Alright, it's that time again. Time for me to stumble through reviewing books that I listened to like months ago. Once again, I will be reviewing in a batch of four since I'm still very far behind. As luck would have it, I've been listening to Storm of Swords lately which is a 47 hour read. This means that I've only been listening to it, so I haven't really been putting myself behind lately. After, I plan to listen to this audiobook Children of Kathaldi and then I'll be coming back to A Song of Ice and Fire with A Feast for Crows. Perhaps in the mean time I will be able to further catch up on reviews. I'll stop rambling now, let's get into the audiobooks I've been listening to.
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by: Stephen King
Rating: 5/5
Let me say that I was nervous to start this book. I had only ever seen and heard poor things about The Gunslinger. People were always saying that it was boring or that it sucked, but obviously if you want to read the other books, you have to read the first book. Anyway, I loved it. I'm guessing that people didn't like it because it was weird, and the story-telling was pretty nonlinear. It was also super choppy in the way information was given to you. However, this clearly didn't bother me at all. I really enjoyed this book, top ten King for me. It might be that this book is a better listen than a read. It feels like you're being told a bunch of short stories, rather than one cohesive story. This is partially because the story moves around in terms of time and setting. But seeing flashbacks into Roland's past was super interesting. I suppose I just really like our morally grey protagonist/gunslinger.
Good Omens by: Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Rating: 4/5
This book was a super fun read. I haven't read any Gaiman books since I was in like middle school and Coraline was definitely vastly different. I've never read Terry Pratchett's writing at all. Pratchett and Gaiman's way of writing characters and dialogue is very engaging and funny. Hat's off to the narrator as well, he did a great job. I particularly liked the voice that he did for Adam. It was so haughty and patronizing for an eleven-year-old, but it fit his personality so well. My only problem with the book, was the ending. It was super anti-climactic. The 'battle' between the kids and the four horsemen was kind of weird and lame. Then the way the whole thing ends was just meh. The rest of the book is really good though, I loved Crowley and Aziraphale. It was still a very funny, engaging book that I'd recommend to everybody. But, definitely don't read this if you're religious and not willing to laugh when your religion is poked at in a humorous way. I feel like if you're touchy regarding religion, you'd probably get offended at some point in the story. If you're not religious at all, then know that even though religion is discussed pretty often, it's never really a serious topic. As a side note, I'd love a prequel that is just about Az and Crowley and all the chaotic things that they've done over the years (kind of like they did in the show). I don't think that's going to happen, but it would be cool.
Game of Thrones by: George R. R. Martin
Rating: 5/5
What can I say about Game of Thrones that hasn't already been said. I adore it, it's a very exciting read. I must say that I don't believe that you'll like the first book if you're not into political cunning and drama. The first book isn't very action-packed or exciting, full-on war doesn't begin until the next book. But I thought all of the politics and the secret dealings were very well-done. Martin did a great job setting up the world and the character's within. You are able to truly get a feeling for the characters and their motivations (though it isn't very obvious for some until much too late). It also helps that the book switches POV every chapter, so you're able to see the different machinations of the story from totally different areas of the kingdom. Sometimes you're seeing things from the perspective of a character who knows less than you do, because they haven't been made aware of things that you've known for ages (particularly when the character has been traveling). The use of description was very apt, but also it wasn't over done. The dialogue felt natural and appropriate for the time period. The whole thing was just a great read. Do I even need to mention how fantastic Roy Dotrice is? He mispronounces some words, but other than that the man is legend. I'm super sad that he's died, I hope the narrator that they get for the last book is able to do half as good as he did.
Psycho by: Robert Bloch
Rating: 5/5
I loved this book so much that I wanted to buy the physical book, just so I could actually own it. This is a great character study that looks into the mind of a psychopath. It kind of has the vibe of Ed Kemper, even though this book was released years before Ed Kemper started killing (so, it was even longer before people even knew about him). The storytelling made this book hard to put down, I didn't want to stop listening to it. It was just an incredibly absorbing read. The way that the Bates' mind was working was just fascinating to witness. Bloch did an incredible job with this horror classic. If you like thriller/horror books, this one is a staple in the genre. I implore everyone to read it. (Also, favorite quote from the book: "Thou shalt not suffer a bitch to live."That is so funny, I love it.)
The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2) by: Stephen King
Rating: 3/5
I enjoyed this book, but I definitely enjoyed the first book more. Half of this book was Roland almost dying. Also, can we talk about how the majority of this book was about Eddie with much less time dedicated to Odetta and the other guy? Also, another problem that I had was that Roland said that the people that he needed to "Draw" into his world could be from any time, place, or universe. Yet, they were all from the same universe and almost from the same time in America? The last two were even from the same era. It was super disappointing, so much more could have been done with this concept and yet it was really just thrown into the dirt. But, in the normal Stephen King fashion, the characters felt well-written and the dialogue was good. Roland's confusion at things from modern day was really amusing. The action scenes were very interesting and well-done, all of the stakes in the book felt real. You were really rooting for Eddie and Odetta. The creativity that was used on the lobstrosities should've also made it to the process of the drawing (given that it didn't feel as though much effort was put into where they were drawn from, as I said previously). The use of the "N-word" was also off-putting, I can't say that I took off points for it, but I really didn't like hearing it. On the flip side, Detta (the mean persona) is a BiPOC so it makes sense for her to use it, given her manner of speech and the character she is meant to embody. It also fits in with the time period. Racism was rampant in the 1960s (still is, but especially then) so, it also fits the setting. As awful as it is to hear, it was the reality of the time. So, this is my warning I suppose. If hearing the "N-word" is a very touchy topic for you, it does make appearances in the story.
That's all anyone is going to get from me for now. Next up on the review docket will be: The Ballad of Black Tom, A Clash of Kings, and then finally A Storm of Swords (I've really been on my ASOIAF nonsense lately, once you start, it's super hard to stop.)