Audiobook Review Roundup: Snuff, Crossed, September Society

In between the great science fiction I've been listening to lately, I've had to clean by aural passages with some quick listens. These are all sequels or later in series by authors I know and love. They don't really need full reviews, but I wanted to share my two cents.

Snuff is the latest by Sir Terry Pratchett
39th in the Diskworld series
Genre: Fantasy
Audio publisher: Harper Audio, 2011; Length: 11h 29m
Read by: Stephen Briggs

If you've read Diskworld then you know Commander Sam Vimes of the City Watch. In this outing, Sam and his wife, Lady Sybil, visit her country house with their young son. Now, I've read maybe ten Diskworld books. I knew Sam and Sybil were together, but didn't remember a son. Vimes is one of my favorite characters, so it's great to have another story with him. Snuff is marketed as a book for adults (as opposed to Wee Free Men), but there's an awful lot of scatological humor. My favorite part was when Sam and Sybil visited a family with six daughters, much like the Bennets. Sam tells the girls to quit sitting around waiting  for some unemployed layabout to marry them and instead find something productive to do like open a shop. He could give them a year's free rent. Priceless!

Stephen Briggs is an exceptionally good reader. I love his accents, and he really sounds like he's having fun with the reading.

Crossed by Ally Condie
Genre: YA dystopian SF
Audio publisher: Penguin Audio; Length: 9h 50m
Read by: Kate Simses & Jack Riccobono

I picked up Matched not knowing anything about the story, and it was such a pleasant surprise. I loved the YA retelling of 1984 and Brave New World. It was great learning about the Society, all of their rules, and the small ways that Cassia subverted those rules. Crossed takes us away from the Society as Cassia and Ky are each sent to the Outer Provinces. There's a lot of pining and some wandering in the desert. I have a very low tolerance for book love and prefer stories where the couple hates each other and calls each other names until they suddenly figure out at the very end that they're Meant to Be. Since Cassia and Ky found out they were Meant to Be in the last book, this one was all downhill. Even worse was hearing both Ky and Cassia's viewpoints. I didn't even have the "maybe he's not that interested in me" suspense. I will fess up that I have a huge crush on the radio announcer Kai Ryssdal from American Public Media's Marketplace, so I'm prewired to love anyone named Kai or Ky, but I'm still not at all excited for the next book in this series.

Crossed is very well read by Kate Simses and Jack Riccobono.

The September Society (2008) by Charles Finch
2nd in the Charles Lenox Mysteries
Genre: Historical mystery
Audio publisher: Tantor Audio; Length: 8h 46m
Read by: James Langton

I picked up the first Charles Lenox novel, A Beautiful Blue Death because I liked the cover. I also liked the story, and Lenox, the Victorian gentleman detective, won me over. The audiobooks just came out this year, so when I saw an ad for the 5th book, A Burial At Sea, I decided had to catch up. In this installment, Charles returns to his alma mater Oxford to solve a missing persons case. All his old quirky friends are here, neighbor Lady Jane Grey, manservant Graham, and eccentric physician friend Dr. McConnell. Lenox is a great detective. He's tenacious, has unlimited free time, and has People to do all the boring bits.

James Langton pulled out 20 or more different British accents for this book. The writing was very specific about which part of England each character was from, and even though I can't tell a Yorkshire from a Lancashire, but they all sounded spot-on to me. I also liked his female voices, which were equally distinct. I kept rewinding so I could listen longer.

Audiobook review: The Death Cure by James Dashner

The conclusion to the Maze Runner trilogy.

The Death Cure by James Dashner
Maze Runner Trilogy: 1. Maze Runner, 2. Scorch Trials
Genre: Young adult apocalyptic dystopian science fiction
Length: 8h 55m
Audio publisher: Listening Library, 2011
Read by: Mark Deakens
From: Library OverDrive

Story: They've gotten out of the maze and out of the scorch. Thomas and his friends are now at WICKED headquarters. What final trial awaits?

Thoughts: I'm a big fan of this trilogy. I was surprised by how much I liked The Maze Runner. Then The Scorch Trials stepped up with  non-stop action. For the third installment, I wanted explanations of why these trials were necessary. A lot of questions were raised in the first two books, and I eagerly anticipated the answers.

