoilers here.
His distinct characters make the story a bit easier to follow - not a simple task with the dozens and dozens of players in the book. I never thought I would hear anything to compare to Jim Dale but Dotrice is very, very close - the only thing I noticed was that his women characters all fall into either the high-born voice he uses or the nasty crone voice. All-in-all, this book has the winning combo of excellent storytelling matched with the exact right narrator!
This is not one to listen to aloud with children present - quite graphic.
"Irresistible to P&P fans but utterly disappointing"
Problems with the flimsy and pointless story aside, the narrator's male voices were horrible-they all sounded the same and made it impossible to enjoy the story.
No. I am a sucker for all things Elizabeth and Darcy, and love mysteries - this book was completely disappointing in both genres. Having said that, curiousity will always win me back-I can't resist a P&P story!
Male voices were beyond bad. BAD. The men all sounded like unhealthy, overweight seniors. It was impossible to like any of them.
The thin story combined with the bad narration never allowed me to care enough about any of them to cut. The relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy had little to do with the story and the exchanges between them were devoid of any connection - you could easily have cut either of them and not noticed!
Don't be tempted to buy this one or use a credit. Rent it at the library if you must - it's free so you won't feel cheated.
"Perhaps not strictly true to Holmes, still fun."
Attempting to explore the beloved characters of other authors is tricky. I think maybe this story would have played better if it hadn't tried to take on Holmes, but had been a newly introduced detective. Having said that, it was entertaining.
No.
I liked his characters and he was very consistent - which I have to imagine is difficult. There were moments I had trouble understanding what he was saying, but that could have been me.
Yes, but buy it on sale.
"Worth the credits-rich in detail & great suspense!"
The narrator was excellent. There were a (very) few minor hiccups where he inexplicably & abruptly fell out of character but overall this was a great listen & I thoroughly enjoyed his voices.
Of course, it wouldn't matter if the story wasn't compelling, which it is. It had fun yet nicely veiled references to previous Stephen King stories, characters & places and they did not read as gratuitous. He did an excellent job painting the picture of life in another time and I thought the story had a great ebb and flow of suspense.
The ending was why I gave the story only 3 stars. Totally unsatisfying & felt like a cop-out. But in all fairness, it was a lengthy story and I was engaged for the rest of the time.
Hard to say. Enjoyed the parts in Jody.
Yes-if it wasn't 30 hours and 44 mins.
I read several reviews prior to ordering that said it was too slow-moving and slow-starting, but I found that the in-depth descriptions were important to build the feel of the time period. At times the suspense is palpable, but if you require non-stop action, this is not going to be the book for you.
"Rare gift of a fantastic narrator! Enjoyable story"
The story was interesting and an enjoyable "read." No big surprises and not completely original, but fun. The narrator really was fantastic - he moved effortlessly between well done characters. His voices were unique and totally believable! I was glad I took this brief detour from the Dresden Files to try something new--great use of a credit.
"A good continuation if you don't mind the gore."
The second Dresden book is quite a bit more graphic than 'Storm Front.' In fact, one of the things I said in my rating of the first book was that I was impressed with Butcher's reliance on great storycrafting over simple shock value. In the first book, the gore did not seem gratuitous. This book didn't feel as authentic. Aside from learning every possible way a werewolf can savage a victim, poor Harry gets beaten within an inch of his life far too many times each "book" day to be remotely possible.
I found this book far less enjoyable, but the characters are further developed, which is enticing enough to get me to rush to the next book to find out where they are headed.
Marsters' narration was even better than the first book, which I liked. He switches almost seamlessly between characters and does a wonderful Dresden, Bob, various mobster and FBI/cop voices, and even the demon (I forget his name) in this book was spot on! The breathing and swallowing is part of the effect, though I know that a lot of reviewers take issue with it.
"4.5 Stars! Narrator fit well w/Enjoyable Story."
Yes, there is a lot of breathing. I almost skipped this one based on reviews of the narration but I am glad I didn't! I am as shocked as anyone to say that I found the story enjoyable. Butcher's supernatural world never felt forced or cliched to me - in fact, it seemed very, well, natural. The characters were vivid (though I never could get a clear picture of Murph in my head). I was worried that it would be too gory for my taste & though the murders were not pleasant, Butcher never had to rely on shock value--this was just really good storytelling.
The narrator's breathiness had to be purposeful (there was so much of it) and it actually worked with the lead character's personality. It made him seem more real somehow. In fact, I liked most of the character's voices & I thought he did a good job with the female voices, which can be tricky.
All in all, a great one to check out!
"Unique premise, well told! Almost a 4-Star but..."
The story was interesting and I thought the layered timelines moved the plot masterfully. The narrator was quite good - much better than some I've experienced lately. The reason I gave 3 stars was largely due to the unconvincing romance between our hero & his "love," for lack of a better term - I found their interactions forced and uninteresting, their characters ridiculously cliched (many reviews have made note of this problem). Also, lesser twists proved more surprising than the major ones. Still an entertaining "read."
"Enchanting and engaging continuation of P&P"
Not really a continuation, Aidan's three books are a refreshing take on P&P from Darcy's perspective. These Three Remain is the final in the trilogy & my favorite-I would give the story 4.5 Stars. Aidan fleshes out many of the characters and backstories, yet remains remarkably true to Austen's classic.
The second book can be skipped entirely-a darker turn of events for Darcy, largely unrelated to the ultimate story, devoid of Bennets - and its events are only referred to in passing one or twice in These Three Remain.
The narrator of this production is not among my favorites. He is dry and monotone, but the story propells itself in spite of him. If you are not ble to sit down & read Ms. Aidan's 'Novel in Three Parts,' then I heartily recommend the audio version.