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Ingwe

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  • 19
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  • 251
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  • 32
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  • Hyperion

  • By: Dan Simmons
  • Narrated by: Marc Vietor, Allyson Johnson, Kevin Pariseau, and others
  • Length: 20 hrs and 44 mins
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    4.5 out of 5 stars 12,335
  • Performance
    4.5 out of 5 stars 10,209
  • Story
    4.5 out of 5 stars 10,260

On the world called Hyperion, beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, there waits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all.

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • The Shrike Awaits. Enter The Time Tombs...

  • By Michael on 10-13-12

Classic Sci-fi

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-03-13

Any additional comments?

A great sci-fi story told in the "frame story" format. (Like Canterbury Tales.) Seven very different people are on a pilgrimage together to Hyperion and each of their back-stories unfolds the plot.

What I liked best about this story is that in addition to being a great story and setting, (common in good sci-fi/fantasy) the author happens to be a great writer (not so common even in good sci-fi/fantasy). You can tell that the author has a love of science and futurism but also a love of language and poetry. (References to Keats abound.)

Warning: When I started this book I thought it was a stand-alone novel. However, it ends abruptly and I'm told that the Fall of Hyperion finishes the story.

28 of 34 people found this review helpful

  • Final Days

  • By: Gary Gibson
  • Narrated by: Nigel Carrington
  • Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    3.5 out of 5 stars 27
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars 25
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars 25

It's 2235 and through the advent of wormhole technology more than a dozen interstellar colonies have been linked to Earth; but this new mode of transportation comes at a price and there are risks. Saul Dumont knows this better than anyone. He's still trying to cope with the loss of the wormhole link to the Galileo system, which has stranded him on Earth far from his wife and child for the past several years.

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Meh...

  • By Ingwe on 04-03-13

Meh...

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-03-13

Any additional comments?

Great science fiction. Gripping action, the reader is plunged into the mystery from the very first pages and is immediately taken in by the story. The story is apocalyptic and is given from the perspective of a number of key characters. It revolves around ancient artefacts created by an unknown race and the technology of wormholes used by humanity in the present time of the book.

All in all, an average read.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

  • The Modern Scholar

  • Behold the Mighty Dinosaur
  • By: John Kricher
  • Narrated by: John Kricher
  • Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    4.5 out of 5 stars 151
  • Performance
    4.5 out of 5 stars 103
  • Story
    4.5 out of 5 stars 102

Before their extinction, dinosaurs dominated Earth's terrestrial habitats for about 160 million years. They present the ultimate puzzle in forensic science, but we have learned a great deal about them in the last 50 years. This lecture series will explain the evolutionary and ecological relationships among dinosaurs, what it might have been like to be present in their time, and the question of what ultimately brought about the total extinction of dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous Period.

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Intriguing

  • By Ingwe on 04-03-13

Intriguing

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-03-13

Any additional comments?

Such a great series of lectures about dinosaurs. Very comprehensive. Gives a history of paleontology and goes into the evolution of dinosaurs throughout the Mesozoic era. Also discusses the role of dinosaurs in pop culture and details all the things they got wrong/got right in Jurassic Park (among others). Very entertaining lecturer. Recommended to anyone interested in dinosaurs.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

  • World War Z

  • An Oral History of the Zombie War
  • By: Max Brooks
  • Narrated by: Max Brooks, Alan Alda, John Turturro, and others
  • Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
  • Abridged
  • Overall
    4.5 out of 5 stars 8,315
  • Performance
    4.5 out of 5 stars 6,293
  • Story
    4.5 out of 5 stars 6,307

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of 30 million souls, to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet.

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Brilliant production, criminally abridged

  • By J. Huntington on 01-04-07

Not so much a story per say...

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-03-13

Any additional comments?

Good:
1 - Totally didn't expect to like a "zombie" book but this author had a great take on that genre.
2 - I appreciated the detail and research that went into presenting this book from many different cultural and diverse locations
3 - Interesting style to present the "story" as a series of interviews - not an easy medium to do well but I liked the way this occured.

Bad:
A few things rung "untrue" for me - like the guy during an exodus carrying a PC desktop monitor. A small nit to be sure but really took me to that place of "unbelievability"

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

  • The Modern Scholar

  • Astronomy I: Earth, Sky and Planets
  • By: Prof. James Kaler
  • Narrated by: Prof. James Kaler
  • Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    4.5 out of 5 stars 335
  • Performance
    4.5 out of 5 stars 215
  • Story
    4.5 out of 5 stars 209

The heart of this course examines the planets themselves, and reveals how they are constructed and how they differ from one another. By studying the physical astronomy of all the planets in the Solar System, we can attempt to understand their true nature. Ultimately, these lectures will bring us to a greater understanding of the Solar System's creation, which brings us again back to the beginning and what it means to us as we look outward from our rotating Earth.

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Wow... just wow

  • By Anthony on 09-15-09

Very Informative

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-03-13

Any additional comments?