The Death Cure gave me my explanations, but I came away unsatisfied. The story behind WICKED and their trials didn't make a lot of sense to my public-health training. There are a lot of new characters and a lot of running around for a final book. Thomas' choices add to the confusion. I liked that not everything was explained, but it seems that many threads were left for Thomas to learn off-page. The last book is always the hardest since it has to tie everything together, but my expectations exceeded the reality for The Death Cure.

Reading: Mark Deakens gave a solid reading every bit as good as the last two books. I'm looking forward to hearing him read other titles.

Cover: I love the snow on this cover. Brings in feelings of bleakness and chill. Brr.

Final thoughts: I was a little disappointed by this final installment to the Maze Runner Trilogy. My vote is for Scorch Trials as the best book of the three.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

Jenn is finishing up Mx3 over at her bookshelves and RIP VI is still going strong at Stainless Steel Droppings. Jen hosts Sound Bytes every Friday at Devourer of Books.

Audiobook Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

What a great book! Action, adventure, romance. With lots and lots of of I ♥ the 80's: Revenge of the geek.

Ready Player One
Author: Ernest Cline
Genre: Dystopian adventure SF
Length: 15h 46m
Read by: Wil Wheaton
Audio publisher: Random House Audio, 2011
From: Library OverDrive

Story: The billionaire computer programmer James Halliday dies, and his fortune will go to the person who can find a secret hidden in his virtual reality universe, OASIS. Everyone is on the lookout. Wade has spent the past five years learning everything he can about 80's books, movies, and video games in an effort to uncover a clue to the treasure. He's dedicated. And the 80's are better than his life now.

My thoughts: I grew up in the 80's. I had a TRS-80 Color Computer II, played Zork, and listened to Duran Duran. I even played Dungeons and Dragons. So this book was written for me. The question is, will anyone who didn't grow up in the 80's get anything out of this book? I don't know. Some of the references have withstood time: Star Wars, Indiana Jones. Most haven't. That's what makes them fun. I didn't get the majority of the music or early video game references, and that didn't damper my enjoyment of the story. The most obscure were explained for us newbies without being pedantic. And it's not all 80's. There are Firefly and Matrix shout-outs along with Lord of the Rings.

The book follows Wade, and I loved learning about his life beyond the 80's. The story unfolds like a John Hughes movie with details of the world he lives in, both the real world and in OASIS, uncovered as Wade goes about his daily tasks evading bullies and going to school. The quest to find the treasure steamrolls in and action scenes fill in the gaps. There's even a love interest for variety. Yes, the plot hits each of the standard movie beats, but it moves along fast and I was enjoying it too much to care.

I liked the fact that NOT everyone in Wade's world is crazy about the 80's. Only a small group of people have chosen to dedicate their life to this decade. These people are driven to solve the clues and find the treasure using 80's trivia. I'm so sorry for them. To watch any of these 80's shows now would be torture. They are only good in retrospect.

Reading: I'm apprehensive of celebrity readers. I don't want the person reading to distract from the story, so I was worried when I found out Wil Wheaton read Ready Player One. As soon as the book started, my fears were put to rest. Wil Wheaton's energy and enthusiasm for the material come through. Some of the characters sound a little too similar, especially Wade and H, but since the secondary characters don't say much, it wasn't too a big deal.

Minor points: Food: The people in Wade's world don't appear to eat meat. It's too expensive and resource-intensive. Forced vegetarianism. It's coming.
Cover: This book has one of the worst covers I've ever seen. It took me several months to pick the book up because the cover is so bad.
Spoiler nit: ****I can't believe that A only had that blemish! I was expecting her to have no legs or be a dwarf or something. I guess she didn't watch any 90's infomercials. Hasn't she heard of Bare Escentuals?

Final thoughts: If you ♥ 80's geekiness, read this book. If you don't...you can still read this book, and we'll talk.

Grade: 5 out of 5

Audiobook Review: The Passage by Justin Cronin

I was excited to find The Passage by Justin Cronin on CD. So excited that I listened to the whole thing before I realized this is an abridged version. Then I decided the abridged version is a good thing.

Genre: Science fiction, horror
Series: The Passage, book 1
Length: 14h 30m - abridged
Audio publisher: Random House Audio, 2010
Read by: Edward Herrmann
From: Local library

Recap: A previously unknown virus is found deep in the jungle of Bolivia. The US military believes the virus can be used to improve the human condition, but strange things are happening in the top secret base where the experiments are performed. The virus seems to have unexpected side effects....

