Audiobook Review - Consider Phlebas (Culture #1) by Iain M. Banks

Here's my Audiobook Review for Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks, book 1 in the Culture series, though it's the second book I've read from the same series. The book ... and review ... are a bit disjointed, but that was intentional to match the book ... I'll stick with that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaLC1zuKypM

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Audiobook Review - Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

My take on the much-maligned (and not undeservedly so) book, Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline and pretty much a review for one of my favorite books, Ready Player One.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoBiKpUgliM

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Audiobook Review - The Sandman (Act I) by Neil Gaiman, Adapted by Dirk Maggs, Read by Full Cast

Here is my review for Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, Act I, which is currently free on Audible through October 22, 2021 to US residents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRF-wa3BQBw

Please like, subscribe, and visit the channel to lay down some snark. I'm really missing it!

(Audiobook) Review - The Player of Games (Culture #2) by Iain M. Banks

For my first foray into Iain M. Banks' world of the Culture, The Player of Games pretty well blew me away. I'm still thinking about it weeks after finishing. I've realized I need to know more about the Culture though, so much more.

As I'm last to the party with Banks (it seems to me), I'm sure you already know, but if you don't,  Gurgeh is a professional game player. The best of the best. Better than Ninja (any gen z'ers around?). He's conscripted (I won't get into details) to play the ultimate game on an alien world and it's about to get real.

This game has it all, different levels, different amounts of players, it's so ineffable, we don't really get a description of it, but that just adds to the enigma that is Azad (also the name of the empire). 

It's such a brilliant telling of some relatively typical tropes, but it felt so fresh...even though it was first published in 1988.

I can't wait to get into more of Banks's Culture series and probably anything else he has to offer. I didn't know if starting book 2 of the series was the right choice having never read anything else, but this recommendation worked at least for me.

Narration: This was my first experience with Peter Kenny (to my knowledge) and I thought he did a wonderful job. I barely noticed his involvement, which is the best kind of narrator. Great voices, good simpering machine voices, and flowed quite well.

4.5 out of 5 stars (highly recommended)

(Audiobook) Review - Ringworld (Known Space #1) by Larry Niven

This is one of those mandatory reads for sci-fi aficionados (like myself of course) and I have to say it did not quite live up to the hype.

Funny story, I actually read one of the newer books a number of years ago, Betrayer of Worlds or something like that, since I had received BoW as a review book for my blog. Not knowing much (clearly), I jumped in and really ended up enjoying it. 

The funny part is, I didn't love Ringworld all that much. It had some very interesting concepts, but I tend to read for characters or at least some plot with great concepts, but this didn't really have much more than the concepts. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, but mostly the cardboard cutout characters kept reminding me of characters like Belgarath the Sorcerer from the Eddings books. 

They had one character and that was it. The Kzin is angry, the girl is flighty but lucky, Louis Wu had some character I guess, but it was hardly a focus.

I think what really disappointed me was the "twist" at the end which I'll address with spoiler tags:

spoiler: Then there's equating "luck" with "fate" that just didn't seem to work for me. Maybe I've watched too much Deadpool, but this felt like such a stretch as to make it deus ex machina. End spoiler

Narration: Grover Gardner was one of those old-school narrators. The reading was pretty stiff and didn't do the story I was already bailing on much justice. On the good side, I believed his female voices so that worked.

2.5 out of 5 stars (recommended with reservations)

(audiobook) Review - How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe

I randomly downloaded How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe as a freebie from Audible membership since I pretty much automatically download all the kid-focused ones to use on roadtrips and whatnot with my kiddos and this was better than I could have dreamed.

Now, don't get too caught up in the premise. It's essentially minecraft, Zelda, and Skyrim all bundled into a world that works like a video game and that's completely normal for the people in it. You can level up not only yourself, but your weapons, skills, etc. You can buy potions, you have mana to power your skills and spells.

Don't ask why there's a voice that tells you when you've leveled up. It works, just don't think too hard about it.

Because otherwise, somehow Andrew Rowe was able to distill the essence of what makes these video games great into book form and it's so much fun.

