Dave > Recent Status Updates

The narration is poor, and detracts from the story. She grates more when she employs her woeful attempts at accents and ‘voices’… I am expending real effort focusing on the content not the delivery, which has led to my repeatedly rewinding and listening to sections again. Not a good choice to listen to, as opposed to reading

Had to pause the Series, after discovering this is the prequel! Annoyed at myself. Nm. Listening now, whilst The Darkness Within Ourselves is fresh in my mind…

The Darkness Within Ourselves - I enjoyed it, even though it reads like an entry level YA Thriller. It fails to deliver the real psychological thrill it could have, given the idea of the story. There are moments where I hoped it would punch, but it misses. That said, the premise is good, and it does hold you!

I’m finally over halfway through ‘The Adventures Of…’, having picked the book up again after a long pause. I still love the way he writes, and of course I admire the characters he has created. His storytelling is addictive!

Skipped both ‘To Love and Be Wise’ and ‘The Daughter of Time’. Both grated on me… each time I tried and persevered… and failed! So, now I’m on the final book - The Singing Sands. Chapter 8 has just started (so, it feels promising I may actually finish it!)

Really enjoyed 'The Franchise Affair'. More than I thought I might, once I knew where the story was going. I am finding I struggle with the fluff JT seems to formulaically add into the stories once the main event has occurred, before getting round to 'detecting' and closing the case, but even that was better in this case than the stories before it

A Shilling for Candles - Yeah, I didn’t really get into this. Not as engaging as the first story, somehow. Still, it had its moments… the characters weren’t as captivating, so it never felt like I was invested

The Valley of Fear: An enjoyable two-parter, with the second being of greater merit than the first in terms of storytelling and plot

The Hound! Glad to be back reading again. And, what a great story to pick up. Can’t state enough how much I enjoy SACD’s writing style

BOOK 1/6 - Man in the Queue: A good listen. I enjoyed the environment and surroundings painted well by the phraseology and language used matching with the time in which the story is set. The characters are simple enough, as is the premise. As for the conundrum of 'who dunnit', this is not really suspenseful, but it is entertaining and it kept me captivated enough that I listened in three sittings

Enjoyed ‘First Sight’ and ‘Binary System’

The Malibu Fault and A Night at the Opera each captivated and intrigued. Primordial Follies did not

TTotS and TWoaF(TWoaH) are both brilliant. I loved each of the premises, and enjoyed key characters in both stories. Possibly the most engrossing of he anthology thus far

'... Forest Lawn Clearance...' and 'After Taste' were OK. Oh, and 'War Stories' concluded with my level of enjoyment still elevated!

Enjoyed ‘None So Deaf’, and I’m 2/3 through ‘War Stories’, which I am also enjoying

Wow! The 'Ellison Exegesis' by J. Michael Straczynski is informative, insightful, personal, and emotive. I've enjoyed Harlan's introductions and afterwords, and other pieces, throughout the first two anthologies, and the Exegesis brings them together and adds colour too. It has me seeking out a biography...

‘Things Lost’ was the highlight of this session. ‘… Bentfin Boomer Boys…’ lost me a bit, and then that started to build… I gave up on it in the end. ‘Lamia Mutable’ just seemed empty to me

... I lied. 'Epiphany for Aliens' and 'Eye of the Beholder' were the highlights. Though, 'A Mouse in the Walls of the Global Village' was also good. 'Getting Along' just bored me...

Nothing in this session that grabbed me

Liked the short ‘Bed Sheets Are White’, and was intrigued by ‘Tissue’. The story by Josephine Saxton didn’t do much for me

Really enjoyed 'With a Finger in My I' by David Gerrold, and 'In The Barn' by Piers Anthony. Need to re-listen to 'And the Sea Like Mirrors' by Gregory Benford

When it Changed - enjoyed a lot. Concise and well told; The Big Space Fuck - Can see as an Archer-esque limited TV series, starring Nick Offerman. Good fun, and wryly humorous

TTFP - Nope. Couldn’t get behind it, so skipped after 1/3

COSIANS - Interesting poem, if at odds with the anthology thus far

KOTH - Really enjoyed it, though I wish the ending was stronger

The 10:00 Report… - An examination in apathy and indifference amid societal violence and degradation

‘For Value Received’ and ‘Mathoms from The Time Closet’ are both unusual stories. Uniquely so, yet somehow familiar. Intriguing; enjoyable

Really enjoyed ‘The Word for World is Forest’. ‘Ching Witch!’ was good

Three Intro’s and two books… Ching Witch! is brilliant; TCOV didn’t land

FTGPO - Intriguing. Curious to know what it would be like as a longer novella

LOTGH - Fascinating and colourful in its descriptions

TR - Brilliant! Superbly written, with dark fantasy at its core

JUDAS - Didn’t land; didn’t grab me

WHTAC - Didn’t land at all. Thankfully short

ERSATZ - Alright

GGGSTB - Liked it. Interesting premise

THB - Best story in the anthology thus far. Engaging and believable

EWAH - Interesting