Review: The Passage is my kind of horror story: a virus, super secret experiments, things going horribly awry. I love dystopias but had seen the word "vampire" attached to this book, so I was skeptical. To my relief, there are no magnetic, brooding men in capes. Some may call the infected people "vampires," but the virals are inhuman, wild, and very, very scary. That's more like it.

The Passage starts by following several point-of-view characters, but the story is primarily about Amy, a lost little girl with a difficult life, as she is pulled from one place to another. Following her as she grows up, we are provided with additional information on the virus, the experiments, and the people involved. I really enjoyed the depth of detail given for each character. Not only do we learn their backgrounds, but we find out what specifically led them to their current situations. I especially appreciated that none of the characters are perfect. Everyone has their flaws. These flaws define them, and they tend to show up at the least opportune times.

With so many characters and points-of-view, the story was a little hard to follow at first. It starts slowly, but as the threads entwine, the tension builds, and things get interesting. Be warned that the book is divided into two parts. It was jarring to go over this break and have to meet a new group of people on the other side, but the story eventually smoothed itself out. It's survival of the fittest, but it's a great ride.

Abridgment: If you've been waiting to read The Passage because it's just too thick, the abridged audio version is the way to go. The story is told in 14 hours, compared to 36 unabridged. The whole story is there, just streamlined.

When The Passage first came out, I attempted to listen to the unabridged version, but I didn't get past section one. Although I was surprised to find this was an abridged version, I think the abridgment helped by moving the plot along. I'm curious about the pieces I missed, but I don't feel like I lost anything vital. I'm ready for book two coming out in summer, 2012!

Reading: Edward Herrmann does a great job reading. I know him as Lorelei's father from Gilmore Girls, but this doesn't distract from his reading. Instead, his voice lends solemnity and authority to the story.

I was surprised when the epilogue was read by a different narrator. I don't know who she is since she's not credited on the package or websites I checked. The change in voice was unexpected. I would have preferred to have one reader for the whole story.

Nums: Love the cover!

Final thoughts: The Passage lives up to the hype. It's an exciting outbreak story with a unique and chilling threat. The abridged audio version keeps the plot moving while maintaining character detail.


Grade: 4 out of 5

This book is part of October's Murder, Monsters and Mayhem by Jenn's Bookshelves and RIP at Stainless Steel Droppings.

Audiobook review: Children of Paranoia by Trevor Shane

Children of Paranoia by Trevor Shane is the first book in the Children of Paranoia trilogy. I picked this one up on the recommendation of The Guilded Earlobe, but I didn't enjoy it as much as he did.

Genre: Dystopian action
Length: 12h 11m
Audio publisher: Penguin Audiobooks, 2011
Read by: Steven Boyer and Emma Galvin
From: Audible

Recap: Joseph is a soldier in a hidden guerrilla war. He lives in society but is separate from it. He doesn't know who his fellow soldiers are. He doesn't know who his enemies are. All that he knows is his enemies are evil and must die.

Review: Children of Paranoia a chilling tale that could be taking place right here and now. The book is non-stop action in a world a little too similar to our own that explores themes of duty, love, fanaticism, and revenge.

The story follows Joseph as he goes about his job as an assassin and keeps a record in his journal. He's good at his work but gets no enjoyment from killing. I enjoyed the meticulous planing and carrying out of his assignments, but the journal framework took away a lot of the suspense since Joseph had to survive in order to write his story.

Joseph isn't the smartest or most fearless of his colleagues, and his boredom and depression really come through. He's in his 20's, and the juxtaposition between his job as a ruthless killer and his complete lack of social skills in normal life led to some funny situations. There are obvious parallels between the war Joseph is fighting and religious wars past and present, but Joseph's cult provides none of the community, philosophy, or history supplied by actual religious organizations to inspire such fervent devotion. Instead, Joseph is paranoid with no delusions he can ever be safe.

Reading: Steven Boyer reads the majority of the book with Emma Galvin covering the prologue and epilogue. This is the first time I've listened to Steven Boyer, and I liked his reading. His voice sounds young and is well suited to express both Joseph's deliberation and his depression. Emma Galvin's direct reading style really moved along her short sections.