My 9 year old son and I had a blast. We randomly started listening on our last road trip and then stayed up late every night (until Mom caught us!) to finish it. It was such a fun time to spend with my son, even my girls started joining us after a while.

I can't say enough about this. The only real problem I had was when the narrator mispronounced "mana" as "mahna" yet the level up voice called it "mana." I'm just glad someone was aware of how to pronounce it!

TL;DR Don't think, just listen.

If you like those video games, this is the perfect book and it's kid-friendly.

5 out of 5 Stars (do it)

P.S. I also read the first book in Rowe's Arcane Ascension series and I might just be a huge fan of LitRPG because it was also fantastic.

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Audiobook Review - The Science of Sci-Fi: From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travel by Erin Macdonald

I have to admit, I've always been a little curious as to what sci-fi gets right. The Science of Sci-Fi: From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travelwas a lot of fun to listen to and confirm some suspicions while learning some brand new things.

Like the fact that the universe is always expanding and accelerating and how long it would take, at a certain acceleration to reach lightspeed. Thus ... is the universe expanding at faster than light speed (FTL) at this point? The didn't address this specific point, but I'm still curious.

And that's what I really enjoyed about this, I'm still curious. It was probably good that I just listened to The Order of Time too.

She mentions quite a few science fiction books, but mostly focuses on television and movies, especially Star Trek (not a whole lot of science in Star Wars, though she does address it in the FTL section). I was impressed she referenced one of my all-time favorite shows, Community, for it's multiverse episode (which is seriously the best, please watch it).

Interestingly enough, she (and others) have actually tried to calculate what warp speed would look like and it seems to be possible, just the energy required would require pretty much all of it.

Definitely highly recommended.

4 out of 5 Stars (Recommended ... still)

(audiobook) Review - Jurassic Park by Michael Chrichton

I finally took the plunge and Jurassic Park far exceeded all my expectations. I also learned I had pretty low expectations, but I had a great time with this classic that spurred one of my favorite movies as a kid. BTW, anyone else root for the dinosaurs? It makes the movie way less scary, let me tell you.

Here's my review on SFFAudio.com and here's a snippet:

So this book was published in 1990 and this book had maybe a total of 15 to 20 people at risk, not counting the rest of the world that could potentially be at risk by dinosaurs escaping. We’re talking people you’re honestly worried about dying or not throughout the book.
Jump to 2015, Jurassic World, and we’ve got an entire park open with thousands and thousands of people at risk. Does that say something about how our society’s penchant for destruction?

(audiobook) Review - The Martian by Andy Weir

I like to have fun with my reviews and I sure did with this one. Check out my review for Andy Weir's The Martian over at SFFAudio.com. Check out the trailer for the new movie, starring Matt Damon, here:


From my review:

Five stars for pure entertainment and because math made it suspenseful.  

That’s right, math made it thrilling. Look at it this way, you’re stranded on a planet that’s essentially trying to kill you. You could just keel over and die … like I would most likely do in the same situation, or you could figure out how to stay alive.

(audiobook) Review - City of Golden Shadow (Otherland #1) by Tad Williams

Tad Williams has been one of those authors I'd never really gotten around to even though he's a pillar of fantasy literature. Technically, I did read his story contained in Songs of the Dying Earth (which was excellent), but never one of his mainstays such as Otherland and his epic, Memory, Sorry, and Thorn series.

Apparently that day has come and I've officially read Tad Williams. And what did I think? I hate to say this, but mostly meh.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy City of Golden Shadow, but for the ending we get (i.e., the status of the characters at the end), there's not really a whole lot to show for it. It's a long book, and not really all that much happens. There are tons of mysteries, but I found myself not really caring about some of the main characters and that made it difficult to say the least.

At the same time, I feel compelled to go on. Though I was disappointed with where we got in the end of the book, I wasn't so much disappointed in the ending itself. It was exciting to finally see things moving along, to see progress. I was finally sucked in by the end, but how did it take just under 800 pages to do that?

I won't go into the story, I feel like I'm one of the last to finally discover Williams so it's weird describing it, but it's interesting and mysterious and I guess that's what kept my interest for so long.

