Recommended if you like audio books
938743
Perfect for the car.  Lisette's voice and McCall Smiths writing make a great combination.
4787520
I enjoyed this book in audio format. I really love John Lee as a narrator. Pillars has been on my list for a long time, so when I saw that Mr. Lee narrates, I went for the audio version. For audio, I am learning that there are 2 components: the story and the narration.

I give the story 4 of 5 stars. It is a good work of historical fiction that sometimes gets mired down in politics that I didn't find that interesting. I also really didn't like the introduction where Mr. Follett tells us that many people have told him that this was the best book they had ever read. I think that just sets the reader or listener up for gigantic expectations. And, it would be very easy to skip the intro, so I would actually recommend that, and then go back to it if you want to hear about it after you are done reading the book. If I had read the book in print, I would have skipped the forward. It's unnecessary and (in my opinion) overlong.

I think the overall book could have been tightened up a bit. Sometimes the story meandered into too many different directions. There is also a LOT of gory violence and I realize that is part of the times, but for me, sometimes it was just too graphic. If graphic violence is your thing, though, then you will like it.

Plus, the stories repeat themselves a bit much. The bad guys rape and pillage, the good guys put their lives back together, the bad guys rape and pillage and on and on.

And on.

But, the characters are very well fleshed out and the narration really makes that happen for me in a way that print cannot.

I love long books, but I prefer them to move forward as opposed to a circular fashion.

The narration is flawless. I will always be a big fan of John Lee and will continue to seek him out as a reader. I hope Mr. Lee continues to narrate great books. Listening to him is a complete pleasure. 5 of 5 stars for him!
4296122
I loved this book (or rather, this audiobook as that is the version I read/listened to). I'll skip the summary as a basic one is already posted above. I liked the characters and how well their motivations tied in with their actions, but what I especially liked was how gently the author unfolds the world he built. The trouble I have with some fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian novels is that the authors sometimes leave their readers in the dark, confused about the world or magic system to the point of frustration. Not here. At every turn it was clear there was more to learn, but I felt guided rather than blindfolded.  If anything, I am frustrated that only the first book of the quintet has been released, but I am confident that the future books will be worth the wait.
4658445
If you liked Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimon then you will like Lamb.  The writing style is very similar.  Bif and Joshua have many adventures (and a few misadventures) during Joshua's education to become The Messiah.

Fisher Stevens did a decent job with his voice characterizations.  With the amount of characters in this audiobook, I thought he might not be able to pull it off.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Definitely a fun listen on a long commute or working out at the gym (if people don't mind the occasional LOL).
320466
First off, I want to say that this review covers both parts one & two.  One other disclaimer, I have read the original source material.  This is the first audiobook I have bought in quite a while.  In days gone by(the audio cassette days) I had a fairly extensive collection of them (actually I still have all stuffed away in a box).  I enjoyed Infinate Crisis quite a bit.  It claims to be a movie in my mind and I would say it is not quite that but it is more than a standard audio book.  a cast of actors, sound effects and score elevate it.  It does truly drag you into the story, I was fully engrossed.
3567015
This book made me an instant audiobook enthusiast.  The book itself is well written, but becomes even better due to the narrator's skill with story telling.  Without becoming overly dramatic or incomprehensible (the reader uses various Irish accents to denote the characters and does a pretty good American one as well) she drags the listener into the horror and mystery of the story of a missing wife and child, a young woman discovered in a bog and the way a small village can turn on its own.

Get the unabridged version.
954210
(reviewed on audible)

What did you like about this audiobook?

I love short story collections that are related to long series. These provided more information about certain characters that I wanted to learn more about that wasn't appropriate to include in the original series. I think this was a good amount of stories as well.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

Oh yes. I adore back stories and side stories that are related to series. It is one way to get more without making an epic even morewell, epic. A series cannot go on forever and keep people interested, but supplementing by including short stories can keep people interested or get new listeners interested in the world. There are a few characters I wanted to learn more about and this is an excellent way to do that without bogging down the main story. This collection of stories does just that.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Nothing I can think of. I have listened to both the Prophet of Panamindorah series and The Guild of the Cowry Catchers series and am accustomed to Abigail Hiltons voice as well as all of the voice actors that participated in any of the full audio versions currently available. I believe the voice actors have been well chosen. As to straight reads by the author, I feel there is enough differentiation between characters to keep track of everything going on.

Do you have any additional comments?

"A Cat Prince Distinguishes Himself" looks back to the past and focuses on Lexis from The Prophet of Panamindorah series. I love how this added a fantastic piece of back story that was not included in the original series. It made me look at the character a bit different on the next reading.

"On the Edge" gives us some background on a wolfling, Sevn, which joins a wolfing pack that becomes significant in The Prophet of Panamindorah series.

"Distraction" tells us more about the past in The Prophet of Panamindorah series. It focuses on Gabalon, and tells a story that might be unexpected for those who have read the original series. Makes a few connections that may have been missed before.

"Hualien" is a story about a character from The Prophet of Panamindorah series Ive always wanted to know more about since there were hints here and there that something different about him in regards to the rest of the Raider packHualien was so much more than I had imagined.

"Night in the Crystal City" focuses on the character Syrill from The Prophet of Panamindorah series. It is a nice back story that touches on memories of the past and a possible future.

