The Beginning

Longhorn Series, Book 1

By: Dusty Rhodes

Narrated by: Gene Engene

Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Buck Cordell is a giant of a man in a giant, untamed land called Texas. He builds a cattle ranch where ordinary men all say it can't be done a cattle empire that defies all odds, a family that changes the course of Texas history, and a legacy that outlives the Old West.

Round 'em up: listen to another novel in the Longhorn Series.

©2007 Dusty Rhodes (P)2007 Books In Motion

mostly predictable but a fairly good story.

the narrator did a great job, I'll probably purchase the second book in the series

Love this book

If you could sum up The Beginning in three words, what would they be?

Excellent great super

What did you like best about this story?

There was 3 different nationalities working together respect for each other love for each other good wins not a bunch of nasty sex. Wonderful book!!!!!

What about Gene Engene’s performance did you like?

Great voice!! Read with such realism.

If you could take any character from The Beginning out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Pappy because he is tough but tamed El Torre instead of killing him. He saw the potential in the bull.

Any additional comments?

Thank you for a great holesum book .

I loved this series.

What did you love best about The Beginning?

This series had everything in it to be entertaining for both male and female readers,action,sadness,love and humour

What did you like best about this story?

I liked most of the books and the story and the romantic description of the surroundings

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

His voice made you feel part of the adventures

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

Yes when his best friend fixed and the return of his lost brother

Any additional comments?

An overall enjoyable series

Narrator over rated

Story was real good and interesting, although the author should skip romance cause he’s terrible at it. The narrator was just short of unbearable- does one voice excellent any others are terrible. I mean he makes one of the lead characters sound like a very slow minded person, which his actions clearly show he isn’t. Really had to force myself to keep listening since I enjoyed the story.

Don't like westerns...LOVED this book!

STORY - I only got this book because it was on sale and the ratings were high. Even though I don't usually like westerns, what the heck, right? What a pleasant surprise! The characters are strong and likeable, and I became totally immersed in their lives and dreams. Not only must they survive from day to day in a tough land during tough times, but they must face the challenges of starting a huge cattle ranch deep in the wilderness of Texas. Needless to say, there's a lot of action. Normally I would be totally bored by Indian ambushes and shootouts with bad guys, but not ths time. It is definitely a book for guys, but it doesn't dwell on fighting, blood, descriptions of guns, etc., that is boring to women. It also has a little romance for us girls, too!

The story line is simple, easy to follow, and simply wonderful. The ending is satisfying enough that you could consider this a standalone story, but there is a fairly large question left hanging which will probably leave you wanting to continue to the next book.

NARRATOR - The narrator has multiple "western" voices which change for lots of different characters. His performance makes a great story even better.

OVERALL - I think everyone will like this book. (No sex or cursing, so it's probably even okay for older kids).

awesome

very good job. going to be a great series. well worth the time amg used a lot of the familiar placed

"Great Action Scenes"

Any additional comments?

I liked this book in-spite of Buck's dumb blunders, like having a saddle pack full of gold and riding on alone. I mean come on there were bands of bad guys roaming the country because of the end of the war, so he gets bush whacked and it's up to his friend and partner to get justice for him. I mean, I would have preferred Chester to be the point of interest in the whole series because he's a more interesting character. I don't know how Buck became a captain with some of his idiotic blunders or decisions with all these things happening, it doesn't make sense to make him the main character. The thing that caught my interest was the action scenes and the storyline was good.

A really great book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The story in the complete series would make a great movie. IT was very well written and narrated in such a way that it puts you there with the characters in the books.
Many thanks to Dusty Rhodes for his great work.

What did you like best about this story?

The many twist and turns of the stories about life in the south plains of Texas

Have you listened to any of Gene Engene’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Nope, but he did a fine job here

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Hate to admit it but, yes

Any additional comments?

Hope that he has other books like this series

The Longhorn Series, by Dusty Rhodes

This book series is very good. In fact I have listened to it also 4 times.

The narrator, Gene Engene, does a great job at the way that he brings the story to life. I would recommend listening to it.

A Rarity

What did you love best about The Beginning?

Gene Engene as the narrator (perfect!). The Western style. The likeable/hateable characters. The relaxed style.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Beginning?

Buck discovering Chester's condition in the jail.

Which character – as performed by Gene Engene – was your favorite?

Buck. Esp how we came to know him via third person as well as via first person.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. We like to hear a chapter or so, then turn it off, digest it, and discuss it. We're on our second time through the first book of this series now, then will go on to the second book.

Any additional comments?

My husband and I travel by car a great deal and are always on the search for audio books. It's a rarity to find well-written books on topics of interest to both of us that are well-narrated AND simple enough to keep up with with just our ears. Audio books with more than a dozen or so characters are often just too hard to follow. THIS is one of the best books/series we have found. A great and rare balance. FYI 'Dog Stars' by Peter Heller was equally great for our listening style although it was an entirely different subject matter, setting and style.