I was hooked from the beginning of this novel, and felt so deeply for the main character’s plight at the doctors officesCONTENT WARNING: animal deaths
I was hooked from the beginning of this novel, and felt so deeply for the main character’s plight at the doctors offices, trying to find a diagnosis for what was happening to her. (If only I had a dollar for every time I was treated the exact same way, by some older male doctor�.!). Things come to a head much too quickly in this novella, and then there is the ending�. Which I didn’t understand at all. Did I miss something? I have no idea. And I’m much too exhausted from insomnia to try and figure this meaning out. Ah well, this novella was fun while it lasted..! I wish it were longer, and we the readers had for background information, and things like that.
Mary Robinette Kowal is the narrator for the audiobook version of this novella, and she was fantastic. Her pronunciations of all those names was enchanting, and I loved it. Kudos to everyone involved in the making of this project at Macmillan Audio.
3 stars. Check out more of those content warnings before reading!...more
I don’t know why I bothered reading this novel. Probably because it was available to me immediately at Evernote (used to be Scribd), without waiting. I don’t know why I bothered reading this novel. Probably because it was available to me immediately at Evernote (used to be Scribd), without waiting. I guess I had forgotten how bored I was with Chizmar’s Gwendy novels, and that’s exactly why I never finished that series…and also why I haven’t bothered with the Boogeyman series of his, either. This novel was not spooky, nor was it eerie, or even a little scary. It was mainly just slow. Not slow burn, just SLOW. I will definitely not be having nightmares, like some reviews insist on, here on goodreads. ...more
This is a scribd original story and thus only found there. It was pretty interesting, but barely held my interest. I was able to get thru it ok, and iThis is a scribd original story and thus only found there. It was pretty interesting, but barely held my interest. I was able to get thru it ok, and idk if I will recommend it unless you are a diehard Harper Lee fan.
Charlie Kevin is the narrator of the audiobook version of this novel. His accents and voice characterizations need improvement.
This VERY short story is only 6 mines long, and I wish it were longer. That may only be because I’m totally in love with Lansdale’s writing though� idThis VERY short story is only 6 mines long, and I wish it were longer. That may only be because I’m totally in love with Lansdale’s writing though� idk, I just loved it, even though it’s too short. BRB, gonna go find more Lansdale novels to read�
Ramón de Ocampo Is the superb narrator for the audiobook version of this novel. I hadn’t heard de Ocampo’s work before, but that’s probably because he narrates younger novels like RL Stein and Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the like. I would totally be into anything he narrates for adults, in the future.
This novel held me and my husband spellbound listening to it while driving around town today. We could both see this novella becoming a fantastic moviThis novel held me and my husband spellbound listening to it while driving around town today. We could both see this novella becoming a fantastic movie, if done right. And we would both definitely watch it, with bells on. We loved it! It went about a mile a minute, all action and thrills. I’m really beginning to love Dawson’s writing!
Elisabeth Ashby Is the narrator for the audiobook version of this novel, and she was perfect for this job. Her voice characterizations were superb, and I only had a couple small confusing moments, but those were early on in the novel. I hope Tantor media and other audiobook publishers can give Ashby a lot more audiobooks to narrate, because she is superb. Kudos to everyone involved in this project.
4 stars, and well done! Recommended, but please check out those content warnings online before reading this novel..! There are quite a few....more
My friend Laurie’s review says everything I wanted to say about this novel. I couldn’t possibly agree more, and I also couldn’t possibly say this any My friend Laurie’s review says everything I wanted to say about this novel. I couldn’t possibly agree more, and I also couldn’t possibly say this any better:
A little bit too long, but still ok. It was difficult trying to figure out the translations of the South African words sprinkled throughout the novel A little bit too long, but still ok. It was difficult trying to figure out the translations of the South African words sprinkled throughout the novel while listening to an audiobook, but I was able to figure out most of them through context. But for some reason I had difficulty connecting to any of the characters in this novel. I think some of the pages could have been trimmed down to make this novel stop feeling like it was interminable as well. But I was able to get through it all right.
Sandra PrinslooIs the amazing and talented narrator for the audiobook version of this novel. Her accent and pronunciation of everything South African was so very enjoyable. Prinsloo tried to attempt a southern accent from America, and that wasn’t very good. But that was totally fine with me, as I could see how this would be difficult for other countries to manage..! So it didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all. I hope this narrator continues with the narration of all the novels in the series, for as long as it goes on.
