Page 3 of posts by: Dave

Review: Motherless Brooklyn (FINALLY!)

Posted on 2014-05-01 at 05:07 by Dave

Motherless Brooklyn By Jonathan Lethem, read by Geoffrey Cantor 10 hours, 9 minutes

This is the story of a private detective who has Tourette’s syndrome who is obsessed with trying to figure out who killed his boss. It’s mystery novel, but the mystery really takes the backseat to Lionel, a hilarious heartbreak of a protagonist, and one of the most intriguing characters I’ve come across: Lionel Essrog.

At least, that’s how I remembered it. Motherless Brooklyn is a novel I’d read probably a decade ago. It

Posted in reviews, Uncategorized | Tagged Geoffrey Cantor, jonathan lethem, motherless brooklyn

BREAKING NEWS: Ellen Kushner's Swordspoint to Become a Major Motion Picture!

Posted on 2014-04-01 at 14:47 by Dave

Well, this is unexpected. I've just exchanged emails with a delighted Ellen Kushner and confirmed it: Swordspoint will become a major motion picture, to be directed by Brett Ratner.

Kushner did caution that the film wouldn't be a direct adaptation of her novel. Instead, the synopsis goes like this:

While serving in Afghanistan, Lt. Richard "Saint" Vier, is plagued with dreams of another world where nobles hire swordsmen to duel in the streets on behalf of their honor, and a prophecy of Basel St. Cloud.

Posted in April 1 | Tagged ellen kushner, swordspoint

Review: Joyland

Posted on 2014-03-31 at 06:17 by Dave

Joyland By Stephen King, read by Michael Kelly Length: 7 hours, 33 minutes

Sometimes, I feel like fun is a dirty word. Especially when it comes to entertainment, we'll put words like "cheap" or "Junk" or "Trash" in front of it. We might dismissively call the art - be it books, movie, tv, music, whatever - low brow, or shrug it off as a summer/beach read. I think we do ourselves a disservice by dismissing fun. I think fun serves an important function - one that makes us human. And so I really dig that

Posted in reviews | Tagged coming of age, michael kelly, review, stephen king

Review: Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line

Posted on 2014-03-28 at 04:27 by Dave

Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line By Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham, Read by Kristen Bell Length: 8 hours, 42 minutes

If you’re like me, you’ve already been to the movie theater, or hit up your VOD (or both!) and spent nearly a couple of hours of bliss. And if you’re like me, you finished watching the movie with a big smile on your face, but were left craving a little bit more

Enter the first Veronica Mars novel. When I first heard about this book, I was – to put it mildly - a little anxious

Posted in reviews, Uncategorized | Tagged kristen bell, veronica mars

Review: Star Wars: Honor Among Thieves

Posted on 2014-03-13 at 07:03 by Dave

Star Wars: Honor Among Thieves (Empire and Rebellion, Book 2) by James S.A. Corey, read by Marc Thompson Length: 9 Hours, 52 Minutes

This is the Han Solo book you're looking for.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I read all the Star Wars books. I stopped right before the New Jedi Order (when I was in college), and since then have only read two -- Zahn's Scoundrels and Schreiber's Death Troopers. In general, the Expanded Star Wars Universe became too much of a chore for me - the continuity got

Posted in reviews | Tagged james sa corey, marc thompson, star wars

Review: Star Wars: Scoundrels

Posted on 2014-03-13 at 06:56 by Dave

Star Wars: Scoundrels By Timothy Zahn, Read by Marc Thompson Length: 14 hours, 1 minute

I was born in 1977, the year of Star Wars. Empire Strikes Back was the first movie I saw in theaters, and I’ve been a would-be Jedi ever since. When Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire series came out, I ate up every page of those books, and I read many of the subsequent books. But around the time the New Jedi Order came out, I got burned out on the Expanded Universe books.

Fast forward to Disney buying Lucasfilm, and

Posted in reviews | Tagged marc thompson, star wars, timothy zahn

Review: Ancillary Justice

Posted on 2014-03-06 at 06:11 by Dave

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, Read by Celeste Ciulla Length: 13 hours, 47 minutes

A long time ago, Breq was part of a consciousness that made up Justice of Toren – one of the Radch Empire’s AI starships. She was one of many – an ancillary, a meat puppet, a single aspect of a collective. Then she was betrayed, stripped away from the rest of her consciousness, trapped in a human body, and stranded alone in the universe. Now, she's a displaced and dysfunctional AI, and she’s out for revenge.

Wait, I

Posted in Uncategorized

At Long Last! The AudioBookaneers Favorite Audiobooks of 2013!

Posted on 2014-02-24 at 14:53 by Dave

Yes, it's been a looooooooong wait. But 2013 was a pretty good year, and we have the audiobooks to prove it! In our wrap-up of 2012 in audiobooks, we had a consensus pick for best new audiobook, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. This year, we are a house -- er, pirate ship? -- divided. Last year, we also split things up quite a bit between "best new audiobook of a new book" and "best new audiobook of a previously released book". This year, there are no second class citizens among our listens

Posted in The Arrrdies | Tagged american elsewhere, ancillary justice, ann leckie, doctor sleep, hild, kate atkinson, kim stanley robinson, lauren beukes, life after life, neil gaiman, niccola griffith, robert jackson bennett, shaman, stephen king, the ocean at the end of the lane, the shining girls

Review: Annihilation

Posted on 2014-02-07 at 06:25 by Dave

Annihilation (Book 1 in the Southern Reach trilogy) by Jeff VanderMeer, Read by Carolyn McCormick Length: 6 hours

It's  a simple, classic set-up: A group of explorers head out on an expedition to the mysterious Area X. They have gone through rigorous training that strips much of their identity in hopes of generating unbiased field reports. Instead, they are referred to simply by their scientific professions: Psychologist, Anthropologist, Surveyor, and Biologist. There was a Linguist too, but something

Posted in reviews, Uncategorized | Tagged annihilation, carolyn mccormick, jeff vandermeer, kaleidoscope of wtfery, southern reach trilogy

An Interview with Ellen Kushner on Riverside's Scholars, Swordsmen, and Neil Gaiman Presents

Posted on 2014-02-05 at 21:04 by Dave

If I was going to pick an audiobook that I listened to last year as my favorite listen, regardless of when it came out, I'm pretty sure my choice would be Ellen Kushner's The Privilege of the Sword (Review). It was thrilling, fun, and had so much to think about regarding gender roles in society. And the performances were a pure delight. I can't wait to listen to it again! Kushner is the author of three novels in the Riverside world: Swordspoint, The Privilege of the Sword, and The Fall of the Kings, all of

Posted in Interviews | Tagged ellen datlow, neil gaiman presents, swordspoint