Classics – Dab of Darkness Book Reviews

Soundbooth Theater Sale plus Review of Dracula by Bram Stoker

Soundbooth Theater is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the launch of their app! To honor this occasion, SBT is throwing a stellar anniversary sale.

➜ Details about the anniversary sale:

The sale will start on October 31st, the one-year anniversary of SBT’s distribution platform, and will run for two weeks
This will be a sitewide sale — all audiobooks and Audio Deep Dives will be $5 or less
SBT will be unveiling some new titles on the platform, including Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon by Matt Dinniman and Monster Hunt NYC 2 by Harmon Cooper

🎉SOUNDBOOTH THEATER’S BIRTHDAY PARTY WILL TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31ST AT 8:00 PM ET. IT WILL BE STREAMED ON YOUTUBE, FACEBOOK, AND TWITCH.

Author: Bram Stoker

Narrator: Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott, Gary Francis Furlong

Released: Oct. 30, 2020

Genre: Gothic Horror

When Jonathan Harker visits the castle of the enigmatic Count Dracula at the behest of his employer, he has no idea of the horrors lurking within and poised to spread across Europe. But after narrowly escaping the castle – and the vampires dwelling within – Harker knows what true evil looks like. Now, with the help of everyone’s favorite polymath turned vampire hunter, Abraham Van Helsing, and a small band of dedicated do-gooders, Harker must find a way to destroy Dracula and save the world.

Soundbooth Theater is proud to release our rendition of one of the most popular tales in western literature. Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott, and Gary Francis Furlong effortlessly breathe life into this 123-year-old text. No matter how familiar you are with Dracula, we guarantee this Audio Deep Dive will send shivers down your spine.

WARNING: Our script is a faithful adaptation of a century-old story. As such, some language and themes depicted reflect outdated attitudes that in no way reflect the views of Soundbooth Theater.

Buy on Soundbooth Theater

Founded by prolific narrator and producer, Jeff Hays, Soundbooth Theater is a full-service audio production company that specializes in multicast audiobooks and Audio Deep Dives, which are enhanced with sound effects and music.

Website

While I have read this tale before, it has been many, many years and it was great to experience it as a full-cast audiobook. The story does have a slower pace than many modern vampire tales but I find that gives the author plenty of time to develop the characters and build the suspense. All that, makes Dracula one of my favorite classics.

The various settings are so well done that they are almost characters in the tale as well. I loved the dark mystery of Transylvania and the surrounding areas especially. When I first read this book, I was quite taken with the multiple descriptions of food too. I even hunted down some recipes and made several of them myself. This time around, I still enjoyed that element, but I was more focused on the character development.

Renfield. Ha! I think we’ve all known a Renfield at one time or another. He’s the epitome of the brown-noser, albeit with some psychological issues. My secret theory is that Stoker had to deal with a brown-noser or three and got fed up with them and got his sweet revenge by wrapping them all up into the character of Renfield.

Once again, I do love that the ladies take a more active role than one might think for the age of this classic. They aren’t as dominant as many modern tales, but they still play pivotal roles, and not always as romantic interests. They have their own hobbies and goals, which Dracula and his minions wreck. I especially like how organized Mina is.

The ending is always satisfying but in a way that also makes you wish for a sequel set 10 or 20 years later just so you can see what all the surviving characters are up to. 4.5/5stars.

The Narration, Sound Effects, & Music: Soundbooth Theater has put together a great full-cast narration. There’s regional UK accents as well as international accents. The range of voices kept all the characters easy to identify, the men sounding like men and the women sounding like women. The sound effects and music were well done and well timed. Not once did I feel that the narration was drowned out by the extra sounds. All the sound effects were easily identifiable, which is a must for me when listening to audio dramas. Soundbooth Theater has a choice in narrations when you buy from their site directly – narration only or what they call a Deep Dive (with all the sound effects and music). I think this is a most excellent thing to offer listeners. All around, it was a great performance. 5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Soundbooth Theater. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

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The Patient by Linda Thackeray

The Patient
Beyond the Veil, Book 1
By: Linda Thackeray
Narrated by: Fred Wolinsky
Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins

BOOK BLURB

Four hundred years ago, the elven realm lost their greatest magician to the modern world. Now, they are returning to avenge the forces that took him.

When the world was known as Avalyne, humans and magical beings lived in harmony. But over time, the elves retreated behind the Veil that separates the modern world from the magical realm.

In present day New York, psychiatrist Doctor Dan Ellis finds himself treating an elderly homeless man, brought in for vandalizing the imposing Malcolm Industries building. The old man insists on calling Dan “War Dragon”, but can recall nothing of his own past or identity.

Dan is not the only one interested in the old man’s treatment. Malcolm Industries are keen for Doctor Ellis to hand the petty criminal over to them, for reasons unexplained.

Meanwhile, three elven brothers slip from behind the Veil to search the world for the evil that befell their greatest protector. But all is not as it appears, and it seems their allies are every bit as concealed as their foes.

As Dan struggles to reinstate his patient’s memory, he discovers a secret that threatens not only his life, but the lives of those around him.

Can magic triumph over an invisible evil that has ruled the planet for centuries?

MY REVIEW

It was OK. Part of it was well written and interesting and part of it was pretty steeped in standard fantasy tropes. The opening intrigued me with the mystery man who is brought in suffering from perhaps a mental disorder. Dr. Dan dubs him Moses for now as they can’t ID the man. And Moses, in turn, calls Dr. Dan ‘War Dragon’, which sounds very badass and cool. However, as the story evolved, I really didn’t find that Dan lived up to this petname and perhaps it should have been bestowed on another (like the lady copy whose name I can’t recall).

The elves were fun though much of the jokes surrounding them were pretty predictable. I did like how they were glued to the TV and quickly became enchanted with chocolate. Outside of the bad guys, the cop had the most exciting character but her role quickly gets relegated to Main Romantic Interest (sigh….). Speaking of those bad guys, they had deep, dark plans for this world. Alas, they were defeated. I never once worried for the fate of our heroes. I always knew they would triumph and be unscathed (tho Dan might need some therapy after that thing with Moses).

I both loved and hated the tie to the old Arthurian legend. On one hand, I grew up enjoying these kinds of tales (plus the original tales and movies, etc.) so I was primed to enjoy this fantasy trope here. However, I found myself looking for a little unique twist and with there being few female characters and those not getting the spotlight, I didn’t get what I was looking for. In one instance, the elves venturing into our world were surprised to see women among the ‘warriors’ (coast guard) and this felt really odd to me. The elves themselves seem used to gender equality and while they haven’t visited the human world for a thousand years or more, female human warriors aren’t a new invention.

Anyhoo, the pace is good with the story moving along at a decent clip. There are a few times it does slow down a bit (like trying to train up the War Dragon, who seems completely lost) but it usually picks right back up again. The bad guys could have been worse and that would have made the story more interesting. Overall, it was cute. 3/5 stars.

The Narration: Fred Wolinsky did a decent job. His voice for Dan was spot on and totally matched how I pictured him (a man comfortable within his chosen career but a fish-out-of-water otherwise). Wolinsky’s female voices could use a touch more femininity. Sometimes they did sound a little overdone but each was unique and easily identifiable. He gave the humor a good delivery (even when I thought the humor was a little worn). I did notice that like every third sentence ended in kind of an uplift, as if that sentence was a portent of big things to come. I can see using this for a good campfire story but for a full audiobook, it gave the story a little odd cadence. There were no tech issues with this recording. 4/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own.

Review: Tempest Cursed by K. C. Lannon

Author: K.C. Lannon

Narrator: Fran Burgoyne

Length: 9 hours 50 minutes

Publisher: K.C. Lannon

Released: Jan. 6, 2021

Genre: Fantasy; Young Adult

Continue reading “Review: Tempest Cursed by K. C. Lannon”

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
By: Agatha Christie
Narrated by: Hugh Fraser
Series: Hercule Poirot, Book 4
Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 07-03-12
Language: English
Publisher: HarperAudio

Book Blurb

Roger Ackroyd knew too much. He knew that the woman he loved had poisoned her brutal first husband. He suspected, also, that someone had been blackmailing her. Then, tragically, came the news that she had taken her own life with a drug overdose.

But the evening post brought Roger one last fatal scrap of information. Unfortunately, before he could finish reading the letter, he was stabbed to death.