From what I understand, there is some kind of glossary for the South African words used in this novel, possibly at the back of the ebook and physical book. Obviously, the audiobook didn’t have it, unless I skipped that when I skipped all the recipes�. So please know that before reading this novel.
And yes, there are recipes for all the dishes the main character makes in this novel, at the end of the book. Those recipes are read aloud in the audiobook, so yes they are all included. Those of you who don’t have hugely restricted diets will like seeing these recipes, and maybe even trying them out for yourself. They sounded amazing to me..!
All in all, I’m not sure yet it I will continue on to the next novel or not. I’ll have to think about it for a while. I don’t feel very invested though.
I adore Victor LaValle’s novels, and his writing. This novel was right up my alley. I was never sure where it was heading, in all the best ways too. II adore Victor LaValle’s novels, and his writing. This novel was right up my alley. I was never sure where it was heading, in all the best ways too. It was just one wild ride. LaValle has become and insta-read, for me. I just wish this novel had some higher reviews on this page� oh well, I annoyed the hell out of it!
Sean Crisden Is the wonderful narrator for the audiobook version of this novel. Thank you Tantor Media, Inc and everyone involved in the making of this project, as I really loved it and appreciated the work.
Deepti Gupta and Zehra Jane Naqvi are the narrators for the audiobook version of this novel. Ms. Gupta is amazing, and I could listen to her narrationDeepti Gupta and Zehra Jane Naqvi are the narrators for the audiobook version of this novel. Ms. Gupta is amazing, and I could listen to her narration all day long. Ms. Naqvi is very good also.
This novel was very good, but stressful. The content warnings should be looked up and heeded closely, because there are some serious triggers in this This novel was very good, but stressful. The content warnings should be looked up and heeded closely, because there are some serious triggers in this novel, and at parts it was difficult to get through. I can only imagine what it would be like for someone who was unprepared for these issues to walk in blindly. Please google them! And be warned, there isn’t really a HEA here. Otherwise, I could tell one of the major twists from a while away, but oddly enough I didn’t see the others. This was fine, as I didn’t think it was written in an obvious way, or badly. It’s well written, and there are some damaged people who make some seriously bad decisions in here. I just ended up feeling really bad for just about everyone.
The audiobook version of this novel is narrated by a whole cast, but the parts are not listed as to who played who, so I am unable to give you that information. If you happen to stumble across is somewhere, please let me know, and I will include that info in my review.
The cast includes mainly Mizuo Peck and Tessa Albertson, with the help of Nicole Lewis, Rebecca Lowman, Joy Osmanski, Angel Pean, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Erin Ruth Walker, and CJ Wilson. Everyone was amazing at their job, and I love how well this project was done. Kudos to Simon & Schuster Audio, and everyone else involved in it.
4 stars, and PLEASE check out those content warnings before reading....more
CONTENT WARNINGS: Extreme gore, racism, confinement, blood, murder, bullying, contemplation of unaliving oneself, Gun violence, vom, animal deaths, peCONTENT WARNINGS: Extreme gore, racism, confinement, blood, murder, bullying, contemplation of unaliving oneself, Gun violence, vom, animal deaths, peanut allergy, anaphylaxis reaction, epi pen shot used on page, Car accident, Death of parent, child death, mourning, medical trauma, injury/injury detail, Alcoholism, stalking, torture.
I really loved this novel a great deal. I thought it was very well written, and I loved the stream-of-consciousness style it was written in. The characters were wonderfully written, and fleshed out. I highly recommend this novel to horror lovers out there, slasher film lovers, and those who can handle the content warnings.
While Stephen Graham Jones deserves a much better written review than this one, I am running a fever again, and can barely string two sentences together. Added to this gorgeous day stuck inside, the 70+ y.o. owner of our rental is getting worked on. The construction has been going (off and on) for weeks now. So I have a headache from all the pounding, and I cannot nap, or even shower until he leaves, because I’m worried the guy will hurt himself, stove up his back again, get another hernia, or fall off our ladder or something, and I won’t hear him yelling for help�. Yeah I know I worry too much. But we have known the owners for 13+ years and we care about them. Which is why I’m trying to stay away from him just in case this fever is the start of that super bad cold going around yet again� I almost had pneumonia from it once already. And I can’t get upset about any of these repairs, because they are the best things to happen to this old place since we have moved here! So anyway� my brains hurt. Thinking hurts. I might have to get another ice pack for my head.
