Tenacious

Kris Longknife, Book 12

By: Mike Shepherd

Narrated by: Dina Pearlman

Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

National best-selling series.

There’s no rest for a Longknife - even if you’re a newlywed. Vice Admiral Kris Longknife’s honeymoon gets cancelled when she hears that the space raider’s home world may have been discovered. Finding where the raiders came from could be the key to saving humanity. If only uncovering their secrets was that easy. As Kris returns home, she ends up tangling with a mutinous crew determined to take off on their own. The dissident group leads Kris straight into a new mess - a system filled with strange, deadly enemies poised to wipe another sentient civilization out of existence. Kris and her squadron are ready to prevent total annihilation, but the mutineers have other plans…

©2014 Mike Moscoe (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Good story

Parts of the story were a stretch but it otherwise really kept my interest. It was hard to put down.

Excellent addition to the series.

I have every audio book in the series. This another series I enjoy and have listened to more than once. While I did not like the Vicky Peterwald series... Here the author has returned to a more tried and true action bases formula... The narrator (one of my favorites) as usual makes the story very enjoyable...

Pretty good, but one nit pick.

Where does Tenacious rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Since I listen to James Marsters' performances of the Harry Dresden files, I'm pretty spoiled when it comes to Narrator performances.

What did you like best about this story?

Mike Shepard writes another well done story, it's hard to pinpoint a best.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Pearlman tends to read slowly, which doesn't really go with the fast pace of the book,

Any additional comments?

And I really would like someone to teach Pearlman how to pronounce the word "viceroy". It only has two syllables, not three. The "e" in the middle is silent. It is pronounced like there is a hyphen there: "vice-roy". It was jarring to have the mispronunciation in the middle of an otherwise well enunciated performance.

Sex. War, and BEM's (Bug Eyed Monsters); Oh my...

This is a continuation of the Kris Longknife series. It has a good solid story line and is a solid continuation of the series. The narration is very good. if you are a fan of the series then this is a good fun read

Innovative touches

It seems Kris goes from one mess into another one in each edition of the series. Penny has returned after finding the home world of the raiders. Kris and squadron are off to uncover their secrets. Sampson and a group of mutineers steal a ship and set off on their own with Kris in pursuit. Kris is lead into a new mess, a system with a planet with cat people with nuclear weapons and several opposing clans are being attacked by what Kress calls “the bug eyed aliens” with the goal of wiping another sentient civilization out of existence. Kris and Squadron are ready to prevent total annihilation.

The book has lots of action including ship maneuvering and fleet combat. Kris’s role has changed with her promotion to Vice Admiral; she now controls the entire squadron rather than just one ship. As the book ends King Raymond sends more ships to help and a promotion for Kris to full Admiral. Nellie is still my favorite and she is as sassy and smart as ever in this story. Dina Pearlman narrates the series.

Best entry of late

I continue to enjoy Kris' adventures. I liked the mix of politics and action in this one. What I particularly like is that this part of the series covers what happens after the big battle win and what problems that poses. So many books just stop before that point. I admit that some of the coincidences seem rather 'convenient' but that is the way of writers and I don't find that too off putting. Ms Pearlman continues to provide pleasant listening and her characterization continue to impress. Just one point on the recital, which I would say was 99.9 but, please Ms Pearlman, the word is VICEroy and most certainly not viCEROY. As an expat Englishman living in the US I am learning to deal with the pronunciation of US English but I can find nobody here who agrees with Ms Pearlman's version. After all, the word comes from vice - adjunct and royal, i.e. and adjunct to the Queens rule of India.
This is a small thing, I know, but it really does grate!
Enough nit picking.
Difficult to recommend this to a reader new to the series but, IMHO, a very good listen indeed.

great story, first narrator slip this series

voice of Amber Kitano gained an accent in this book, not sure why she thought it was necessary. otherwise great performance as usual

Good entry to the series with out ending.

Any additional comments?

Tenacious is yet another good entry to the series. This book is mostly about discovery and exploration as Kris tries to find out more about the bug eyed monsters. If you have read any of the other Longknife books you know what to expect.The only complaint I have with the book is that it doeskin really end. To paraphrase in a way that doesn't spoil any thing the book ends with.... Kirs walks through the door not realizing the bad things to come.... That is it, nothing else, it cant even be thought of as a cliffhanger. It felt more like the lead in to the next chapter of the book. In fact i had to rewind the book to make sure i hadn't missed some because it ends so abruptly. All that being said, I do consider that to be a fairly minor complaint seeing as I enjoyed the rest of the book. I do wholeheartedly recommend this book though you might want to wait for the next one to come out so you can avoid a sharp ending.

pronunciation is important

if you don't know how a word is pronounced just make it up: Viceroy Commander etc

pronunciation!!!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes I'd recommend this book but then military sf/space operas are one of my addictions—especially when they have strong female characters.

What did you like best about this story?

A very good continuation of the series with a mix of politics, action and a (very small) bit of romance. A fun listen.

How could the performance have been better?

The one thing that keeps throwing me off is Dina Perlman's atrocious pronunciation of viceroy. I've family from coast to coast in N Am, have travelled the British Isles, have known and know Anzacs and no where in the English speaking world is viceroy pronounced 'vis-e-roy'. It is vice + roy, viceroy. Simple! Funny thing she doesn't seem to have problems with other words with a vice prefix.

Did Tenacious inspire you to do anything?

I'm looking forward to listening to Unrelenting and I've begun the Vicky Peterwald series which is also proving to be a favourite of mine.

Any additional comments?

Though not as 'animated' as I'd like I generally I enjoy Perlman's narration but find her pronunciation of the title viceroy VERY grating.