My Review

Even though this is one of the later Poirot books, it works fine as a stand alone novel.

I have read just a few Agatha Christie novels and they are fun. I read this one for an online book club discussion. I had a lot of fun trying to figure out who was lying about what and who the killer was. I was off base with my best guess so the final reveal was a great climax to the story.

What surprised me a bit was that Christie tackled all sorts of sordid topics in this story – illegitimate child, suicide, blackmail, bigotry, etc. I can see why these books were considered a but racy or even naughty in the 1920s. Though I can also say that Christie doesn’t use these things for shock value only, but cleverly works them into the well-thought out plot.

Hercule Poirot is, of course, a magnetic character that draws the reader in even as he draws the killer out into the light. I did enjoy that he’s not the first point-of-view character we walk with; rather it is the local Doctor Sheppard. He is, naturally, at the center of this murder investigation, being required to make the official declaration of death. Overall, it was a fun read that kept me engaged the entire time. 5/5 stars.

The Narration: Hugh Fraser gave a great performance. I really enjoyed his regional accents for all the English folk plus his Belgian accent for Poirot. His female character voices were also believable. The pacing was perfect and there were no tech issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles
By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 03-06-12
Language: English
Publisher: HarperAudio

Book Blurb

The legend begins…

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. “The best of all the Greeks”—strong, beautiful, and the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences, the boys become steadfast companions. Their bond deepens as they grow into young men and become skilled in the arts of war and medicine—much to the displeasure and the fury of Achilles’ mother, Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.

When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece, bound by blood and oath, must lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.

Built on the groundwork of the Iliad, Madeline Miller’s page-turning, profoundly moving, and blisteringly paced retelling of the epic Trojan War marks the launch of a dazzling career.

My Review

Even though I already knew the basic backbone of this story, I still enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to see this story through Patroclus’s eyes. He’s awkward in every sense of the word – in his own body, among his peers, at all his endeavors, even among the servants. So an unlikely friendship develops between him and Achilles when they are boys. I walked into this story expecting most of it to be about the very lengthy war on Troy, but most of it was Patroclus (and Achilles) growing up.

The beginning was great, sucking me into the story right away. The middle does go into a bit of a slump for me. It’s all awkward sighs and staring longingly at each other as Patroclus and Achilles fall into a romantic relationship. It’s well written, believable, but it still bored me a bit. I’m not big on romance in the first place, but if you like a bit of romance in your stories, you’d probably like enjoy this sweet romance based on friendship, developing into true love over time.

The last quarter of the book picks up again as the guys futz around the beach outside of Troy. Patroclus has some fighter training but his real skill develops as a healer. Meanwhile, Achilles becomes well known for his fighting skills and has his own fan club (the Mermidons). Things do wrap up super quick though. Even though I knew the fate of both characters, it seemed to end too quickly. Though I did absolutely love those last few lines.

The story as a whole incorporates the supernatural as real. Achilles meets with his goddess mother often. In fact, Patroclus has met her a few times and is rightfully terrified of her. I adored that Charion (spelling?), the centaur teacher, was a real influencer of both young boys. Then once we get to Troy’s beaches, we meet other famous Greeks like Odysseus and Ajax.

While there’s plenty I loved about this story, I felt the women were few and far between. The author didn’t shy away from including women from the surrounding villages of Troy being taken as war spoils and how they were treated. Chief among them is Perseus who eventually becomes a true fried to both young men. Then there’s Achilles’s mom Thetis, who is a force to be reckoned with. A few others are named but I would have enjoyed having a few more in the story, influencing the plot. Over all, I enjoyed Miller’s Circe more, though I’m still glad I read this one. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Frazer Douglas gave an excellent performance. I really liked how he managed to age the main characters up as the story took them from boys to war-hardened men. I also liked his female character voices and his voice for Achilles’s mom Thetis was absolutely chilling. There were plenty of emotional scenes in this book and Douglas made them all believable. The pacing was perfect & there were no tech issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.

