Joe

I think I've listened to this book a hundred times. It's VERY long and some parts are a little slow but it's very entertaining overall. The narration is very good and can keep me interested even when the plot does dip a little bit.

This story has a very interesting take on the history of an Earth-like planet regarding the relationship between science and religion (and politics to some extent). There's an interesting mixture of fantastic technology with ancient ritual. The logical debates / conversations are some high points in the story telling.. There is just enough detail and explanation to keep things interesting without bringing things to a halt. Several characters were developed well enough to make me really care what happened to them, which is rare for me.

The end gets a little crazy and some friends have said it's a bit too much, but i didn't mind.

Be forewarned that the history style timeline layout at the front of the book is fairly long and VERY boring to listen to. You have no idea what the events are that are being described. I think it would be safe to skip it and then listen to it later after you get a feel for the world in which the story takes place.

This was a very good story with just above average performance. I had a hard time deciding between 4 and 5 starts for this title, but i drew the line at 4 because as good as it was, i will probably not listen to it again. Many titles i listen to over and over.

The story follows two main characters as they unravel a 40 year old mystery. The plot is quite good, with several side stories of equal interest going on throughout. Some of the detective work is quite clever. Perhaps my one criticism is that certain things seem too 'easy' for the main character, or appear so contrived as to make me roll my eyes.

I have seen the European film, which i enjoyed. It follows the book closer than a lot of other movie/book combos. Main story is mostly the same, the book just adds some more detail and sidestory information. Have not seen the American film to comment on it.

The book is rather long and somewhat slow at times, but i definitely think it's worth a listen if you enjoy a bit of mystery and some drama.

I enjoy the Boardwalk Empire TV series, but I didn't see much value in this listen... some quirky oldschool terms explained briefly. I did not recognize too many of them from the series. It didn't enhance my viewing experience or anything. If you're obsessed with that epoch, perhaps you'll be entertained, otherwise you'll likely be bored with the corny jargon of the era. Glad it was free - still a waste of time tho.

I'm not a history nerd but i was curious about the events surrounding WWI since it is a much less widely publicized story than the Second World War. This lecture set offered the exact level of detail i was looking for. The narration was easy to listen to. It provided just enough information without drowning the listener in boring details. I would recommend it.

Great voice acting and performance - story was forgettable and did not keep me interested

If you're a hardcore Star Wars nerd, this is probably worth the listen for the performance value. As a casual fan, i would skip it. Heir to the Empire 20th Anniversary Edition had the same great performance with a much more interesting story for a Star Wars novice - a better bet in my opinion.

I like much of Stephenson's work. His style tends to be long and overly bogged down in details at times. The imaginative plot often makes up for it, but this was too much. There was an interesting story buried in a seemingly endless sea of tedium. I would try other Stephenson titles based on my previous reads (Anathem, Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon were great). I'm not familiar with Frederick George... i would possibly consider giving another of his works a shot.Wyman's narration was good. Good voice acting for different characters even if his regular reading voice is not the most inviting.

The underlaying story about technology and a deep conspiracy were great. There was just sooooooo much detail given in the most trivial passages that it was torture to get through at times. An Abridged version might be great. I was also disappointed with the ending but others may disagree.

I think this title could make a decent movie.... it wouldn't get me out to the theatre (few movies do) but i would definitely watch it on bluray.

This was one of the least satisfying Stephenson titles i've listened to... second only to Diamond Age and perhaps some parts of the Baroque Cycle. If you enjoy tech and sci-fi, his better offerings include (as listed above) : Anathem, Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon. Don't know anything about J. Frederick George

I'm a Stephenson fan, having thoroughly enjoyed Anathem, Crypotnomicon and Snow Crash (could not get through Diamond Age).

Starting the Baroque Cycle, I thought Quicksilver was great, with a lot of focus on math, science and some religion and politics in a historical storytelling style. The second book, King of the Vagabonds disappointed me somewhat because it was a complete departure from the first - but still entertaining on a different level as an adventure story. The Confusion and Odalisque sort of bored me and i couldn't get through Odalisque. I agree with another reviewer about the female narrator being a bit melodramatic with the voice acting to the point where I couldn't stand the sections she read.

I don't think i'll be continuing on the Baroque Cycle path unfortunately... it all got a bit too tedious for me.

Great narration of a great story. In short, this book chronicles the experiences of a man (and to some extent his brother) witnessing the arrival of hostile visitors from mars in the England of 100yrs ago. It's very entertaining to follow the main character around as he watches things go from bad to worse for mankind.
It is a crime that the somewhat-recent Tom Cruz movie was allowed the same title. The movie and book share little. The complications of antique technology give the book's story an extra feeling of suspense and helplessness that is lost in a modern day translation.

I had high hopes for this work. I got little out of it. I expected timeless truths and wisdom. I got things like : Don't attack when your men are tired, Don't camp with a river behind you....
That is brilliant advice i suppose but nothing earth shattering.

Perhaps it was the layout and delivery of the content. Tedious 'so-and-so from here-and-such translates what so-and-so says....' was too much for me after a while. Maybe in written form this is worth looking at but i don't feel it's worth a listen in audio format.

Great story. Very engaging to listen to the misdeeds of the main character and the consequences of his actions. But so depressing if you take it to heart - regardless of the final chapter which plops a cherry of hope on the steaming pile of dung that is human nature.

Great narration. And an encore of a small piece of the book at the end - i believe by the writer? Ironically my copy of this audio book had a 'get kids into reading' message on it. I sincerely hope no young children get ahold of this piece.

I tried to be open minded, but everything this guy says sounds like nonsense to me. I did not learn how to relax or improve my sense of being or anything like that. However, i must admit his voice and speaking style is very relaxing and this book has helped me fall asleep - which is often tough for me. Perhaps a listen before bed may help you unwind but i doubt you will learn anything useful from this book.