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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“We are all subject to the fates. But we must act as if we are not, or die of despair.”
"Human beings can't see anything without wanting to destroy it. That's original sin.”
"Human beings can't see anything without wanting to destroy it. That's original sin.”
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In my opinion, one of the greatest books series of all time. A friend of mine called "His Dark Materials" the atheist's Narnia & it's not far off the mark. It tells the story of deception of those in power & the blind following of people who are terrified of the unknown in the fact that they would sacrifice the innocent to an unknown "Authority". When I first started reading it years ago, I had no concept that the "dæmons" that were mentioned were the animal incarnation of a person's soul. It was thrilling, exciting, heart-breaking & empowering. Do yourself a favor and listen to the unabridged audio rendition with a full cast, narrated by the author himself.
Hmmm.. This book did not charm me quite as much the second time around as it did the first.
This is technically a reread but the first time I read the book itself and this time I listened to the audiobook read by a full cast. I am not typically a fan of full-cast audio (don't ask me why, because I am not sure I know) but I was able to get into this one easier than expected and had a few two-hour drives ahead of me so I figured it was worth a shot.
Well, there were a few issues.
One (which also happened to me with [b:1Q84|10357575|1Q84 (1Q84 #1-3)|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1483103331l/10357575._SX50_.jpg|18160093]): the audiobook ended a FULL HOUR before I expected it to. Apparently there is an interview with the author at the end, so the audiobook length includes that time in the listed time of the audio.
I, however, did not realize that and thought I had another hour to go. So while the book felt like it was starting to wrap up, it then felt like it ended abruptly. I am not sure exactly how they could address this.
Maybe like with (some) ebooks, make the "total length" equal to the total length of the book itself and any appendices or interviews/previews/whatever count as additional time? I am sure other people would probably hate that, but it is the worst to think you have 30-60 minutes left of a book to then realize that it's over. It makes the ending seem rushed and out of the blue even when it isn't.
Two: Again, I know I said I had issues with full-cast recordings at the outset, but I think that did take away from the reading experience of this one for me. I listen to basically every book at 1.2 speed, which is just fast enough to finish the book quicker, but not too fast that it sounds like the person is actually rushing through the text (to me, anyway). I don't think that would have had much of an impact, but want to note it for good measure.
I found Lyra's voice to be annoying and whiny in a way that I don't think fits her character in the book and Iorek Byrnison's voice also rubbed me the wrong way. Some of the other kid voices were weird, but Lyra and Iorek encompass a much larger amount of the book, so they stood out more to me.
I think this detracted from the experience and wish the book would have been recorded by someone like [a:Jim Dale|5446186|Jim Dale|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], who is great at "doing" voices without making the characters feel bothersome (unless they are supposed to be).
This book is good, but I would recommend reading it instead of listening. I realize that is probably considered heresy for many people who love full-cast audio recordings, but in this case I think it made a previously-five-star book less enjoyable than it should have been, and that's a real bummer.
I was going to read the rest of the His Dark Materials trilogy as well, but ran out of time. Maybe one day!
--
Initial rating from 2011: 5 stars
2021 rating: 4 stars
--
ATY 2021: #28 - A book connected to ice
This is technically a reread but the first time I read the book itself and this time I listened to the audiobook read by a full cast. I am not typically a fan of full-cast audio (don't ask me why, because I am not sure I know) but I was able to get into this one easier than expected and had a few two-hour drives ahead of me so I figured it was worth a shot.
Well, there were a few issues.
One (which also happened to me with [b:1Q84|10357575|1Q84 (1Q84 #1-3)|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1483103331l/10357575._SX50_.jpg|18160093]): the audiobook ended a FULL HOUR before I expected it to. Apparently there is an interview with the author at the end, so the audiobook length includes that time in the listed time of the audio.
I, however, did not realize that and thought I had another hour to go. So while the book felt like it was starting to wrap up, it then felt like it ended abruptly. I am not sure exactly how they could address this.
Maybe like with (some) ebooks, make the "total length" equal to the total length of the book itself and any appendices or interviews/previews/whatever count as additional time? I am sure other people would probably hate that, but it is the worst to think you have 30-60 minutes left of a book to then realize that it's over. It makes the ending seem rushed and out of the blue even when it isn't.
Two: Again, I know I said I had issues with full-cast recordings at the outset, but I think that did take away from the reading experience of this one for me. I listen to basically every book at 1.2 speed, which is just fast enough to finish the book quicker, but not too fast that it sounds like the person is actually rushing through the text (to me, anyway). I don't think that would have had much of an impact, but want to note it for good measure.
I found Lyra's voice to be annoying and whiny in a way that I don't think fits her character in the book and Iorek Byrnison's voice also rubbed me the wrong way. Some of the other kid voices were weird, but Lyra and Iorek encompass a much larger amount of the book, so they stood out more to me.
I think this detracted from the experience and wish the book would have been recorded by someone like [a:Jim Dale|5446186|Jim Dale|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], who is great at "doing" voices without making the characters feel bothersome (unless they are supposed to be).
This book is good, but I would recommend reading it instead of listening. I realize that is probably considered heresy for many people who love full-cast audio recordings, but in this case I think it made a previously-five-star book less enjoyable than it should have been, and that's a real bummer.
I was going to read the rest of the His Dark Materials trilogy as well, but ran out of time. Maybe one day!
--
Initial rating from 2011: 5 stars
2021 rating: 4 stars
--
ATY 2021: #28 - A book connected to ice