Chris

No

No

I would have liked greater differentiation between characters

Gave up on this book at about Chapter 18. Main characters that I never really cared about. Emo Bek whining and moaning about missing her dead grandmother. By Chapter 18, I was rooting for the dead girl to eat more people because I was just so tired of reading about them. I was tired of shouting (in my head) at the characters to STFU and get on with the story. That's when I knew I should walk away from this book. The premise was interesting, but the execution was definitely less than compelling.

I love this book. I mostly love the audio book. I know I will listen again and again, simply because it is so moving and powerful. However, when I pre-ordered this book it was advertised as "unabridged", which is not quite the truth.

1 week later I now get an email stating "... This is an Abridged book, but when you made your purchase, it may have been listed as "Unabridged" on our site, which was in error. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused." Also, chapter 3 has a fairly huge gap in it that readers have picked up on but no one who put the book out seems to be addressing.

Had I known this was still an abridged version of the book, would I still have bought it? Maybe, depending on what had been written about it. I mean, I love this book, so yes, I probably still would have bought it knowing that more of it had been recorded. I just hate being lied to.

One of the better audiobooks. On a scale of 1 to 10, definitely a 9+

The initial discovery of the body.

Easily differentiated between characters. Nice variation without being shrill.

Apparently this is the first book in a trilogy. I'll definitely be buying the 2nd & 3rd books! I want to hear what happens to these characters.

Yes! Because of this and "Watership Down"

Only if the dogs did carry an engineered plague.

I did not finish this book.

This review takes its title from a quote by Thomas Hobbes. He was talking about man, but it is my belief this quote totally applies to this book's 2 protagonists.

I enjoyed it up to a point, but about 75% of the way through it I had to put it away because I knew the ending was never going to be a happy one. No, I don't always need a happy ending, but their lives had been so bitter, so awful that I felt the need for respite. Humans do not come off well in this book, though probably realistic.

I kept thinking, "I wish they did have a plague, and that they were spreading it all over Britain. All these horrible people deserve it, and at least their short, bitter lives would have been avenged." Alas that Richard Adams didn't go that far.

I don't think I'd buy an audio book just because Ms. Durante was the narrator. She didn't bring much to the table, so far as I could tell.

Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky, but I do enjoy a well written book. I am 2 chapters into White Horse and once again I find I have bought a very poorly written book. My gut feeling is to walk away from it. So far it's been listening to the main character talking to herself in her head and then cutting to an incredibly unrealistic action scene where she grabs some rapist in mid-thrust by the scrotum to stop him.

Uh, yeah. Right. I'd like to know the self-defense class the author took to learn that particular move.

I will attempt to read on, but I am holding out very little hope.

Update:

I made it about 2 more chapters into the book, but found the whole thing so ridiculous that I just stopped. Life is too short for dumb books. How did it get such good reviews out of Kirkus & Huffington Post, I haven't a clue.

Yes, I would listen to this again. It's a terrific horror story!

John Coy. I think he was one of the more fleshed out characters, as well as one of the narrators. I also liked the character of Granny Gayle; she kinda reminded me of Ma Kettle, but she did almost boarder on being a stereotype.

Many of the characters were similar, especially since many of them came from the same family, from the same part of the Kentucky backwoods. It would have been very easy for all of these characters to sound the same, but the voice actors differentiated between these characters quite clearly.

No, I didn't laugh or cry. I did talk to the characters somewhat, but I tend to do that during horror stories, because I care about the characters.

I liked this book very much. It rattles along at a good pace, and ends, I think, much too quickly. And I was thoroughly creeped out. Be forewarned: I am fairly easily creeped out if the story is good. If the story or writing is bad, I'll drop out of a book in a heartbeat. This one kept my interest so well I listened to it at home on a Saturday, instead of during my long commute.

Greenhouse Thug Life

Mr. Davis was an excellent narrator, esp. considering the myriad of characters he brought to life: male and female, young and old, of various nationalities. I enjoyed listening to him immensely.

The future is moist. Bring towelettes.

I had resisted reading this book for a while because it seemed like a hipster vision of the future, all politically correct and probably hopeless. And for the first few chapters, I wasn't sure that I liked it. But as the main character was finally introduced, I began to care, and to believe in the world created by the author more and more. Finally, I couldn't wait to hear what happened next.

