Storm Front (Audiobook)

Title: Storm Front

Author: Jim Butcher

Read by: James Marsters

Publisher: Buzzy Multimedia (2009)

Genre(s): Fiction, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Crime

Length: 8 hours, 1 minute

Synopsis:  Harry Dresden is a wizard.  Not a magician, available for birthday parties and parlour tricks, but a wizard.  As his advertisement reads: "Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment."  But life as Chicago's only wizard is anything but straightforward.  Some consider him a charlatan, and others are terrified by the mere mention of magic.  All in all, it means that rent money is hard to come by, and Dresden often earns his keep consulting with the police department on unusual cases.  But when he's called in to solve a gruesome murder-by-magic, Dresden finds himself struggling trying to stay one step ahead of the killer.  Even worse, he's under suspicion himself!  With lives on the line, Dresden would have to risk everything to find a murderer.  How far is he willing to go?

My Rating: 5 Stars

My Opinion:  I'd been meaning to get into The Dresden Files for quite some time.  A friend in college recommended them, and I promptly filed that away for future reference in a folder in my mind which was subsequently lost.  I stumbled across it again at 4:00 am whilst paging through the books on offer at Audible.com.  Without hesitation, I downloaded Storm Front and started listening, then promptly had to stop and double check that I'd heard correctly.  Yes, I had.  In a double-dose of nerdiness, this urban fantasy gem is narrated by James Marsters, known for his role as Spike on the Joss Whedon TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Even if I'd had no idea who he was, I would have enjoyed his performance.  Butcher's story comes to life in this fast-paced narrative that blends elements of classic detective stories with a modern take on fantasy.  Urban fantasy is a particular favorite sub-genre for me, and I found this perspective interesting.  It isn't high fantasy with its vast, cosmic powers left to roam on city streets.  This feels smaller and more contained somehow.  There are rules and conventions and everything feels as if it has a solid categorization: black and white where the ethereal is so often painted in shades of grey.  In general, I prefer my fantasy to feel a little less tamed, but I enjoyed that the danger here came less from supernatural power than from the very human people wielding it.

The engineering of this audiobook is slightly different from most of the others that I've heard; it ends up sounding slightly lower in quality, as there's a slight hiss in the background, but for a story set in an analog world, I found the sound less of a distraction and more part of an appropriate ambiance.  Marsters reads quickly and personably; his is a very believable voice for Dresden, an important consideration in first-person audiobooks, I think.  All in all, I loved it.  This is an eight hour book, but I found time to finish it in under a day.  Fantasy buffs, rejoice, and be sure to check this one out.

A Game of Thrones (Audiobook)

Title: A Game of Thrones

 

Author: George R. R. Martin

 

Read by: Roy Dotrice

Publisher: Random House Audio (2003)

 

Genre(s): Fiction, Fantasy

Length: N/A

Synopsis: The Seven Kingdoms have enjoyed an uneasy peace since Robert Baratheon and his allies ousted the Targaryen line and claimed the Iron Throne.  With the last heirs of the Targaryen line exiled to the Free Cities beyond the sea, King Robert's days of war are over, and he's grown overly fond of his luxurious life in King's Landing.  Far to the north, his friend and ally Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, is glad to avoid the political maneuvering of the capital, content to watch over his lands and his family.  But not all families are content with their lot.  Queen Cirsei Lannister has deadly secrets that threaten to upend the kingdom, and, far across the sea, the heirs of House Targaryen, the Blood of the Dragon, have not forgotten their birthright.    Winter is coming, and the Seven Kingdoms stand on the brink of war on multiple fronts.  The board is set, and the game of thrones begun; who will arise the winner?

My Rating: 5 Stars

My Opinion:  This was one of the most stunningly performed audiobooks I have ever had the pleasure of hearing.  Dotrice maintains distinctive voices for each one of the multitude of characters in this complex tale without resorting to caricature.  Without a such skilled performer narrating, the story would have been all but impossible to follow.  At 33 hours and 50 minutes long, this unabridged version still posed an occasional challenge of comprehension.  The alternating chapters and their multiple interwoven plots require a sort of mental gymnastics to keep straight without the visual signposts of text.  The characters, however, deserve nothing less.  They are fascinatingly constructed, each with flaws and strengths that lift them off the page into three dimensions.  Everyone has his or her own agenda, and the lengths to which some will go to pursue them are incredible.  The story is a rich tapestry of political intrigue and high fantasy, written in an accessible and compelling set of voices.  For those whose knowledge of this series comes exclusively from the televised version, I would recommend taking a look at the original, whether text or audiobook.  Perhaps I'm beating the point to death, but the complexity of this story is really what lies at its heart.  People are not simple, and if it takes nearly 34 hours to tell the first part of their story, so be it.