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Title: Ring of Fire

Author: Cotton Smith

Narrator: Damon Abdallah

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-09-13

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Ring was a Captain recently discharged from the Union Army after the war had come to an end. Intent on making his way home to Abilene, Kansas to be with his parents, he is confronted with danger from many sources including a town held captive and harassed by Confederate deserters. But its not just deserters he must fight; next its a woman with a gun, one who alters his life for good. During his travels Ring meets a mysterious gunman, a Haitian by the name of Saki who carries a gun like he knows how to use it and is intent on killing. This is a fast-paced story fraught with danger and adventures. Will this danger trail get Ring home safely? Or will he just be fighting another war?

Members Reviews:

An End of the War Western as the Troops from Both Sides Head Home

CS has written an end of the Civil War western about a Captain from the Union Army making his way home from Virginia to Kansas. While enroute he encounters both the good and the bad, but manages to assist or protect those in need. This is an excellent time piece western of a time when the United States was attempting to revolver from a five year war with brother against brother. This is an excellent read for the genre.....ER

Five Stars

enjoyed this book

Good read

I liked the book, wasn't thrilled at the ending, I will have to look and see if there is a sequel.

Enjoyed my read

Great read from one of my favorite western writers

Five Stars

Great book!

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Title: Lebensborn

Author: Jo Ann Bender

Narrator: Matt Weight

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-17-12

Publisher: Jo Ann Bender

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A romantic fairy tale was being spun in Europe before and during WWII. Only honey blondes or young women with Aryan coloring were hearing this enchanting tale told by the SS and Gestapo. Shush! It was a secret, able to be proven, but still few people heard the tale then or now.

It was told in the time of war and economic stress which made it so alluring. The story was about luxurious places in remote and sequestered hotels, ski lodges and palatial villas which had been restructured and furnished elaborately.

The food was plentiful, all you could want. You'd feel safe, away from the war, tucked behind an ornate, curving and beautiful driveway leading to a beautiful building behind guarded wrought-iron fences. All you had to agree to do was to have a baby for Hitler's Master Race.

The Lebensborn program has become a novel. It is the tale of a courageous French girl in the Resistance who is sent to one of these homes by the SS officer who commandeers her home, her village, and her innocence. It has received a gold medal for action fiction.

Members Reviews:

Disjointed

I was looking forward to some historical fiction about the Lebensborn program, instead I got this disappointing novel.

As the story went along, I began to feel like there was no ultimate point. What was the story about? The seduction of an innocent French girl? Life in the Lebensborn program? Escaping the Nazis? Sure a story can contain many threads, but they still have to come together in SOME cohesive manner! This book did not deliver.

It felt so anchorless at times that I wonder if I just missed something. For example, Antoinette never conveyed she felt like a prisoner or that she was being held captive, so why all this fervor to escape? And triggered by something so silly as not getting recognition for her pastries!?!? I MUST have misunderstood something or feel asleep and missed a few chapters and subsequently fell out of step with the plot.

The last third of the book was especially tough to finish because tangents kept veering off into and coming from nowhere! I kept thinking Where did he come from? How did we get to this point? Whats going on, did I just skip a chapter? it was annoying and confusing.

It all felt very disjointed. As I am pretty sure is the case with most readers, once you declare you are not enjoying a book yet decide you will finish it anyway, its automatically a chore. Im glad I am done.

Awful!

No words for how bad this book was. The supposed "history" in it was not very accurate. The author's characters were shallow and obsessed with sex. Overall it was terrible. I returned the book.

Total CRAP!

Would you try another book written by Jo Ann Bender or narrated by Matt Weight?

NO NO NO

What will your next listen be?

No decision yet.

What didnt you like about Matt Weights performance?

THE ABSOLUTE WORST EVER!!!

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Lebensborn?

ALL OF THE AWFUL NARRATION.

Any additional comments?

Tell Matt Weight to keep his "day job".'

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Title: Darkest Hour

Subtitle: Jack Tanner, Book 2

Author: James Holland

Narrator: Gordon Griffin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-18-12

Publisher: Random House Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

May 1940: Sergeant Jack Tanner has been posted to a training company on the southeast coast of England where the mysterious deaths of two Polish refugees lead him to believe there has been foul play. As the Germans launch their blitzkrieg in Europe, the entire company are sent to join the battle to stop Hitler's drive across the Low Countries. Pitted against the die-hard Nazis of the SS "Death's Head" division and the great panzer commander, General Rommel himself, it is left to Tanner to get his men back to Allied lines. But if they are to have any hope of surviving the mayhem of Dunkirk, Tanner must first deal with an enemy far more deadly than the Germans....

Members Reviews:

Bang for Buck

This is great stuff, extremely well researched and believable with exquisite detail but it never glorifies war it far too realistic.

