Two audiobooks
Jul. 8th, 2012 07:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearI seem to be getting through a awful lot of audiobooks lately.
I think this is partially because I'm doing more walking, and partially because the books I've been listening to in past weeks have been quite short.
The Gates of Sleep is the third in the Elemental Masters series by Mercedes Lackey, and my favourite so far. Despite having very little control over her circumstances, the heroine managed not to be pathetic or whiny, and the psychiatrist hero made a refreshing change from the usual take on Prince Charming. The plot, revolving around the evils of lead poisoning in potteries in the late nineteenth century was really interesting, with the added bonus of magic use and a very sweet romance. I was a little disappointed in the adult guardians, who proved completely ineffectual in the face of the evil aunt's activities, which seemed rather unrealistic, but was necessary since otherwise there wouldn't have been a plot at all. Still, the ending was lovely without being overly sentimental, and overall the book was very enjoyable.
Then I moved on to Peter Pan, by J M Barrie, which was really rather good. I was familiar with the story, obviously, but had never actually read the book, so it was interesting to experience the source material first hand. The style was very effective - it presenting the whole thing so completely seriously that it was impossible to dismiss it all as completely ridiculous - it just swept me along to Never Land and had me accepting all Peter's absurdities as totally normal. There was rather more killing than I'd expected, and it was little disturbing just how blase everyone was about it, and the ending was quite sad, but overall it was a very good listen. It did prove categorically just how important a good narrator is, though - as a Librivox recording, each chapter was read by someone different, and the less accomplished narrators made the story drag quite a bit.
I think this is partially because I'm doing more walking, and partially because the books I've been listening to in past weeks have been quite short.
The Gates of Sleep is the third in the Elemental Masters series by Mercedes Lackey, and my favourite so far. Despite having very little control over her circumstances, the heroine managed not to be pathetic or whiny, and the psychiatrist hero made a refreshing change from the usual take on Prince Charming. The plot, revolving around the evils of lead poisoning in potteries in the late nineteenth century was really interesting, with the added bonus of magic use and a very sweet romance. I was a little disappointed in the adult guardians, who proved completely ineffectual in the face of the evil aunt's activities, which seemed rather unrealistic, but was necessary since otherwise there wouldn't have been a plot at all. Still, the ending was lovely without being overly sentimental, and overall the book was very enjoyable.
Then I moved on to Peter Pan, by J M Barrie, which was really rather good. I was familiar with the story, obviously, but had never actually read the book, so it was interesting to experience the source material first hand. The style was very effective - it presenting the whole thing so completely seriously that it was impossible to dismiss it all as completely ridiculous - it just swept me along to Never Land and had me accepting all Peter's absurdities as totally normal. There was rather more killing than I'd expected, and it was little disturbing just how blase everyone was about it, and the ending was quite sad, but overall it was a very good listen. It did prove categorically just how important a good narrator is, though - as a Librivox recording, each chapter was read by someone different, and the less accomplished narrators made the story drag quite a bit.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-07-08 09:07 pm (UTC)The idea of a different narrator for each chapter is strange! It sounds really annoying.
(Some of my favourite books (Tanith Lee's Tales from the Flat Earth were released on audio book recently but when I listened to the samples I really wasn't sure if the narrator was one I could get on with and the idea of books I loved being read by a reader who annoyed me was too much to bear so I didn't get them. Maybe I'll take the risk one day :))/