The Tears of the Sun

A Novel of the Change (Emberverse Series, Book 8)

De: S. M. Stirling

Narrado por: Todd McLaren

It's Change Year 25, a generation after high-energy technology died in a catastrophe most of the human race didn't survive. The children born after the Change are now starting to take center stage - and Whoever or Whatever was behind the Change itself may be taking a hand in their rivalries. An expedition has travelled to Nantucked across a strange and hostile continent to find some answers.

©2011 Steven M. Stirling (P)2011 Tantor

Viscount

The narrator does accents, animal sounds and sound effec really well…even if his pronunciation is not the greatest. I’ve been listening since dies the fire and it’s never been great but pronouncing the s in viscount really bothered me lol.

And the story goes on

Love the story line. The writer keeps me on my toes with the time line. Looking forward to peace

Was not looking for backstory

What did you love best about The Tears of the Sun?

The little bit that the story moved forwaed.

Would you recommend The Tears of the Sun to your friends? Why or why not?

If you they had already invested the time in the seriesRarri

Which character – as performed by Todd McLaren – was your favorite?

Baroness D'ath

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

Frustration over the story not moving forward.

Any additional comments?

I was really looking forward to some closer.

Love this series, story's getting crazy though

I'm of a few minds about the progression of the Emberverse series. Love the details, the world, the progression... But with the turn of added magic (in a much more obvious way) has transformed the whole thing into a good vs evil play of larger than life figures culled from any number of other similar properties. Oddly I want to see it through, because I'm invested in the story at this point... But to know how it all started to where it is ending up... I would loved to see it play out the other way too.

Filling in the backstory

Where does The Tears of the Sun rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 20%

Who was your favorite character and why?

There were several

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

I'm used to McClaren. Changing narrators now would be jarring.

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

Would've liked to, but it takes a couple of days

Any additional comments?

I really don't understand all these negative reviews. Like David Weber, Stirling writes in great detail and many layers. If one allows oneself to become invested in the narrative, these books are very compelling. I will be listening to the entire series many times in the future.

Good performance of an OK book

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

I would recommend the book because the performance is well done.

If you’ve listened to books by S. M. Stirling before, how does this one compare?

n/a

Which character – as performed by Todd McLaren – was your favorite?

Can't think of one that stood out.

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

A whole lotta flashbacks

Any additional comments?

I've liked most of the books in this series, but this one and "The Sunrise Lands" are just a whole bunch of flashbacks. I wish he had just written a separate book about what happened back in Oregon/Washington while Rudy and the gang were traveling East.

fun series

The book reader varies his tone too much, so that at even at top volume of my device, I can't hear him when he goes into low or wisper-like tones.

Admit it, you're in for the duration

Didja ever wonder what was going on in Montival while Rudy and the gang were on the sword quest? Me neither. (12 hours of that) . Dies the Fire was a really fun thought experiment. Hard Sci-fi and swashbucker and whatwouldUdo post-apocalypse thought experiment. I even enjoy trying to use my undergraduate physics (quantum mechanics and Boyles Law) to explain the "change" Macguffin to my friends. The 2-followups set the hook ...or maybe I actually just skimmed the food porn in the first four books (advantage to print). Anyway, I'm still enjoying the ride. But the ride IS getting slower. Makes me wonder why he's spends time recapping the origin stories (like sequels usually do) because anyone still here at book EIGHT was surely here from the beginning. Worth a credit for emberverse fans. If you're new, head for book one then decide.

More history than story

This book is not terribly chock a block with action (though there some battle scenes) but the overall sense of it I got was that the author was really trying to describe more details and smaller parts of the world he has created. The overall story is advanced is advanced...somewhat. I found the description of the ins and outs of the new society to be interesting and will definitely read more but this book may not be the best thing for those who care more about "what happens next" and plotty aspects.

Personally, these books now to me are more about exploring the new created environment than the whole tried and true good v. evil storyline. Although I would like to know more about the world of those folks in Nantucket stuck in 1200 BC and how it will all tie together.

Honestly, this book is rather boring.

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

First off, I love S. M. Stirling and have greatly enjoyed many of his other books. This one, though, I did not enjoy. The story was too stiffing, and the manner in which he had the story jump from one time line to another was very confusing...perhaps straight forward for a book reader but as an audio reader I found the oscillations bewildering. I can understand why he wrote this book, to tie the story together, but it felt like a boring old patchwork blanket, like the one that grandma always had on the back of her couch that smelled of mold and mildew.

This book did not engage me as many of S.M. Stirling's books have. In fact, it was so dull that my mind frequently wandered. Just as I was about to blow it off and listen to something else, something more interesting (like Barney or the Muppets) I decided to try and stick it out in hopes that it would get better. Just as I thought that I would be rewarded, just as the characters were girding up for the final climatic battle, the book ended.

Bummer does not begin to describe it.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I listened to Stephen King's 11/22/63 after Tears of the Sun, and it was great.

Have you listened to any of Todd McLaren???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Todd McLaren's performance in this novel was excellent.

Did The Tears of the Sun inspire you to do anything?

No, not unless you mean instilling a desire in me to never listen to another book in this series. This desire is similarly tempered by my desire to find out how this will all end.