Jack Tanner meets Obadiah Hakeswill

What did you like best about Darkest Hour? What did you like least?

I think that the Battle of France and the near distruction of the BEF is dramatic enough material for the author without reaching for formula of a wicked Company Sargeant Major and a Commanding Officer who cannot recognise Tanner as the super soldier he is.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Some recognition of his achievements in Norway would be nice. Tanner hits his head hard on the reset button and would have been better off shooting Oden for all the use it does his career.

Tanner left Norway with no promotion and no medals. Seems implausable

Any additional comments?

Jack Tanner clenches his fists with rage (he does this alot) throughout the BEF retreat in France fighting not only the Germans but also the wicked Obadiah Hakeswill (Sgt Blackstone) and the idiot Upperclass Commanding Officer who does not recognise Tanner's ability.

Tanner who can smell a German ambush from 11km away, always walks into Hakewill's traps and ends up mistrusted and disliked by the CO and robbed of his promotion.

Looking forward to 3rd book, Tanner clenching during the Retreat in Crete

Exemplary

Once again a ripping yarn with substance and atmosphere

Tanner and his men grow in character and status with each tale

Brill

Q

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Title: Flash for Freedom!

Author: George MacDonald Fraser

Narrator: Rupert Penry-Jones

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-27-12

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A game of cards leads Flashman from the jungle death-house of Dahomey to the slave state of Mississippi as he dabbles in the slave trade in Volume III of the Flashman Papers.

When Flashman was inveigled into a game of pontoon with Disraeli and Lord George Bentinck, he was making an unconscious choice about his own future would it lie in the House of Commons or the West African slave trade? Was there, for that matter, very much difference? Once again Flashmans charm, cowardice, treachery, lechery, and fleetness of foot see the lovable rogue triumph by the skin of his chattering teeth.

Members Reviews:

Hoorah for Flashy!

I have loved the Fashion books for many years, so it's pretty certain I'd love the audiobook. And I did - wonderfully read.

This, like all the Fashion stories, is a brilliant story. The history is accurate, Flashman is a brilliant anti-hero, and the escapades he lands himself in - usually on account of chasing a woman - are just fabulous.

A real ribald romp of a book - brilliant!

Flashman does it again

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, simple but great plot with nice twists

Who was your favorite character and why?

Flashman, for being a gentleman and yet so selfish

Have you listened to any of Rupert Penry-Joness other performances? How does this one compare?

I have listened to other books in the series and he does a good job, although one character is quite loud in his performance.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Flashman's at it again

Loved it, so un-pc

Would you consider the audio edition of Flash for Freedom! to be better than the print version?

Never read it

What did you like best about this story?

What a fab cad!

Which character as performed by Rupert Penry-Jones was your favourite?

err question

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

err another stupid question

Any additional comments?

Loved the book, great fun, great characters.

Another excellent Flashman novel

Penry-Jones has captured the utterly debauched Harry Flashman. It's a superb performance - he captures a wide range of bizarre characters and the irony of the increasingly difficult situations in which Harry Flashman finds himself.

All of the Flashman novels are excellent, and this is one of the better ones: I love the way that Fraser manages to find humour in the most difficult subjects: In this case the African slave-trade. Often books about this subject become mawkish or lecturing. This book is neither - it does not shy away from the horrors of slavery nor descend into any kind of self-pity.

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Title: The Captive of Kensington Palace

Author: Jean Plaidy

Narrator: Jilly Bond

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-01-12

Publisher: Isis Publishing Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The young Princess Victoria, strictly confined within the boundaries of Kensington Palace, is being moulded for her awesome future as Queen of England. Surrounded by her dolls and closely guarded by her domineering mother and faithful governess, she slowly becomes aware of the bitter conflicts that surround her. The jealous and scheming Duke of Cumberland is a constant threat to her rightful accession her mothers sinister friend, Sir John Conroy, makes her uneasy and the bickering between her mother and the king seems never-ending.

Growing up is proving difficult for the princess. She longs for her 18th birthday when at last she will be free to rule the nation as she pleases and to re-acquaint herself with the gallant Prince Albert.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Satisfied

Very good

Very good

She has written so many books that millions have enjoyed. This book is as great as all of ...

Jean Plaidy or her other pen names, Victoria Holt, Philippa Carr etc. is a genius with history. She has written so many books that millions have enjoyed. This book is as great as all of her other books. The intrigue of the courts, the main characters, and the stories become real to your eyes as you read each book of past history in a way that is enjoyable and factual. She was truly a one of a kind. Victoria cames to life as a person not just as a queen.

Amazing

Jean Plaidy does it again. This is amazing riveting book about the early years of Princess Victoria before she ascends the thrown.

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Title: The Survivor

Subtitle: Alford Saga, Book 2

Author: Paul Almond

Narrator: Paul Almond

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-27-12

Publisher: Iambik Audio Inc.