Review & Interview: A Christmas Carol adapted by Dave McCluskey

Author: Dave McCluskey

Narrator: Liam Scott

Length: 1 hour 11 minutes

Publisher: Dammaged Productions

Released: Nov. 20, 2020

Genre: Classics

Continue reading “Review & Interview: A Christmas Carol adapted by Dave McCluskey”

Heir to a Prophecy by Mercedes Rochelle

Heir to a Prophecy
By: Mercedes Rochelle
Narrated by: Kevin E. Green
Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 01-06-20
Language: English
Publisher: Mercedes Rochelle

Book Blurb

Shakespeare’s witches tell Banquo, “Thou shalt ‘get kings though thou be none”.

Though Banquo is murdered, his son Fleance gets away. What happened to Fleance? What kings? The road to kingship had a most inauspicious beginning, and we follow Fleance into exile and death, passing the witches’ prophecy to his son Walter.

Born on the wrong side of the blanket and raised in disgrace, Walter was caught inside of a destiny he barely understood. In an effort to untangle Banquo’s murder and honor his lineage, Walter moved through events that shaped the course of England and Scotland. His relationships with the great men of his time drove his destiny: Harold Godwineson, Alain of Brittany, and finally, Malcolm III.

After a long and treacherous journey through Wales, England, and France, Walter fulfilled the witches’ prophecy as the first steward of Scotland and ancestor of James I – for whom, Shakespeare wrote Macbeth.

My Review

It’s good but not great. Shakespeare did it better. The first few hours of the novel held my interest. We meet Banquo and Fleance and someone’s daughter. A romance blossoms, a pregnancy is unexpected. Bad things happen. The pregnant daughter is banished from the castle and disowned. She has to live like a peasant and raise her son, Walter, as such. But after that point, I started to lose interest. Some small moments hooked my attention here and there but quickly fizzled out. I went into this expecting high drama and action, some supernatural spookiness, and great betrayal (because the description mentioned Shakespeare’s play Macbeth). What I got was a little more than a lengthy History Channel telling of events.

The pacing was slow but there are a few fights and battles. I did like Walter’s connection to several older men in the story, who fill in here and there for his long-absent father. The story could have ended 2 or 3 hours earlier with the heroes making it back from a great battle. However, the tale continued on with a documentary-like rendition of historical events following that battle. There’s big leaps in time and new characters brought in near the end that I’m sure were important historically but don’t really matter for Walter’s tale.

The ladies were mostly romantic interests and comforters. The exception are the Three Witches who provide our tiny, sole bit of supernaturalness – the prophecy! The element that I expected to be far bigger in this tale as it makes up part of the title. The women have no agency, make no plot-important decisions, and are practically without individual personalities. In fact, you could leave them out of this book entirely and the story would not be affected. For me, this was a let down.

In the end, I was left wanting more. But with that said, I can tell this story was written with care and with factual historical events in mind. If you are looking for a book based on historical fact for events surrounding Shakespeare’s Macbeth, then this is probably a good one to pick up. If you’re looking for a rousing tale of battles, glory, honor, and some supernatural spice, then this isn’t that book. 3/5 stars.

The Narration: Kevin E. Green gave a decent performance. He had a range of voices though sometimes two or more character voices bled into one another in a group discussion and I had trouble keeping track of who was who. The ladies sounded like ladies during the few times they did have lines. When it comes to regional UK accents, I have been spoiled lately by Richard Elfyn’s performances of Puleston’s Inspector Drake mysteries. So I couldn’t help but compare Green’s performance to those books in this one aspect. I needed more regional accents. No one sounded Welsh to me even though a chunk of the book takes place in Wales with Welsh characters. The pacing was good for most of the book but stayed the same stalwart, dependable rate for the action scenes as if the narrator was reporting on a long-dead battle. I needed more action and emotion in the narration for those moments. There were no tech issues with the recording. 4/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book. My opinions are 100% my own.

Giveaway & Review: WinterDream by Chantal Gadoury

Author: Chantal Gadoury

Narrator: Anne Marie Lewis

Length: 10 hours 22 minutes

Publisher: The Parliament House

Released: Dec. 31, 2019

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

This Christmas Eve, no creature was stirring, except, maybe, a mouse. At long last, can true love break the Nutcracker’s curse?

For Clara Stahlbaum, this Christmas means the end of her youth. A daughter of the aristocracy, Clara is expected to give up her dreams of adventures and the extraordinary for more normal days as the wife of a cruel viscount.

