Bill in CT

35 years ago, this was great. Now, not so much.

Reviewed: 01-08-23

As a young man, I was inspired by this book. But it is a measure of how much I've changed to grind through this again. Rand's fundamental arguments still have some relevance, but her writing is pedantic, contrived, and just plain bombastic. When the horse is dead, she beats it some more! The dichotomies of her characters are so stark as to be unbelievable. The antics of her heroes are absurd.
Sure, some people (many if measured by the online reviews) will find resonance from the story, characters, and lectures found within. However, there are better ways to spend 32 hours than listening to this.
Recommend a hard pass.

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Another Fine Entry in the Dispatcher Series

Reviewed: 09-02-22

This was another good Dispatcher story. if you liked the first two, you'll definitely like this one. Zachary Quinto's performance was as good as before, but the production values were uneven, thus the four stars. I loved how Scalzi used Hitchcock's McGuffin trope for the object that everybody was scrambling to get, very much in the spirit of old time noir. The real McGuffin, of course, is the whole Dispatch device. All of these stories are who-dun-its that Philip Marlowe would be proud of.

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4 people found this helpful

We Think We Know What Money Is

Reviewed: 06-07-22

This short book is the best dissection of that with which we trade value that I have seen or read. It tells the fascinating and twisteds tale of how money came to be (and BTW, conventional wisdom ain't quite right). Along the way, we learn how to mismanage monetary policy in many ostensibly honest ways. The author makes a compelling case that the fiction--that is, our shared belief--is still developing. Money was different than it is today and will be different tomorrow.

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A fun story, light and mildly humorous

Reviewed: 05-17-22

I pick this up because I read the second book first. I definitely enjoyed the ridiculousness disguised as a spy thriller. This is typical Drew Hayes fare. If you've read any of his other stuff and liked it, you'll most likely like this, too.

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If you liked the movie ...

Reviewed: 05-15-22

... This is better. The details enhance the story, the inner voices tell more than the acting could possibly. Simon Vance brings his excellent skills to bear and make the telling better still.

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Starts slow; Picks up and engages

Reviewed: 05-11-22

While the first third of the book was all build up, the place picked up and the payoff made it worth listening. I'm glad I didn't quit it. The characters become more engaging as the story develops. There are definitely times about 2/3 of the way through when you're getting some of your emotional strings plucked. Altogether, this is a good first book of a trilogy. looking forward to the next.

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An Imperfect Hero, An Iron Age Society

Reviewed: 03-18-22

It's always hard to start a new fantasy series. It's a leap of faith. Does the first book catch you? Do the characters, world-building, and magic systems make sense? Are the conflicts worthy of your time and interest. These are pretty subjective because some of the elements will click, while other parts just won't tickle your fancy. [In fact, based on other comments, some parts can just piss you off!] I share these concerns with you. That is why I want to recommend 'Spellmonger' the book and the series.

Minalan is the series hero. He is a pretty likable guy and tries to do a good job and take care of his people. He also makes mistakes, gets mad, and follows his lusty nature. He is a bit rough around the edges; he is kind of a smart-ass but balances that with a decent amount of self-deprecation. That combination makes him someone you'd want to have a couple of drinks with.

***Here is a key point about the series ... Yes, there are several cringe-worthy scenes where Minalan really behaves in ways that offend our societal sensibilities. HOWEVER, Minalan does grow. He improves. That requires that he has behaviors that need improving. In fact, he pays for his mistakes as an integral part of his character arc.***

The author, Terry Mancour, created a deep and vibrant world/universe. He does a great job building believable characters--even the bad guys have motivations that are layered and complex. Importantly, the characters change with the ongoing story. They aren't static cutouts.

'Spellmonger' (the book) has a couple of action set-pieces that apply touches of military planning and tactics. It has feudal politics, light romance, betrayals, adventure, horror, humor, and is definitely part of a larger (and interesting) world. Terry Mancour deeply researched medieval conditions, feudal society, and economics and integrates them well into the milieu. That context is extremely important. [One complaint I've seen in reviews is the cognitive dissonance felt with some real-world scientific principles being part of an iron age world. Without spoiling the story, I can tell you these dissonances resolve later in the series.]

