SteveS

An open and heartfelt book

Reviewed: 18-12-24

Really well paced and a clear window into the mind of a modern day icon. I was surprised at how humble Arnold is throughout and he doesn't shy away from being critical of himself to help us learn from his mistakes as well as successes. Definitely recommend.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Star Wars or Mills and Boon Lust Story

Reviewed: 31-03-24

Loved the title and the cover. The blurb also promising an exciting journey into the new Star Wars Universe with Cal Kestis, Cere, Merrin and Greez, What I wasn't expecting was a 10 hour slightly spicy lust story. The writing style seems aimed at kids but its definitely not, what with the amount of caressing and implied Shenanigans by two of the girls behind the locked engine room door. There are also a LOT of analogies, why use one when three will do, at. every. possible. opportunity.

The characters themselves come across well, and the power of Dathomirian Nightsisters is also well communicated. Merrin is an absolute force when roused. The story and action however, in general don't flow - too much emphasis on feelings, holding hands and touching, even in the middle of life and death battles. Gives the impression of 5 minutes of interaction and personal soul-searching while the big mean bad guy stalking towards them.

If the love/lust element had been taken out, and the author had cut down on the analogies then we'd maybe have about a 3 hour escapade to retrieve a powerful and potentially game-changing piece of technology. This would've been better.

I thought the narrator was very good - good accents so you can tell who is talking - but a bit over the top at times. I think this is in keeping with the writing so he was doing what was needed. The special effects were a bit off-putting at times and the distracting background noises inside spaceships probably really don't need to be imposed on listeners - a bit distracting.

With this one I'd recommend reading (or listening to!) a synopsis rather than the full story. There are a couple of loose threads that could possibly play into the star wars canon in future outings.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Awesome story but struggled a bit with the narration

Reviewed: 01-01-24

Love the Necroscope series and waited a long time for it to come to Audible. I struggled a bit with the narration and pronunciation of some key terms with this one though. Wamp instead of Vamp and Jez Simmons accent which was at varying times Indian, Welsh or Scottish.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Excellent Sequel

Reviewed: 29-10-23

Read all the Necroscope books when they first came out. One of my favourite series. Loving revisiting them on Audible. Story is as good as ever and the narration is top notch. Definitely recommend.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A bit lacklustre

Reviewed: 17-06-23

Was really looking forward to this and pre-ordered. I'm a big fan of the Rivers books but really struggled with this one. There wasn't a lot of depth to the characters and everything just seemed two dimensional. The narrator was also terrible at doing the male accents. Quite disappointed unfortunately.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Time Travel Extravaganza

Reviewed: 20-07-22

Really good stories and well narrated. Likeable characters and some good hooks that keep you reading. Would definitely recommend.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Shadow and Bridget Jones

Reviewed: 23-02-22

Picked up this book after watching the excellent Netflix series 1. Was surprised to find the book and tv show are widely different with the TV show being a lot more fleshed out with characters brought forward from later books. I did enjoy the book, the narration is very good and many parts are very well written but there is just far far too much of the 'will they won't they' between Alina and Mal, Alina and the Darkling and Alina and the prince. So much so that it's infuriating, like an even more indecisive Bridget Jones. I may not have enjoyed this book as much if I'd not seen the TV show but I have picked up the second in the series so that says something.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Not Quite What I Was Expecting

Reviewed: 20-09-18

I selected this without having read or listened to a Dan Simmons book before; I was after a good science fiction read and another review comparing it to an Iain M Banks book sold me on it. I was hoping for a story of action-fuelled sci-fi tech and some humour but this is really a group of mini stories in one and the sci-fi takes a bit of a back seat. It's definitely there and well thought out but unfortunately secondary to the pilgrim's tales. These tales are not bad but are a bit too long winded and poignant for me and not really what I was after. I also like a book to have some sort of closure at the end, even if it is part of a series, but this doesn't and I may move on to the sequel at some point, but maybe not - that's just how the book felt. It all has potential but I'm not sure whether I'd want to go through another 20 hours of a sequel if it continued in the same vein and didn't step up. It may be a slow burner but I was hoping for something a bit more edge of the seat 'thrilling'.

I liked the performance - with a cast for the main characters though the main narrator was a bit monotone.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Thrilling from the start, and very well written

Reviewed: 03-06-18

This is the first of R.R Haywood's books I've picked up and I was hooked from the start. It is very well written and the introduction to each of the characters is fantastic.

As noted by a number of reviewers, there is a section mid way through, relating to one of the character's adjusting to the situation which could've been compressed somewhat, but its well worth persevering with and it really picks up. I have a long daily work commute and listen to audio books every day. With this one I constantly found myself sitting in the car in the office car park as I couldn't switch it off.

I'm always a bit wary of a new narrator - they often make of break the experience for me - and I'd not heard of Carl Prekopp but he reads flawlessly and with feeling, adding to the enjoyment.

As soon as I finished this I instantly downloaded the sequel, Executed, and still have Extinct, the third in the trilogy to look forward to.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A Querky Story

Reviewed: 26-04-18

A querky story and a bit dry and in places. Couldn't latch onto a strong leading character but overall I found it enjoyable. Very well narrated.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!