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Paperbackward Book Batch: Pale Rider, Magic Factory, and Summer Sword
This book bundle includes three novellas:
Pale Rider: Zombies versus Dinosaurs
Magic Factory
Summer Sword
Pale Rider: Zombies versus Dinosaurs
Magic Factory
Summer Sword
103 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2015
2 people want to read
About the author
James Livingood
46 books108 followersJames was born in Montana, raised with three brothers, and provided trouble for two parents. In his 20's he fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. He then moved out to Seattle after college and started a life. In 2014, he started the writing adventure.
Check out his books here: http://www.longtailwriting.com
Check out his books here: http://www.longtailwriting.com
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 29, 2016
(I received a free audible copy for an honest review.)
Pale Rider - Two things stand out for me after listening to Pale Rider. One, the way my mind slipped through the story. For instance, some descriptions were spot on and managed to grab my imagination with a ruthless clarity. But, most just seemed to slip through my head like a silk thread through silk fabric and nothing to hold it there.
Second (and my favorite), is the sound of Michael Gwynne’s voice. I tend to slide narrators into certain personal labels (e.g. those that pierce with just the right tone to avoid annoyance yet keep me awake, aware and focused; those female voices that manage to whine without putting me completely off; male voices that transform seamlessly between characters that are so differentiated as to make me check that there is actually only one narrator, etc.). These are my own personal labels and I share my opinion only when I think I can describe the essence of the voice in a way that would help others choose to listen or not to listen. Michael Gwynne has a voice that is like salted caramel, just enough texture to avoid the smoothness that gathers sleep around you. His is the voice you want to hear when curled up during the height of a snowstorm and buried in blankets on the sofa drinking your warming liquid of choice.
Sticking his voice with the incongruity that is the base of this story was the perfect choice.
(I've already reviewed Magic Factory
Summer Sword is an origin story with potential for future adventures. It is unique in that I’ve never read anything like this concept before, and refreshing in that the protagonist has less angst than usual (he’s just an ordinary man who meets the wind).
Jack Nolan does a wonderful job in voicing the two main characters.
Out of all the stories here, this one is my least favorite. However, it is still such a good story that I truly have nothing of value to offer as to why it is my least favorite.
I recommend heading over to Audible and grabbing the audio version of this. It comes with a bonus story that is so worth listening to, you'd be missing so much if you don't listen to it.
I was lucky to receive the audible version of this collection of short stories which included Frankenstein: IT Support.
This was my favorite story in the bunch, but because it is a bonus, I’m reluctant to say more than that I enjoyed it from the beginning and that it had me laughing throughout the whole thing.
I want you to read it. I don’t want to spoil anything for you. You just have to read it. (However, I highly recommend listening to it. The narrator is the icing on the cake that is this story. Who doesn’t like cake with icing?)
check out other reviews at: https://trippingthepagefantastic.word...
Pale Rider - Two things stand out for me after listening to Pale Rider. One, the way my mind slipped through the story. For instance, some descriptions were spot on and managed to grab my imagination with a ruthless clarity. But, most just seemed to slip through my head like a silk thread through silk fabric and nothing to hold it there.
Second (and my favorite), is the sound of Michael Gwynne’s voice. I tend to slide narrators into certain personal labels (e.g. those that pierce with just the right tone to avoid annoyance yet keep me awake, aware and focused; those female voices that manage to whine without putting me completely off; male voices that transform seamlessly between characters that are so differentiated as to make me check that there is actually only one narrator, etc.). These are my own personal labels and I share my opinion only when I think I can describe the essence of the voice in a way that would help others choose to listen or not to listen. Michael Gwynne has a voice that is like salted caramel, just enough texture to avoid the smoothness that gathers sleep around you. His is the voice you want to hear when curled up during the height of a snowstorm and buried in blankets on the sofa drinking your warming liquid of choice.
Sticking his voice with the incongruity that is the base of this story was the perfect choice.
(I've already reviewed Magic Factory
Summer Sword is an origin story with potential for future adventures. It is unique in that I’ve never read anything like this concept before, and refreshing in that the protagonist has less angst than usual (he’s just an ordinary man who meets the wind).
Jack Nolan does a wonderful job in voicing the two main characters.
Out of all the stories here, this one is my least favorite. However, it is still such a good story that I truly have nothing of value to offer as to why it is my least favorite.
I recommend heading over to Audible and grabbing the audio version of this. It comes with a bonus story that is so worth listening to, you'd be missing so much if you don't listen to it.
I was lucky to receive the audible version of this collection of short stories which included Frankenstein: IT Support.
This was my favorite story in the bunch, but because it is a bonus, I’m reluctant to say more than that I enjoyed it from the beginning and that it had me laughing throughout the whole thing.
I want you to read it. I don’t want to spoil anything for you. You just have to read it. (However, I highly recommend listening to it. The narrator is the icing on the cake that is this story. Who doesn’t like cake with icing?)
check out other reviews at: https://trippingthepagefantastic.word...
October 4, 2015
I was given the audio version of this anthology for review. What made the stories memorable was the very original nature of each story, and that three very different readers narrated them. They did a good job conveying the moods. The first reader reminded me of the late great Frank Muller, the second was kind of like a Harry Potter reader and the third conveyed the magical interaction with wind vespers.
The tone was post apocalyptic in the first, whimsical in the second, and very magical in the third. The narrators did a good job conveying the moods.
My main though was that these stories were too short! That they were so rich in content, so imaginative and filled with interesting characters, each one could have been expanded into a complete novel.
I'm hoping James Livingood plans on adding to the complex and varied worlds he has created. I was given a copy for review, but I would gladly buy the next thing he writes.
The tone was post apocalyptic in the first, whimsical in the second, and very magical in the third. The narrators did a good job conveying the moods.
My main though was that these stories were too short! That they were so rich in content, so imaginative and filled with interesting characters, each one could have been expanded into a complete novel.
I'm hoping James Livingood plans on adding to the complex and varied worlds he has created. I was given a copy for review, but I would gladly buy the next thing he writes.
September 28, 2015
My rating: 4 stars
Audiobook narrator(s) rating: 4 stars
I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a fun collection of four short stories with three different professional narrators. Each story is roughly an hour in length they are all very different from each other. It really shows the vast variety of James Livingood’s writing style.
I have written a review for each of these individual stories to share my thoughts on each book.
These stories are all enjoyable and I am interested to see what else James writes!
Thanks for the books, James!
Audiobook narrator(s) rating: 4 stars
I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a fun collection of four short stories with three different professional narrators. Each story is roughly an hour in length they are all very different from each other. It really shows the vast variety of James Livingood’s writing style.
I have written a review for each of these individual stories to share my thoughts on each book.
These stories are all enjoyable and I am interested to see what else James writes!
Thanks for the books, James!
May 17, 2016
3 hours of fun and fantasy narrated nicely by Michael C. Gwynne, Michael Gilboe, Jack Nolan.My favorite was The Magic Factory.I was given this book free of charge for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews