Topic: Audio-books

[Garrison Bain]

Just finished:

-Split Second
Author: David Baldacci
Read by: Scott Brick.

I was doing a little ‘good book hunting’ when I ran across this author, David Baldacci.  His most well known work is ‘Absolute Power’ which has been made into a movie (not a bad one either, good actors at least…can’t go wrong with Clint Eastwood!).  Anyway, my library didn’t have that one available at the time so I went ahead and went with his next *interesting* title…Split Second.  (yes, this is my method of book discovery…look for an Author…pick a cool title…and go for it! *smile*)

I was rewarded with a story that grabbed me right away and had me shoving in CD’s as quickly as I could listen to them.  The book is paced very well and, in my opinion, has a nice balance of quick secret service style action and witty secret service style detective work.  The main character is Sean King, an ex-secret service agent who has been disgraced by letting his ‘charge’ be gunned down due to a moment of inattention.   Another main character is Michelle Maxwell who is also a secret service agent who lets her ‘charge’ get kidnapped.  

Michelle seeks out Sean’s help in dealing with her failure and attempting a comeback.  Sean is looking for a friend and they both have a lot in common.  Their paths collide and they find themselves teaming up to solve a case of murders.   The case takes some stunning twists and pretty soon Sean and Michelle find out that they might have bit off more than they could chew.
Not only that, but as the story unravels…both of them are reminded vividly of their previous failures as agents.

This story warmed up real quick and stayed warm throughout the book…heating up to explosiveness in the final chapters!  If you like edge of your seat detective books…with a little hot bloody action thrown in for good measure…you’ll really like this one.

Next up, 'Last Man Standing', by David Baldacci...

[Geoff]

Love David Baldacci....stick with him, there's some great books to come.  "Last Man Standing" is excellent.  Sean and Michelle return in "Hour Game", then again in "Simple Genius".  He has two non-thriller books ("Wish You Well" and "The Christmas Train") that are worth the listen.  There's also "The Camel Club", "The Collectors" and "Stone Cold", a series of three books set in Washington DC that share a common cast of characters.  All are excellent.

That should keep you busy for a while.  When you're done with Baldacci, start on Vince Flynn.

[Garrison Bain]

Just finished:

-Last Man Standing
Author: David Baldacci
Read by: Scott Brick.

After reading ‘Split Second’ by David Baldacci I decided to go with another book by this author.  I chose ‘Last Man Standing’ not really knowing what it was about.  The back cover sounded pretty cool…turns out that it was!

This story is about an elite FBI Hostage Rescue agent, named Web London, who is the only member of his team to survive one particular mission.  It turns out that the entire thing was a setup designed to kill the whole team.  After the ordeal Web has to defend himself for not ‘going down with the rest of his team’.  The rest of the book is devoted to Web putting the pieces of that fateful night together, solving some strange mysteries about it, and discovering who is behind it all…along with some disturbing things about his own past.

This book is well written…and read by Scott Brick…you can’t lose here.  The main character is a tough SWAT team type…and along with that comes some harrowing action!  But the author manages to bring Web’s personal ‘softer’ side out in a believable way.  The overall effect adds to the story and realism of the character.   I liked this book a lot!

Next up, ‘The Lazarus Vendetta’, by Patrick Larkin (based off of Robert Ludlum’s notes)...

[Garrison Bain]

Just finished:

-Lazarus Vendetta
Author: Partick Larkin/Robert Ludlum
Read by: Scott Brick.

This is another Robert Ludlum special.  And even better than the last book of his I listened to, The Bancroft Strategy.  This book is part of a loosely knit series of books revolving around a top-secret US agency called ‘Covert One’.  Again this book activates a Covert One agent, Lt. Col. Jon Smith…and it turns out that he’s pretty cool!  Ha!