But when magical Uncle Drosselmeyer returns with his wondrous, dancing contraptions and one special gift for Clara, she is beckoned to the land of Winter Dream, where she is thrust into the greatest adventure of her wildest dreams.

But will she be able to break the Nutcracker’s curse? Uncle Drosselmeyer’s apprentice Anton is handsome as he is mysterious. But what is it about him Clara finds so alluring?

Winter Dream is a phenomenal retelling of The Nutcracker from the eyes of Clara Stahlbaum with all the magic of the Holiday season. If you loved S. Jae-Jones’ Wintersong, you’ll fall in love with this stunning tale of love, war, redemption, and Christmas magic. Listen to it now!

Amazon Bestselling Author, Chantal Gadoury, is a 2011 graduate from Susquehanna University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing. Since graduation, she has published The Songs in Our Hearts, and The Songs We Remember, with 48Fourteen Publishing. Allerleirauh, Between the Sea and Stars, Blinding Night and WinterDream with the Parliament House Press. Chantal first started writing stories at the age of seven and continues with that love of writing today. For Chantal, writing novels has become a lifelong dream come true! When she’s not typing away at her next project, she enjoys painting, drinking lots of Iced Coffee, and watching Disney Classics. Chantal lives in Muncy, Pennsylvania with her Mom, sister and furry-‘brother’ Taran.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads⎮Amazon⎮Instagram⎮Pinterest

Singer and actor Anne Marie Lewis has enjoyed a richly varied and long career in the performing arts. She has performed across the globe from Carnegie Hall to Boise to Little Rock to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as well as in Canada, England and Scotland. Chicago area credits: My Fair Lady, Peter Pan, Into the Woods (Music Theater Works); 1776 (Porchlight Music Theater); Midnight Cowboy (Lifeline Theatre); Northanger Abbey, The Skin of Our Teeth (Remy Bumppo); Love, Loss and What I Wore (Oil Lamp Theater); bare (RefugeTheatre Project); Graveyard of Empires (16th Street Theater); Jake’s Women (Spartan Theatre); The Scullery Maid (Idle Muse Theatre); Moon Over Buffalo (Jedlicka Performing Arts Center); The Diary of Anne Frank (Metropolis Performing Arts Center); The Merry Wives of Windsor (Fury Theatre); Fancy Nancy, Elephant and Piggie (Northbrook Theater); Little Red Riding Hood, Camp Wonderland (Theatre at the Center), Don Giovanni, Shining Brow (Chicago Opera Theatre); Pride and Prejudice, The Sound of Music, Hansel and Gretel, Persuasion, Cosi fan tutte (Chamber Opera Chicago); Gianni Schicchi (DuPage Opera); La boheme, Die Fledermaus, Don Pasquale, Don Giovanni, Carmen (Opera Studio Highland Park). Regional credits: Die Fledermaus, Le nozze di Figaro (Pine Mountain Music Festival), Little Women (Lyric Opera Cleveland), La boheme (Quad Cities Opera, Arkansas Symphony, Battle Creek Symphony); Mozart Requiem, Schubert Mass in G (Carnegie Hall). International credits: Persuasion (Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Camden Fringe Festival, Buxton Fringe Festival, Victoria, BC). Anne Marie, a Pittsburgh native, is a proud graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Northwestern University. She maintains a private voice studio and has recently entered the wonderful world of audiobook narration and production, with fifteen titles to her credit.

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A clean romantic retelling of The Nutcracker – it’s cute. I liked the evil mice the best. They are certainly worthy foes. There’s sword fights and trading insults, running to and fro, and deceit and trickery. I also liked the fairies and Mother Ginger. Everything in the parallel magical world smells like the best of Christmas – rich coffee, fresh cookies, etc. The author does a really good job of building that magical world known as WinterDream. Even the snowflakes are special.

Meanwhile, Clara must still spend her waking hours in the real world (St. Petersburg, Russia during the winter holidays). Her older sister is engaged and her parents are now considering a good match for her. However, she’s not keen on the man they have chosen. It’s a good thing her uncle has swung into town. He’s brought his assistant (Anton) and they have gifted her with a nutcracker doll to act as her protector. There’s a legendary story that her uncle tells her, about a nutcracker held under a curse.

