Richard Brooks

A great story, perfect gothic suspense.

Reviewed: 06-12-24

I really enjoyed this, it was quite a short book, but did exactly what it intended to achieve building up the suspense nicely, have a proper 'gotcha' moment when something unexpected suddenly occurred and a wonderful twist with a poignant meaning. Couldn't ask for more. Love the subtly gothic atmosphere.

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A real surprise and great fun

Reviewed: 19-08-24

I loved this. Didn't know what to expect and found and a very fun, enjoyable and heart-warming story. It really transports you to a proper fantasy world that is as unexpected as it is fascinating.

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Great work, fun, oddly though-provoking

Reviewed: 19-08-24

This is a great production told with gusto and the multiple narrators really work. But more than that, there is an oddly philosophical aspect to being in Death's kingdom, take away the jokes and dramatic ending and there's an approach to death which is strangely reassuring.

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Cracking good listen

Reviewed: 18-07-24

Well, what's not to like about this? It's a great romp, fantasy, a bit of sci-fi, a bit of mystery and a lot of adventure thrown together with plenty of humour. This brings together a mix of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett humour and John Buchan style derring-do with some genuinely great characterisation and very immersive world-building. If I had one fault, it would be that sometimes the comic tangents can get in the way of the narrative drive and suspense, but it's a very minor complaint when you get to enjoy such pleasurable ride. This builds on the audio drama story, but you don't need to listen to it to enjoy it (in fact, you might want to go back afterwards and benefit from all the free content). Overall, a fantastic book I'm sure I'd read again, if only to pick out all the fun details.

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1 person found this helpful

An absolute 5 star triumph

Reviewed: 09-05-24

A really powerful book. It starts a little slow, probably with good reason, but don't let that put you off, by a third in I was absolutely compelled, raced through this, listening during every spare moment. A beautiful, epic and tragic tinged love-story written for those who would probably not touch romance. It felt real, vital, very very funny and a genuine tear-jerker - for me anyway I can see this being one of my favourite books. Greatly recommended, but don't expect a predictable romance.

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Thought-provoking, kaleidoscopic, fun

Reviewed: 09-05-24 Listener received this title free

This short-story collection feels like a kaleidoscopic reframing of past stories combining to create a new and interesting whole. It's also a lot of fun.

You don't have to have read any of Roger Ley's previous works, though it can certainly at depth to this collection, it's not necessary.

Instead what you get here are familiar characters seen from lots of different angles encountering situations that occur on the edge of the possible or soon possible. It's a wild ride, and a joy for fans of tangible science-fiction but the sheer range of possibilities, makes you think about how interconnected and fluid all things are. Much to enjoy here and indeed I can see myself re-listening to this soon.

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Great ideas and fantastic sci-fi rooted in reality

Reviewed: 30-03-24 Listener received this title free

Chronoscape bubbles with great sci-fi ideas , whilst driven by a spy/science-thriller plot that feels solidly tethered to a much more tangible reality. A really interesting - and in a crowded market - very original look at the mechanics of how time manipulation could feasibly work and the very real and immediate conflicts it causes for the scientists involved. This story reimagines the 90s, '00s and far future whilst having a very human story at the heart and forming the foundation for a very engaging and mind expanding series. Well worth the listen.

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2 people found this helpful

Lingers with you

Reviewed: 16-03-24 Listener received this title free

This is a fun story, by someone who clearly is able to paint an immersive picture of the courts of the Arabic world. But what caught me about this story was how it stays with you and you find yourself looking at current day events and thinking how very easily it could have been very different - and in a completely different and unexpected way. I must admit, at first I'd been put off a bit by the subtitle, I'm not so interested in the Diana but this isn't really about her or even her legacy - it's an enjoyable love-story but one with very thought-provoking implications for how we might have seen this island country,

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1 person found this helpful

A real gem! Worth buying

Reviewed: 24-11-23 Listener received this title free

This was a bit of an unexpected and most welcome find for me, that I would strongly recommend to anyone.

It's a 'hard sci-fi' set in the near future, so it's credible enough to make you think this could happen and it's got some really touching and thought-provoking scenes, which stay with me.

The book itself is a stand-alone story, but it is also the pre-equal to the Harry Lampter series. You don't have to have read this, but it does add to this, not least because a lot of what drives the tension at the start is an awareness of what will happen at the end. The story however is quite different from the tone of wide-boy/spy Harry Lampter, it's still got Roger Ley's rye sense of humour and lots of quips on the present, but it's a slower build and a more thoughtful end. What I liked most about this was whilst in most books the drive comes from preventing some world ending disaster, in this one we know the disaster is going to come and so instead Ley switches to the human stories which felt like a refreshing and very powerful change.

I loved this story. I give a few stories five stars, but there are much few that make me think - "gosh, I wish I could write like that!" or which stay with me after I've finished it. Fun, funny, thoughtful, gripping in places, haunting in others. A great surprise and a real find, I definitely recommend.

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Absolutely incredible

Reviewed: 02-11-23

Let me say from the start, this isn't your usual novel. It's book of legends, a dramatised history or a series of interlinked short-stories. It does require a bit of concentration and it helps to have a map and a few family trees of the elves made available which are pretty easy to find online. However it is incredibly rewarding and hugely enlarges Tolkein's world. For fans of Lord of the Rings, this really deepens the story and essentially tells the story of the elves which is mostly lacking in the novel. I would massively recommend it and suggest listening to each of the short-stories in turn to savour the whole epic sweep.

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