Cristela M.

Doesn't stand time test

Reviewed: 01-26-19

I want to like this author because of all I have read about her. First couple of books leave me dry. Her style is somewhat like PKD, but without the ability to draw me in. This book was somewhat entertaining due to it's premise, but didn't develop well and had me wondering when it was going to get substantial. It did pose some interesting philosophical questions, but nothing that I haven't been hearing since my childhood in the 60's. Now the notions seem stale and dated. I watched the movie and it seemed to be exactly like my experience of the book. 80's B-movie.

Satisfying but could have been even better

Reviewed: 09-22-18

This story had many elements which I enjoyed; mythology, ancient middle-eastern culture/mystique, forbidden love, the nature of love... I enjoyed it's fairytale style paired with adult themes. I found it a little slow to develop and not completely satisfying how it ended and specifically, how the story line of the (very well developed) characters ended up. If asked whether I would listen to this again, the answer is, "Yes. Absolutely." simply because I enjoyed the description of the characters and the nature of the story. I am not a big fan of book series, but this book leaves me wanting to see the sequel because many of the elements were so well developed but not followed through on.

Grok it as a Classic

Reviewed: 09-22-18

I would echo the review titled “ We live in the world this book made ”, which captured my experience of this book. I want so much to like Heinlein because I was a child in the 1960s and his work sets the foundation and tone for so much Sci-Fi over the decades. However, while the concepts in this book may have blown peoples minds at the time it was published, it is primarily a treatise on racism, religion and society and the concepts illustrated in this story are old hat now. I will continue to plow through Heinlein stories for the nostalgia, but this was not the masterwork people made it out to be, even if it did have an impact on culture and peoples thinking then. In fact, it seemed even a bit trite and boring in spots. The narration was excellent, though, and I truly enjoyed the portrayal of the character Jubal Harshaw, which captivated my imagination. With all that said, this probably needs to be on a must-read list to help us understand the changes in our culture in the past 5-6 decades.

Left me dry

Reviewed: 09-22-18

I was expecting Sci-Fi, and it is really a mixture of Sci-fi Fantasy, which I don't particularly enjoy. The story had some interesting elements, but I spent most of the book wondering where it was headed. It was narrated with a very strong accent, which exacerbated my frustration with the story. I had to listen very carefully to follow and then was a bit disappointed, leaving me thinking it wasn't worth the effort.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

If you liked "Where the Hell is Tesla"

Reviewed: 09-22-18

Then you will like this. I'm not going to say these are great literature, but they sure as hell are entertaining. I enjoy the author's narration, too. The style of humor keeps me smiling throughout the book. The story is engaging carried largely by the development of interesting characters.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

If you are a Murakami Fan

Reviewed: 05-25-18

And I am. So, I am going to say time well spent, but I can't say it was great. Overall experience for me was pretty good because Murakami's style speaks to me. I was captivated by 1Q84. I have to say, there were some moments in these books which made me think and stick with me. I may even listen to them again. However, when I compare to other works, I have to give this a lower rating.

A metephorical feast served with flair

Reviewed: 09-19-17

The story is marginal. With that out of the way, I cherish this book as a treasure trove of laugh-out-loud similes. I am glad I listened to this book first (of the author's three books) because it is undoubtedly the best, and it has helped me to appreciate his earlier works. I will listen to these books over and over, just to hear him deliver the one-liners in his hilarious style.
His reading of this book is much better than the first two attempts and is actually quite good. I appreciate having the humor delivered straight from the proverbial horses mouth.
Don't let the criticisms of the story discourage you, as it is only a mechanism to introduce you to the very likable characters and to deliver the jokes.

l hate Zombies!

Reviewed: 02-27-17

I'm sorry, but I just do. In fact, except for The Night of the Living Dead, the entire genre bores me. I'm upset that I just referred to it as a genre.

This is why I love this book. Even zombies could not derail this little adventure. Well developed characters, a captivating story, and philosophical nuggets woven throughout. To top it off, the writing and use of language was extremely satisfying, without being out of place. I heartily recommend it.

7 of 10 people found this review helpful

Very impressive collection

Reviewed: 01-31-17

There are a lot of great reviews of this book, and I don't usually write reviews, so I will try to keep this short. That may difficult because after listening to this entire collection about 5 times, my enthusiasm continues to build. I followed the reviews to this book from "Greatest collection of syfy in the 20th century" which I immediately returned half-way through. so, my expectations where a little iffy, and what I got blew me away. I am a big Scalzi fan, and his short story in this collection is a gem. In fact, I would be surprised if anybody listening to this did not find at least one story which was a gem to them.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Excellent overall entertainment

Reviewed: 01-31-17

I wouldn't categorize this as great, but it was great overall. very interesting characters. I would probably have portrayed some of them differently, but overall, this was a solid performance with an interesting and clever story.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful