Fun book, great narrator but audio quality is poor

As with most Crichton novels, it's just a fun story with a great premise, no need for deep analysis. I will say however that this recording is of very bad quality. There are sections that sound like they were recorded on different equipment or in a different room and there was no effort whatsoever at normalization. There are long gaps (10 to 15 seconds) sometimes between parts as well. I wonder of Audible has a Q&A dept and editors to process books. If so, this one clearly fell into a crack.

3 people found this helpful

Great romp of a read! #Audible1

I enjoyed this audiobook enormously. First of all, the reader did a great job! He perfectly captured Crichton's bent for the sarcastic, and even did distinct voices for each character! LOL My only complaint was that he mispronounced certain words. But apart from that, he was an excellent listen!

As for the book itself, it's an immensely gripping read! OK, hearing them get chased around the same castle gets a bit tedious occasionally, but Crichton saves it nicely with a combination of humour and plot and character development. And he's clearly done his historical homework, too, which is enormously appreciated! He's done an excellent job portraying the period accurately. And in fact, the book was quite informative! I learned a number of things about the 14th century while listening to it that I hadn't known before. And pleasantly, although he certainly doesn't sanitize the period, Crichton mercifully refrains from some of the gross-out of, say, Micro, for which my stomach was profoundly grateful!

My one regret with the book is that the love-story between Andre and Lady Claire was a way sub-plot. I wish Crichton had given that element far more emphasis! But then, he's many things, but a romantic isn't one of them from everything of his I've read thus far. Overall, though, it was a great read, and definitely one I'll listen to again!

#Audible1

2 people found this helpful

Enjoyed it

I admit to watching the movie years ago before I listened to this book more recently. However, knowing what was going to happen did not detract from the story. I love history, specifically medieval history, and I found those part of the story were intriguing. Crichton does come back to present day to discuss what is happening there, and I admit I skipped some of those sections as I found them a bit boring. But those parts of the story were never long, so I didn't miss much. #Audible1

1 person found this helpful

Fantastic!

I read this book when it first came out and loved it. I decided to listen to it this time around. The narrator was excellent and brought the characters to life.

Captivating

This was an excellent book. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. The different accents that the narrator was able to do made it fun to follow.

A Crichton's Great. Balanced Insight into the Past

Some hate Crichton for no reason. His prose is a little plain, but highly effective. He was trained to be a doctor, and his writing shows clarity and purpose.

The story is strong, but acts more like a survey of the past. The events are good enough. The characters are actually great; very realistic, and subtle. My major gripe is how one character dies at the end. It seemed rushed. However, the well crafted, bittersweet epilogue more than makes up for it.

People are used to loud and energetic protagonists, but they are simply not that. They are college students and academics. I found myself at home among the educated introvert. L

Some have complained that they escape too many close calls. Wrong again. They survive many dangerous, but easily survivable scenarios. It's realistic. They aren't on the knife's edge all the time. Crichton was a doctor, he would know.

Loved it as a teen, still like it as an English Literature student. Though now I can see its flaws, I can also see it's deep merit and appreciate the many months of highly accurate research that must have gone into this. You can learn from Crichton, and here you can learn about the past too.