***Don't expect political correctness by our society's view. Rather, expect the characters to behave according to their society's norms, sometimes in petty, barbaric, or brutal ways. (Think, short lives, chamber pots, sharp-edged weapons, and privileged nobles.)***

The author tells a very good story. The Spellmonger series gets better and better with each book.

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2nd Reading: This is the best so far!

Reviewed: 01-18-22

There is a lot that happens in this book. The larger story arc advanced tremendously. Individual arcs mature just as well. Dragons, undead, pirates, feudal politics, interstellar intrigue, magical mysteries! This is getting better and better!

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Very Disappointing

Reviewed: 11-19-21

I couldn't wait to get through this book. I did finish it, but only because I was invested in the series. The original Foundation books stand the test of time fairly well. "Foundation's Edge" was tolerable. "Foundation and Earth" was less so.

The story has not aged well. Whether it was the inexperience of my youth, or the freshness of Asimov's ideas, I remember that I was better engaged with the science part of the fiction than I am today. Thirty five years ago, we were just beginning to explore our solar system and computer/robotic intelligence was still novel. Today, between Hollywood, AI, and NASA's planetary exploration programs, many of the science concepts exhaustively explored in "Foundation and Earth" are blasé. Still worse, Asimov devolved into pedantic narrative thinly disguised as dialog to expound on the minutia of technical or scientific detail. Socrates would have been proud of Asimov's method, but it quickly became onerous.

The plot is roughly a 'whodunnit.' The characters go from world to world uncovering clues while also overcoming obstacles. The plot felt overly contrived with very little mystery and much obtuseness from the main characters.

The main character, Golan Trevize is an insufferable bore. I didn't like him in "Foundation's Edge," and liked him much less in this book. He comes across as cocksure, uncaring, argumentative, prejudiced, and patronizing. His companions aren't much better.

The only redeemable feature of this novel is its conclusion. And, no, not just because it concluded. "Foundation and Earth" ends with a far-reaching and satisfying reveal of the 'whodunnit.' Well, okay. Maybe the reveal was heavily foreshadowed. Nevertheless, the ending is a culmination of the previous books, including the two prequels.

To pile onto the unfortunate prose, Larry McKeever read. Note, his reading is not a performance, at least in the modern sense. This narration was SLOW. I had to speed up the replay to 1.15x speed and even that was too slow sometimes. McKeever did not provide storyteller cues like significant intonation, accent, or character variation. I'm sure I would have better enjoyed reading the book than listening to this production.

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An Interesting Romp

Reviewed: 09-15-21

This is a binge-worthy listen for sci-fi fans.

I need to start by telling you why you should disregard those reviewers who complain that the story is heavily derivative and trope-laden. Yes, other books have a hero with a symbiotic body-covering that gives her superhuman abilities, or have alien creatures that resemble bugs who also communicate without sounds, or spaceships that use antimatter to power faster-than-light travel between stars. However, I want to hear a story that has interstellar travel, aliens, and a hero's journey. Um, isn't that kinda the point? You wouldn't expect a western without cowboy hats, six-shooters, or horses.
Also, "To Sleep ..." is definitely NOT YA. The characters swear. There is a sex scene (though not very graphic). There are many scenes that are graphically violent. But, I don't think these are especially gratuitous, certainly not on the level of an Abercrombie.

What I particularly liked about "To Sleep ..." was the scope and scale of the story, while staying within the bounds of a single work. It is as if all of the Dorsai novels were wrapped together, or the first three "Dune" books. "To Sleep in a Sea of Stars" is expansive, but not encumbering. I also liked the hero and POV character, Kira. She developed and changed believably. Moreover, just as Frank Herbert believed "that a memorable myth must have something profoundly moving that could either empower the hero or overwhelm him completely" (per Wikipedia "Sandworm (Dune)"), the hero's conflicts provided the tension that made the story compelling.

Paolini's prose is very descriptive, almost lush. Dialog often substituted for narrative, but sometimes seemed stilted. I think that's an attribute of the author's style. The main character had several long passages of introspection which, to me, were lyrical and almost poetic. But, I suspect these could be off-putting for some people.
This is a good book with some great elements. As I alluded, it grabbed my attention and led me to listen more and longer than I usually allow for my Audible books. It is also interesting to see Chris Paolini's craftwork developing.

Jennifer Hale did a fine job performing the story. She voiced the characters distinctly and with appropriate emotion. I'd love to hear another book read by her.

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1 person found this helpful