I love Alvin Maker but don't like this audiobook

I have been caught up in the Alvin Maker storyline for many years, now, and listened to this story with a combination of frustration and interest. Frustration because the reading is too slow-paced and because Gabrielle de Cuir reads some of the parts and her voice is TRULY annoying, especially at the end where she is reading way too much emotion into the part. (Want some cheese and crackers with that WHINE?!?) All of this is made worse by high compression/low bitrate sound quality of the Audible version.

All together, this is an interesting installment in the life of Alvin Maker, but I don't know that I care for the direction Card is going.

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11 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Suffers from Awful Narration

If you've been listing to the previous audio books in this series, prepare for disappointment. It's really a shame Nana Visitor didn't read this last book; she really had the vocal characterizations down pat and brought the characters to life. Plus, her enjoyment of the tale really shone through.

However, unlike Nana Visitor, this new narrator's proper speaking voice really fails to deliver the "country voice" of many of the characters. Thus, it often sounds forced and serves as a constant distraction throughout the book.

In addition, the narrator's vocal characterizations fall flat and without dialogue attribution, it's often difficult to distinguish between characters involved conversations.

A dull, distracting reading awaits you in this audio book.

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10 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

This can't be the last of this series!

Having read all the books in this series, and loved each one, I have to say that this one, although written and narrated just as well as the others, leaves me with wanting more. There is too much unanswered for this to be the last book in the series. The narrators were exceptional, and I dearly loved the Christian overtones, which made one think about their own moral code. I was so happy to find a series that left out the usual 'hooks' of sex, blood, gut and gore.
I could not put down this series, buying them when I ran out of credits. Bravo Orson Scott Card!!!

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7 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

I Was Ready For the Story to End.

The Crystal City is probably my least favorite of the Alvin Maker series. It got to the point where any obstacle was overcome by Alvin's, or somebody else's knack. It eliminates any tension or sense of danger to the characters when one knows that all they have to do is run real fast, make a fog, or miraculously heal someone. Even though he was very infuriating, and mostly downright stupid, Calvin became more interesting than his brother Al. Toward the end of the book, I really didn't care if they made the Crystal City or not.

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4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

start with the first book

What did you love best about Crystal City?

Just love this author and the entire series. I've read and listened to them all. The narration is fantastic, l even got my boyfriend addicted to these books!

What did you like best about this story?

Just the continuation of a great story.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Everything.

Any additional comments?

Please, please start at the beginning of the series it makes a huge difference. Seventh Son is the first book. You'll be addicted.

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4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Horrible ending

Like waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never does.

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4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Something missing

I feel like there was an entire book that I missed between Heartfire and The Crystal City. There were several things references that I have zero recollection about which made a lot of things seem... just wrong.

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2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

disappointed if this is an ending

rest of the books I will reread except journeyman still waiting on a rerecorded. was sad this is the last book way more untold bad end to a great series

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1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Hanging

The Seventh Tale of the Seventh Son is a must. Card himself wrote there would be another book. my question is WHEN?

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1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Not the end

Really this should have been the end. I thought that the author promised to end this but there appears to be no book 7, and this book is over 18 years old now. This story was poor and the evil brother should have been dead with his poor knowledge of making.

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