Book description
Marco (Sky Ghosts, #1.5) - A Symphony of Suffering and Surprisingly Good Audiobook Performance
Let me get this straight: we've got a former IT professional who learned English through Eminem and now writes about supernatural military units. What could possibly go wrong?
Alexandra Engellmann delivers Marco, the second installment in her Sky Ghosts series, with all the subtlety of a tactical nuclear strike. Our protagonist finds himself homeless, gets recruited by supernatural special forces, and immediately faces his greatest enemy: a pint-sized female operative who apparently moonlights as his personal tormentor. Because nothing says "military efficiency" like institutionalized harassment between teammates.
The audiobook narration somehow manages to elevate this chaotic premise. While the plot stumbles through predictable beats-tough guy meets annoying girl, tough guy hates annoying girl, tough guy reluctantly becomes friends with annoying girl-the voice work actually sells it. There's genuine chemistry in the audio performance that the written reviews don't quite capture.
Engellmann's background in IT shows in her world-building approach: everything's meticulously catalogued and systematized, right down to supernatural bureaucracy. The author's Instagram features her possibly telepathic cat Cookie, which honestly seems more plausible than some of the psychic abilities her human characters possess.
What saves this audiobook from complete absurdity is its commitment to its own ridiculousness. The narrator embraces the melodrama with such enthusiasm that you can't help but be entertained. Marco's internal monologue about wanting to avoid "bloodletting" while dealing with his tormentor provides genuine laughs, especially when delivered with the right timing.
Sure, it's formulaic urban fantasy with military aesthetics, but sometimes formula works when executed with genuine personality. The audiobook format really helps sell the character dynamics that might read as flat on paper. At least until Cookie the telepathic cat gets her own spin-off series, this will have to suffice.
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Playing a wide variety of audio formats
Works on all devices with iOS 13 and newer
Huge amount of features for a small price
Frequent updates to add new features and improve existing ones
Advanced playback controls
Live sound processing
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice and noise reduction
Translated into more than 20 languages
If you love listening to fiction audiobooks, ListenBook has features to make the process easier.
Edit book data: title, author, cover
Use equalizer to make the sound comfortable for you
Adjust the playback speed
Enjoy dark and light app themes
Supported formats: MP3, M4B, AWB, FLAC, OGG audio files and many more (must be DRM free)
Auto-Bookmarks make it easy to find your place
AirPlay support allows redirection of audio output.
VoiceOver support
Dark mode for night owls
Convenient bookmarking system helps you mark the most important places.
Unlimited bookmarks for each audiobook
Put your own cover on the wager
Share your audiobook with friends
Lock-screen control
Customise app with extensive options
Sleep timer with shake to reset, set custom notification sounds, and a few unique options
Auto rewind depending on paused time, customize rewind times to your liking
Removing background noise from recordings made in classrooms and meetings
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice for a better listening experience