Split Second

Where do I start?

I have 281 sci-fi books in my Audible library, and in my opinion this is just a bad book in every respect. I gave it a 2 only because it had a handful of interesting ideas in it, and because it was mildly entertaining to laugh at some of the bad dialog and the avalanche of cliches. The narration was a cross between a corporate training video, and 1950's B-movie overacting. Frankly, I'm shocked that this book has a 4.1 overall rating. Not good.

13 of 13 people found this review helpful

I finally found my replacement for Crichton

Looks like I finally found my replacement for the late, great Crichton

Split Second is a book about time travel… but not really. What if you couldn’t go back to the age of the dinosaurs, or even watch your birth. But, you could only go back a fraction of a fraction of a second. Literally less than a blink of an eye. What good would that do? Apparently, two rival corporations and agencies know what, and will kill to find out more.

The narration was done by Kevin Pariseau was excellent. The hard science within this could have been a tongue twister for many narrators and readers alike, and Pariseau cruised through it like a hot knife through butter. Pariseau’s voice was perfect for this, sophisticated and smart. The accents he uses and the different dialects were all really well done and added to the story nicely.

Okay, I took a night to compose myself from this book, it made me feel and think things that books don’t normally do. I’m a fan of the technothriller genre. Ever since I started reading Michael Crichton, I was hooked. He just had a way of writing both scientifically compelling and incredibly thrilling fiction. I’ve found a few authors since then that fit the bill and seem to quench my insatiable thirst for more Crichton (RIP). But, Richards may be my new key.

Split Second was a book that started out with a bang, literally — a murder of a top physicist who was working on a new theory that he had only shown to one person. From there it was an incredible whirlwind of great storytelling and character development.

Character-wise, Aaron Blake needs to be seen again, I’m not sure if Richards even writes with certain characters in mind, but Blake was amazing. He was absolutely everything you would want out of a protagonist: smart, cunning, incredibly good at getting out of bad situations–what more could you ask for? Seriously, Aaron Blake needs another novel!

Jenna Morrison’s character was really interesting too, she had gone through so much in such a short amount of time that it was really fun to watch her characters developmental arc.

The two main antagonists were also amazing, and one of them turns out not the way you expected them to be. Always wonderful when a book can misdirect you like that without leaving you feeling betrayed.

Overall, the story itself was the main blockbuster here, but the supporting cast makes this an easy 5-star book. Douglas E. Richards has skyrocket to the top of my authors list and I will be voraciously reading his other books now.

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26 of 30 people found this review helpful

"No time like the present", Knight said.

Not as much scifi as I expected, but a good thriller nonetheless. The beginning was a bit slow and it took me a while to get into it, but it is well worth sticking with it. There is some pretty good discussion of time and time travel which is interesting in itself aside from its relation to the story.

A brilliant scientist has made a time travel discovery and it is on a thumb drive and in the cloud. Two groups are trying to get this information and the scientist's girlfriend is caught in the middle:she has possession of it and they want it. She goes on the run and enlists the help of a former military man turned PI.

Moves and countermoves, a megalomaniac, possible world domination, time travel and a strong female lead are some of the components of the story. Interesting ending that I did not quite see coming. Listening to this book was time well spent.

Kevin Pariseau gave a fine reading, as usual.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

Amazing spin on time travel

What an awesome story. Very surprising and gripping. You get to see time travel in a whole new way.

12 of 14 people found this review helpful

Check your disbelief at the door; popcorn fun

Would you listen to Split Second again? Why?

Probably not. It was a good story but not the variety that demands another listen.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

As others have stated, this is not really a time travel story. It's more focused on the implications of a machine that could make things or people go back a half second in time, and the author did a good job of coming up with some radical implications.

Have you listened to any of Kevin Pariseau’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. It was and easy and fun listen.

Any additional comments?

Many elements of this story might cause readers to roll their eyes. The "science" is fluffy and the writer makes full use of his poetic license. The characters are fairly stereotypical, but likable. The military stuff...well, not one hundred percent accurate, either. Despite all this, I enjoyed the story. It's got an intriguing premise, and moves forward at a good pace. It's light fare that is meant to be enjoyed, not dissected.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

My favorite Richards book!

Where does Split Second rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a good one D. Richards keeps getting better, I loved the character development and the science part was cool. It starts good but from there gets progressively more and more interesting.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

For certain especially after we are introduced to all the players and learn a little more about there motives.

What about Kevin Pariseau’s performance did you like?

Very good clean and not distracting the way I like it.

Any additional comments?

This is not a old school time travel for example going back in time to spend some time with King Arthur (if he did in fact exist) or to stop the assassination of JFK but rather as the description says what if the farthest we could possibly go back is less than half a second. What could possibly be done in such a short amount of time (or space) if anything? If that even somewhat interest you then you should read this book, I will not spoil anything for you but the author has some cool ideas.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Don't Bother

I could only take a couple hours of listening to this... Corny/caricatured dialogue, characters, and plot progression... Very melodramatic, and not in a good way;) Felt like I was listening to an exceptionally poor acted movie... Rife w/ awkward use of language and conversation... At one point it's actually explained to us that they're called thunb drives bc they're no bigger than a thumb... Really?? Like I said awkward...Premise and what there is of an early plot are quite unrealistic, and to top it off the narration is uninspiring at best... I'm absolutely returning this stinker...

29 of 37 people found this review helpful

Tedious

A decent idea for a plot that under delivered. Instead of leading the reader through disovery and adventure this was a modicum of uncreative action followed by long unbelievable conversation explaining the entire plot amongst heros and protagonist. reminded me of the old Batman series with Adam West, where the villain would explain in extreme detail his evil plans for no apparent reason .
Science that started good and real quickly turned into made up drivel that conflicted with itself and led the story into unbelievable state.
The narration did appear to get a bit better towards the end but the first half reminded me of a 50s documentary not so much any attempt to truely bring the characters to life.

11 of 14 people found this review helpful

Wait .45 of a second will you!??

Where does Split Second rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Not in the top 1/4, but definitely in the top 1/2, and I listen to a lot of books!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lee Radulin ( sp? ) was interesting in how manipulative and smart he really was. His nemesis, Evan Wright, was strong as well, but sort of went of the rails at the end.

What does Kevin Pariseau bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Clearly voiced the characters respectfully, consistently and thoughtfully. A fine reading.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I certainly tried to. It's a relatively long book, but worth the time.

Any additional comments?

Get it. It is part of a new subset of time travel books that I am enjoying a great deal recently and does add to the genre. OK it get's somewhat "pie in the sky" at the end, but that does not take away too much from the overall offering.

Recommended.

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

I felt like I being lectured to

What would have made Split Second better?

I felt there were several points in the story where I was a student in college, first in a physics class and at the end a philosophy class. Neither was very enjoyable.

What didn’t you like about Kevin Pariseau’s performance?

I didn't feel he had the range that others have.

Any additional comments?

The PI, Aaron Blake, seemed to have no flaws and made his character hard to believe for me.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful