Iaon

An Eye-Opening Book For People on Both Sides

Reviewed: 08-15-17

As a veterinarian in practice for thirty years, and who has worked with rescue groups for most of that time, I thought I knew a lot about Pit Bulls. Turns out I knew very little of the history, politics, and culture that has guided us to where we are today. Ms. Dickey has done exceptional research, and knows her topic better than any author I've read on the subject. The narrator of this audiobook is also excellent, and her voice helps make an already-interesting topic even more interesting. Everyone who has a opinion on the "Pit Bull Issue" needs to read or listen to this book.

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2 people found this helpful

Top-notch military science fiction

Reviewed: 06-01-17

I have been a big fan of military science fiction, since I discovered the Legion of the Damned series a few years ago. Extinction Cycle is a cross between a good zombie tale and military fiction. It gets a few things wrong, but the story is good enough to overcome the mistakes. Anyone who likes zombies or Delta Force will love this.

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Very Entertaining and Engaging; Terrific Narrator

Reviewed: 06-01-17

I originally selected this book because I love Ray Porter's voice. He narrates all the Joe Ledger books, which I love. He can make a mediocre story good, and a good story great. I was not disappointed. Bob's story is very good, and Porter's narration makes it really, really good. I only stop short of great, because it's too short.

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Annoying voice and audio math don't work

Reviewed: 04-27-17

I love Tyson and Strauss, and don't know a lot about Gott, but was looking forward to this, as I had already read chapter one. The narrator apparently prides himself on different accents, but all I can hear in this is nasal Chicago, which I don't find at all appealing. I'm having a hard time paying attention to what he says. All the equations don't translate well to audio, either. I'm about 1/4 of the way in, and I might have to just buy the book and read it, instead of listening.

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5 people found this helpful

More Theater of the Mind than audiobook

Reviewed: 05-01-16

An unanticipated detour for Ripley between the first and second movies. Production quality and acting significantly exceeded my expectations. They managed to find a near-perfect replica of Sigourney Weaver's voice, and Hauer as Ash was spot-on, too. Without giving away any spoilers, I can only say I hope this is not the end of one character's story.

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Great, classic Halo story, only fair telling of it

Reviewed: 02-21-16

Having read every Halo book in print, I thought it would be fun to listen to them, so I started from the beginning. The Fall of Reach and The Flood (volumes 1 and 2) both suffer from the same problems.
First, admittedly minor, but driving me crazy nonetheless, is the inexplicable fact that the narrator cannot pronounce something that is such a part of the story as Mjolnir. It's "me-ol-neer", not "mah-jole-neer." Through two volumes, no one noticed this? Mjolnir is the name of Thor's Hammer. Why would the correct pronunciation be such a challenge?
Second, the sound equalization stinks. The narrator has a good voice, but whenever a character yells, which is a lot, you get a sharp, jarring ice pick through the ear drum, because the volume goes up five decibels. A good sound engineer should have fixed that situation. It's really, really annoying. So, as much as I love The Halo series, I'll stick with visual instead of audio, until someone reworks the sound.

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Starts slow, but makes amends

Reviewed: 04-12-15

Not as gripping as the first book for the first half. Character development and a lot of soliloquies get a bit boggy. But, once things get moving, it leaves you distressed that the next one is not available yet. Very good plot twists and surprises,

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Heinlein: Verbose, Sexist, Bigoted

Reviewed: 05-29-14

Funny...I read this book forty years ago and it didn't seem out of whack with the times. Listening to it now, Heinlein takes way too long to say what he needs to say, he lectures, and the anti-gay and anti-feminist prose is obvious now. His protagonists, who are supposedly free sexual spirits, are disgusted by homosexuality and the main female character says at one point: "Nine times out of ten, if a girl gets raped, it's at least partially her own fault."

How times change. I could barely finish the book this time around.

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Great story, one-dimensional characters

Reviewed: 09-10-13

The idea is terrific, and the author clearly knows his military history and weapons. The story line develops well and you get a lot of interesting tidbits of European and American history. But, the characters are one-dimensional. They are either good guys or bad guys, and the character development is a bit like a teen novel.

The worst part for me is the narrator. I know everyone else apparently thinks he's great, but I almost can't listen to him. He sounds like he always has such a mouthful of saliva that if you were talking face-to-face, he'd be spitting on you. I can barely get past that.

However, overall, I enjoyed the story enough that the whole package was a worthwhile read. I liked it enough to download 1633, so that says something.

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1 person found this helpful

Ruined by the narrator

Reviewed: 04-20-13

Based on other reviews, I really, really wanted to hear this book. I learned a valuable lesson--never buy an audio-book without listening to the sample audio. I tried several times, but could not get past the first ten minutes, because the narrator's voice is that of a seventy-year-old, two-pack-a-day smoker. The hoarseness made me want to continually clear my throat.

I'll chalk it up to a lesson learned and buy the Tenth Anniversary, multi-cast edition.

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1 person found this helpful