Justin

Interesting style, but imperfect

Reviewed: 03-23-17

I've never listened to a story done in this style. It is effectively a screenplay - it's all dialog. There is no description of the settings other than what the characters say out loud. As a result, sometimes you have very little idea what the setting looks like. When the characters do describe it, the forced-sounding exposition often draws too much attention to itself, and pulls you out of the story thinking "Who talks like that?" I'm the type who likes a vivid description of the surroundings and the action, so this one left me wanting.

As has been mentioned before, the continuity with the movies is rather silly, and the author's hamfisted attempt at reconciling it is as silly as it is necessary. I honestly wonder why they felt they needed Ripley in this story in the first place. But that's a problem I have with lots of franchise stories, not just this one.

Also mentioned before: the performances are excellent. Perhaps it gets expensive to hire so many voice actors, but now that I've heard it done, I do wish more audiobooks would try. I'd just like to see an "author's voice" narrator as well to paint the picture.

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Good, but more about nostalgia than story

Reviewed: 03-23-17

I tried this book out on recommendations (esp. from The Martian's Andy Weir). The first thing everyone should know about this book is that it exists purely to extol 1980's nerd nostalgia. I'm slightly younger than the target audience, but I did get many references. If you're going to write a book designed to make readers say "Ooh, I remember that!" then this is probably the way to do it, but it still gets a bit tired.

The story is not bad, on the whole, but I'd certainly be interested in the backstory of the semi-apocalyptic world it envisions. Dialog is pretty well written. I'd just like to see more about the real world, and fewer in-depth descriptions of old games.

Wil Wheaton does well with the narration (I had to laugh at the fact that the author actually names him in the book at one point). I can't rate him as one of the great narrators, though. Good, but not particularly noteworthy.

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Disappointing in almost all respects

Reviewed: 08-25-15

I don't tend to be a negative Nancy, but after listening to the first book of the trilogy, I have too many complaints for the author, narrator, and even some reviewers to keep quiet. Not sure if I'll bother finishing the trilogy.

First off, for the reviewers: I bought this book because I saw reviews recommending it for "hard/realistic scifi" fans. If this is someone's conception of realism, they really need to get out of the Star-Trek replica captain's chair and read an actual science book. The only allusion to realism the author makes is his admission that space travel takes a long time.

More importantly, regarding the author and story itself: The characters are uninteresting (and often unbelievable). You really think NASA sends crews into space who don't work well together? And then having said that, you never bother even developing that part of the plot? Early on, Chou Yen had some potential as a villain, but turned into little but a caricature evil-leader. The only character with a little bit of range was Michael Sanderson, but he can't (and doesn't) sustain the book on his own.

Just as pointedly, the over-reliance on magic takes a heavy toll on my interest in the book. "A never-before-theorized element is discovered that without any refinement or development instantly sends objects to light speed. Oh, and it's also reverse-kryptonite that gives people super powers." Daniels seems to be trying to carbon-copy the lamest part of Frank Herbert, while leaving out his interesting narrative. The story itself does have a little potential, (thus the second star), but all the nonsensical magic is dragging it down.

I have to ask: what's up with the country-corporation nonsense? The idea that every country has turned itself into a huge corporation is juvenile and silly. "Canada Corporation?" "USA, incorporated?" Really? It's compounded by the author's inexplicable insistence on including the "incorporated" title in EVERY SINGLE MENTION of the nation's name, even in otherwise casual conversations. When I talk about Walmart, I don't go out of my way to refer to its official designation, "Wal-Mart Stores, inc." Nor do I tend to say "The Federal Republic of Germany" when I say I want to visit Munich. If this is the way Valmore Daniels talks, I'd hate to have a conversation with him.

The pacing leaves a lot to be desired as well. Daniels skips over large chunks (years) of time with cursory bits of "Justine made this, that, and the other major life changes." I'm not opposed to time advances in principle, but they have to be handled with some finesse. Here, they are very clumsy and give the impression the author was too eager to get to some other part of the story, so he stuffed a couple sentences in to mention a passage of time.

Finally, the narration: I tried to adjust to Dave Wright's quirks, something I can usually do, but even after nine hours I just couldn't get over it. Some of his character voices are ok, while others sound constipated. All of them, and especially his non-character narration voice, suffer from a severe case of over-pronunciation - particularly of the "T" in words like "Pluto." Partially as a result of this and partially (I'm guessing) out of his indifference to the weak writing, his performance has the emotional impact of a Roomba. There are great narrators out there in Audible-land, but this does not appear to be one of them.

Sorry for the rant, but even at a 3-for-1 price, this one's probably not worth your time.

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Wonderful personal journey through a space program

Reviewed: 08-10-15

This is an outstanding account of the Voyager missions through the solar system and through the lives of the many scientists and engineers that made it all happen. I was a bit surprised by the fact that this is nearly as much an autobiography as a history of Voyager, but Jim Bell writes well enough that it did not come off as a cry for attention, and indeed gave the book a very personal feel.

I have no doubt that every large space mission has an incredible story to tell, but Voyager was so far-reaching and has done so much that it deserves this treatment more than most. I highly recommend this book, and hope to find similar books about other missions (such as the Mars rovers - hint, hint, Dr. Bell!) in the future.