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A captivating and fast-paced adventure, The Survivor is Book Two of the Alford Saga, a series chronicling 200 years of Canadian history, as seen through the eyes of one settlers family.

Thomas Manning, branded a deserter from the British Navy, is forced to change his name to James Alford to avoid the death penalty. Determined to forge a new life on the Gaspé Peninsula, he struggles to survive the harsh landscape and win the hand of Catherine Garrett.

After working in harsh sub-zero woods, he saves the life of an orphan working in a sawmill, and so gains crucial lumber to build a homestead out of intractable wilderness. But first he must battle murderous brigands to rescue a starving bull calf he hopes will be the first of the oxen he so desperately needs to clear his land. Finally, heroically surviving Canadas worst-ever famine, he faces down implacable bureaucracies to keep the farm he has been fighting to bring under cultivation.

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Title: Vagabond

Subtitle: Grail Quest, Book 2

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Narrator: Tim Pigott-Smith

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-24-12

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Having survived the battle of Crecy, Thomas is sent back to England, charged with finding the Holy Grail. But Thomas is an archer and when a chance comes to fight against an army invading northern England, he jumps at it. Plunged into the carnage of Neville's Cross, he is oblivious to other enemies who want to destroy him. He discovers too late that he is not the only person pursuing the grail, and that his rivals will do anything to thwart him.

After hunting and wounding him, Thomas' enemies turn him into a fugitive. Fleeing England, he travels to Normandy, determined to rescue Will Skeat, his old commander from Harlequin. Finally Thomas leads his enemies back to Brittany, where he goes to discover an old love and where his pursuers at last trap their reluctant pilgrim.

Vagabond is a vivid and realistic portrait of England at a time when the archer was king of Europe's battlefields.

Members Reviews:

Equals the written book :)

I am so happy with this narration. It's as detailed as the book and have thoroughly enjoyed listening to Paul McGann!

Cornwell at his best

Great listening for all those who enjoyed the Sharp book and like the image of European history that Cornwell paints so well. The others in this series of 3 are equally good.

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Title: Tomb of the Ten Thousand Dead

Author: L. Ron Hubbard

Narrator: R. F. Daley, Ralph Lister, Noelle North, Joey Naber, Michael Yurchak, Fred Tatasciore, Enn Reitel

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-18-12

Publisher: Galaxy Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Before Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark were even a gleam in Spielbergs eye, one intrepid pilot flew out of the sky in search of treasure... only to find a bit of hell on earth.

Captain Gordon lives like he flies - by the seat of his pants, taking on any job and all comers. Now hes bound for the forbidding mountains along the shores of the Arabian Sea, transporting a team of anthropologists on the trail of Alexander the Great. But ancient history is about to come to dangerous life with the discovery of a long-buried map - a map leading to high adventure, untold treasure, and cold-blooded murder...

Gordons headed deep into "The Tomb of the Ten Thousand Dead" - unearthing a secret that could bury him.

Not only was Hubbard steeped in the history of the ancient world, he was also an avid adventurer - both in his own right and as a respected member of the famed Explorers Club. As such, he brought a wealth of insight, experience and authenticity to all his tales of adventure.

Also includes two additional adventures: The Price of a Hat, in which the key to the Russian Czars life is hidden in a most unexpected place, and Starch and Stripes, the story of a US Marine who sets a trap for a tropical warlord that reverberates all the way back to Washington.

Members Reviews:

Great story

If you like scary stories, this is one you should read.

Picked for my library. Go on long trips frequently ...

Picked for my library. Go on long trips frequently and have a large selection on hand so I am prepared. Also part of my Hurricane prep. Once read I shall update the evaluation.

awful

Awful

Not much more to be said about the man or his books his books are like his cult bad sci fi

A Fun Read

âAdventure Yarns By A Master Storyteller.â

âTomb of The Ten Thousand Deadâ was published in the October 1936 issue of THRILLING ADVENTURE. Pilot Captain Gordon finds himself among crazed scientists when they discover the lost treasure of Alexander The Great. Alone in a cavern with the thousands of dead soldiers left to guard the treasure when Alexander couldnât take it with him. All ready one man has been killed, and three more will kill to obtain the treasure.

âPrice of A Hatâ was an interesting tale told by Stuart as a group set at a card table, the discarded cards tossed into a strange hat called a kubanka. Stuart had been assigned to spy on Russia in 1917, and in Siberia he witnesses the murder of a Mongol rider. He chases the killers off, and the Mongol tells him to carry the hat to the Czar, and then dies. Stuart loses the hat and regains it several times before having an intelligence operator examine the hat. Hidden in the seams is a coded message warning Czar Nicholas II and his family that they are to be murdered if they donât flee to safety. The message was not delivered on time, and Czar Nicholas II and his family were murdered.

