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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Audio CD)
by dirtyripper
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is an English novel by JK Rowling released in 1998 by Bloomsbury. It is the sequel to the widely acclaimed Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
It features the protagonist from the first novel, Harry Potter, a wizard now starting his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and ... Wizardry. Harry and his friends Hermione and Ron begin to get back into the routine of magic lessons and Quidditch practise, when strange things begin to happen. Students are being found petrified in the corridors of Hogwarts, and messages are being scrawled on the walls proclaiming that the "Chamber of Secrets" has been opened. Harry and his loyal friends must solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets and face what lies within if they are to stop the evil that has taken over Hogwarts.
This book is much darker than the first and certainly scarier than the first, particularly the scene with the giant spiders. It does also contain a great deal of humour, particularly in the form of Gilderoy Lockhart, the bumbling new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. The narration by Stephen Fry -who narrates all the books in the series - is as usual, excellent. He narrates with great passion and enthusiasm, and manages to get into the roles of every character and switch between them with amazing ability. He manages to convey suspense and humour equally well, and his voice which is deep and commanding yet at the time time very calm draws you into the story and does not let you go.
An amazing book, transferred brilliantly to CD.
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Audio CD)
by dirtyripper
Ever since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone first came out I have been a great fan of the series. The first instalment of the series is about a boy named Harry Potter who lives with the Dursleys - his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley. He lives with the Dursleys because his parents are dead due to reasons we do not yet ... know, and a strange and wonderful sequence of events begins from the moment he appears to be able to talk to a snake at the zoo. A large, strange bearded man turns up and tells Harry he is a wizard. Initially disbelieving, Harry eventually comes to realise his magical abilities and goes with him to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - a school dedicated to teaching young witches and wizards how to use their magical abilities. Harry soon makes numerous friends, particularly the ginger-haired Ron and the brainy Hermione and all seems well for Harry initially. However, strange events begin to occur within the school, which eventually lead Harry to come face to face with Lord Voldemort, who proved to be his arch-nemesis and may even have something to do with his parent's death.
This book by JK Rowling is a modern day classic, loved by children and adults alike, and has been transferred to audiobook wonderfully. The key to a good audiobook is always the narrator, who in this case is Stephen Fry of Blackadder and QI fame, who does an excellent job. He narrates with passion and excitement, and his deep, commanding voice suits the book's content perfectly. He is able to communicate fear, suspense and humour to the listener, and takes on the roles of the books characters very convincingly.
A great book, with a great narrator. Brilliant
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Black and Blue (Audio CD)
by alexdave
I don't want to give the story away in thus so I will keep away from the plot. It is such a good read that it is not worth spoiling it by this review going over the plot so I will try and keep away!
Ian Rankin is a favourite author of mine and I have bought all his books. I was travelling to Scotland with my mum on a holiday ... inspired by these books. On stopping at the service station on the M5 I saw this cd audio book and though what better accompaniment to the journey to Scotland but that.
I have liked audio books since I joined Audible a few years ago and downloaded a book a month. I had never actually had a cd audio book before this one so this was something of a novelty.
The quality of the cd is brilliant and the reader really gets you gripped grim the beginning. It was funny as I knew the story line but still felt myself gripped by the way it was portrayed on the cd.
Rankin can really create an image of the people and places in his story and this is really eminated in this recording.
For those who have never heard of Rankin before, he writes about a detective named John Rebus who works for the fife police force in Edinburgh. He flies close to the seat of his pants most of the time! This novel shows Rebus doing just that while he investigate an inquiry into a make by the name of BibleJohn whilst he us being investigated himself by the police forces internal investigation team.
All of Rankin's books are exceptional, this is no exception.
I an really impressed by the quality of the audio cd and if you are into gritty crime thrillers them definitely get this one.
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