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3 people found this helpful

Disappointing as a science or philosophy book

Reviewed: 08-10-15

I bought this book expecting something more along the lines of Laurence Krauss' "A Universe From Nothing" with a little extra comparison to mythologies. That's not what this book is. Perhaps I should have recognized that fact from the short runtime.

This is a short collection of expositional essays about the author's views on the relation science has to the humanities and the silly beliefs we often hold in our heads. It makes almost no attempt to be a science book; Lightman makes mention of some of the amazing discoveries of physics, but does not try to explain them, which is what I was after. I think the intent was for this to be a philosophy book, but it falls short there too. I expect a philosopher to describe the logical reasoning that led him to his conclusion. This author, however, does not do so. And the final chapter/essay makes no attempt to be anything but a rant, lamenting the way life has changed with the adoption of new technologies. I may agree with a number of Lightman's thoughts, but I can get rants from friends and family for free. I expect more thoughtful reasoning from a philosophy book, and a more objective analysis from a respected scientist.

Forgive the condescension, but I think I'd describe this as a collection of polite rants, masquerading as philosophy, couched between spats of scientific wonderment. It's not the worst book ever, but it has very little actual content.

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1 person found this helpful

Good, though audio is not the perfect format

Reviewed: 05-25-15

This book is a wonderfully interesting examination of the history of science and the scientific thought process. I learned a great deal, especially about the Greek traditions. Unfortunately, as an audiobook, it is hamstrung in many places because the text book clearly includes many tables and formulas used to illustrate Weinberg's points. These are dutifully narrated, but I can't really absorb the meaning of a formula by simply hearing it. Nevertheless, if you're like me and tend to listen to books more than read them, this is still worth your time. The overall point of the book and the conclusions drawn don't depend on specific formulas.

The narration leaves a little to be desired. The narrator's voice is not off-putting, but he often places the emphasis on the wrong word, making it slightly more awkward than it needs to be.

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5 people found this helpful

Science fiction for the discerning nerd

Reviewed: 05-13-15

I'm picky with my sci-fi, but I've finally found one I can absolutely promote! No hand-waving pseudoscientific haberdashery here - every bit of technology and physics in this book, so far as I can tell, is achievable in our real world with real known engineering. A couple of the action sequences strained my credulity a tad, but only because the characters turned out to be exceedingly lucky, not because it's physically impossible. This book satisfies the engineer in me in a way no other work of fiction ever has.

My mom points out that Weir could have included a little more detail on Watney's mental state, and I'm inclined to agree. That's not a big detracting factor, but mostly just an observation. The focus is certainly on the technology and the decision making process of the characters. Given how much research Weir must have put into those aspects, I can't fault him for focusing on them.

Bray's performance is among the best you'll find on Audible as well. This book is definitely worth your time!

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2 people found this helpful

More believable than most sci-fi

Reviewed: 05-12-15

I'm a picky sci-fi fan, so I'm always leery going in to a new series. This one, for the most part, satisfied my craving for a realistic treatment of physics. It's got the crazy alien technology, but not to the obscene degree that so many other authors depend on. So in that respect it's an intriguing take on how an alien invasion might be set up in our actual world.

In light of that relative realism, I thought it unfortunate that Moss seems to have attended the Star Trek school of alien design. He says the creatures' hands and knees are different, but they're very much humanoid both in appearance and mental disposition. I'm still hunting for an author with enough imagination to create something believably 'alien.'

Nevertheless, I enjoyed this story, and as ever, R.C. Bray does an excellent job narrating. I'm looking forward to the next book.

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How can a science book be this captivating?

Reviewed: 05-12-15

This is one of those rare science books that seems to be accessible to both the scientifically literate and (most) laymen. I'm very familiar with physics, and had reasonable understanding of evolutionary principles, but I never fully understood the mechanism by which evolution works. I didn't think I'd be all that excited about genetics itself, but I found myself positively captivated. It may take a full book to detail its effects and expressions in a complex world, but it's thrilling to learn just how simple of a mechanism genetic evolution truly is at its core.

Dawkins' writing is characteristically eloquent, and his narration matches the writing style. Note that he narrates in tandem with his wife. It's a little jarring the first few times the voice switches, but you quickly get used to it.

I've listened to several others of Dawkins' books, but so far none have matched The Selfish Gene in revelatory and explanatory power. I've listened through two or three times, and recently bought it in print to examine the theory at my own pace. Trust me, this is one book you won't regret spending time on!

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13 people found this helpful

No fiction could be so inspiring and powerful

Reviewed: 05-12-15

The fact that one woman has gone through such a roller-coaster of a life is amazing, and even more so in light of how much she has accomplished. This is a heavy story, but one everyone should hear.

No matter what you think of Hirsi Ali's politics, I think it's important to hear both her life story and the arc of her thoughts as she transitioned between worlds. There is nothing simple about the challenges that religious faiths bring to the world, so it really does take a whole book (or more) to boil them down.

Her view on the "tolerance" movement is particularly important in modern Western society. It has devolved, and perhaps it takes an outsider to recognize what it is becoming. Tolerance means accepting people's differences, but it does not necessarily mean celebrating or pandering to them. And it certainly doesn't mean allowing those differences to trump others' rights. Hirsi Ali clearly recognizes the challenges and potential dangers in these differing definitions of tolerance, and she'll definitely make you think.

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