The gist of this story is that there is an eco-friendly anti-technology movement called the Lazarus Movement.  This movement is backed by a mysterious leader, called Lazarus, who has money and the gumption to break laws to get his way.  Unfortunately, for everyone on earth…this Lazarus fella’s idea of a paradise Earth is deadly.  Joh Smith is tasked to find out who is behind this movement, what their motivation is, and stop them.  We quickly find that the upper echelons of the Lazarus movement have an agenda dramatically different from their publicly stated objectives….and Jon Smith is right smack in their way!  Not good for Mr. Smith…

This story is really fun and full of blood pumping action and narrow escapes!  (Right up Ludlum’s alley)  Not only that, but one of the main components of this story is nano-technology; in particular, nano robots.  I’m not sure how technologically sound the information is…but it *sounded* good...and mostly believable.  Obviously, nano robot technology is still in the future for us…but, it’s a good read nevertheless.

Well written…and read by Scott Brick…you’re in for a treat!  

Next up, ‘The Hammer of God’, by Arthur C. Clarke...

[Garrison Bain]

Just finished:

- The Hammer of God
Author: Arthur C. Clarke
Read by: George Guidall.

This book was the inspiration for the blockbuster movie, Deep Impact!  Of course the book and movie ended up being vastly different…but, the inspiration was there.  Basically, there’s a huge asteroid heading on a crash course with Earth.  A space ship is sent to intercept it and *nudge* it off course enough to make it pass harmlessly by.  Does it work?  Is Earth saved…???

The book follows one man, the captain of the savior spaceship, and kind of jumps back and forth between current events and his past.  The setting is futuristic and space is just another median of travel in these days (there are colonies on Mars and the Moon).  Clarke is good at projecting realism into the future...which, to me, means that even though this story takes place far in the future the rate of technological advance isn’t outrageous.  Or, at least it seems reasonable.

I’m not a big fan of quasi-happy endings…I guess I have to be in the mood for them.  This one wasn’t too bad and I left the story with a nod and proud smile.  The premise of the book was enlightening…but I keep catching myself looking up at the stars…wondering if there is some New Jersey sized rock heading right for me!  =)  just kidding!  

It was a good science fiction story…and read by one of the greatest, George Guidall.  If you liked Deep Impact (or even just the premise of it) you’ll enjoy this book.

Next up, ‘Simple Genius’, by David Baldacci...

[Geoff]

Just finished:

Act of Treason
Written by Vince Flynn
Read by George Guidall

I've been a fan of Vince Flynn's work for many years now, finding an old beat-up copy of his first novel "Term Limits" on a dusty "community" bookshelf at work and devouring it over the course of the next two days.  Most of his books (and every one of them since Term Limits) circle around a central character, Mitch Rapp.  Mitch is something of a super-agent, a one-man wrecking crew who routinely stretches the bounds of political and ethical politesse in his one-man war against terrorism.

This sixth installment in the Rapp series finds our hero battling terrorism of a new kind.  When the Presidential Candidate Josh Alexander's motorcade is ambushed by a group of terrorists, the nation is thrown into turmoil.  Two weeks later, Alexander is carried to a victory by a sympathy vote, having lost his wife in the attack.  On the surface it appears to be the work of al-Qaeda, and soon the FBI and the rest of the government begin scouring the world for the jihadists.   But then CIA director Irene Kennedy is presented with classified information so toxic that she considers destroying it altogether, as it contains intelligence pointing to some of the most powerful players in Washington.

Overall, this was a good book.  The story was tight, compact and kept a great pace and it was, as usual, masterfully read by George Guidall.  After 6 books though, the "I am Spartacus" thing with Rapp is getting a little old.  Sooner or later this guy has to run into something or someone that just "puts him on his prat", as my Dad used to say.  Maybe in the next book.  We'll see.

Next up:  "The Chamber" by John Grisham

[Jianna]

"The Hammer of God"...  That makes me think of another book (not necessarily audio, although I'd love to find it in that format) titled "Lucifer's Hammer".  Another in the "comet strikes Earth and ends civilization as we know it" genre.  I think I read it for the first time, like, twenty years ago...

Good, scary read.

[Jianna]

"Next up: "The Chamber" by John Grisham"

May have to seek out some of Grisham's audio books.

[Geoff]

"Next up: "The Chamber" by John Grisham"

May have to seek out some of Grisham's audio books.

Check your email.

[Jianna]

I will as soon as I get home...

