Made me look up Audible's refund policy

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This is a terrible reading of these 3 classics.

What was most disappointing about the authors’s story?

When listening to the narrators' preface to the Book of Five Rings, the realization that this was not a man with a deep understanding of the source material sharing his knowledge and insights with the world, but rather some guy who probably realized these three books are royalty free and he could read them and make some $$$ on Audible.This realization hit pretty hard when he pronounced "samurai" to rhyme with the last 3 syllables of "calamari" (like: "some-arr-ee"). His summary seemed to focus on making the story more accessible but seemed very contrived and uninformed of the original text.

What didn’t you like about Bill DeWees’s performance?

n/a

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

n/a. I'd say cheap, but even with this being the cheapest book I've ever bought from Audible it's still the only one I've ever wanted a refund on.

Any additional comments?

[trying to be constructive]To the narrator: if you really want to do these works justice, gain an understanding of the books first and start over. Also with there being 3 books in this a "Table of Contents" in the product description page that lists what chapter on the download relates to which book. This downloads as 51 chapters, but you have no way to know which chapter belongs to which book without checking each one.

26 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Poor performance detracts from the content.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I don't think it was time well-spent because the content was lost with the poor, halting, stuttered performance, particularly with The Art of War. Aside from the awkward pausing, the reader for this part of it seemed like he may have had spittle around the edges of his mouth. I am sincerely not trying to be mean, but I did have to stop listening to it at this point because it turned my stomach, and I wasn't hearing the content at all.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Different reader.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Halting speech with awkward pauses and mispronunciations, among others.

Did Strategic Thinking Trilogy inspire you to do anything?

Find another version to listen to.

Any additional comments?

Please use more discerning judgment in determining what audiobooks/narrations are sold/endorsed here.

13 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Save your money, don't buy this copy

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend my friends either buy a hard copy of the books or buy the audio books by a different narrator.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Strategic Thinking Trilogy?

When I stopped the recording and moved on to a different book.

Would you be willing to try another one of Bill DeWees’s performances?

If all of the books he reads are of the same quality I think my money would be better spent elsewhere.

Was Strategic Thinking Trilogy worth the listening time?

The books themselves are classics and great for anyone to read, but the narrator just butchered them.

Any additional comments?

I have read Art of War and Book of 5 Rings before, and wanting to read The Prince I saw this file and thought the price was a great deal. 3 books for 3.95.... I was mistaken, The narrator drones on through the books with almost no pause. The Prince was a smooth reading but the others felt like he was bumbling through two books he either does not understand or had not read before. Do yourself a huge favor, pay the extra money and buy them separately... and by another narrator.

7 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Should be removed from Audible

Would you try another book from the authors and/or Bill DeWees?

No

Has Strategic Thinking Trilogy turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

How did the narrator detract from the book?

150%

Any additional comments?

This shouldn't be available on the site, it's so awful that it detracts from the subject matter. Would they put up a half volume version of Moby Dick? No. Then don't put up this.

4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Personally, I couldn't stand the narrator's voice.

I understand this is totally subjective, but I just couldn't tolerate the narrator's voice, tone, and inflection. All are books worth reading, and I think the narrator was someone who appreciates the material, but it needed a professional.

P.S. The narrator named in the book's page only read "The Prince." I've sampled many of Bill DeWees' narrations and they are just fine, and I had no issue with his reading. The narrator of "Art of War" and "Book of the 5 Rings" was a different narrator, and *this* was the narrator I had an issue with.

Apologies to Mr. DeWees.

2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Good books, but...

The books are great classics. But the reader leave much to be desired... sometimes the performance is really bad, I'm afraid. I've been warned from previous reviewers (thanks!). I agree with them. It's a pity! But as long as one knows these drawbacks....

2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Great Book Awful readed

What disappointed you about Strategic Thinking Trilogy?

Terrible narrator, probably the worst narrator ever.

What could the authors have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

hire a better narrator

What didn’t you like about Bill DeWees’s performance?

it was awful

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I need a refund

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Don't buy

The person reading the art of war and the five rings is the worst. He has a heavy NE accent, starts off ever sentence loudly this drifts off until you can't hear him, and his microphone is of low quality. The book subjects are great just buy a different version.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Waste of money and a bad rendition of the classics

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would switch narrators.

Would you be willing to try another book from the authors? Why or why not?

I would be willing to listen to other books by the same *authors* but not the same narrator.

How could the performance have been better?

Well, the narrator was unclear, hesitating and sometimes sounded like he was trying to find the right words, f.ex. in the introduction to "The art of war" and "The book of 5 rings". The audio quality is like he was using a Fisher-Price microphone in a tin can.
Also, the narrator mispronounced some words, so that I had to rewind to get his meaning.

Any additional comments?

I feel ripped off for paying $4 for this book....

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

this was a great listen

would completely recommend this to anyone interested in the 3 greatest works on strategic thinking