I listened to a bunch of Aubrey/Maturin books, not too long ago. They're good. They're enjoyable. They're definitely worth spending time listening to. They certainly fulfill my principle goal of remaining awake, avoiding the complete waste of 3 hours of car-time a day, and not getting angry (thus, avoiding the radio). But Hornblower's still my man.
After those, Orson Scott Card's Hart's Hope. It's not Ender's Game, but it's not a complete waste, either. I don't remember the reader, so he was at least average-skill. The story was OK, but not riveting. It boils down to: Bad king deposed, bad king's daughter returns to wreak her vengeance & and retake kingdom, good guys stealthily & accidentally position themselves to depose bad king's daughter. Not much in the way of character development. Mostly, the characters are what they are. It's more about what caused them to be that way. Plus, gods & religion, 'cause this is Orson Scott Card.
More recently, David Maguire's Wicked. I abandoned it about 2/3 of the way through. I realized I really had no attachment to any of the characters, or the story. I thought the reader was very good. In fact, I appreciate him more than the actual story. The best explanation I have for my lack of interest in the story is this: The Wicked Witch of the West isn't a character, she's an archetype, and that means she can't have a backstory. She's not meant to be a person, with a history that lead her to her wickedness. Nor an alternate point-of-view, showing her wickedness to be a matter of perspective. The Witch is just Bad. She's not a person, she's a Function. The "hook" for Maguire's story is "the real story of the Witch." But, since I think she can't have a story, the book just doesn't work for me.
Currently, I'm listening to The Black Echo. This is the first book in a series about an LA detective named Harry Bosch. I heard of it an aldoblog, which is where I first learned that putting audiobooks on iPods is not only possible, but a really good idea. Michael Aldrete (the blogger) notes this series as one of his personal favorites. So far, I'm liking it. It's a good noirish detective story, with a main character driven to "do the job, regardless of the cost." The reader is excellent. Initially, I objected to some of the special effects (e.g., adding an echo to indicate the speaker is on the phone). But I've come to appreciate them as very effective and only initially obtrusive. The story's good, the reader's excellent, and I'm looking forward to finishing this story -- and pursuing others in the series.
After those, Orson Scott Card's Hart's Hope. It's not Ender's Game, but it's not a complete waste, either. I don't remember the reader, so he was at least average-skill. The story was OK, but not riveting. It boils down to: Bad king deposed, bad king's daughter returns to wreak her vengeance & and retake kingdom, good guys stealthily & accidentally position themselves to depose bad king's daughter. Not much in the way of character development. Mostly, the characters are what they are. It's more about what caused them to be that way. Plus, gods & religion, 'cause this is Orson Scott Card.
More recently, David Maguire's Wicked. I abandoned it about 2/3 of the way through. I realized I really had no attachment to any of the characters, or the story. I thought the reader was very good. In fact, I appreciate him more than the actual story. The best explanation I have for my lack of interest in the story is this: The Wicked Witch of the West isn't a character, she's an archetype, and that means she can't have a backstory. She's not meant to be a person, with a history that lead her to her wickedness. Nor an alternate point-of-view, showing her wickedness to be a matter of perspective. The Witch is just Bad. She's not a person, she's a Function. The "hook" for Maguire's story is "the real story of the Witch." But, since I think she can't have a story, the book just doesn't work for me.
Currently, I'm listening to The Black Echo. This is the first book in a series about an LA detective named Harry Bosch. I heard of it an aldoblog, which is where I first learned that putting audiobooks on iPods is not only possible, but a really good idea. Michael Aldrete (the blogger) notes this series as one of his personal favorites. So far, I'm liking it. It's a good noirish detective story, with a main character driven to "do the job, regardless of the cost." The reader is excellent. Initially, I objected to some of the special effects (e.g., adding an echo to indicate the speaker is on the phone). But I've come to appreciate them as very effective and only initially obtrusive. The story's good, the reader's excellent, and I'm looking forward to finishing this story -- and pursuing others in the series.