Stephen Graham Jones, I loved your novel. I hope this is enough. Since you seem like a very cool dude, I’m betting it is. Please also know that I adored hearing you speak on the audiobook, about this novel, your trip to Dubai, your family, and your dog. I would listen to you speak about anything. You have a calming voice, but fascinating stories. Please consider speaking more....more
This isn’t a bad series at all. It held my interest throughout it, even though at times it seemed a little lackluster. I didn’t know who the baddie waThis isn’t a bad series at all. It held my interest throughout it, even though at times it seemed a little lackluster. I didn’t know who the baddie was, but at the same time I didn’t even try because I didn’t care to, so that didn’t matter to me at all. If I can continue to find the audiobooks online or at my library to listen to, I may keep listening to this series, but I won’t buy them. They are just� good. Not amazing.
Petrea Burchard Is the narrator for the audiobook version of this novel, and she was pretty great. As far as I can tell, this is my first novel with her narration, and I enjoyed her work.
I was thrilled to find another Indigenous author out there that I hadn’t read before, and was even happier that this author was a horror writer. My libraries don’t carry Goingback’s work for some reason, so I searched Scribd/Everand to find anything I could get�. And found this novel. And I didn’t enjoy it that much. The plot is kind of lame, the writing is pretty B-movie script-like, and the characters are pretty one dimensional. The ‘funny� lines weren’t funny to me, the ‘romance� is shoehorned into the storyline awkwardly and trite, and the over-the-top hentai-inspired monster descriptions seem to be written as gross as possible, just to shock us readers.
The monster flat out s.a./r*pes a couple women ON PAGE with no warning (and no content warnings at the beginning of the novel, either), and that’s not even the worst part.
I was not the only reviewer here on goodreads to have been just taken out of the story by all the fatphobia and misogyny included in this novel. And the graphic s.a./r*pe. Add in all the face/body horror, the graphic violence, death of a main character, mourning, loss, infertility talked about, teeth loss, funerals, etc, and it was all just too much for me. I did not enjoy myself while listening to this novel, and was stressed out instead of relaxed and enjoying it.
This was my first Goingback novel, and I am not impressed. I’m going to have to think about trying any more of his other works in the future, because right now I am just not certain I want to. Considering the writer is part Cherokee, part Choctaw, I was hoping that there would be some really interesting native influences on the storytelling that would help distinguish this story from any other, but that ain’t happening in this novel. And after finishing this mess, I really (AGAIN) have to wonder why t.f. Male authors feel the need to further their plots with the r*pe of their female characters. What is going on in their brains that make them think this is something that readers enjoy�. I get why Goingback had the monster do this, don’t get me wrong. (And don’t @me, because I ain’t playin). But it all could have been handled way more delicately, so it didn’t seem quite so much like torture porn to me. Idk, I wouldn’t feel quite so strongly about that particular issue if Goingback hadn’t also added in all that lovely misogyny, fatphobia, etc, etc. What am I trying to say? Idk, but I wish I knew the author personally, so I could tell if he were an sexist asshole or not.
Another reviewer here on goodreads stated that this is Goingback’s 7th novel, and not his first. Ouch�.. If I were you, I would skip it. It’s forgettable.
So Heath Kizzier is the narrator of the audiobook version of this novel, and he was ok. He read the story for the most part, instead of narrating it. He also mispronounced quite a few words, most of which he should have known (I’m guessing?). The worst of which were ‘macabre�, ‘quarry�, and ‘cavalry�. Instead of using the word ‘cavalry� correctly in a sentence, he instead used the word ‘Calvary� which is a completely different word all together - and it totally changed the meaning of the sentence. So when you say ‘the cavalry is finally here� (or however the sentence went), and instead you use the word Calvary, this is a problem - because Calvary means � open-air representation of the crucifixion of Jesus.� Then Kizzier tried to say ‘humid feeling air� and instead said, ‘human feeling air�, and I don’t think that was correct either. This might have been dyslexia, who knows? I’m just pointing these errors out. (I have dyslexia, and I can barely speak correctly on a good day. So I would never be able to narrate a novel like these professionals do). You may think all this is nit picking, but I don’t. Literally 90% of the novels I consume are audiobooks, and maybe more. So I have become quite good at catching things like this. I wish the editors of these audiobooks were able to catch things like this before the audiobook went out for publication, because it makes Books In Motion the publisher, look bad. And I, for one, would LOVE for there to be tons of different various audiobook publishers, so Audible would really get a run for their money� and maybe bring their prices down. More audiobooks for people who need them is a good thing! Anyway, I’m sorry Mr. Kizzier. Please do better next time.
I’m just glad this audiobook was only 8 hours long. Any longer, and I would have gone outside to scream or something. Ugh.