I will warn listeners that this book contains some scenes depicting the debasement and abuse of women that are very disturbing. Nobody comes out clean at the end, though I did find the end very satisfying. In fact, I will be seeking out more books about this world.

Yes I would, provided the synopsis was something that I was interested in. I enjoyed most of this series, just thought the last half of the last book fell kinda flat.

I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the 2 narrators! Lent a little more drama to it, which was needed by the end.

Yes, I would like seeing it made into a TV series, starring Jane Levy and Aaron Paul.

I snapped this book up as soon as I knew it was out, and I was not disappointed with the first half of the book! The last half dissolved into a watered-down conspiracy theory mess, with a heretofore unknown gov't agency riding is as the Cavalry.

Overall excellent series. I just wish the author had made the ending as striking as everything leading up to it.

Mark Tufo, no. Sean Runnette, yes.

Tried a little harder.

It was all fairly pointless, so I really don't have a favorite scene.

The humor was of the bad Adam Sandler/David Spade variety, so if you like that then it's got that going for it.

This book isn't horrible. It isn't horror, either, or funny, or well written. It does, however, have zombies in it.

I was hoping for another good zombie series like Mira Grant's Newsfeed series. This is definitely NOT it. The characters were less than deep, the women even more stereotypical than others. The plot was choppy, with enough holes to drive Mr. Tufo's jeep through. The humor was of the Adam Sandler variety, so if you like that then it's got that going for it.

I listened to the audio book version of this because I have a long commute to work & back. The narrator was great, did a good job with what he had to work with. But just before the halfway mark I found myself fast forwarding thru the "comedy" and the absolutely unnecessary background info. However, I was hooked enough to listen to the end, and given some of the books I've tried listening to recently, that's saying something. That's why I rated it 2 stars instead of 1.

Honestly, I've been looking for good zombie books like World War Z and the Newsfeed series. After listening to this, I am still looking.

Maybe, depending on the reviews

Again, maybe. The feeling I had at reading the end of The Magicians was one of relief, not satisfaction. For this reason alone I have not gotten The Magician King yet.

Mark Bramhall's narration was just fine.

Yes. It inspires me to read far more reviews on a novel I am not familiar with prior to buying it.

In an interview on the web series, The Sword and Laser, author Lev Grossman said that he wasn't as much concerned about making the protagonist, Quentin Coldwater, likable as he was in making Quentin real. Breakbill's magical college, Manhattan life immediately after college, Fillory and its aftermath, Grossman has made them all seem very real. But seen through the eyes of Quentin, these wonderful worlds are all seen through a thick veil of self-loathing, ennui, and overall douchbaggery.

Breakbill's, of course, is a real world take on Hogwarts, just as Fillory is Grossman's take on Narnia. Quentin finds out he is capable of magic. Does he appreciate this? Maybe for half a day, then it's all whining about how much hard work learning is. The faculty is interesting, but does he bother to learn anything about them? Except for one, no, they are simply background noise. In coming to the end of his college career, does Quentin take time to consider his future? Of course, but comes to no conclusions other than "More alcohol!" And when he finally gets to Fillory, when the action in the book finally goes forward taking all of the main characters with it, Quentin manages to infuse a whole new world with his narcissism, acrimony, and in the end, cowardice and delusion.

In the same interview at The Sword and Laser, author Lev Grossman said that his inspirations for The Magicians were not only Harry Potter and Narnia but also Alan Moore's Watchmen. Watching this interview has made me reflect more on the book, but doesn't necessarily make me like it any better, because ultimately Quentin doesn't like any world in which he finds himself. If the main characters in a book don't like their worlds, does the author? It sure didn't seem like it, so why should we, as readers, care about these worlds?

I think that Grossman succeeded in his desire to make magical characters more real. In fact, I think that Grossman's comment can be applied to the entire novel: he was more concerned about making this fantasy real than making it likable.

I would listen to Fuzzy Nation again because I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the plot, and I enjoyed Wil Wheaton's performance.

Yes. The scene in the courtroom with Halloway's "surprise" witness testifies. Mr. Wheaton's narration moved me to tears.

I am all for experimental writing, for pushing the envelope in science fiction. I believe those qualities are very necessary and should be encouraged. But this book, with it's fast-paced plot, enjoyable characters, and eco-friendly message, were exactly what I hope to hear in an audio book!