Aaron’s Comments (group member since Jan 04, 2012)

Aaron’s comments from the Amazon Kindle group.

I just finished the audiobook version of Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre, and if you enjoyed World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War at all, I would highly recommend this story. The ensemble cast was great (I had only the most minor nitpicks on the performances of Terry Gross and Kai Ryssdal, mostly because I am so familiar with what their interview cadence is and it seemed off here) and Brooks has only improved his particular style over the years.

I had trouble turning off the recording, even though this was the type of story you do not want to be listening to at night, in the countryside, with no one else awake in the house. On the one hand, maybe horror is not the best choice for day 129 of the pandemic lockdown, but then again, it was kind of refreshing to hear this story and think to myself "at least I don't have these types of problems; I am doing pretty damn well."

In a completely different vein, I also went on a bit of a short story binge, including The Hundredth House Had No Walls (free on tor.com), and it was short, sweet, and delightful. My favorite passage was:

The King of Myth and Shadow was no different from the rest of us in that he preferred stories to real life, which was messy and full of plot holes and disappointing protagonist. You couldn't count on real life to deliver a satisfying twist, just more complications and the random violence of everyday heartbreak.

The whole thing was fantastical, witty, and deliciously self-aware. I do not know if I could have handled a novel-length treatment in this style, but as presented it was perfect.

I am quite stingy with my 5-star ratings, but both of these earned them.