Tyler

Great Novel, Much Better Than the Film

Revisado: 03-18-19

I grew up watching the 1995 movie, not realizing that my favorite author had written its source material. I also didn't understand that picking up the novel so much later in life would be both a delight as well as a blemish on the film because it's so much better.

I always imagined that the character of Amy would've been much better realized than the animatronic puppet we got during the film, and luckily, I was correct. I think her characterization here is much more broad, yet the minute details in which she is said to express emotion was really vivid to me whilst listening. I also think that all of the characters are more fleshed out in the source material. I've always heard of people having this argument, but never truly understood it until I listened to this novel.

The other thing that I found fascinating was the more business and political espionage aspect of the novel. It's mentioned in the film that others want the location and materials in the Congo for themselves, but its in much greater detail here, along with some truly exciting set pieces. I also enjoyed the expanded details concerning the overall history of the journey that was made by earlier explorers.

Lastly, while not perfect, Julia Whelan did an admirable job with her voice work. I could tell the differences between the characters, but the male characters were a little hard to listen to. The only way to fix this would be to have a multiple voice actors, but it didn't take me out of the novel once I got used to it.

The only complaint that I would have is that the novel has a great many pages detailing the setup for the finale, only to have the epilogue be abrupt in my opinion. I guess I wanted more of what happened to each remaining character, but what's there is sufficient. I just like more detailed epilogues I suppose haha.

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First Listen of Crichton as John Lange

Revisado: 03-18-19

As a huge fan of Michael Crichton, I was excited to find out that Audible had his early works available from when he was writing under the pseudonym of John Lange. I had heard rumors that these novels existed, but never actually did much research until recently to track them down.

As I chose the Venom Business as my first listen from this time period, I have to say that I found myself riding an emotional rollercoaster whilst listening to the novel. The story itself did a great job of setting the mood of a pulp, 1960s era London (after researching things from that time, I can confirm this) and really gave me a visual image of how things were back then in my mind's eye. I also have to praise Christopher Lane as his performance of the various characters was both distinct enough that I could tell who was speaking before he read "character's name here said" as well as his use of accents were tastefully done.

Speaking of characters, I have to say that each one present here gave me a sense of Crichton's progression as a writer in his later career. What I mean is that some of the characters felt a little one dimensional. I'm not sure if this was the intention because of the film noir style of the story, but that was just the impression I got while listening. Also, the story itself started out a very pulpy action / mystery with a little of bit of Crichton's now famous scientific discussion sprinkled in, only to in my opinion kind of fizzle out at the end. Again, I'm not sure if this was the intention, but I got the feeling of watching old black and white movies where the 'lesson' or 'message' learned is given in a paragraph of dialogue and then the credits appear suddenly.

I in no way think this is a bad novel, and encourage fans of Crichton to give it a listen. I am going to continue to listen to the other novels from "John Lange' as their similar in plot, as well as the fact that Christopher Lane seems to narrate them all.

These novels are truly an interesting insight into Crichton's early years, and I can't wait to listen to the next novel in this series.

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Techno_Thriller.exe

Revisado: 01-07-19

Disclaimer: Fans of Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, or Robert Ludlum will thoroughly enjoy this book. Now, on to the review.

This was my first experience with both the author as well as the narrator. Both blew me out of the water, and I can't wait to read more of Daniel Suarez' work. As I stated in my disclaimer, the ability of Suarez to create a believable and thought-provoking thriller is something on par with the best techno-thrillers out there. The cast of characters were all unique but convincing in their roles, and the lead protagonists had a very interesting relationship throughout the novel. I'll definitely think twice about going outside without looking up at the sky from here on out, and that's a somewhat terrifying feeling to have after reading something that could in deed be on the horizon of reality.

Jeff Gurner really stood out to me as someone that I want to hear more from, and this was a great introduction to his method of narration in my opinion. The accents weren't always 100% accurate, but he gave the vast amount of characters a personality and life-like vocalization to the point that I could picture the characters in my mind's eye. Awesome sound effects were also added to the reading of each chapter title to further get the point of robotic adversaries across.

I was hoping that this pair of author and narrator would continue to uphold the standard I just set for them after finishing this book, and judging from the reviews, I'm looking forward to another round of top-notch action & espionage.

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Atmospheric & Thrilling

Revisado: 12-21-18

I decided to pick this up as one of my two Originals this month. While not a Christmas story, there is definitely something of a gift to be held here!

The performances are outstanding, further amplified by the sound effects and musical cues. The actress that played Ripley fooled me into believing that Sigourney Weaver herself had come back to portray her infamous character. Everyone else did a great job as well, and I found myself audibly (see what I did there) gasping when someone got taken out or injured. Bravo to the sound team!

The story itself was also really good. Taking place directly after Alien but sometime before Aliens was a brilliant idea. The twist to keep the timeline on track was a little convenient, but when the overall package is this engaging and memorable, I'll let that one nit-pick slide.

If you're a member of Audible, then pick this one up for free before December is over. If you're not, then why are you not?!

This experience is a reason why I joined!

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Stands on its Own! Great Companion to the Show!

