Review of a Dresen File Audio Book; Changes, by Jim Butcher, read by James Marsters

When I decided that it would be a good idea to listen to an audio book while I was on the stair machine, I was pretty excited. I mean, what's there not to be stoked about when you're both being active and getting to see a story inside your head? I picked up Changes because I already love the Dresden Files.

Do you hear me? I love them. They're witty and interesting, they flow along quickly, they're shockingly believable. The author does a great job of following the rules that his universe sets out and of suspending disbelief. The voice is awesome... Yeah, I love the books. I'm also fan of James Marsters. I had a crush on him for about half a decade. I lost that crush when I realized he'd spent his time on Buffy looking like a cross between a redneck and an undead hipster, and that he has a terrible British accent (and I promptly outgrew him), but I still like to watch all the shows and movies he's in, and see convention footage and I thoroughly enjoyed him in Smallville and on Torchwood.

Sooooo, I thought that this would be a perfect marriage, Butcher and Marsters.

I was wrong.

I squealed in glee to hear "sexy voice" voicing Harry Dresden...until I realized the voice didn't change. It...it didn't change. This, this was not a dramatic reading. This was a strait reading. A boring boring strait reading of an awesome text.

By chapter three I was starting to screech "What?! Come on man! Use those acting chops!" as I gasped out an inconsistent stucco on the stair machine.

By chapter 4 I gave up. I couldn't do it. Marsters' reading had successfully reduced a series that mesmerises me into something that could put me to sleep. I put the CD back in its case (very glad, now, that I'd never given into that whim and spent money on buying a Marsters' read Dresden book) and took it back to the library.

Just because we're grown ups doesn't mean we don't appreciate a good dramatic reading of a story. If we didn't the Lord of the Rings movies wouldn't be so very popular.

Overall, I give the reading a 2 out of 5 stars. It could have been blander, it could have been read at a really inconsistent pace, which it wasn't. But, I didn't like it, and didn't enjoy it. Hard core Marsters' fans will love it. I think most everyone else will be a bit disappointed. Ah well. You win some you lose some.

The book itself gets a 4.2 out of 5 stars. That's only because there are some truly life changing books out there, but this one is still pretty awesome.