This is a great story with a really great beginning. David Rosenfelt seems to start all of his stories with a humorous diversion that leads into the story proper. And 'Play Dead' is no exception. This time out, he has delivered a wonderful tale that is filled with humorous dialog reflecting his characters inner most thoughts, attitudes and personality. Well worth listening to.
This is a truly timeless volume of lectures that every chap should listen to and study well prior to popping the 'question'. For if he chooses wrong ... a Mrs. Caudle he will get.
Grover Gardner is the same narrator who did another book I reviewed (The Cask of Amontillado), but this is the first David Rosenfelt / Grover Gardner combination I have heard. His voice is so PERFECT for the way this Northern New Jersey lawyer was written.
Even the Acknowledgments at the end are so very Andy Carpenter.
And the hook of the golden retriever angle is great. I would recommend it to both Trial Junkies, and Dog Lovers.
I can't wait to start the other
It may not be narrated by a Vincent-Price-y voice, but Grover Gardner definitely pulls off a suitably creepy performance, as much by the fact that he doesn't over-play or make a parody of the insanity of the narrating character.
They understood subtlety so much better back then ...
I love this book. The timeless nature of the story allows us to suspend our natural disbelief, and roll ourselves into the story and enjoy every minute of it. HG Wells provides a vision of the future that reflects the values of his reality and expresses it in terms that really entertain. The fabric of the story and the way it is told, apart from a few minor technological inconsistencies, leads one to believe it could have been written today. The narration by Roy Trumbull is the keystone that brings this book to life, and provides hours of truly enjoyable entertainment. If you only ever read one classic, whether you are Eloy or Morloch, this has to be it.
This is a very timely work since we are again in the age of Martian exploration. As the title suggests this book is about the controversy that was brewing in the late 1800s early 1900s as to weather there was actually life on Mars.
The work specifically is a counter to a publication by Mr. Percival Lowell. Who in a previous book suggested that Mars remarkably similar to earth and that it has abundant macro life on it surface not to mention running water and an ancient civilization.
The work is well though out and all the arguments are backed up using the most up to date astronomical discoveries and theories of the time. It is surprising given the resources and the stat of technology of the time exactly how much the author got right. At least from the point of view of the knowledge we have today.
While listening to this volume I had to keep reminding myself that it was written over a hundred and fifty years ago. It seems that the problems that the British encountered in dealing with the situation on the ground in Afghanistan then are very similar if not the same as the NATO forces find them selfs faced with today. Even some of the players are the same, so much so that what continually comes to mind while listening to it is the old saying 'those who do not study history are bound to repeat it'
I read the book itself back in my 20's (the size is on par with an unabridged Count of Monte Cristo).
It is fantastic both to be listening to a voice worthy of the text, but also to be able to "get my reading fix" while still making advances on the housework front (washing dishes and so forth)
This is a classic story of the Martian attack on the Earth. HG has included a good deal of geographic detail in the telling of the story. Although you don't a map of England or London to enjoy it, an understanding of the area lends a better feel to the story. This is a wonderful story, well worth the time.