"Professionals" focuses on Silveo from The Guild of the Cowry Catchers series and give some back story from a time when he was a teenager working as an assassin. This helps fill in a few questions I asked myself about when reading the original series.
2484154
Just finished this audiobook today on the way home from work. I really enjoyed it. Often times, I've found that the reader can make or break an audiobook. The reader on this book is very good. And the content is very good as well.
904662
I haven't ordered an audio book in years. However, I had some major cleaning to do and wanted a story to keep me entertained while cleaning.
At first I hated the sound of the narrator's voice - it seemed like she talked very slowly. After the first chapter I almost turned it off, but decided to keep going - after all, I'd already paid for it. Somewhere in the second chapter I got used to the slow pace of the narrators voice. This narrator seems to enunciate ev-er-y-thing.
Merry Winter is a smart, likeable, eager to please character. As the novel went on, I was surprised at how many layers there were and also the depth of character development. The descriptions of people and places are pretty darn good. I can picture Winter Castle in the city of Autumn Vale. I found myself cleaning longer than I had planned in order to continue listening to the book. I would recommend this lighthearted easy audio book. I can't wait to get the next installment.
I try and review products I buy here on Amazon as I understand how helpful reviews can be in the decision making process. They helped me decide on this book and I am glad I chose it. I like to see which of my reviews are the most helpful to buyers. If you found my review helpful please select the yes button below.
4976171
This audio book was recommended to me by a trusted friend and librarian . I like it so much that I listen to each CD at least twice before placing the next one in my player. I highly recommend this version of Alcorns book for those of us who spend a great deal of time driving
916407
I received this audiobook for free from the author / narrator / publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

The book is entertaining and won't bore you down. The story keeps moving at moderate pace. The suspense itself isn't all that thrilling or intriguing. It just kept me hooked though, wondering how the PI is going to solve this. The twist at the end was really surprising. So, if you like twists, you'll like this one.

The narration was good. Every character is brought to life via impeccable voice acting. And no audio quality issues.
1315664
I read these books some years ago and was happy to see them in audio format as I travel and like to listen to audio books.  Narration was good; disc quality was good.
3945476
Audio Book (read by August Ross) - Somehow this guy had the perfect voice for Cas. Now, if I were to read either book in the Anna series it would be his voice narrating in my head.

He did seem a bit stilted reading, sometimes, however. And every once in a while I wasn't able to tell if he was reading something that was in Cas' head or if it was something that was said out loud. Maybe that's just because I am still getting used to audiobooks (I had shunned them for the longest time) though. Still, overall good reading.

Actual Story - This book was a bit harder for me to get through than I had originally anticipated. To start off, I hadn't been expecting a follow up book. 'Anna Dressed in Blood' didn't end perfectly, but I was actually ok with it. When word of 'Girl of Nightmares' came out, and especially after seeing the amazing cover, I was super excited for it. Finally we would get a chance to get to know Anna better.

No such luck. Most of the time is spent with Cas searching for a way to get to Anna. I think it's noble that he wants to save her from a life of torment, especially after she had saved all of them, but I didn't understand his attraction for her. I was hoping that getting to know her better would reveal that, but it didn't happen.

Don't get me wrong, Ms. Blake has created an interesting segment of the ghost hunting world with the athame and everything, but even though a considerable amount of time in the book was spent discovering that world, it wasn't enough for me. Maybe I'm just too used to sweeping epic fantasies and am unjustly applying that standard to this one, but all the same, it was interesting and I wanted more but didn't get it.

As with the first book, this is for mature audiences. Still in the YA category, but certainly the swearing and gore put it pretty high. I will say this though, the gore wasn't overly done. This is a ghost book after all, so there had to be some, but I didn't feel that it was overly focused on or anything, which was nice. Set the tone, but didn't progress past that.

Two final points are that the story kind of dragged for me and Cas didn't man up nearly as much as I expected him to, he just kind of stubbornly insisted on doing things the hard way.

For all that though, I'm glad that I read the book, if only to find out what happens (nothing earth shattering, but it does have more closure than the first book).

NOTE: a complimentary file was provided by AudioGo for an honest review
2319192
One of the nice things about listening to audiobooks from my library (via the Overdrive app), is that I can pick up a book and listen to it without really knowing what its about other than a title and a cover. In this way, I often have no preconceived notions about the book other than first impressions. At this point, all Im giving up to read the book is the time it takes me to listen to it, and I have plenty of that driving to and from work every day.

Since I had no idea what this book was really about, I was surprised at how humorous it was. If I were to combine a few, better-known series together, Id say this is X-Men mixed with James Bond, with just a dash of Jason Bourne all blended together in Monty Pythons Flying Circus. An odd combination, I know. But somehow, it works here. The humor is markedly British, but the characters and their powers are supernatural to say the least. Since this was merely the first in a developing series, I cant wait to get to book #2: Stiletto .

All this being said, there were a few structural choices to this book that I often found confusing, which may just be part of listening to it in audiobook form instead of reading it. First off, the decision to have a main character with amnesia was an interesting way to essentially give the audience what the character already would have known, but had conveniently forgotten. Secondly, because the letters from her former self were used as backstory, these flashbacks were often confusing because it was easy to lose track of which Mfwany Thomas (glad I had the audiobook for the pronunciation of this name) was speaking at the moment.

An interesting premise with plenty of potential in future iterations, I give The Rook 4.0 stars out of 5.
2377912
I liked the book alot. Wish it was available in audio book
4923386
Appsolutely enjoyed the books and the narration by Jim Dale is great.  If you enjoyed reading the books, the audio version is just as enjoyable; especially on a long road trip.
1619605
Love the narrator, his voice is captivating.  Kept me listening.  I love listening it kept "pictures in my head".  Have passed this one onto other friends who are audio book lovers.