Matthew J. Bennett

Thought it would be OK. It is GREAT.

Revisado: 01-14-25

I admit ... I'm a sucker for cats in books. That was my "in" - I thought it would be OK- but, honestly, it was a great listen- way better than I expected. It is not simply about a cat- if that was the case, I would not have spent 20 hours on it.

The world created was interesting, the plot unusual, and the characters dynamic. I felt like I was discovering the world alongside the kitty. It does not dive deep into the science part of SF- but enough for me to stay within the realm of "willing suspension of disbelief."

While I would enjoy listening to more in this "world" - this book can stand alone, and does not leave open questions for "further in the series," which I really appreciate.

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Great! no matter if cats matter to you.

Revisado: 09-22-23

Initially, there were some starts/reframes that are painful for the audiobook world- I put all fault on the producers. (Don't do an immediate change of scene without at least a significant pause! -- not a fault of the writer or performer!)

A very enjoyable book. Kind of liked it was wrapped up in this- don't have a cliffhanger. Love the universe it puts forth.

I have enjoyed most of John Scalzi's books. I have read almost all of his catalog. So far, this is the most fun, most enjoyable, and most suprising climax.

Kitties are not exactly central, or necessary to the plot, but well appreciated.

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Meh.

Revisado: 11-23-22

As it went on, I was not more interested in the outcome. performances were OK, but the story? Nope. not engaging.

I wish I could get this fraction of my life back.

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Awful bit of revisionist propaganda.

Revisado: 10-22-22

Went into this thinking it might be an open minded deep dive into the realities of empire. Good and bad.

What I got was basically that the noble Britain saved the unwashed heathens from themselves.

Honestly, I am most disappointed that Ray Porter gave voice to this tome of hate.

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the copyright notice destroys the story.

Revisado: 09-22-22

the copyright notice at the end makes the overall experience one of failure. I enjoyed the story, but why give the notice? it adds nothing, and in reality, takes away from the story and the performance.

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loved the story. hated the add-ons

Revisado: 06-21-22

the story is great. the editorial comments by Blackstone audio makes me regret interacting.

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athe performance was awesome. The copyright not.

Revisado: 07-20-21

Please stop making legitimate purchasers listen to your tired comments. I want to appreciate and celebrate the writers. making anyone listen to the justification is theft, of my time. Please give me a reason why this theft of my time is justified.

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Weak mix of Technology and Magic

Revisado: 01-10-19

I hoped- made it all the way through- it just didn't get better. There is an LGBT relationship that was done quite well - not overdone, as many heterosexual relationships are portrayed. None of this could make it more interesting.

This series tried to mix technology and magic- frankly, it is un-necessary for a science fiction story. To take from Arthur C. Clarke: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" The Magic in this story just seems like a shortcut to avoid trying to deal with the "science" part of science fiction. Avoiding a spoiler- there is a plot point that does take advantage of the "magical" aspects- still doesn't seem strong enough. There was some exciting potential in the beginning as racing was included, but that aspect of the character and story potential was mostly neglected.

The narrator tried- wasn't great, and could not make something from otherwise weak source material (such as the awesome Ray Porter)- though I see potential in her performance.

If magic and science fiction appeals to you, this may be an attractive story. Otherwise, this is a story to avoid.

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Meh

Revisado: 06-04-18

It wasn't awful, just not outstanding. characters were pretty flat. Inconsistent pronunciation of the *Main* character's last name was annoying (it is also the title of the series, so I have to wonder if it was intentional)- if part of dialogue, the first syllable was accented, and if part of narration, the second. not even a silly reason like "how the main character pronounced it was different."

The writing wasn't bad, but the science was really poor on some really basic stuff, like the sheer size of things and the scale of space. An asteroid "just happened to show up in the path of a FTL ship" not being noted as tremendously unlikely and cause for immediate emergency. And then there is being able to see ships in low orbit around earth from high orbit... to mis-Quote HHGTTG (and Douglas Adams) on the size of space- "you just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is"... I appreciate not inventing some stupid Star-Trek like magic answer for the future technology and science, but don't break the simple things like geometry, as it hurts the willing suspension of disbelief.

Overall- OK, but I wouldn't read again or reccomend, as there are too many other, better books out there.

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Good story, narrator hurts it.

Revisado: 02-11-18

If you could sum up Elysium Fire in three words, what would they be?

Hot Headed Children

What was one of the most memorable moments of Elysium Fire?

When the children realized what they were

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator, John Lee, has a very bad habit of modulating the volume of his voice- he consistently reduces the volume through a sentence- starting loud and getting quieter almost always. If listening in a noisy environment, (like a car) this can mean missing content. This is definitely not the only book where he has done this- It was *FAR* worse in 'Pandora's Star' - it is enough that If I see the book is narrated by Mr. Lee, I hesitate a little.

In every other respect Mr. Lee's performance is exemplary- the characters are performed distinctly and consistently. I make the mention only so that he can improve future performances.

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

Forgetting isn't perfect

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