TERRIBLE, Passionless, and Dry Narration

The Dragonlance story, in my opinion, is one of the best fantasy series ever written; "Chronicles" and "Legends" being the pinnacle of the vessel launched by Weis and Hickman in the early 80s.

"Chronicles" narrator, (Paul) Boehmer, not only captured the feel of the world in books, but the essence of the characters - something that creates the true magic of these stories. These characters' depths of feeling, devotion to each other, inner turmoil, struggle with both the good and the evil within and without, and so on is what draws a reader in and captures them!

This, however, was nearly obliterated by (Ax) Norman, the narrator for "Legends," who left the books dry and without emotion. He should truly have given a listen to Boehmer before he started or, at very least, done research of his own - perhaps consulting with Weis and/or Hickman before slaughtering pronunciations, draining the passion of the characters, and making flavorless the overall feel of the World of Krynn and all those "living" upon it.

At very least, he should have gone back to previous recordings and, hearing his own voice, remained consistent in his pronunciations and overall rhythm and tempo of his tale. Is it Paladin, or PalaDINE? Is it RAStlin, or RAIstlin? TANE-is or TANis? Good gods, man - pick one, even if you're slaughtering it, and stick with it!

Perhaps one of the dullest narrators ever employed, but moreso because his narration removes the essence and life of the story. Funny moments were made bland; serious and important moments made to seem not only ordinary, but that almost make the reader uncaring.

We can only hope that these can one day be redone by Boehmer or, perhaps, another narrator who knows how to perform, and who obviously cares that the listener be drawn in, entertained, and transported rather than one interested in gathering an easy paycheck.

183 people found this helpful

I should have read the reviews...

Would you try another book from Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and/or Ax Norman?

Yes, I will try another of Weis and Hickman, but I will avoid like the plague any book narrated by Ax Norman

What did you like best about this story?

The story is compelling but I will be buying the book and reading for myself.

Would you be willing to try another one of Ax Norman’s performances?

Absolutely Not

Was Time of the Twins worth the listening time?

Not with this narrator....

Any additional comments?

After listening to the Chronicles series, this narrator falls so short, I couldn't even finish half of the book.

82 people found this helpful

Dragonlance Classic... narrator wasn't

What about Ax Norman’s performance did you like?

Mr. Norman should've done his homework before agreeing to reading this classic Dragonlance series, it is obviously apparent that he hasn't read this series prior to narrating it. Character names are mispronounced but he does get better as he goes along. But he is unable to pronounce Paladine's name correctly the entire book. Mr. Norman - it's Paladine not Paladin.

55 people found this helpful

Yes, Audible, Ax the Ax.

Sorry, but I'm afraid I simply must agree with several others on this point. The Dragonlance novels are great books and I think they're being done a very poor disservice, albeit possibly unintentional. Audible, you simply MUST find a new narrator for these books. Ax Norman MUST GO! Sorry Ax, I'm sure he's a great guy, he's absolutely ruining the Audible experience for these books. If you read this review, buy the books on Kindle and read them until you see a different narrator listed for any of the Krynn novels. Anyone but Ax that is; remember ax the Ax!

44 people found this helpful

my favorite series ruined by an awful narator

What didn’t you like about Ax Norman’s performance?

I've been an audible listener for many years I have over 40 books in my audible library. This narator is awful. Most of the time when there are dialog between character you can't tell who is talking because he doesn't change is voice at all, even between a male and a female. But for me the biggest mistake.. between books of the same series that he all narated himself he changes his prononciation of character names and places. For me this shows extreme lazyness in the part of mr. Norman to not even go back to his previous work to keep a semblance of consistency. Its even more important in a fantasy novel because a lot of words are invented. He should have checked with the author if posible. Even if it wasn't he could at least keep the same pronunciation throughout the whole series.

41 people found this helpful

Awesome story - terrible reader

What did you love best about Time of the Twins?

The story is still as entertaining as it was in the 80s. It's as interesting as the chronicles. The characters and storyline are great. I waited a very long time to get the unabridged audio versions of this series. Thank you. I hope we get more Weis and Hickman audio books.

How could the performance have been better?

I didn't think Dragonlance could get a WORSE reader than Boehmer from the chronicles, but this guy tops him. He reads all character voices the same. There is little to no distinction between the narration and the different characters speaking. His inflection is so flat-line, that it can even be confusing as to which character is speaking. During some parts, he changes the pronunciation of names from one sentence to the next. The story is entertaining enough, that I will still finish the series, but it could have been much better with a good narrator. I love this story and hope that Audible and the Dragonlance franchise will consider redoing the production with an performer worthy of such a classic series.