Does this novel deserve one star? Two? Idk, but I will think about it for a while....more
I had been missing George Guidall’s voice and wanted to hear him narrate a novel again, so I looked up some novels on a list of his work, and found thI had been missing George Guidall’s voice and wanted to hear him narrate a novel again, so I looked up some novels on a list of his work, and found this one. It sounded interesting, so I thought why not. Now I wish I hadn’t. This is my first Bear novel, and it might be my last as well, I’m not entirely sure just yet. But this novel shouldn’t have taken me FOUR DAYS to get through� I just kept having trouble with all the damn science info-dumping, and it was all so much! So I kept taking breaks, and ending up napping yo tell you the truth. I had little desire to get back to this novel and finish it, but I kept at it for some reason. It’s a real yawn, from an old school scifi writer. It feels to me like in Bear’s desire to impress everyone with all his research in this subject matter, etc., he just stuffed every last little shred of gleaned knowledge into this novel, whether it was needed or not. Turgid is a word that comes to mind�. I just wish Bear had handled this novel more like Weir’s The Martian - not exactly dumbing it all down for us ‘common folk� to understand, but at least make it more accessible to us all. Entirely too much science. Bleh. Also the main characters started becomes tropes. I was bored for pages and pages�. And then the gross stuff started happening.
Both significant female characters in the boom are evaluated on how good they are in bed. As I said, old school sci-fi author. Very classy.
**There's a scene where Kay Lang compares being forced to sign up for a national database to the persecution of the Jews during WWII. It came off as really tasteless, and I definitely reacted to it badly.
**Then to make matters worse, later on Bear has the same charters say, "They stared at me in the market," Kaye said. "I felt like a leper. Worse, like a n*gger." (page 516). Yep, flat out, with no reprimands from anyone else in the story, or anything. I understand that she (Kaye) thinks she is being treated with extreme suspicion and derision because of superficialities and ignorance, but still�. That’s an entire problem of its own. This is just�.. idk, man. Idk.
So yeah, none of this makes me want to rush out and find the sequel, and see if any of the characters in this novel happen to live through anything else that may happen in the second novel. I didn’t really connect with the characters, and I’m not sure I happen to vibe with Bear’s writing style anyway. So I think I will just skip all that. Next time I miss Guidall’s narrating skills and gravely, comforting voice, I will find something that has good reviews, first.
Hey, did I happen to mention that THE George Guidall narrates the audiobook version of this novel..? Yep, he sure does! And that is the ONLY THING that kept me going throughout these four lonnng, lonely days�. I sure adore Guidall’s voice and narration. I would think that suffering through this novel would be a huge sign, in case you couldn’t tell, or something�. And this is why he is one of my all time favorites:
� Guidall says he reads all his books beforehand and seeks to understand the book, not to just impart information but emotion and performance.[5] Guidall says many narrators are "just reading out loud. They don't have an emotional underpinning. There’s a rhythm to speech in terms of what's implied. If it's raining in the book, there’s got to be something about the voice that evokes the rain."[1] Guidall says audiobook narration "expands the author's intent, brings it into an immediacy. I am the author when I'm doing it. I'm a literary hermit crab finding a home in someone else's imagined truth."[1]�
Anyway, 3 stars, and only because I cannot give this novel 2.5 stars. Not recommended, unless you have a hankering for massive info dumps of technobabble, or need help sleeping at night. And like much of the 90’s, it is best left behind. Sorry Mr. Bear�. ...more
I loved this novel. Bardugo is in top form with her writing here, with a fantastic backdrop, some fascinating characters, and this wonderful time periI loved this novel. Bardugo is in top form with her writing here, with a fantastic backdrop, some fascinating characters, and this wonderful time period. I was held so enthralled with the audiobook, I stayed up all night untilI was finished with it, because ai could not put it down. Why some people here on goodreads are saying this novel is boring, I have no idea! I seriously thought about listening to it all over again, once I got done. Maybe those people thought the beginning of this novel was slow, and couldn’t possibly see that what was happening in it was boring. I honestly don’t know how, as I could t wait to find out what happened next. And that ending..? Damn, that ending was so good, I actually did listen to the whole last chapter a second time. WHEW.
I was so happy to see the narrator’s name Lauren Fortgang attached to this novel. She narrated Bardugo’s ‘Ninth House� series, and she was amazing on those. So yeah I’m a huge fan, and I hope to hear her wonderful narration work again soon. Thank goodness my library has four pages of her audiobooks to choose from now..! ...more
Loading...