Additionally, I listened to this on audio and I really wonder if I would have pushed through had I been reading this page by page. It's so long and slow-moving, I honestly think I might have given up. I'm glad I listened to it because I'm excited to see what happens now that the story can finally begin. But that's one long intro.

And I have to say that the narrator, George Newbern, did an excellent job. That certainly helped as well. His accents for the different characters, including Indian, Spanish, and Bushman (!Xabbu) were always impressive. He switched through them effortlessly as well and though some sounded similar, it was also distinct.

Overall, I'm glad I finally read City of Golden Shadow and after doing so (to completion I might add) I'm convinced that Williams deserves the praise he gets. I was bored at times, but interested and even captivated at other times. I enjoyed it in the end, but I don't know if it's worth the slog for everyone because it really was a slog at times. I'll have to read more in the series for more incite.

3 out of 5 Stars (for a slow start but eventual payoff - recommended)

Note: ARC received from audio publisher with absolutely no conditions. I reviewed it anyway. :)
Note #2: Usually my audiobook reviews appear on sffaudio.com, however, they already have a reviewer covering this series and so mine has become superfluous.

(audiobook) Review - Finn Fancy Necromancy by Randy Henderson

Check out my review of Finn Fancy Necromancy by Randy Henderson over on SFFAudio.com. I liked this one a lot more than I thought I would. From the review:

Not your typical urban fantasy in the best possible way.

(audiobook) Review - Of Bone and Thunder by Chris Evans

"Apocalypse Now meets Lord of the Rings" is an apt description of this book as long as you recognize anyone's comparison with Lord of the Rings is interchangeable with "Fantasy."

Not even high fantasy, which Lord of the Rings is, but in the case of Of Bone and Thunder it's more on the grimdark, realistic fantasy level.

The Kingdom (America) occupies the jungle of Luitox (Vietnam, pronounced Luto) and back home citizens of the Kingdom are blissfully unaware of how bad things are actually going. But, it's hard to come to grips with the fact when you already know your country can't be beat.

Chris Evans created an incredibly realistic world here with different peoples at war, humans, the slits (derogatory name for people of Luitox), and even dwarves.

The armies of the Kingdom ride dragons, or rags as they're commonly called, who have been domesticated as much as dangerous fire-breathing dragons can be. Plus, there's magic in the form of thaumaturgy and all the divided allegiances you could ask for.

What I liked about this book was the focus on the common soldier. Mostly, we follow a shield (a handful of soldiers) and their tasks on Luitox. We see their grumblings with their senior staff, their difficulties with the "slits", their treatment of the new recruits, and get to know them quite intimately. You easily feel at home with this grouping.

Also, we follow Jawn Rathim, a thaum, and later a grouping of dragon riders.

There's lots going on and it's obviously a well-thought out world. I also liked the use of the strange words that become commonplace by the end of the book. You feel part of the world and the soldiers who tend to have their own language as well.

Because it is a Vietnam-type book, there's lots of racial tension and even more focus on the grim. I have to admit to getting a little worn out by the end of the audiobook because it was constantly a downer. It's only natural given the circumstances, but it is wearing.

Speaking of the audiobook, the narrator, Todd Haberkorn, did an excellent job. He nailed the voices and quickly became unnoticeable, which is the sign of a great narrator - you forget it's being narrated. There are lots of gruff soldiers and yet he had a different voice for each and it wasn't even too difficult to recall who was talking with all those harsh voices.

Count me impressed with this book. I don't know what I expected, but Of Bone and Thunder is quite unique with its take on an unstoppable fantasy kingdom who's met its match. The world is all its own and the characters are relatable if not loveable.

3.5 out of 5 stars (recommended)

(audiobook) Review - The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov

This was my first from Asimov (I know, SF isn't my strong suit) and it won't be the last. I highly enjoyed this winner of both the Nebula and Hugo awards.

As always, find it, along with all my audiobook reviews, at sffaudio.com.

Though a science fiction novel, The Gods Themselves is also primarily about magic.

Throughout the courses I took for my my undergraduate degree in Economics, we talked a lot about the driving forces behind the choices people make. One of the greatest is magic. We all want to find that magical thing that makes us not have to work as hard; magic makes life easier.

