Friday 23 December 2011

The Scars by William Tennant

Official Blurb

Peter Everett is a man stained with grief, his life becomes a struggle of decisions as he watches the lives of the people around him dissolve and burn.

Mags Donne is a damaged, bruised young girl, reaching out into the darkness, trying to take control of her life.

Their Scars are what begin to unite them, with the people that surround them.

The Scars is a novel of difficulty, hatred, love, intrigue, kidnap, wrongdoing, abuse, laughter and beauty.

My Review

This is a thriller/soap style book with high drama at its core. To be honest I was not sure I was going to enjoy it and only tried it as a punt in the dark.

I am very glad I did try it. The reader has a delicious voice that is like lovely sweet treacle and it was his voice that kept me downloading the chapters.

The story starts out like a love story, and rapidly turns to tragedy that turns a knife in your gut. Part of this is the story itself, and part the fact that the reader has a way of presenting that pain so that you can almost feel it.

The middle section of book started to feel a bit soap-like while I was listening and I thought the author had lost his way for a while but as the story neared its climax I realised just how he had set me up! Nothing was wasted, nothing was "filler".

In summary, this was a tremendous book, and I heartily recommend it, although the subject matter is not safe for work.

Reading 3/3
Production 2/3
Story 2/3

Total Score 7/9

Download it from the Podiobooks
Listen to the first part
.

Thursday 15 December 2011

Mr Dead Eyes by Roberto Scarlato

Official Blurb

Strange things happen when the lights go down in the shady setting of the Roseville Hospital. Unexplained sightings of a man resembling that of a doctor is known to walk the hallways in search of patients he has yet to help. His name was Derek R. Schillar, M.D. He was a complicated man with a desire to help people, but felt that he didn't do enough. Now, his friend has betrayed him, his wife thinks he's dead, a mysterious detective is on his trail, and the medical staff is perplexed at the growing number of inexplicable miraculous phenomena occurring within the hospital walls. Is there an answer? Why is a dying boy drawing pictures of this man? And just who is Mr. Dead Eyes?

My Review

Set in a modern hospital, we have some very strange and un-medical things are going on! The official blurb above gives you a pretty good idea of how weird these things get.

When I started listening I really had no idea what to expect. If anything I thought it was going to be a horror piece, but what a I got was part thriller, part speculative fiction, part super hero, and part detective, as real mashup.

In the end this mash up worked for me. I like things a little unusual and this story has it in spades.

I loved the protagonist and his family and learnt to hate the bad guys. The author is reading his own work and did a great job, although I think the intro which seems to suggest a nasty Horror, was overplayed a little.

If you want a dark story which probes the mysterious this is for you.

Reading 2/3
Production 2/3
Story 2/3

Total Score 6/9

Download it from the Podiobooks
Listen to the first part
.