Boy, did I learn a lot from this one! Professor Kaler tends to rush through some of the details from time to time but, overall, this was a primer on astronomy that will get me looking to the skies more frequently and with a lot more comprehension of what's up there. Excellent for wanna-be stargazers and parents of inquiring kids. Do you know why the moon comes up at different times of day? Why one side of the moon always faces us? Why Pluto is considered a planet by some and not others? You will know all these and much, much more after listening..

13 of 13 people found this review helpful

  • Bad Astronomy

  • Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing 'Hoax'
  • By: Philip Plait
  • Narrated by: Kevin Scullin
  • Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars 895
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars 724
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars 724

Dr. Philip C. Plait sets the record straight on many modern hoaxes and myths. Appalled that millions of Americans don't believe in the moon landing, or that an egg stands on its end only on the vernal equinox, Plait hilariously spills the truth and informs us of scientific inaccuracies in our everyday vernacular.

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Answers to the astronomy questions that matter.

  • By Steven on 12-07-10

Thoroughly Enjoyable

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-03-13

Any additional comments?

Phil Plait, the "Bad Astronomer" does a fantastic job of explaining some common misconceptions in the field of astronomy. A must read if you're interested at all in astronomy.

10 of 11 people found this review helpful

  • The Story of Earth

  • The First 4.5 Billion Years, from Stardust to Living Planet
  • By: Robert M. Hazen
  • Narrated by: Walter Dixon
  • Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars 741
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars 645
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars 639

Earth evolves. From first atom to molecule, mineral to magma, granite crust to single cell to verdant living landscape, ours is a planet constantly in flux. In this radical new approach to Earth’s biography, senior Carnegie Institution researcher and national best-selling author Robert M. Hazen reveals how the co-evolution of the geosphere and biosphere - of rocks and living matter - has shaped our planet into the only one of its kind in the Solar System, if not the entire cosmos.

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Makes minerals interesting

  • By Gary on 07-31-12

Thorough

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-03-13

Any additional comments?

This is a thorough, up-to-date look at the history of the Earth and the science that has been used to discover it. As I was finishing it, I found that Nat Geo TV have computer generated special telling pretty much the same story in overview. Now I know more than I used to about the world we live on.

14 of 14 people found this review helpful

  • It's Not Rocket Science

  • By: Ben Miller
  • Narrated by: Ben Miller
  • Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    4.5 out of 5 stars 91
  • Performance
    4.5 out of 5 stars 84
  • Story
    4.5 out of 5 stars 84

Black holes. DNA. The Large Hadron Collider. Ever had that sneaking feeling that you are missing out on some truly spectacular science? You do? Well fear not, for help is at hand. Ben Miller was working on his Physics PhD at Cambridge when he accidentally became a comedian. But first love runs deep, and he has returned to his roots, to share with you all his favourite bits of science. This is the stuff that you really need to know, not only because it matters, but because it will quite simply amaze and delight you.

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Entertaining

  • By Ingwe on 04-03-13

Entertaining

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-03-13

Any additional comments?

Quick and entertaining, especially for a science book. Only hits a few subjects & with no new revelations, but Ben Miller's wit (whom I'm a fan of from his British comedy work) definitely makes it a worthwhile and enjoyable read.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

  • Beowulf

  • By: Seamus Heaney (translator)
  • Narrated by: George Guidall
  • Length: 4 hrs and 8 mins
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    4.5 out of 5 stars 106
  • Performance
    4.5 out of 5 stars 99
  • Story
    4.5 out of 5 stars 102

Written a thousand years ago, this long poem is the very first surviving piece of English literature. Join Beowulf, a young warrior, as he achieves glory by fighting and killing three fantastic monsters. This new translation, by the Nobel laureate poet Seamus Heaney, offers modern listeners an accessible, intensely dramatic text. It amply demonstrates why this epic has spread its influence over more than a millennium of literature.

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Almost perfect

  • By Tad Davis on 01-28-13

One of the greatest tales of loss ever written

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 03-27-13

Any additional comments?

The way the author tells the story powerfully expresses what it must have felt like when, during those same times, they watched their mighty pagan traditions of honor and bravery set out to sea forever, then to be replaced by the new culture of Christianity.

If you read it, make sure you also read J.R.R. Tolkein's "The Monsters and The Critics." The whole essay brings new insights to the story; my particular favorite part was his metaphorical statement that Beowulf is a story of youth and old age, the rising and setting of life, and the embracing of the dragon that comes for us all.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

  • Icons of the Iron Age

  • The Celts in History
  • By: Susan A. Johnston
  • Narrated by: Susan A. Johnston
  • Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars 99
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars 63
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars 64

Among the most famous peoples in ancient times were the Celts, who lived in Europe during the Iron Age, from about 600 BCE into the early centuries CE. They left behind an intriguing record of physical remains that have been recovered by archaeologists, and they have continued to hold our attention as modern populations claim a Celtic identity.

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Thoroughly Enjoyable

  • By Greg on 07-09-09

Um... And... Uh... The...

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 03-16-13

Any additional comments?

Ignoring the umm's and uh's that occur in every sentence there is some pretty good knowledge in here, like most of the modern scholar books it's very insightful, and interesting. I recommend this.

Unless that is you cant stand people saying umm... Uhh... every other word

8 of 9 people found this review helpful
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