Ehh...

A great example of how delivery is everything. you have a fun and interesting adventure series with characters you can't help but get attached to, and then you put Ben Stein's prodigy behind the mic. The mind numbing soul destroying droning monotone delivery had me spastically shaking my fist at random items and events(I even cussed out a bird who stopped next tho the truck to watch me strangely behaving human) and on the verge of ripping parts of my own scalp off. I found myself wanting to stab a hot ice pick through the screen of my radio while cackling and asking "Can you FEEL "THAT"? Can you display emotion NOW?!" Place on top of that some of the worst accents I've ever heard someone try to imitate. The story line is catchy, but if this monotone hack is narrating, I probs my won't be listening to any more Dane Maddock

10 people found this helpful

A pain to listen to

I expected great things but got a poor man's version of a Matthew Reilly book. There is minimal depth to the cliche'd characters, the story lines are beyond lame and there is poor continuity. The narrator has the engagement of a soggy slice of bread and may as well have been a text-to-voice programme.

6 people found this helpful

Need an Adventure Fix and on a Budget? Check...

Need an Adventure Fix and on a Budget? Check This Box Set Out! Book One: Dourado This is part of a bigger box set that I have out but I wanted to break the reviews up into book-by-book since that’s how I do all the other ones. I’ve read a few other books in this series and the other series related to Dane and Bones – but went back to the beginning with Dourado. It was cool to go this far back to see what Wood used to do as an author (how he’s improved and the “winning” moments that he’s kept in most of the books. I usually call out the narrator later – but there was something that Kafer did in this book that I don’t think he does anymore.  When a phone call (or radio call, I believe) happened – he would distort the audio a little to make it sound like it was coming from a radio/phone. I absolutely loved that. I don’t know if everyone would – but in books like this, it was a really nice effect without going overboard. Dourado was an interesting story.  I couldn’t really tell what the “treasure” part of it was going to be.  There was a part that I thought “okay, I think the book could end” but there was another couple of hours.  It was nice, and kept me on my toes! The lead up to the ending was perfectly thrilling without being overdone – a classic Wood tactic. Overall, I thought that Dourado was enjoyable and definitely a great lead into this box set. Book Two: Cibola Cibola introduces us to Jade Ihara (a staple in later books) and it didn't go the way that I expected it to. Leave it to Wood to write me a story (especially since I'd read further books in this series) that just blew my mind when it came to Jade. This book did revolve around Jade quite a bit but it was still definitely the Dane and Bones show. Their back and forth banter and ability to play off of each other in any situation really make these books for me.  They always crack me up and Cibola was no different. The story (and legend) in this was awesome.  I've heard of this one but the way that Wood writes it out.  The people and organizations that he picks to be the antagonist are so topical it's ridiculous (even years after this was written and recorded). If you have enjoyed any of the other Dane Maddock stories or if you're just a fan of Adventure novels - Cibola will definitely be a winner for you. Jeffrey Kafer is the perfect voice for this series - I know that I've listened to quite a few since these original books came out, but Kafer just crushes it.  He's able to voice Dane and Bones in just the perfect way.  Especially the way that they play off each other. Book Three: Quest As anyone who reads my blog or reviews know; I love Jeffrey Kafer’s narration.  He does such a great job narrating that you forget that you’re listening to a fictional book.  He’s just able to bring the characters alive and make you forget you’re reading altogether. I had to take a day or two after reading Quest to actually come up with a description that wasn’t full of hyperbole.  I enjoyed this story so thoroughly that I was in a book hangover once I finished.  About midway through, I realized that this was the third book in the Dane Maddock series, and quickly and frantically searched for more of them, to quickly realize that I already own some of them. (Yay me!)The story was just fascinating.  Mixing in old world history with new world adventure.  Think the Da Vinci code mixed with Indiana Jones. The adventures that Maddock and crew take will bring the reader to numerous places both in the cities and deep in the Amazon.  The search and discovery parts made for a really fast-paced fly by the seat of your pants kind of adventure. If you’re at all into an adventure that’s mixed with some amazing historical research — Quest is definitely for you.  I will be quickly checking out the other Maddock stories soon. Bonus Short Story: Aztlan This short story was, I believe, less than 30 minutes long.  But wow did it ever make me feel. I won't really go into what happened since it was such a shock (and it's super short and easy to read).  Just know that you are in for all the feels when you start and finish Aztlan.  It was such an interesting short story that grabbed my attention from the beginning.

