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This is the standard that all audiobooks should aspire to. Clever story telling and a great performance. The most enjoyable audiobook I have ever heard. Period.

If you are familiar with A. Lee Martinez then you know that I can not do justice to the story by recapping it. Suffice to say it is one of the author's best books.

If you are not familiar with the author but know you enjoy horror with an irreverent twist, and total off-the-wall bizarreness, then listen to the clip, and then buy the book.

Followers of the Liaden Universe series will be thrilled to have a new installment, but the performance is a real disappointment. Readers may decide they would rather read the print version.

It's time for the apocalypse, isn't it? All the signs are lining up: wars in the mid-east, the anti-christ has been selected, and six of the seven books about that boy sorcerer and his friends have been published.

So why is Christine always in the right place, at the right time, to do what? Is she supposed to help or hinder? In fact, it's not really clear who is in charge and what they are trying to accomplish. Angels seem to be operating at cross purposes.

As Christine bounces around the world to interview the general for Israel, her house is being vandalized. Why would anyone use ketchup to draw a backwards swastika on her carpet? And, because it's backwards it doesn't count as a hate crime? Oh, well, now she has a new linoleum floor in her breakfast nook, thanks to the premature death of a neighbor. At least it is a "welcoming" pattern ...

Don't miss the apocalyse vs flooring theory of history. Countless times flooring issues are ignored because of the expectation that it won't matter anymore soon, only to have to deal with it after all because the Apocalypse fails to appear on schedule. Again.

The book has a great assortment of characters, acting rationally and irrationally. Humor abounds and it even all makes sense, in the end, mostly. Don't miss the cherubim who works for tips - tips he insists on giving out such as "ants walking single file means rain".

The story flows well without slow spots. The reader is well matched to the material to bring the whole squirrely thing to life. It does for the apocalypse what "Caddyshack" did for golf.

I can't tell you what culture inspired this fantasy, (Vietnamese,Chinese?). The real joy of this book is that it is from the opposite side of the world from western traditions, making for a refreshing new slant on magic.

Every person has an animal spirit that shows up in their childhood, sort of like The Golden Compass. But the resemblance to that book ends there. (If you read Golden Compass after watching the movie, you will be very sad. The movie ended before the horrible ending inflicted by the author.)

Kai Zou's animal spirit is a pig, a smelly pig with a smart mouth. He is usually right, which annoys Kai Zou no end. There are lots of other spirit animals, a (dead) stone griffin, and there are dragons - ghost dragons, of the occidental type.

Kai Zou is a street lord, with a small gang of friends, each of whom have strengths and weaknesses. Kai Zou's mother owns a magic shop and teaches magic; Kai Zou has to help out, creating conflicts between his street life and home life.

In the previous book, Kai Zou gave the Princess her impossible wish. This book is the fall out from that wish. This book stands on it's own but it would be nice if the prequel was read by this same reader. I give the reader high marks for the accent, as well as the reading, which contributes to the oriental atmosphere.

And the food they eat sounds great. Wish the restaurants were in Tucson.

This book is on my list of best of 2012 (that's when I found it) along with "The Wizard of Dark Street", and all time favorite "Fly by Night".

Here's hoping for sequels or companion books.

Our protagonist, Oona Crate, is smart but troubled by tragedies in her past. She has clever helpers, a crow who carries all the world's knowledge in it's scattered brain, and an elf.

She lives on the border between our world and fairyland. She has a dilemma to face - to go on developing her talents as a wizard or become a detective which she dearly desires.

This is the story of how circumstances force her to face her fears and move forward. A wonderful growing up story, told charmingly.

The story is fresh, original, and convoluted enough to make it a satisfying mystery.

I selected this book because the premise was intriguing and I thought "10 hours - enough time to have an intricate plot" right? Wrong.

Listen to the sample and decide of you can stand 10 hours of that internal dialog - just like that. 10 hours of "OMG, OMG, OMG, he's so hot, he's so hot, he's so hot. She's beautiful. He's adorable. " Lots of drinking - scotch, wine, cognac. Some spending of money, and walking on Paris streets, sitting in cafes, seldom in anyone's home, mostly ogling the other characters. We have a travelogue of Paris streets.

There is very little sex - Trey isn't involved and it is understated.

SPOILER ALERT: The plot comes in tiny pieces and I can list them here in one paragraph. Trey is bi, his clients are m/m, hot, and strange. Everybody is rich. He makes two friends - a woman (she has a secret) in a cafe and the cafe waiter. Trey is hypoglycemic - faints occasionally - is this a plot point? Seemed to be evidence of contact with VAMPIRES - but no, it is a red herring. A mysterious stranger attacks him once, then again. He is rescued (guess who?) He gets a note to go to a strange place. And he GOES! Alone! Rescued again. Drama! Will he still be friends with the people he now knows are VAMPIRES and murder their own? YES! He will! THE END.

But there must be a sequel. We are left with several lose ends. The head vampire still has to go confront the Villain. Foreshadowing makes us fear he will NOT survive. Trey needs to travel to New Orleans to find out about his Voodoo grandfather (last plot point).

10 hours and it was all just the setup for the next book.

As for the voice actor. I give him 1 for the New York accent and 4 for the French accent. The New York accent is grating and since it is used most often and continuously for the internal babble it gets really difficult to listen to. When the voice actor is in French mode for the vampires, he is pleasant to listen to - not overdone at all. He seems to pronounce all the french place names correctly - I wouldn't know. (Challenge - Is it possible for a New York accent to be sexy?)

Would I read the sequel? Hard to say - maybe if it was free - and short.

Jane Austin wrote romance. This novel is not a romance. There is sex and political intrique but no romance. The sound effects are clunky and distracting. I read the novel before listening to this reading. I thought maybe I had not appreciated the novel by not reading it closely but the reading leaves no doubt. The characters are not interesting enough to sustain the reader's interest. Fancy language does equal a good plot.