Comments for All On Audio Books

Comment on Dune Audio Collection by mjfire@aol.com

mjfire@aol.com — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:21:53 +0000

Not for the Squeemish Let me start with the praise: Dune is an incredibley complicated and entertaining view of the future. Dune clearly sets Herbert in the pantheon with Verne, Welles, Bradbury and Asimov. His characters — Paul, the hero, the villainous Baron and the mysterious Fremen, are all well drawn, complete and interesting. He is especially adept at creating supporting characters — Thufir Hawat, Gurney, and Piter. What was most amazing about this book was its ability to create an entire world, with its own culture, language, etc. This is a feat which few have been able to accomplish, and left me waiting for information about Herbert’s world, rather than the story. However, the book is a bit complicated. I read it first when I was 14 — have read it about 6 times since then (I’m 20 now), and I still find things that I didn’t get or understand the first time around. The Guild, CHOAM, etc — these are all things which Herbert leaves a bit too ambigious and would make the reader’s time a bit easier to explain them. The dialogue is also a bit stilted, and the writing is not Nobel-prize material. However, it should be read more for its vision, its story and its characters — as well as for an appreciation of the world which Herbert creates. Recommended, but it involves a good deal of concentration and patience.

Comment on Dune Audio Collection by Autodidact Andy "IndiAndy"

Autodidact Andy "IndiAndy" — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:54:29 +0000

Audio Book Collection – Check out his book ‘EYE’ too! This review is not for the printed book Dune. The on-line review system just throws it in with the rest of the Dune (like) reviews. It’s really too bad that this review will get buried below all the Dune *printed* book reviews as you might never find out about such a sweet addition to complete your Dune experience…

Comment on Dune Audio Collection by Robert E. Dornbush

Robert E. Dornbush — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:52:51 +0000

Dune [Abridged] – Audiobook This is not a review of Dune, per se, about which I cannot say enough good things. The audiobook, however, is extremely disappointing–at least relative to expectations. It is not an abridged version of Dune. It is a set of selected readings: it only contains four random selections for a total of 3.5 hours, drawn from across the entire original trilogy. My understanding of abridged is that a twelve hour or so book is reduced to eight or nine hours–usually done with audio books to make the story flow better to a listening audience. While it is very interesting to hear Frank Herbert read selected passages, this tape will not give you Dune.

Comment on Black Beauty (Jetlag Productions) by appaloosa

appaloosa — Thu, 23 May 2013 02:16:58 +0000

A BEAUTIFUL BOOK,,,, Since pictures & illustrations are as much a part of a child’s imagination as the written word, then this book beautifully combines both, with the abundant B&W line illustrations by illustrator Lucy Kemp-Welch, in addition to the 12 colour plates included – all in keeping with the time period this novel is set in. A wonderful edition to any child’s library.

Comment on Black Beauty (Jetlag Productions) by L. Gildart

L. Gildart — Thu, 23 May 2013 01:50:41 +0000

There Is No Better Book for Teaching Kindness This is a beautiful chapter book for a child who is reading at around a 5th grade level to read alone. Black Beauty is a classic. We all know that it tells the life story of an English riding horse from his own point of view. What can be harder to remember is how deftly it teaches children about the importance of kindness to their fellow creatures.During the course of his lifetime, Beauty experiences the best and the worst humanity has to offer its companion animals. Children old enough to read this book will just be developing the kind of empathy skills necessary to understand how important kindness is, even, and perhaps especially, to those who cannot verbalize their gratitude.The book teaches kids to notice how they and their peers treat others, and I have been buying it for all of the kids in my life for as long as I can remember.I particularly like this edition because it is unabridged (the story is perfect), and because the illustrations are enchanting. I’d give it a hundred stars if I could.

Comment on Black Beauty (Jetlag Productions) by Gary F. Taylor "GFT"

Gary F. Taylor "GFT" — Thu, 23 May 2013 01:33:14 +0000

A Memorable Children’s Novel with Important Values We often talk about teaching children values, but in most cases children’s literature is insipid and of no lasting value. BLACK BEAUTY, however, is both valuable as art and valuable for the virtues it teaches: kindness, common sense, and helping those who cannot help themselves. The book is well written in clean prose. It does not over reach the “reading child,” nor does it talk down to him. And although it is touching and occasionally sad, it is not in the least sentimental.

Comment on Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:36:26 +0000

Yet another surprised reader I too was surprised by “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” I’d expected a poorly written melodrama with (at best) a tepid commitment to abolition and a strong undercurrent of racism. I was wrong. As a novel, I consider it to be better than many of its rough contemporaries (including “A Tale of Two Cities,” “Vanity Fair,” and “Sartor Resartus”). As an attack on slavery, it is uncompromising, well informed, logically sophisticated, and morally unassailable. It’s also exciting, educational, and often funny.