[Jianna]

Now and Then:  A Spenser Novel

Written by:  Robert B Parker
Performed by:  Joe Mantegna

I was introduced to the Spenser novels years ago and have been a fan from my first read.  I'd seen the television series, of course.  Robert Urich (God rest him) made a good Spenser and when I think of Hawk, I see Avery Brooks.  In recent television outings, Joe Mantegna has played Spenser and passably well.  So it was only fitting, I suppose, that he should be tapped to present the novels in audio.

The story begins as many of them do.  Spenser is in his office when a potential client comes seeking his help.  In this case, the client is an FBI agent with an unfaithful wife.  Of course, he doesn't tell Spenser that he's a Fibbie but our intrepid PI learns that in short order.  He also confirms that the wife is, indeed, unfaithful and telling things she shouldn't to her lover - who just happens to be involved with domestic terrorists.  As Robert B Parker's novels almost always go, it isn't until one or two people are twisting in the wind that the twists and turns really begin.  

Spenser's relationship with Susan Silverman is central to almost all of the novels, and this one is no exception.  His new case resonates uncomfortably with a difficult time in their past.  Like a knight in somewhat tarnished armor, he goes about righting this new wrong while somehow balancing some emotional scales in the bargain.  The result could mean an interesting future - but that will be a story for another day.  And I, for one, will look forward to it.

The audio presentation is very faithful to the tone of the books.  Spenser displays a weary optimism and cynicism in almost equal measure, and Joe Mantegna projects each easily.  A word of caution:  the story is told in the first person, so there's a lot of "I said", "he said", "she said".  It can be distracting at first but the pace of the story does overcome that hurdle.  Another thing, when Mantegna is performing the female voices, I sometimes find myself picturing him in drag.  But I can shake that off and get back into the story... a glass of wine usually helps at that point.

Robert B Parker writes books that are easy reads.  In all honesty, I can finish off the printed book in about half the time it takes to listen to it.  On the other hand, the audio format is its own entertainment and, for that reason, I'll probably look into other adventures of Spenser, PI on audio.

[Garrison Bain]

-The Long Walk
Author: Slavomir Rawicz
Ghost Writer: Ronald Downing
Read by: John Lee

*exasperated*
I just listened to the best worst book ever!  *smile*  Yes, you read that right…the best worst book ever.  The book was amazing, completely engrossing, and (grudgingly admitting this) so well read that I lived the adventure with the characters.  What a sweet ride!  I have to say the John Lee has redeamed himself in my eyes on this reading.

So, you’re probably thinking, “oh, it must’ve ended bad with all the good guys dying or something.”

Nope…not all of them lived…but a satisfying number did make it.

The only problem was that the book ended….unfinished (in my opinion)! And that stripped away almost all the credit I was giving the author.  The story was so totally incredible that it almost *made* you believe it.  I wanted to believe it…I really did.  

The story is a bout a Polish Cavalry officer who is captured by the Russian army in pre-WWII.  He is sent to a hard labor camp in Siberia to work off his sentence.  Here he conspires to escape with 6 other prisoners.  They make a harrowing journey South out of Siberia, Mongolia, the Gobi desert, and the Himalaya’s before reaching sanctuary in India.

It was a fun book, well written, well read, and everything was perfect until the very very end of the book.  So, here’s the problem….there was no prolog!  Nothing to tell us what happened to the survivors after their adventurous escape.  It just ended.  

I have to recommend the book highly just for the entertainment value of the thing.  It was a very good book after all.  But…the way it ended stripped all the believability out of it for me.  The book claims that it’s a true story…but without a prolog to tell of what happened to the characters after their ordeal I just lost faith in it’s value as *true*.  

A quick search on-line shows that when this book was first published there was quite a bit of doubt placed on its truthfulness.  The only character that ever came forth was the author (who used a ghost writer, of course) himself.  The other characters that made it through the deadly trek never came forth to back up the story.  Nevertheless, historians can’t rip apart the events that take place in the book.  They all seem to fit into the realm of *possible*.  

I’d still like to believe it…but I just can’t without multiple eye-witnesses.

Next up, 'Simple Genius', by David Baldacci...