Much of the time, Clara feels like a 15 year old instead of the 18 year old she is supposed to be. Clara is completely innocent when it comes to romance, so part of that is fitting. Yet there were times when Clara would say something and I couldn’t help but respond with, ‘that’s something a 12 year old would say.’. Clara doesn’t really come off as a young woman, especially with the pink silk dresses, sugary treats, and magical toys. It really does feel more like a kids tale much of the time. But then we have this romance and marriage in the making, so we need Clara to be a little older. Clara has no hobbies, no real ambitions. Her character has a lot of blanks and I wanted a bit more from her.

The pacing is pretty slow. There’s lots of flirtations or avoiding flirtations, glancing eyes, accidental touches, sighing, pittering hearts, etc. There’s only a few scenes with some real action (hence why I liked the rodents so much). Once the villains are defeated, the story goes back to it’s slow pace for the hour long wrap up. For me, I could have used some more action, a quicker pace.

All told, this tale is suitable for all ages being almost no blood, just a few deaths, and just a few kisses. 3.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Anne Marie Lewis was a great pick for Clara. She sounds like a young, innocent lady, just as Clara is written. Lewis also made an excellent angry evil rodent (woohoo!) and an evil witchy woman too. I also liked how she pulled off the Nutcracker’s wooden voice for the majority of the story. There’s a few Russian words and phrases in this story and they were decently done. With a little polishing, they would have been great. The pacing is good and there were no tech issues with the recording. 4.75/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Chantal Gadoury. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Giveaway

Win a $10 Amazon Gift Card!

Runs Feb. 16th-22nd⎮Open internationally

WinterDream Giveaway: $10 Amazon Gift Card

Feb. 16th:

T’s Stuff

The Book Junkie Reads . . .

A Wonderful World of Words

Feb. 17th:

Feb. 18th:

History from a Woman’s Perspective

Dab of Darkness Book Reviews

Feb. 19th:

Stressed Rach

4 the Love of Audiobooks

Books, Tea, Healthy Me

Feb. 20th:

What Is That Book About

Feb. 21st:

Feb. 22nd:

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Lake on the Moon by H. E. Wilburson

Lake on the Moon
The War of the Worlds Audio Drama Sequel: A New Martian Menace Invades Earth (The Martian Diaries, Vol. 2)
By: H.E. Wilburson
Narrated by: Terry Thompson, Harry Preston
Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 07-16-19
Language: English
Publisher: Author’s Republic

Book Blurb

When a Martian cylinder lands on Horsell Common, Ogilvy the astronomer barely survives a deadly heat-ray attack and wakes up in a hospital inundated with casualties as the first War of the Worlds alien invasion rages. He alone discovers the real significance of the Red Weed brought to Earth by the Martians and dispatches vital evidence on board HMS Thunder Child, but it is lost when the ship is attacked and sunk by Martian tripods. Years later in 1919, in the aftermath of the Great War and Spanish Influenza, an insidious new alien menace emerges on Earth from the long forgotten Red Weed. A dangerous and daring plan is devised as Ogilvy, George (HG Wells’ narrator), and other original characters strive to combat the devastating Martian plague threatening to extinguish all life on our planet.

Don’t miss this compelling continuation of H.G.Wells’ iconic book in the exciting second volume of The Martian Diaries science fiction series, featuring the original characters and a bespoke musical score.

My Review

It’s a fun sequel to Volume 1. I think you’d get the most out of this Volume 2 by experiencing Volume 1 first. You might even consider going back to H. G. Wells’s War of the Worlds classic as well.

The timeline does jump a bit, here and there. There were a few times where I was little confused about where I was in the timeline. Ogilvy seems to shift from moment to moment when his story line is interrupted by George. However, this story does veer into time travel, so perhaps that is on purpose. I expect the forthcoming Volume 3 will clear some of this up.

I was fascinated (and sometimes amused) by the Red Weed. I know it’s supposed to be horrific, and it is at times, but there were also times that the Red Weed gave me a little giggle. If you eat the Red Weed, you may well have a metaphysical experience – and you may even die! Or meet your other self on an ancient Mars landscape… or chat with an Irish God. So, yes, there were a few moments where I compared the Red Weed to some illegal recreational drug.

