This was bad. Not just meh, I'm not enjoying this Firefly-styled novel as much as I'd hoped, but kind of cringe. I think a lot, but not all, of it comThis was bad. Not just meh, I'm not enjoying this Firefly-styled novel as much as I'd hoped, but kind of cringe. I think a lot, but not all, of it comes from the fact that I have the audiobook version. The narrator is terrible, confidently pronouncing his lines like he's trying to reach the back of the theatre, and making women sound like lisping cartoon characters. I actually giggled at one point where a male character thinks about how much he enjoys listening to one female character's voice, because to us she sounded more like Daisy Duck than Angelina Jolie.
This is a short novel, only 4ish hours and the story builds but does not resolve. It's more like the first episode in an ongoing space series, one which I will not continue.
Thanks NetGalley for the book. I really wanted to like it, but honestly the audiobook needs some serious work....more
All right, don't hate me for hating on this book, but what should have been a pop slam dunk is instead one stinker of a novel. It took all the hopefulAll right, don't hate me for hating on this book, but what should have been a pop slam dunk is instead one stinker of a novel. It took all the hopeful dedication I could muster to make it halfway through. I mean, come on, they marketed the heck out of this book, even on TV. There had to be something to it, right?
Nope.
The President Is Missing is boring, and oddly constructed, chopped up into all these short chapters that destroy the flow of the story. It never coalesced into something compelling, at least as far as I read. I kept wondering, "Where's the thrill in this thriller?"
The audio version is narrated by Dennis Quaid, who grinds this mediocre novel into the asphalt. I'm a child of the 80's so I've spent most of my life respecting this man as an actor, but dude needs to hold onto that day job. Narrating books is absolutely not Mr. Quaid's strength. Regardless of what's going on in the story, he reads as if someone has a gun to his head, and he's been ordered to ADD GRIT to every word.
Quaid is terrible at character voices, and worse at timing and inflection, which is surprising because he's an actor. I'd liken his performance here to John Wayne on morphine for a respiratory infection.
Merged review:
All right, don't hate me for hating on this book, but what should have been a pop slam dunk is instead one stinker of a novel. It took all the hopeful dedication I could muster to make it halfway through. I mean, come on, they marketed the heck out of this book, even on TV. There had to be something to it, right?
Nope.
The President Is Missing is boring, and oddly constructed, chopped up into all these short chapters that destroy the flow of the story. It never coalesced into something compelling, at least as far as I read. I kept wondering, "Where's the thrill in this thriller?"
The audio version is narrated by Dennis Quaid, who grinds this mediocre novel into the asphalt. I'm a child of the 80's so I've spent most of my life respecting this man as an actor, but dude needs to hold onto that day job. Narrating books is absolutely not Mr. Quaid's strength. Regardless of what's going on in the story, he reads as if someone has a gun to his head, and he's been ordered to ADD GRIT to every word.
Quaid is terrible at character voices, and worse at timing and inflection, which is surprising because he's an actor. I'd liken his performance here to John Wayne on morphine for a respiratory infection....more
I made it to about 4o%. I felt like I was in every single other Connie Willis novel, with all the time wasting narcissistic characters and meandering.I made it to about 4o%. I felt like I was in every single other Connie Willis novel, with all the time wasting narcissistic characters and meandering.
But on the other hand, it also felt nothing like a Connie Willis novel, because the writing wasn't as polished and the characters' comments weren't nearly as quotable. It honestly read more fan-fiction, by someone who adores both Connie Willis and Scooby Doo, and maybe needs to put a hold on their SyFy Channel subscription.
If you keep your expectations to jaunty dialogue, a whole bunch of much ado about nothing, and tons of TV/movie alien references, then you will probably enjoy this one. As for me, I don't know what I was looking for, but it wasn't this. ...more
This is a case of the cover being much more fun than the book. I admit I indeed judged, and was quickly reminded what a mistake that was.
And I must confess I was turned off very early on, as Ken Jennings was describing what he'd be covering throughout the book, when he differentiated between lore of "scripture" and that of "mythology". I'm sorry, what?...more
I wish I could say I loved this book. However, ancient evil horror is difficult to write, and few authors can nail it.
The idea for The Nightmare Man I wish I could say I loved this book. However, ancient evil horror is difficult to write, and few authors can nail it.
The idea for The Nightmare Man is not a unique one, piggybacking on the idea of nightmare trapping, nor is it presented in a fresh way here. What really killed it for me was the lack of actual action and agonizingly long explanations of what was going on, after we already saw it play out a few times and could reason through the gist of what was happening. With just two hours to go in the audiobook, I decided I didn't care enough about the fate of the troupe of unlikeable characters to finish. I'd heard all I could stand....more
I'm stuck between not saying anything ("If you don't have anything nice to say...") and warning people about this book.
Ugh. Okay, fine. Let's do this.I'm stuck between not saying anything ("If you don't have anything nice to say...") and warning people about this book.
Ugh. Okay, fine. Let's do this.
The story is unoriginal and ridiculous. The characters are all unlikable. Nora's childhood backstory doesn't quite add up to Nora the adult. However, some people found The Locked Door entertaining, so I say if you can find it free from the library, maybe give it a whirl. That way, what have you lost except a few hours of your life?
DO NOT GET THE AUDIO VERSION. The narrator, Shaina Summerville, reads this like she's shouting her lines onstage at a local theatre. I sure hope it's an affectation, and not her real speaking voice. Either way, it's impossible to concentrate on the meh story when her nails-on-a-chalkboard voice is continually making you want to crush your earbuds with the closest rock.
You don't have to believe me. Mosey on over to Audible, where the reviews are almost unanimously shredding the narration. I have carefully placed both the author and the narrator on my Never Again lists....more
This one had such promise but it fell awkwardly flat for me. I don't want to ruin it for anyone else, so I'll only say that the author tried so very hThis one had such promise but it fell awkwardly flat for me. I don't want to ruin it for anyone else, so I'll only say that the author tried so very hard to write a culturally rich mystery about a once-Japanese, once-American woman living as a translator in Japan. So hard it hurt in places (and not in a good way).
There were pages where the word "kimono" seemed to appear in EVERY SINGLE SENTENCE. I had a hard time wading through that. ...more
Ridiculousness. Impossible characters. A story that even outs itself as a "Rear Window" wannabe.
And then it, what, goes supernatural? When did that laRidiculousness. Impossible characters. A story that even outs itself as a "Rear Window" wannabe.
And then it, what, goes supernatural? When did that late-in-the-game twist become the gimmick of choice for your average suspense story? Sure, you have to distinguish your book from The Woman in the Window and all the voyeuristic others, but COME ON.
I don't even want to talk about the choice of narrator for the audiobook version. Why was a 70-something sounding woman brought in to read the part of a 30-something actress? She wasn't terrible, but she definitely felt robotic and way too old, a terrible fit.
Sorry to be a hater, but if you're enticed by the idea of a new Riley Sager thriller, I'd advise you take a pass on this one....more
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