âStarch & Stripesâ is another yarn about marines training blacks in Africa to be soldiers. Gunnery Sergeant Eddie Edwards, wearing captain bars, is in charge of the local unit. He has set a trap for the local rebel leader, but before the trap can be sprung, Lt/Col Cramer arrives to order his men prepare for inspection. A top marine general and senators are coming for an inspection.

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Title: The Voyage of the Narwhal

Author: Andrea Barrett

Narrator: Peter Riegert

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-05-12

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Capturing a crucial moment in the history of exploration, the mid-19th century romance with the Arctic, Andrea Barrett focuses on a particular expedition and its accompanying scholar-naturalist, Erasmus Darwin Wells. Through his eyes, we meet the Narwhal's crew and its commander - obsessed with the search for an open polar sea - and encounter the far north culture of the Esquimaux. In counterpoint, we see the women left behind in Philadelphia, explorers only in imagination.

Together, those who travel and those who stay weave a web of myth and mystery. And they finally discover - as all explorers do - not what was always there and never needed discovering, but the state of their own souls.

Members Reviews:

Fantastic story, dreadful narrator

Would you consider the audio edition of The Voyage of the Narwhal to be better than the print version?

No. Andrea Barrett is a fabulous writer. I have read and loved all of her books, but this narrator ruined the book for me. The narrator is an educated scientist from Philadelphia, not a hood from the NY streets. In addition, the narrator had no ability to represent the voices of other characters!!

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Peter Riegert?

Anyone who didn't have a strong New York accent.

It's cold out there

Riegert's performance, Encore. I purchased this book on the strength of Riegert's reading of The Yiddish Policeman's Union.

Erasmus Wells life as a shy naturalist comes to life in this telling.

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Title: The Hallelujah Trail

Author: Bill Gulick

Narrator: Jack Sondericker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-03-12

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Based on an historical event that, from start to finish, was a total carnival of errors, The Hallelujah Trail is one of the old West's most hilarious adventures.

In the late 1800's, a train of 80 freight wagons from Wallingham and Company left Julesburg bound for the mining camps at Denver, in the Colorado Territory. What is unusual is the 2700 cases of imported French Champagne and 1600 barrels of Philadelphia Whisky they carry.

Add to the tale several greedy Denver businessmen, a thirsty Indian chief and his warriors, testy Irish teamsters, and a band of self-righteous Temperance League suffragettes, and things get complicated for Thaddeus Gearheart, U. S. Army Colonel. The Colonel is charged with the security of the "secret" wagon train, and finds his hands full in dealing with a self-appointed frontier seer, Oracle Jones and his Citizen's Militia, the distraught freight owner Frank Wallingham, Cora Massingale on her temperance campaign, and Chief "Five Barrels" with plans of his own for the wagon train.

Members Reviews:

Subtle Hallelujah

This book was the basis for the 1965 large-scale western movie staring Burt Lancaster and Lee Remick of the same name. The book and the movie describe the (chaotic) events surrounding the transport of a wagon trainload of liquor. As a teenager, I found the movie hilarious - laugh out loud fun. You've got your hen-pecked and over-worked cavalry, your fervent female temperance league, your liquor-interested Native Americans, your strike-hungry teamsters, your beleaguered liquor company owner (big favorite Brian Keith), and your local liquor-starved barflies, all mixed up in a delightful bouillabaisse of western fun. Although the critics gave it less than stellar ratings, how could they not like a comedy in a western saddle? I found it delightful, with several amusing twists in the ending.

I found the book quite readable, and entertaining, but not laugh out loud. Perhaps because the book was such a match to the film - all the surprises were gone. Most of the subtle plot twists in the book were slammed home in the movie with a baseball bat, so it was hard to enjoy the nuances. A fresh reader, who hasn't seen the film - I think - would find the book story, and humor, totally fresh. The protagonists are fun, the story is humorous, and I think the ending would be full of surprises.

The book the movie was based on

If you like droll, Mark Twain-wannabe writing, this work approaches the mark. Interest in this book comes from two quarters, I suspect -- (1) from fans of Bill Gulick, and (2) fans of the motion picture. I'm the latter. One Amazon List is about movies that were better than the book they were based on, and listed The Hallelujah Trail as just such a film. Such an assessment didn't bode well for reception of this book. But I bought it anyway to give it a whirl, and though it differs significantly from the movie, it was mildly enjoyable in its own right. I got to understand the back-stories of some of the characters better.

First thing to know: The Hallelujah Trail was NOT the original title of the book. It was called The Hallelujah Train. On this account, you can find either title available for sale from Amazon marketplace dealers. I don't believe this book is currently in print.

Second, the book uses a framing device involving an investigative reporter and President Grant.