Final thoughts: Full of violence and action, this dystopian portrait-of-a-life didn't provide enough information on the whys of the world to keep me engaged.

Grade: 2.5 out of 5

Additional views on Children of Paranoia from The Guilded Earlobe, Jenn's Bookshelves, and more blogs.

This post is part of RIP VI hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings,
Murder, Monsters and Mayhem at Jenn's Bookshelves, and
Sound Bytes hosted by Jen at Devourer of Books.

Audio Review: Scorch Trials by James Dashner

The Scorch Trials is the second book in the Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner, read by Mark Deakens. I got it from my library's OverDrive as soon as I finished the book one and was not disappointed. I liked this book better than the first!

The Maze Runner Trilogy: 1) The Maze Runner
Genre: Young adult apocalyptic dystopian science fiction
Length: 10h 22m
Audio publisher: Listening Library, 2010

Recap: After the trials of The Maze Runner, Thomas and his friends are not through with their testing: they have graduated to Phase Two. New challenges are in store as the kids jump through WICKED's hoops, fighting and hoping to survive.

Review: I loved this book. It was non-stop action. As soon as one hurdle was passed, the crew was thrown right onto another. The world is so deadly, but interesting. But more than the action, I loved the mystery. Why are these kids on trial? How can they not remember anything? What are WICKED's aims? Few of the questions brought up in book one are answered and more are added to the pile as Thomas and his gang try to figure out what's going on and what they're going to do about it.

A lot of the book takes place in Thomas' head as he remembers more of his past and tries to make sense of what they're going through. Thomas has grown up a bit and isn't as annoying as in The Maze Runner. I like the dialogue between the kids. It seems really natural as they call each other names and don't take any bull. One quibble I have is we aren't introduced to more of the Gladies traveling with Thomas. We know the ones who were prominent in book one, but there are several more hangers-on. What are they all doing back there?

The Scorch Trials is an excellent sequel to The Maze Runner. I liked it better than the first book, which never happens. I have high hopes that The Death Cure will explain the meaning behind all of this in a nice, satisfying package.

Reading: Mark Deakens has become one of my favorite audiobook readers. His voices for the different characters are subtle, but distinct. His calm and soothing voice is a nice contrast to all the crazy action of the story.

Final Thoughts: If you've read The Maze Runner, then you're already sold on this book. If you haven't read The Maze Runner, and you like action with your dystopia, read it. Book three of The Maze Runner Trilogy, The Death Cure comes out in October. I can't wait!

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

This post is part of Murder, Monsters and Mayhem hosted by Jenn at Jenn's Bookshelf
and RIP VI hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings.

Audio Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

I'd heard The Maze Runner by James Dashner was a must-read for YA dystopian fans, so when I saw it on my library's Overdrive, I had to give it a try. I wasn't disappointed.

Genre: Young adult dystopian science fiction
Length: 10h 50m
Audio publisher: Listening Library, 2009

Recap: Thomas wakes up with no memories of his past life. He's the latest arrival to the Glade, a farming community surrounded by a huge maze, populated entirely by teenage boys. Thomas doesn't know who he is or where he came from, but somehow the Maze is familiar, and he's determined to solve it. This is the first book in a finished trilogy: The Scorch Trials came out in 2010, The Death Cure comes out in October.

Review: I love stories where someone wakes up and has no ideal what's going on. They suck me in every time. The Maze Runner was no different, and I was immediately draw into Thomas' plight as the newest clueless arrival in the Glen. The plot kept me going, moving along at a nice clip. The maze is intriguing, and the strangeness of the setting adds to the fun. I was surprised by the level of violence, which upped the stakes but didn't seem to fit the premise. An explanation was provided, but it didn't ring true to me. I did like how the characters seemed like real people, each with their own weaknesses. One quibble I have is the lack of communication between characters. Sure the old hands need to haze the new guy, but many times he didn't even ask or thought something along the lines of "I wanted to ask, but knew they wouldn't tell me." Ask! We're wondering the same thing! In spite of this, it's a cool premise, well executed. I've got book two cued and ready to go on my playlist.

