For me this book started slow, but as I got farther in, I wanted to read (and listen) more. I really dug the book though I could have done without (viFor me this book started slow, but as I got farther in, I wanted to read (and listen) more. I really dug the book though I could have done without (view spoiler)[the epilogues. I didn’t need the resolution and may have enjoyed it more without the wrap-ups (hide spoiler)].
Narrated by the fabulous Michael Kramer and Kate Reading. Pretty sure I could listen to them reading the phone book and be enthralled....more
I’m doing Kindle’s summer reading challenge and one goal was to read a book from Prime Reading. I picked this one and found myself reading later than I’m doing Kindle’s summer reading challenge and one goal was to read a book from Prime Reading. I picked this one and found myself reading later than I should be at night. I will probably read book 2, even. This was a popcorn book at its finest even if I saw many things ahead of time....more
Audiobook from Blackstone Audio, Inc. Narrated by Amy Rubinate Length: just under 9 hours
Farseed is the second book in the Seed Trilogy, the follow- up Audiobook from Blackstone Audio, Inc. Narrated by Amy Rubinate Length: just under 9 hours
Sadly, Farseed was not nearly as good as its predecessor. Where Earthseed was a book about a spaceship raising kids, preparing them to "seed" other worlds, Farseed was a book about frontier life. The story takes place approximately 30 years after the events in Earthseed. The youth and young adults from Earthseed were left by ship on their world ("Home") and started making their mark on the world. At the end of Earthseed, we saw that a few of the settlers went off on their own to settle in a different region from the main group. Farseed introduces the children of the settlers in addition to the main characters from Earthseed. The bulk of the plot centers on the differences between the two settlement groups. The splinter group, being smaller, has barely survived and has grown to be paranoid about the threat from the original group. When members from the original settlement group try to reach out, the result is fighting between the groups. The daughter of the leader of the splinter group, as one who reached out to the main group, is outcast from her group and serves as the focal point for most of the narrative. Sadly, the narrative is mostly drawn-out descriptions of survival. Gone are the ethical questions from the first book. Gone are the intriguing topics such as how a ship can raise humans. All that's left is a story showing how paranoid the splinter group has become.
There is a small bit of intrigue that comes approximately 2/3 of the way into the book when it is revealed that some of the children from the splinter group aren't quite human. They have skills that surpass normal human skills and a medical scan shows some altered DNA. Further, none of the children from the main group exhibits these traits. Sadly, this wasn't expanded upon in Farseed. It was left as a point of intrigue that went undeveloped. I presume it will come into play in the third book in the trilogy (Seed Seeker), but I don't intend to read it.
Amy Rubinate performed the narration for Farseed, just as she did for Earthseed. As with Earthseed, she did a great job with the book. Her voices were different enough to be able to identify characters and she brought a human edge to the few parts where the ship "spoke." She was able to bring the listener into the story...she just had poor source material this time.
Farseed was a major letdown and was drawn out enough that I fell asleep while listening. I suspect that the length of time that Pamela Sargent took between writing the books (24 years) was a contributing factor. The spark that was in Earthseed wasn't re-captured in Farseed. There wasn't enough to move the plot forward and whet my interest to continue with the series. I do recommend that people read Earthseed and pass on this one....more
First things first, this book isn't going to win any awards for how fantastically it's written or anything. There are plot holes galore, the romance pFirst things first, this book isn't going to win any awards for how fantastically it's written or anything. There are plot holes galore, the romance parts are insipid, and it's pretty predictable.
That doesn't really matter, though. Ready Player One is a quintessential "beach book." It's light, it's fluffy, and it's fun, especially for geeks with a sense of 80's nostalgia. Though "my time" was more the 90's (I turned 10 in 1989), parts of this book were right up my alley. I'm not as into 80's music and movies as some of my friends (or, oddly enough, my sister who is 4 years younger than me), but I love old school video games, and Ready Player One scratched that itch pretty well. The references to some of my favorite video games definitely helped me overlook the glaring plot holes.
I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Wil Wheaton. I'm not sold on Wheaton as a narrator, though I found listening to the book at 2x speed helped. I don't usually listen to books on the faster speed, but for this one, it worked.
Anyway, Ready Player One was pretty fun. If you like video games and 80's references, I would recommend it....more
I enjoyed this book, for what it was. Yes, it was a fairly typical travel-adventure narrative, and some parts of it felt like parts I've read it everyI enjoyed this book, for what it was. Yes, it was a fairly typical travel-adventure narrative, and some parts of it felt like parts I've read it every other travel-adventure book. But really, who would have thought of going to the lowest point on each continent? Much less, who would have thought to go there on a bike (well, mostly on a bike)? It was entertaining and, as usual (for me anyway), sparked a desire to travel--maybe even on a bike. ...more