Rescue OR, Royer Goldhawk's Remarkable Journal, Book 1

By: Amy Leigh Strickland

Narrated by: Justin Halliwell

Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

When Royer Goldhawk witnesses a fly-by kidnapping, he becomes inextricably entangled in a madman's plot to break the barrier to another world and harness an unimaginable power. With the help of his friends, Royer embarks on a mission of rescue and revenge that will lead him across the country and plunge him into a world of magic, machines, and danger.

©2013, 2014 Amy Leigh Strickland and Matter Deep Publishing (P)2014 Amy Leigh Strickland and Matter Deep Publishing

couldn't finish it

Would you try another book from Amy Leigh Strickland and/or Justin Halliwell?

No,
Right off I was turned off to the story by the way the character brushes off finding his parents bloody murder as easily as wiping his face after a good meal. These are supposed to be journal entries and people expand on what they publicly express privately, especially in those times. Rather than drawing one into the character's experience the story is told like a series of events. It felt like.. then this, then that, then this, then that.
I think this was exaggerated by the choice of the reader. I know listener's tastes vary and some would love this voice, but I found the soft spoken (I had to turn it up), monotone reading to exaggerate the inability to be drawn into the story.
I was expecting a kind of "Wild, Wild West" story that moved along excitingly, this was slow stroll in the mild, mild east. I literally fell asleep.

What aspect of Justin Halliwell’s performance would you have changed?

The reading should have been excited and moved along, rather than patient and slow. I found this reader to have a soothing voice, that was not matched well to this story.

Could you see Rescue OR, Royer Goldhawk's Remarkable Journal, Book 1 being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I think it's the type of story that could be a movie, but it would be rewritten and end up being formulaic.

A Remarkable Journey

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

I would recommend this audiobook to anyone looking for a satisfying steampunk adventure. Peppered with elements of fantasy and the Wild West, Rescue OR, Royer Goldhawk's Remarkable Journal, Book 1 is a fast-paced story with richly layered and likable characters.

What did you like best about this story?

Amy Leigh Strickland's obvious research and attention to historical detail is impressive. The result is an incredible sense of placement. The crowded 19th Century city streets, the rocking and clacking trains...every setting was rendered perfectly.

Which character – as performed by Justin Halliwell – was your favorite?

I enjoyed Halliwell's performance of America, but he brought Royer Goldhawk to life for me in a way that sent me out into the world of audiobooks looking for more titles that he's narrated.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A Remarkable Journey

excellent steampunk start

engaging from the start, it moves at a good pace with talented narration of Justin Halloween. The mix of steampunk tech& weird western mesh well.
I can't wait for the next volume.
Warning - it does have a bit of a cliffhanger ending.