Reading: Mark Deakins brings The Maze Runner to life. He has the barest hint of a southern accent (Tennessee?) on certain words that lends character to Thomas. His deliberate way of speaking fits well with the methodical way they went about solving the maze.

Final thoughts: In spite of a couple of annoyances, The Maze Runner delivers with a fresh premise and interesting characters.

Grade: 4 out of 5

For: Dystopian lovers or anyone who likes a good YA action book.

Cover: Based on the cover, I somehow thought this book was much older and was surprised to learn it came out in 2009.

From movie to book - Contagion

I haven't seen the movie Contagion, but a good (fictional) pandemic always gets me excited. When I heard about Contagion, I was reminded of some of my favorite pandemic books.

After reading Peeps by Scott Westerfield, I could never look at a marshmallow chick the same. A sexually-transmitted parasite is spreading across the US. People with this parasite (aka peeps) hate everything they used to love and eat their friends. Cal is an asymptomatic carrier. His job, to track down other Peeps and contain the spread. The best part of the book is the alternating chapters filled with scientific facts on real parasites from Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer.

A Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier also has alternating chapters, between people in the City, the place some people go when they die, and Antarctica, where Laura Byrd is not dead yet. What caused this pandemic? Where do people go when they disappear from the City? And is Laura the only person left alive?

I never did finish The Passage by Justin Cronin, bu the part I got to has stock with me. A virus found in the remote jungle turns people into grotesque blood-suckers. Those infected are being observed in a remote, high-security facility. What happens next? I don't know. I've got to take another stab at this one.

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

All of Jasper Fforde's books are intelligent and funny, but I think I enjoyed Shades of Grey (2009) the most given its dystopian leanings.

Length: 13h 34m; Grade: 4.5
Audio publisher: Penguin Audio, 2009

Shades of Grey follows Eddie Russet through the four days prior to his being eaten by a carnivorous plant. This is the first book in a planned trilogy and spends a lot of time setting up the world, which needs a lot of set-up since it is so different from our own. The introduction is both jarring and slow because the reader is thrown in to this crazy place that takes a while to describe. Shades of Grey has a lot going on and is carefully plotted, so it's not as frenetic and slapdash as other Fforde titles. I found I enjoyed the book much more on my second reading when I could put into context all of the items I didn't understand the first time around. Once things start moving the book was hard to put down. This is one of those stories where it's painful to wait for the next one. Unfortunately, Painting by Numbers isn't expected out until 2013.

Reading - With all of its plays on words, Shades of Grey was a difficult book to listen to. I found that I really needed to pay attention and several times had to backtrack to try and comprehend what was said. John Lee is one of my favorite readers with his smooth voice and huge range. The main character of this book is a bumbling idiot, and Lee's reading was almost too smooth and too competent. It didn't quite match up.

Final thoughts - Shades of Grey might be one of those books that's better to read than to listen to. With its invented language and plays on words, the audio version required all of my concentration, and I still missed a lot of what was going on.

More - Shades of Grey reminded me of Kurt Vonnegut's Galapagos, another apocalyptic farce.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I hope dystopian YA is a trend that stays around for a long time. I love all the updates of Brave New World and 1984 for the under-20 crowd. Delirium (2011) by Lauren Oliver is a good addition to the list.

Length: 11h 41m; Grade: 3.5
Audio publisher: Harper Audio (2011)

Delirium is what happens when people fall in love, and it is to be carefully avoided by anyone who hasn't yet been given the Cure. The book follows Lena in the months before her Cure, focusing on the relationships between Lena and her friends. The book is very slow-moving, which is kind of refreshing. Lena goes to school. She comes home. I had hoped the book would give more about the world and the society, but instead it is very tightly focused on Lena. Unfortunately, she's very conventional and acts much younger than her nearly 18 years. Delirium is the first book in a series, and there are indications that Lena will branch out in the next book. Time will tell.

Reading - Sara Drew has a very young voice with a bit of a lisp which lends itself well to the main character. There are very few speaking parts in the book, so they are easy to discern. I like the voice she gives to the main boy. He sounds like he's still half asleep.

More - Matched by Ally Condie or Uglies by Scott Westerfield show how other (more outgoing) young women handle themselves in similar situations.

Nits - The book takes place in Portland, Maine, so I found it funny that the characters were always complaining about how hot it is. Good thing you're not in Texas, chicas.