Still, there’s some uniqueness to this story, a bit of a mystery. I love where the story is going concerning the anatomy and reproduction of the Martians. Hive mind! Budding! Perhaps even some hybrids in the making! That’s all very exciting stuff and I honestly don’t see how our heroes, George and Ogilvy, will be able to save humanity. Hence, a need for Volume 3!

The story does have a weak spot. It’s the same weak spot from Volume 1, and even from Wells’s original classic – the ladies! Where are they? What are they doing? Ooo! Making tea? Cleaning house? Gardening? Having romantic intentions? Sobbing and fainting? Yep. That’s what they’re doing in this story. Sigh… It’s a fight for humanity! I’m sure that at least a quarter of the ladies will be doing something more productive. Occasionally the ladies get to talk in this story, but I forget what they said. I think it had something to do with tea being served in the library.

All told, I want to know how things turn out for humanity and the Martians, so I’ll check out Volume 3 once it’s available in audio format. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Terry Thompson & Harry Preston did a fine, fine job with this narration and the sound effects. With Volume 1, the sound effects needed some fine tuning but with Volume 2, everything was well done. The sound effects and music never drowned out the narration, and they were well timed to add to the story rather than detract. The music was well selected – no random heavy metal guitar music this time! All the characters had distinct voices and regional accents. The ladies did sound feminine, albeit both had deep voices for women. There were no tech issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own.

Audiobook Giveaway: Dark Visions by Maxine O’Callaghan

Hooray! Capricorn Literary has joined us again, offering up another audiobook giveaway! Check out the info about Maxine O’Callaghan and her book Dark Visions. Scroll to the bottom for info on the giveaway.

Dark Visions
By: Maxine O’Callaghan
Narrated by: Freddy Moyano
Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 08-01-19
Language: English
Publisher: Capricorn Literary

Book Blurb

Second Sight…Precognition….
Mitch always had the power…or the curse. It had been passed down in her family tree, generation to generation.
No matter how far away she ran, the unwanted visions of killing filled her mind. She felt the victim’s terror, the terrible pain of the stabbing knife.
Unable to banish what she has seen, Mitch goes to the police.
And seals her doom….
The murderer knows that Mitch’s gift is real.
The next death Mitch sees will be her own.

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About the Author Maxine O’Callaghan

Author of the groundbreaking Delilah West private eye series
Private Eye Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Shamus, Anthony and Bram Stoker Award Nominee

Maxine O’Callaghan was born in Tennessee in 1937 and grew up in the boot heel of Missouri as a sharecropper’s child. She was the first in her large extended family to finish high school and left a few days after graduation with ten dollars and a bus ticket for Memphis. She went from there to Miami where she joined the Marine Corp Reserve and then to Chicago where she went on active duty for a while and got her first taste of California during basic training at the Recruit Depot in San Diego.

In 1972 she moved with her husband and two children to Orange County, CA, a long way from the cotton fields of her childhood. As a stay-at-home mom she began her writing career with short stories, including one to Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine about a private detective named Delilah West, which predates both Marcia Muller and Sue Grafton’s entry into the female PI genre. She published thirteen novels and a collection of short stories. She has been nominated for both the Anthony and Bram Stoker award. Her novels and short fiction featuring Delilah West were honored by the Private Eye Writers of America with their lifetime achievement award, The Eye, for her contribution to the field.

More info on Brash Books

Freddy Moyano (Madrid, Spain, 1979) is an actor, producer, entrepreneur based in the Upper Midwest. Known for his appearances in Chicago and Los Angeles TV shows and feature films. He is also known for his published audiobooks (Amazon, Audible, iTunes) in English and in Spanish. Freddy is a skilled translator and script writer/film producer.

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GIVEAWAY!!!

Capricorn Literary is giving away 4 Audible US audiobook copies and 4 Audible UK audiobook copies of Dark Visions by Maxine O’Callaghan! To enter the giveaway, do the Rafflecopter thing below or answer these questions in the comments: 1) Do you have an Audible US or UK account? 2) What is one of your favorite classic horror novels? Giveaway ends September 18, 2019, midnight.

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