[Garrison Bain]

Just finished:

-Simple Genius
Author: David Baldacci
Read by: Scott Brick

This book was the third in line that sported two of Baldacci’s favorite characters; Sean King and Michelle Maxwell.  The first book, Split Second, I have read and reviewed here on this thread.  The second book, Hour Game, I have not read.  This third book had some references to the Hour Game book…but Baldacci did a good job of working around the need to actually read it.  So, in the end it’s not really necessary to read Hour Game first before reading this one.  Although, I would suggest doing so just so you can appreciate this third book more.

This book starts with Michelle dealing with some major mental issues stemming from the events that occurred in Hour Game.  She ends up in the hospital after almost getting killed in a bar fight.  She need some major help…both physically and mentally.  Fortunately, Sean King knows just the person to help her mental problems.  Unfortunately, the bills are coming in hot and heavy and Sean has to take some desperate measures to get some money.  

He teams up with his old fling Joan Dillinger…who has her own top tier PI agency now.  She gives him an assignment that plunges him into an amazing realm of mathematicians, secret codes, spies, cutting edge quantum technology, secret CIA camps, lost treasure, and cities full of geniuses!

I really liked this book and enjoyed reading about Sean and Michelle again.  There are a couple of twists that really had me thinking…and, as usual, Baldacci sets a great pace to the entire book.  The final series of events was heart pounding and teeth grinding…with an ending that left me satisfied and looking forward to another installment with these characters.

If you like military/clandestine action, suspense, and theoretical technology in your books…then you'll absolutely love this one.  I did!  Scott Brick is awesome -as usual- in his oral presentation.  

9 out of 10 on this book!  And I probably would have enjoyed it even more had I read Hour Game first.

Next up, ‘The Great Hunt', by the late Robert Jordan...

[Garrison Bain]

Just finished:

-The Great Hunt
Author: Robert Jordan
Read by: Michael Kramer, Kate Reading Scott Brick

Ok, so...the amazing saga of Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, Elayne, and Nyneave continue in this second book of The Wheel of Time series.  This is the second reading of the book for me- the first occurring about 14 years ago- and it was even better this time around.  I attribute that to a few factors: I know a whole lot more of their world and how things work in it, I saw minor nuances that Mr. Jordan included in this book in which he applied masterfully in later books, naturally- I consider myself a Wheel of Time buff and take pleasure reading about (and listening to) it, and finally, the story itself is a great exciting adventurous read!

A lot happens in this book and that makes me wonder if Mr. Jordan was trying to squeeze the entire series into 3 or 4 books at the time of this writing.  I say that because he slowed the pace down drastically in the next book, The Dragon Reborn.  And now, of course, there are 97 books in the series…(ok, that’s a bit of an exaggeration *s*). But that’s just an observation and not really founded on anything substantial…just a feeling.  Regardless, there’s nothing to complain about in this book…because the action was tightly packed and the divulged information was nicely paced.  In fact, even though I had read this before…I found myself yearning to continue when I had to turn the CD off.  There’s really no better compliment than that…at least I can’t think of a better one.

