Audiobook Review | Dead Moon by Peter Clines

Dead Moon is a science fiction/horror book by Peter Clines.

In the year 2243, the Moon belongs to the dead.

The largest graveyard in the solar system, it was the perfect solution to the overcrowding and environmental problems that had plagued mankind for centuries. And the perfect place for Cali Washington to run away from her past.

But when a mysterious meteor crashes into one of the Moon’s cemeteries, Cali and her fellow Caretakers find themselves surrounded by a terrifying enemy force that outnumbers them more than a thousand to one. An enemy not hindered by the lack of air or warmth or sustenance.

An enemy that is already dead.

Now Cali and her compatriots must fight to survive. Because if they don’t, everyone on the Moon may be joining the dead.

And maybe everyone on Earth, too.

I'm going to jump straight into the selling point of Dead Moon: zombies on the moon! Well, that and the fact that it was written by Peter Clines and narrated by Ray Porter. The only other Peter Clines books I've read are 14 and Ex-Heroes, but I loved them - especially 14.

Dead Moon is part of the same series as 14, but the Threshold series is comprised of stand alone books. They can absolutely be read independent of each other. (Some day I need to go back and read book 2!)

I don't have a lot to say about Dead Moon because it was mostly just fun action. There wasn't a lot of character development or anyone to really get attached to, but I still enjoyed the ride. The moon setting and all it entailed was the heart of what made this a unique zombie story, but I was happy to see another layer to the monster madness added in as well.

Dead Moon was a fun read that didn't require much effort on my part as the reader. It was just the right book when I needed it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐★

Dead Moon is available exclusively through Audible and is narrated by Ray Porter (one of the best in the business). You can check out samples of Dead Moon below:

Prologue:



Excerpt 1:



Excerpt 2:



Review copy provided by publisher

Top 10+ Recommendations for Someone New to Audiobooks

If you are considering giving audiobooks a try, these are some of my all time favorite narrators and audiobooks.

Kate Mulgrew

I love Kate Mulgrew's performance in both NOS4A2 and The Fireman by Joe Hill.

Frank Muller

I give a lot of credit to Frank Muller for getting me as far into The Dark Tower as he did. Unfortunately he passed away before completing the series. That might be why I haven't finished the series either.

I have found other great audios like All Quiet on the Western Front by simply seeking out Frank Muller narrations.

Rob Inglis

I love Rob Inglis's performance in the entire The Lord of the Rings trilogy. These are audiobooks I love to revisit.

Jim Dale

My absolute favorite audios of all time are the Harry Potter audios narrated by Jim Dale. I've actually tried to listen to other Jim Dale audiobooks and my brain won't let me. No matter what he's reading, I try to place it into the wizarding world of Harry Potter. I highly, highly recommend listening to the entire Harry Potter series via Jim Dale. The audios are extraordinary.

Wil Wheaton

I've heard great things about other books narrated by Wil Wheaton, but I think the only one I've listened to is Ready Player One. I would recommend it even if the movie wasn't about to release, but there is no better time than right now.

Bonus: I just saw that the upcoming Joe Hill book (Strange Weather) will be narrated by both Kate Mulgrew and Wil Wheaton (among others)!

Michael Page

Michael Page has narrated a lot of audiobooks, and the Gentleman Bastard series is among some of my favorite audios of all time.

Tom Stechschulte

Tom Stechschulte is another prolific narrator, and I love his narration of Robert McCammon's Swan Song. Swan Song is in my top three favorite books of all time (in any format). If the size of Swan Song has ever prevented you from taking the plunge, do not be afraid to go the audio route with this one.

Tom Stechschulte also narrated Cormac McCarthy's The Road. I haven't listened to it, but bet his voice is awesome for that one, too, so I'm including it here.

If you have any favorite audiobooks or narrators, please let me know in the comments!! If you are new to audio, I hope this gives you some options to consider.

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This post is being shared as part of The Broke and the Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday.

Book Review | The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)

The Long Walk is a dystopian novel by Stephen King published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.