1 person found this helpful

Lots of fun

I want more, I wish the books were longer. I want more more more. just can't get enough. I am hooked

1 person found this helpful

disappointing... sophomoric...

I wanted to like these books but... where to start?... The characters: the two main characters have potential but they have not really been very well fleshed out. They lack depth. The female characters are worse, by far. One other reviewer mentioned the female characters as 'one dimensional'... well said. You get the impression that the sum total of the writers experience with women was in high school and even then he wasn't really paying much attention. The female characters are so cliche that its hard to take them seriously. Perhaps this writer should team up with a woman writer to write his female characters dialog or at least start paying attention to the women in his life. The story: like me, this author clearly likes history and exploration and clearly likes taking the road less traveled and exploring alternative history. All good. However, for it to be good fiction it has to be plausible (even far-fetched works if the rest is there ‐ great/good dialog, likable/memorable characters, etc.). These books push well past plausible into the realm of the absurd and with the addition of one-dimensional characters and insipid dialog you are just left feeling like you are wasting time on something pointless. The narration: he gets some of it right but fails miserably with the female characters. It's just an average performance at best. He should study the masters of the trade like Patrick Tull reading Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series to hear what a truly gifted narrator can do with first class writing. However, this reader is working with pretty poor material - so its not entirely his fault. Bottom line, these books (I barely finished the first two) come across as rough drafts based on some notes taken while researching some potentially intriguing quirks of alternative history that have been loosely cobbled together to form the basis of... what? a fictional narrative? A far-fetched theory of human history disguised as fiction? Who knows... a disappointment in any case.

some pretty good entertainment

I think this box set is a good summer listen, made me laugh, kept my interest.

Light and occasionally annoying.

Action and adventure mixed with history and this is a decent entry into that field. The negatives come from my finding Maddock mostly an ass. His relationships with women are high schooling and superficial. Female characters are stereotypical at best. Overall characters are one dimensional. The books are a decent listen but for more depth and better overall stories I have other go to authors. All that being said, the books aren’t bad and the action is plentiful. If you’re looking for deep character development in addition, look elsewhere.

A good series of pulpy adventure yarns

Let me admit this right from the start: I'm an adventure genre junkie. These books certainly fit the bill, including all of the wonderful tropes that seem to have become hallmarks of the genre. The two main characters are ex-Navy SEALs, now working as marine archaeologists. In the course of their exploits, they get dragged into the search for lost treasures, priceless artifacts, lost cities, and objects of a mythical or legendary nature. This series is in the same vein as the Dirk Pitt series by Clive Cussler (but without the maritime-centric plots that dominate most of Cussler's work). If you enjoy that series, you will probably enjoy these. At first, I had a difficult time warming up to Jeffrey Kafer's narration -- it sounded like he was trying to mimic the cliched narration of previews for 90s action movies. However, the story grabbed my attention, and soon I was too interested to be bothered anymore. This was most notable in the first book. In the subsequent books, Kafer seems to have toned down the macho-dramatic tone, and overall I would say he does a good job. My only other complaint is the narrator's mispronunciation of "Deseret," the territory that would eventually become Utah. He pronounces it like the name Desirae. It's a fairly minor annoyance, and I probably only noticed it because I have lived in Utah. Bottom line: If you are a fan of Indiana Jones, Uncharted, Tomb Raider, etc., and can't ever seem to get enough, you will probably enjoy this series.

Good read.

Stories were entertaining and humorous. Albeit, some of the adventures were a bit over the top. They found every treasure they looked for! Even though they never reaped any rewards from the spoils. Entertaining never the less.

fun read

its not the best thing youll ever read but it is fun. ill probably lisen to the rest. the females in it are kind of annoying. but i love Bones enough to continue.