Here are the main topics that this book touches on…off the top of my head:
-Rand trains as a Warder under Lan
-Rand comes to grips with the fact that he can channel.
-We meet the Amrlyn Seat and she tells rand that he *is* the Dragon Reborn and that she is going to leave him alone.
-Egwene and Nyneave are sent to the White Tower for training; there they are reunited with Min and Elayne.
-Padan Fain escapes and steals a chest that has the Shadar Logath Dagger and Horn of Valere in it.
-Hurin the Sniffer is introduced!  For those of you that don’t know…Hurin is one of my favorite characters and the inspiration for my wheeloftime.org identity, Garrison Bain.
-Rand, Mat, Perrin, and Loial follow after Padan Fain
-Rand, Loial, and Hurin are separated from the others due to Rand accidentally transporting them to an alternate world via an portal stone.
-Perrin pretends to be a sniffer in place of the lost Hurin…but he secretly uses his wolf link to track Padan Fain.
-Rand gets the first heron mark branded into his hand.
-Rand, Loial, and Hurin meet up with the mysterious and beautiful Selene.  
-Selene alludes to knowing Rand is not who he says he is…and she has all sorts of historic knowledge.  The reader has little doubt that Selene is not who she appears to be…and is probably someone very dangerous.
-Rand uses another portal stone to get back to the ‘real’ world.
-Rand steals the chest with the horn and dagger from Padan Fains camp.  We realize just how skilled he is as a blade master as he cuts down many trollocs as he escapes with Loial.
-Rand sees the giant male version Sa’angreal Choedan Kal statue.
-The horn and dagger are lost again.
-Back in the White Tower, Nyneave passes the accepted test.
-Liandrin tricks Nyneave, Elayne, Egwene, and Min into traveling with her into the Ways.
-Liandrin gives them up a fellow darkfriend Seanchan.
-Nyneave and Elayne escape.  Egwene and Min are captured.  During the escape Nyneave flashes a hint of her potential channeling power.
-Egwene is slapped in an a’dam and treated as a damne.
-Nyneave and Elayne follow the Seanchan into Falme and plan their rescue of Egwene.
-Rand is joined up again by Mat and Perrin.  Also, Thom Merrilin is rediscovered.
-Finding that the horn and dagger are on their way to Toman Head Rand employs another Portal Stone to get them there fast.
-The trip is a disaster, of sorts…it gets them there…but the time difference is WAY later then if they had gone by horse and cart.  Also, each member is overwhelmed with images of every possible life they could have lived and still could live.  
-They use Mat’s attraction to the Dagger to lead them to the Horn.  
-Rand, Mat, and Perrin sneak into Falme and attempt to steal the Horn and Dagger.  The Horn because it’s the horn…and the Dagger because Mat needs it to have any chance at all of living.
-The high lord Turak of the Seanchan discovers their plot and confronts Rand in battle.  He is a blademaster.
-Rand wins the fight fairly.
-Nyneave and Elayne rescue Egwene and Min
-Whitecloaks attack the city
-Rand is confronted by Ba’alzamon and fights him in the skies above Falme.
-Mat blows the horn of Valere in desperation as he sees the Seanchan Damne destroying the whitecloaks.
-Heroes of ledgend race to Mats side and route the Seanchan sending them running and retreating.
-Birgitte Silverbow appears for the first time.
-Rand defeats Ba’alzamon by using a self sacrificing move that Lan taught him earlier in the book.
-Rand kills Ba’alzamon and somehow lives.
-Elayne finds Rand and takes care of him…her feelings for him start to show.
-Mat is reunited with his dagger and he is forever linked to the horn of Valere.

Ok, so those are just *some* of the main topics in this book.  It’s really jam packed full of important events and incidents.  And Robert Jordan melds them all into a seamless and exciting package!

10 out of 10 on this book!  

Next up, ‘The Red Badge of Courage', by Stephen Crane...

[Geoff]

Just finished:

The Chamber, by John Grisham.

This is one of the few books by Grisham I had yet to read/hear and I was excited when I finally got my hands on it, an anticipation that was borne out by this stellar story.  Written in 1994, The Chamber was Grisham's fifth book and the beginning of his move away from the "courtroom drama" and into the "legal thriller" genre.  From the jacket:

"Twenty-six-year-old Adam Hall stands on the brink of a brilliant legal career.  Now he is risking it all for a death-row killer and an impossible case.    

Maximum Security Unit, Mississippi State Prison at Parchman:

Sam Cayhall is a former Klansman and unrepentant racist now facing the death penalty for a fatal bombing in 1967. He has run out of chances — except for one: the young, liberal Chicago lawyer who just happens to be his grandson. While the executioners prepare the gas chamber, while the protesters gather and the TV cameras wait, Adam has only days, hours, minutes to save his client.  For between the two men is a chasm of shame, family lies, and secrets --  including the one secret that could save Sam Cayhall's life...or cost Adam his. "

I absolutely loved this book.  The story is fast paced, engaging and stark.  It is also masterfully performed by Michael Beck, who's vocal versatility brings the characters to full life.  I heartily recommend this one to anyone.

Next up:

Dune, by Frank Herbert.