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Abandoned at chapter 16

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

Reviewed: 03-31-22

I really wanted to like it. Maybe I would have liked the ending but I couldn’t get there. Just over and over listening to the lead describe her anxiety.

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Ruined

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

Reviewed: 08-08-21

Honestly was just barely staying with this story to see it through. Not well written and hero’s are somehow idiots and brilliant at the same time. Oh and in the end the women get saved by Pendergast who just shows up out of nowhere and monologues all the pieces together. Lazy boring storytelling.
This is coming from a guy who read all the early Pendergast stuff.
Was 3 stars and then he showed up and made it worse.

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2 people found this helpful

Abandoned

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

Reviewed: 06-27-21

Couldn’t finish it. All about a guy who’s brilliant and makes Sherlock type detective discoveries and everybody else is stands around and admires how brilliant he is. His “partner” is a dumb vessel so he can explain the plot twists to the reader.

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Scott Brick is the worst

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

Reviewed: 05-18-19

This over acting and excessive writing was just so much. Couldn’t handle it. Had to abandon 3/4 the way through. So disappointing.

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Just too dated

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

Reviewed: 06-20-15

What disappointed you about Snow Crash?

i just couldn't handle an imagining of the future in which the Internet isn't available. That, and bad writing.

Would you ever listen to anything by Neal Stephenson again?

Yep. Seveneves was great and I'll try others.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jonathan Davis’s performances?

Yes

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Getting better

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

Reviewed: 05-09-15

This series is unique mostly because the characters and the story lines are actually getting better. I'm enjoying the author's ability to tell an interesting story and give me an intimate view of this early AD world. Nice work.

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I almost didn't make it

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

Reviewed: 11-05-14

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Listening to this book required stamina. The characters are deeply unlikable, every last one of them. I listened to this book right after finishing Gone Girl and hoped to find a similarly unique story. The interesting thing is, many of the plot elements in the two novels are the same. Complex and emotionally damaged women in her early 30's, set in areas of rural Missouri and Kansas. The difference is key, though. In Dark Places, a perfect title by the way, the book centers on a women who has experienced a tragedy and who has drifted, listless for many years. Lots of time is spent in her depressing mind and in the sad lot of people in her life.

Would you ever listen to anything by Gillian Flynn again?

I'd have to hear some reviews that helped me believe Ms Flynn has taken a different approach.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Like in Dark Places, the producers decide to use multiple narrators to read in the voices of different characters. It works well here and I hope to see this technique more in other books.

Do you think Dark Places needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Please, no.

Any additional comments?

On the bright side - get it - the ending is satisfying. The overall storytelling, the writing skills, and creativity are excellent. In fairness, this book bills itself as a dark read and it delivers. I really can't fault the author for that. Make sure you have happy people around you when you read it.

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No Stand

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

Reviewed: 06-28-14

What would have made Swan Song better?

A richer story, better dialogue, less stereotypical characters, a lot of editing.

What was most disappointing about Robert McCammon’s story?

The most disappointing was the choice to make the main characters bumbling idiots, weaklings and one dimensional. Oh, and the words. The words in the book were bad.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was fine.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Swan Song?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Here's the thing, this book was "recommended" to me by Goodreads because I loved the Stand, by Stephen King. And sure, there are some similarities - post apocalyptic wandering across the former United States, new communities, warring groups forming, some magic. However, King is a storyteller that weaves complex characters and plot points together in a way that isn't obvious. His primary characters have complexity and interact in human ways. Swam Song's characters, especially the main characters, are so limited and one-dimensional, so weak and stupid, so obvious and boring that the comparison with King is an insult.

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My first 5 star review in many months

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

Reviewed: 02-01-14

Would you listen to Night Film again? Why?

I don't typically listen to books twice. That's not the way I'm wired. A great book is hard to predict, its characters are unique but relatable and the story does a few things you didn't see coming. Night Film, along with maybe King's The Stand is going on my read-it-one-more-time list. Bravo, Pessel.

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1 person found this helpful

How a poet survived the end of the world

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

Reviewed: 10-09-12

This is not the kind of book I listen to. It is melancholy (yet happy) and even tempo-ed and has a grand total of 5 characters, including a dog. Yet, I raced through the entire 10 plus hours in about 3 days, riveted and eager to learn what happens next. A character study written in a poetic style about a couple of survivors many years after a flu wipes out nearly everybody left on the planet. Sole searching and introspective and still able to pull off a fascinating story arc. One of the best books I've listened to in a very long time.

Lovers of dogs, flying, Colorado and all introverts should read/listen to this story.

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1 person found this helpful