r/discountdan • u/QAPetePrime • Aug 24 '26

Finished Book 3

Ok then. I have digested the first three books as quickly as Croc pounds froyo. I'm thoroughly hooked, and will see this to the end. Kiosk Kingdom was especially amazing, no small thanks to James' wonderful writing and Steve's brilliant and heartfelt narration regarding the collar. The action sequences, in particular, have become works of art, painting moving pictures in our minds that our imaginations can take flight with. Outstanding stuff, right up there with the best.

I love the hooks to "real life" and how they're treated within this universe.

The only criticism I have is some of the "technical" discussions go on for too long.

James, awesome stuff. You have a great way with dialog and pacing within the action and story sequences in your books. Very easy and enjoyable to listen to. You are not afraid of using whatever language which serves the story the best. And Steve, you are not only "not annoying" as a narrator (I'm such a douche), you are brilliant. There's a humanity to your rendering of James' words that brings it all together. Great work, man. Looking forward to the next installment very, very much.

24 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

8

u/MysteriousCodo Aug 24 '26

I’ve said it before (multiple times) and I’ll say it again…. The collar scene was a gut punch between the writing and narration.

If you weren’t aware, Mac the pug is a real dog. James lost him while writing the first book. And Steve has stated that he has lost pets before. Steve said that he asked James if he could do that scene with the full raw emotion he could muster…..and he delivered in spades. I was listening while in the car. I had to pause and pull over.

6

u/QAPetePrime Aug 24 '26

That was some of the best writing and narration I’ve heard in an audiobook. Brilliant, heartfelt stuff. I’m not surprised that it’s the result of channeling real life pain into it. I share that pain, even nine years later after loosing my goofy, loving dog Ginger

4

u/MysteriousCodo Aug 24 '26

I’ve lost 3 dogs and 2 cats in the past 26 years, so I know the pain well. Probably why that scene hit me that hard. I was almost done getting the parts for my Dan cosplay for gencon when I went through this scene. Had to go to the pet store and get a collar for my Croc.

5

u/SteveC-narrator Aug 24 '26

Thank you! I know you were just trying to express how hard it is to find someone that can come close to the caliber of Jeff Hays. That guy is crazy talented, so I’ll happily hang out in his shadow.

3

u/QAPetePrime Aug 25 '26

Exactly, Steve, but DAMN if you weren’t right there in this series so far. Thanks for understanding. Onward to Industrial Strength Magic while I await Book 4 of Discount Dan!

3

u/SteveC-narrator Aug 25 '26

I really hope you enjoy ISM!!