32 people found this helpful

Time for Some Patience!!!

What didn’t you like about Ax Norman’s performance?

This is the reason for my review. While Ax Norman's voice is pleasant to listen to his performance is HORRIBLE. Mispronounced names, monotone reading, and whispered shouts are all part of this dismal performance. I would not recommend this reading for those who are new to the world of Dragonlance. At times I could engross myself in the story and completely forget the pitiful presentation.I know that I've been spoiled with all of the other wonderful narrators. There really are too many to mention. Ax should learn from some of them.

27 people found this helpful

Story carries flat reading

What made the experience of listening to Time of the Twins the most enjoyable?

The craft of Weis & Hickman.

What did you like best about this story?

The fantastic trek through a future of a past most of us have read.

Did Ax Norman do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

I feel the reading was flat. There wasn't much in the way of 'bringing the story to life..."
The reader says a line with excitement, then reads that the line was mumbled...

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

No.

23 people found this helpful

preparation, pronunciation and consistency

What would have made Time of the Twins better?

I have no complaints about the book or series in general. They're well written for the intended audience and I still love to visit the world of Krynn as an adult.

What other book might you compare Time of the Twins to and why?

Any dragonlance series.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

This series is one of my favorites, however the performance was horrible. within the first five minutes the narrator changed the pronunciation of the antagonist (Raislin Majere) at least three times; finally getting it close to correct. The pronunciation of a recurring character, Elistan, was likewise mangled at least three times within the first five minutes and the pronunciation of one of the protagonists (Tasslehoff Burrfoot) was almost consistently mangled. His nickname "Tas" was normally pronounced as "Tahss" or Tahz", yet when his nickname was followed shortly by his full name it was pronounced correctly as "Tass" (as in 'ass' beginning with a T).

Pronunciation of names aside, there were very annoying mispronunciations of common words that made me think back to grade school reading exercises. For example, "adept" was pronounced as "add-dept" and indigent was misread as indignant (a common mistake, but one a professional should not make).Further, the attempt at providing an emotive reading during scenes of high tension was a complete failure. These were typically during scenes in which someone should be shouting and wound up being what can only be described as a "whispered shout."

Finally, the narrator's prosody leaves much to be desired. All these combined to quickly and often bring the listener back to reality when one should be engrossed to the point that they feel as a silent companion to the characters.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Time of the Twins?

none

Any additional comments?

To the narrator: your voice is fine, but it appears as though you didn't spend any time in preparation. When an author is still alive, reach out to them for the authoritative pronunciation of complex or strange character / location names. if they aren't alive, reach out to others in your profession, professors or linguists. Work on your rhythm, stress and intonation. Read the book with a critical eye as well and note locations of commonly mispronounced or misread words before voicing. Practice pronunciation of difficult proper nouns. I hope this review doesn't discourage you, I can hear (especially as the story progresses) that you have a lot of potential and often I found myself engrossed in the story. Good luck to you.

To listeners: the intended audience of the series (pre-teen - mid-teen) would probably not notice any of the points I brought up and would likely enjoy the series. If you are looking to relive the wonder of Krynn you found in the '80's, I would recommend you chose the paperback or kindle edition.

20 people found this helpful

To the Tower of High Sorcery - Begin Your Journey!

After the initial Dragonlance series, most readers figured the story of Caramon and Raistlin was finished, said and done.

We were all taken by surprise and thrilled to discover these three novels that gave us an even stronger reading on the twins future story. Despite the wearisome Ax Norman narration, you will enjoy these at LEAST as good as the first four novels, and will be carried along on a journey of high magic, time travel, broad epic story lines, vast moral decisions impacting the world, and just simply good fantasy listening.

This first of the three will swallow you up into the Dragonlance realm, and when done, if you don't want more, I will be honestly SHOCKED. This is Weiss and Hickman at their prime.

Don't pass this series up. I liked it so much, I acquired all three in the series.

And don't worry, I don't always write glowing reviews. Look at my past reviews, and you'll see some extremely negative reviews. Don't worry, I have a few negative reviews to share soon.

For now, let's focus on the good stuff. And this, Audible listener, is the good stuff.

16 people found this helpful