On the first day of May, 100 teenage boys meet for a race known as "The Long Walk." If you break the rules, you get three warnings. If you exceed your limit, what happens is absolutely terrifying.

I've been asked on many occasions if I've read this book, and I never stopped to wonder why. Of course I see now why this book has been recommended to me throughout the years. It's like asking someone who's afraid of clowns if they've read IT. The Long Walk is a perfect fit for me. I wish I had read it sooner! I wish I had read The Long Walk prior to the upteen billion dystopians I've already experienced in recent years. It kept reminding me of The Hunger Games instead of vice versa as it bloody well should have been.

I listened to The Long Walk on audio which was a great experience. Grab it off Overdrive if you have yet to read this one. There's an amazing introduction by Stephen King included with the audio. I have the "Bachman Books" on my shelf so I pulled it down to read the introduction again only to find a completely different introduction! If you've already read the Bachman Books, you might be interested in reading the second introduction King wrote for it.

I've put off reading Bachman over the years. Up until now I think I've only read The Regulators (right after reading Desperation) and Thinner (right after watching the movie). I've had some deluded idea in my mind that I wouldn't enjoy them like I enjoy a King novel. I can't speak for the rest of the Bachman Books, but you don't get more Stephen King than The Long Walk. He really, really thought no one would know Richard Bachman was Stephen King?! No one writes like Stephen King. In my opinion, no one even comes close to writing like Stephen King. So now I have some more reading to do!

The Long Walk was a great way to end a not-so-remarkable reading year. It serves as a good reminder of how important it is to pull down the back titles throughout the year and enjoy some gems I've been missing out on.

8/10: Great Read

Book Review | All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

All Quiet on the Western Front is a classic novel from Erich Maria Remarque.

Book Description

This is the testament of Paul Bäumer, who enlists with his classmates in the German army of World War I. These young men become enthusiastic soldiers, but their world of duty, culture, and progress breaks into pieces under the first bombardment in the trenches.

Through years of vivid horror, Paul holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the hatred that meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation but different uniforms against one another... if only he can come out of the war alive.

The real reason I read All Quiet on the Western Front was to listen to Frank Muller’s narration, but it turned out to be a beautifully written, thought-provoking novel.

It’s a war novel, but it’s not about the war. It’s about its effects on the men who go to war.

“This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war.”

I feel quite devastated by All Quiet on the Western Front, really. A great book leaves an impact, and there are definitely scenes in this one that will remain with me always. It’s a remarkable read.

“We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world; and we had to shoot it to pieces.”

If you’re into audiobooks, I highly recommend the audio version. Frank Muller was an exceptional narrator.

8/10: Great Read

Hounded by Kevin Hearne | Audiobook Review

Hounded is the first book in the Iron Druid Chronicles series.

Book Description

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

Review

If you are looking for something fun to listen to on audio, Hounded is a great choice. Luke Daniels's voice is really age and style appropriate although Atticus's dog Oberon does sound too much like Cheech Marin to me.

I laughed out loud so many times listening to Hounded. I don't do that very often, much less multiple times in the same book.

I'm certain the book is just as fun in print as it is in audio, but I like finding audiobooks that have this level of entertainment in them.

The Iron Druid Chronicles is an urban fantasy series. Many (many) mythical creatures make an appearance in Hounded, but they all have their place. I kind of tiptoe through the urban fantasy genre every once in a while, and I've really enjoyed every UF book that I've given a try so far.

I will definitely continue on with this series, and I will likely listen to them all on audio as well.

7/10: Recommended Read

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson | Audiobook Review

This is the not the first version I wrote of my review. The first version was a whole lot of fan girl spoiler action. I can't have any of the spoiler business on my blog so after getting it all out of my system, I scratched it and started anew.

Book Description

More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings — merciless creatures that leave mangled corpses in their wake. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles.

As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students study the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing — kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery — one that will change Rithmatics — and their world — forever.

