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Sad to come to the end of the story.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-05-24

When you've lived with the story of a great character's life for 13 books, it's really heart breaking to know you aren't going to get any more.
I have loved it from beginning to end.

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Famous Five visit Jurassic Park.

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-05-24

Did they have a great time? The heck they did.
They lived on pizza and coffee and were all home in time for Stargate.

I never got to the end of actually, I never got past them all worrying about who has the torch and arguing if they need rope or not.

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The weakest in the Bobiverse.

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 20-04-24

I thoroughly enjoyed the other 3 books in the Bobiverse but I was severely disappointed with this one.
The performance is excellent as always, but the book itself seems to consist of people popping in and out, giving reports and holding meetings, and interminable descriptions of yet another VR library, cup of coffee or latest whisky they've come up with.
Almost nothing actually happens- at least for the first 30 chapters and I gave up after that. There's also a lack of purpose that was in the other books. There was a sense it was leading somewhere and it did in fact come to a conclusion. This give you no idea where it's heading and indeed, gives the idea that it is in fact going nowhere.
Also, this is one very much for the Trekkies. There were always a lot of Star Trek references but here they were off the scale and it really started to grate with me.

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Disappointing.

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 27-03-24

This is the eighth Jo Spain novel I've bought and by far my least favourite.
It was incredibly slow and it was also very disappointing for another good reason which I can't mention without spoiling it for someone.
I wasn't even convinced by Aoife's performance as some of her accents were not up to her usual standard.

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Astonishing.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-03-24

It's a very long time since I've been as emotionally invested in a book as this one.
It started off as an interesting idea but it's developed so brilliantly.
The science is excellent, it's beautifully performed, it's riveting and so moving.
I am truly astonished at how good a series this has turned out to be.

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As good as ever.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 17-12-23

It takes a little while to get used to the change of narrator but eventually you do and Matt Bates does an excellent job.
Another cracking good story from Cornwell.

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The cast almost spoil it.

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 13-11-23

The book is a classic which has stood the test of time and needs no review, but I would like to say something about the performance in the hope the people who make these things can avoid the same mistakes.

The book is read by Simon Vance who does a great job so no complaints about his performance.

However, there is also a cast who act out some of the dialogue and this is pretty sloppy at best.

It isn't there too much of the time thankfully but that is in itself a puzzle. Why have a conversation between two people that starts being performed by Simon and then morphs into the cast who have entirely different voices?
I tried but I couldn't fathom why the cast perform parts of the dialogue and not others.
It's bizarre and as Simon has English accents whereas the cast are mostly American, it's quite a jar.
Plus, as they come in occasionally it's quite hard to remember who is supposed to be whom.
Furthermore, some of the cast aren't very good. They give a very bland, almost wooden performance where they are very obviously reading and unforgivably, they can't agree how some things are pronounced.
Bene Gesserit, Kwisatz Haderach, Sietch and Atreides all have multiple pronunciations. This is not a quality production from them.
It isn't quite ruined by the terrible cast because they aren't there enough but it's something you are going to have to accept and deal with rather than enjoy.

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An autobiography that stands on its own merits

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 26-10-23

Before you decide to buy this it’s well to remember it’s an autobiography and not a script for The Young Ones or Bottom.
It is laugh out loud funny at times, it’s witty and humorous in the main but there are parts that may well make you want to cry and there’s cruelty and sadness in there too.
It is, after all, the story of a man’s life which is never going to be an unending peal of laughter.
What Adrian has chosen to tell us are the things that made him who he is.
Not the anecdotes which make him look smart or important or even the anecdotes that are funny -although there are some- but the events that led to changes which defined him: and sometimes even scarred him.
It’s an honest book and he has great clarity about those events which he describes with some simplicity- and I mean that as a compliment. It’s unpretentious- one might say anti-pretentious if there is such a thing-there’s power in his simple, honest writing and I being of a similar age and a somewhat similar background found myself identifying strongly with a lot of the early experiences to the point it was slightly uncomfortable.
It’s a terrific autobiography which would stand alone on its merits no matter who had written it.
Adrian is as always, full of surprises.
It's also beautifully performed with that voice and delivery some of us know and love so well.
Good luck to you Adrian and thanks for what you've managed to achieve being so incredibly important to me over all these years.

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like panning for gold...

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 13-10-23

...you are going to find nuggets but you are going to sift through a lot of gravel.
When she sticks to the investigation then this book is excellent. The people they interview are beautifully drawn characters, the dialogue is natural and some of the situations are amusing.
The plot of the crimes they uncover is also very well conceived. It's intricate and imaginative. All very enjoyable.
The performance of Robert Glenister is excellent: I think the best of the series.
But sometimes I wonder if this book hasn't been written by two separate people because a lot of the rest of it is dull and un-necessary.
Interminable conversations about the rota, descriptions of the inside of pubs or what Strike is eating. Conversations of the sort 'Have you arrived yet?' or 'Would you like a coffee?' and the soap opera which is the relationships of all the protagonists including the main one which has been going on for 6 years now. 6 years!!!
The story is about a cult and far too much time is given to the workings of the cult and cult members. It means a lot of the time you are listening (I have the Audiobook) to massively deluded people spout utter tosh and descriptions of people doing everyday chores. Another problem with the writing about the cult is it comes across as documentary and I got the feeling the idea was to educate rather than entertain. I wanted to be entertained.
Some have suggested there's need of an editor and I concur. +34 hours listening is a lot to ask when much of the book is really unnecessary and quite dull.
If she could have stuck to the investigation- and what really mattered in the investigation- then it would have been much tighter and more exciting.
Finally, there are 136 chapters which means you've got to listen to nonsensical and irrelevant quotes from the book of I Ching 136 times. This adds nothing and takes a lot away. It takes you out of the story, like a prompter in the theatre and no matter how long you try to understand the quotes, there's never any reason for them.

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Excellent

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 22-09-23

Really superb novel.
The whole series is developing beautifully and I can't wait for the next one

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