(audiobook) Review - Heraclix and Pomp by Forrest Aguirre

The wonderfully quirky book, Heraclix and Pomp, by Forrest Aguirre gets a review over at Sffaudio.com, by usual place for all audiobook reviews. Here a snippet from the review (which is found here):

There are some books that are just magical, that are written in such a way that you can’t help but be drawn into a new world even if it’s set against our own. Neil Gaiman writes this way and so does Susanna Clark in Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

Forrest Aguirre, World Fantasy Award winner for his editorial work in the Leviathan 3 anthology, has created such a tale. The story of Heraclix and Pomp is magical before the magic even begins, or possibly just at the same time.

(audiobook) Review - The Legend of Drizzt: The Collected Stories by R.A. Salvatore

And yet another review has made it up, this is some kind of record for me. Here's the review (a short one) for The Legend of Drizzt: The Collected Stories by R.A. Salvatore and read by the following:

Dan Harmon, Danny Pudi, Melissa Rauch, Wil Wheaton, Felicia Day, Sean Astin, Michael Chiklis, Greg Grunberg, Tom Felton, Ice-T, David Duchovny, and Weird Al Yankovic

Yeah, that's right, celebrities reading words like Zaknafein and Menzoberranzan. I don't care if these are the worst stories in the world, it's worth your time. Also, they're not. The worst that is.

(audiobook) Review - Ilium (Ilium #1) by Dan Simmons

Wow, more my reviews are making their way up on sffaudio.com. Check out my review of the brilliant Illium (book 1 of 2 in the Ilium duology) by Dan Simmons here:

If someone were to describe this book to me (if they even could), I don’t know if I would believe how much I absolutely enjoyed it. Dan Simmons is a mad genius.

(audiobook) Review - Impulse (Jumper #3) by Steven Gould

As you know, all my audiobook reviews go to sffaudio.com. I've submitted a couple just this week, but it always depends on what the blog owners' schedule as to when they get posted. Luckily, and despite the holidays, here's my review of Impulse, book 3 in the Jumper series by Steven Gould.

Progression of the Jumper series:

Book 1, Jumper: Let’s take a simple concept and weave a cool story that’s brilliant in its simplicity.

Book 2, Reflex: Let’s take that simple concept and add to it by restraining it, but while also pushing boundaries. Also, let’s add a cool mystery and some spies.

Book 3, Impulse: Let’s take all the great things we’ve built up so far … and add teenage angst! A forced romance! A holier-than-thou attitude for all the characters!

(audiobook) Review - Breach Zone (Shadow Ops #3) by Myke Cole

Myke Cole is one of my favorite authors to be published in the last couple years. He's been really consistent in his debut series and I can't wait for whatever else he publishes. Here's my review for Shadow Ops: Breach Zone and like all my audio reviews, posted at sffaudio.com. My only real gripe here was the narrator as you'll see if you check out the full review.

Overall, Breach Zone is an excellent conclusion to the entire trilogy. The action is superb and the setup through the trilogy is just about perfectly satisfied in this final volume.

(audiobook) Review - Conquest (Chronicles of the Invaders #1) by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard

As I try to explain every time I post about my audiobooks, every audio review I do gets posted on sffaudio.com. It's a fun site with a great group of reviewers and if you're into audiobooks, I'd definitely put it on your list ... not the least because I review there. Of course not.

Today is my review of Conquest, Chronicles of the Invaders #1, by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard. I'd heard lots about John Connolly (The Book of Lost Things, the Charlie Parker series), but this one didn't quite do it for me. I'll try again of course, since this was a dual effort and who knows how much of it is him.

Apparently aliens are the new vampires and I guess I’m a sucker for aliens because this is the second YA book about aliens I’ve read in a year’s time.

(audiobook) Review - The Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliott

Few audiobooks have me bringing my headphones to bed with me. I save bed-reading for the eyeballs not the ears, but this joins the ranks of The Magicians and Ready Player One. The Pilo Family Circus (review at sffaudio.com) is a beast all it's own and I couldn't get enough of it.

If you like clowns, you might change your mind after this. If you already don’t like them, you’ll probably think I knew it!