Bestselling author Brandon Sanderson brings his unique brand of epic storytelling to the teen audience with an engrossing tale of danger and suspense—the first of a series. With his trademark skills in world-building, Sanderson has created a magic system that is so inventive and detailed that that readers who appreciate games of strategy and tactics just may want to bring Rithmatics to life in our world.

Review

I tried explaining what this book is about to my husband, and I bumbled through it rather incoherently. I'm not going to try to recreate that here. I will point you to the book description ^ to learn what The Rithmatist is about.

So, yeah. Basically these kids draw shapes with chalk to defend themselves against chalk creatures who can and will try to kill them.

It's kind of a nerdy book with the math and the unicorns, and I seriously loved it. 

I love when a book's excitement builds and builds for me. I was hooked early on because I like nerdy things, and I really liked Joel's character. Then students started disappearing and we started getting to know Melody and all of the teachers including that one new teacher you just know you can't trust.

Joel and Melody are trying to figure out who has been taking the kids, and a lot of awesome that I won't spoil ensues. I was so hooked to the story I was practically fist pumping for Joel and Melody in the end.

And the bad guy... I'm so excited about the bad guy, and I can't wait for the rest of this series. I mentioned the other day how frustrated I am that series books never give me a whole story anymore, but The Rithmatist gave me a complete story and a big dose of excitement over what's to come.

This is my first Brandon Sanderson book so I had no expectations going in, and I have no reference or comparison to his adult books. My library has two of his other series so I will be checking them out eventually.

If the book description sounds good to you, you should definitely read the book. The only comparison I have is it reminds me of Harry Potter. That's dangerous territory, I know, so take it how you will. As for me, I cannot wait to read the next book.

8/10: Great Read

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I listened to The Rithmatist on audio. The audiobook was narrated by Michael Kramer.

Horns by Joe Hill | Audiobook Review

I hate when everyone loves a book but me!

Book Description

At first Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who was raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real.

Once the righteous Ig had enjoyed the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned musician and younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, he had security, wealth, and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more—he had Merrin and a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic.

But Merrin's death damned all that. The only suspect in the crime, Ig was never charged or tried. And he was never cleared. In the court of public opinion in Gideon, New Hampshire, Ig is and always will be guilty because his rich and connected parents pulled strings to make the investigation go away. Nothing Ig can do, nothing he can say, matters. Everyone, it seems, including God, has abandoned him. Everyone, that is, but the devil inside. . . .

Now Ig is possessed of a terrible new power to go with his terrible new look—a macabre talent he intends to use to find the monster who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It's time for a little revenge. . . . It's time the devil had his due. . . .

Review

After Ig Perrish's girlfriend is murdered, he wakes up with horns coming out of his head. He also notices that those around him openly share their deepest secrets and desires. Does everyone have such horrible thoughts? I don't know if it was because I was listening to it on audio, but uncensored people are not fun to be around. I fear how many wrinkles this book may have caused me.

I think part of my problem with this book is the humor was lost on me. All of the horrible thoughts people were having seemed like shock value to me. I love horror so it's not that I mind horrible thoughts or bad people, I was just having trouble getting behind everyone being that way. Every person Ig came across was worse than the last. I started wondering if my library had punked me.

This book wasn't entirely without merit. Ig is trying to discover what happened to his girlfriend the night she was murdered. He learns that his horns also yield power over others. I found myself getting sucked in, but then inevitably something would force me back to thinking I hate this book and I can't wait for this to be over.

Part of what made Horns so unlikeable was the characters were so unlikeable.

I forgot there was going to be a movie with Daniel Radcliffe until someone mentioned it in a comment earlier this week. I guess my relationship with Horns isn't over yet as I will likely still watch the movie. I'm too curious not to see Harry Potter with horns. I'll just get drunk before I watch it.

So, I'm obviously not recommending this to anyone. If you want to read Joe Hill, and I recommend that you do!, Heart-Shaped Box was a great debut and NOS4A2 was awesome. I'm apparently the only one who didn't enjoy Horns, but I still can't bring myself to suggest you give it a try for yourself.

3/10: Didn't Like it