Revisado: 12-21-18

I started my interest in the Magicians when I discovered the show that airs on SyFy. Before that, I'd never heard of the series or how good it seemed to be. Having said that, I decided to pick up the first novel to see what the differences were, and hopefully get more insight into this thrilling world that I've come to enjoy.

Let me say this. If you like the show, this book is an excellent companion piece. I would also like to point out that it stands on its own, and is in some ways better and worse than the show. The narrator was excellent at pronouncing things, and did a pretty good job on making the characters each have their own "voice".

One positive is that the characters are way more fleshed out and have more interesting motivations than in the show. Quentin seems more reluctant to be involved in the plot, where as in the show, all I kept thinking was how socially awkward that made him seem for someone his age.

The magic seemed more real to me in the book as well. I'm not sure if this was because it's described rather than shown, which gives it more believability, or if I just pictured it differently whilst listening. One final difference that I liked was the mystery of the Beast. You still find out who he is, but the books made him out to be more of a being rather than a crazy human figure.

Overall, I'm looking forward to purchasing the other novels once I complete my backlog of books. It was well worth the credit, and worth your time.

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Mixed Bag of Interesting Stories

Revisado: 12-06-18

As many reviewers have already stated, the book is a collection of short stories featuring the hunters from another world that we all know and love. If you're a Predator fan, you'll find something in this book that works for you. As for me, I found most of the stories were decent, but none of them really made me say "wow!". The narration definitely elevates the material on most stories, with the likes of Scott Brick, Bradford Hastings, Emily Sutton-Smith, and others lending their voice talents.

The lore of the Predator is somewhat expanded upon in some of the stories, and it was interesting to listen to 'what if' scenarios involving historical locations or figures. There's even a story featuring someone from the movie canon that was a fun romp.

Overall, I'd recommend this book if you've got some time to kill and want to listen to some fun expansions on the Predator universe.

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Wish it was Longer!

Revisado: 12-03-18

I absolutely think that Scott Brick can be classified as a national treasure. That's my opinion anyways ha. Having said that, the story was satisfyingly creepy and suspenseful. Yes, it's a little bit clichéd and something you may have heard before. The difference is that the narration helps elevate the material into something much more immersive and visceral.

My only complaint is that it was just starting to get good, and then ends on a cliffhanger. I understand that this was the intention, but I would've loved to hear what happened next in a follow up story or an entire novel.

Great quick listen for Halloween, or just simply when you're in the mood for spookiness.

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A Great Sequel in a Fantasic Series!!!

Revisado: 12-03-18

Rex Jameson & Adam Gold have done it again!!!

This book was again an amazingly immersive experience, and Rex Jameson continues to be one of my favorite authors.The story starts off with a quick backstory of a main character from the first book, and then picks up right where the first book left off. This backstory element was so vividly realized, thanks of course to Adam Gold's excellent narration, that I again felt like I was in the midst of the battles, and the addition of extra races furthered the world building to an impressive level.

Speaking of the additional world building, I have to say that I'm impressed by how much backstory is told with only a few lines of dialog. Very impressive indeed Mr. Jameson.

My only complaint is that I'm going to have to wait until the next book in the series is released. I'm also excited to learn about how many more books are left in this series, because I can't get enough.

Spend your credit now, you won't be disappointed!!!

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A Terrifyingly Well Read Classic. Scary as Hell!

Revisado: 12-03-18

I first saw the film when I was around 11 years old, and it terrified me. I'm listening to the book years later for the first time, and boy did it get to me on a different, more intimate level.

Back then, I guess I was too engrossed in the horror onscreen to notice how much of a detective story the overall plot really was. William Peter Blatty's career is fascinating to me, as I never knew he was a comedic writer before writing this book. I also never knew that he has narrated his own work, which is why I picked up this version of the book. Blatty as narrator is absolutely excellent! He manages to change between the different accents effortlessly, and the scenes with the demon really creeped me out...

The whole book, from start to finish, demands attention and focus to truly immerse yourself in the horror being narrated.

Listen if you dare, but make sure you don't scare easily.

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Quirky Spin on Fairy Tale Tropes

Revisado: 11-11-18

Well done, Mr. Hayes. Well done indeed. Thiis book was the fastest I've listen to since joining Audible, and it's also first I've immediately went back to and listened through again! I can't stress enough that fans of fairy tales, dark comedy, and the idea of turning well known stories on their heads will LOVE this book.

Without spoiling much, the ragtag band of misfits that make up are heroes are well known characters in the genre. Having said that, they never come right out and say who they are until the near end of the book. You're only left with clues and throwaway dialog which was great! Drew Hayes must be a fan of shows like Once Upon a Time because I got strong vibes of that show while listening. What I mean by that is there are so many characters or referencesto fairy tales stories we probably all know by heart, but he expertly changes the tales and subverts our expectations, which I loved.

The cast that brought the book to life should always be praised. I could almost see the characters as they made their way through the story, and the trio of voice actors did more than just the lead characters. Having never listened to a multi cast title until now, I may never go back because it was fantastic.

If my review hasn't stressed it enough already, use your credit and pick up this book. You won't be disappointed!!!

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

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