REVIEW: American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett (Audiobook)

http://lestgoo.id
http://lestgoo.id/download
American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett Narrator Graham Winton
Publishing information: Audio Book
Publisher: Orbit; 12 Feb 2013
ISBN: 978-0316200202
ASIN: B00E3PGCTG
Standalone
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Amazon

Synopsis: "Some places are too good to be true.

Under a pink moon, there is a perfect little town not found on any map.

In that town, there are quiet streets lined with pretty houses, houses that conceal the strangest things.

After a couple years of hard traveling, ex-cop Mona Bright inherits her long-dead mother's home in Wink, New Mexico. And the closer Mona gets to her mother's past, the more she understands that the people of Wink are very, very different ...

From one of our most talented and original new literary voices comes the next great American supernatural novel: a work that explores the dark dimensions of the hometowns and the neighbors we thought we knew."

This book has been on my radar for quite some time, Good friend, Seak (AKA Bryce) over at Only the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy absolutely loved this book and we usually have the same tastes so when I had an extra credit on my Audible account I took the chance and finally picked this title up.

Mona is new in town having inherited a home from her recently deceased and estranged mother. While the town seems idyllic on the outside, things are awful strange once you start to pay attention to the residences and downright creepy once you start to dig deeper.

Mona is rather no nonsense, she is a former cop and since she hasn't seen her mother in quite some time not really emotionally attached to recent events. She is also a bit of a lost soul as her leaving her previous profession under difficult circumstances have made her very aloof.

American Elsewhere is a supernatural mystery and to discuss certain plot threads would ruin it for a lot of readers. I try to keep things spoiler free in my reviews and I am sticking with it here. I will say that the opening to the book does grab you quite quickly but it really is a slow burner for a while before it starts to pick up. Of course, the reveal does make for a very satisfying listen and while I did enjoy the book, I didn't enjoy it as much as I think I would have had I actually read this book.

One of the reasons was that the narrator, Graham Winton, sort of read the book in a sleepy voice. I know that he was going for atmosphere and mood but if it wasn't for the fact that I was listening to this while doing yard work around the house, I might have fell asleep while listening.

I still have plans to check out Bennett's The Troupe and I have his third novel, City of Stairs, in my Kindle somewhere.

Overall 7/10
http://lestgoo.id
http://lestgoo.id/download

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular

Ukkusiksalik: The People's Story

Image
Ukkusiksalik: The People's Story By David F. Pelly Toronto: Dundurn, $21.50 Reviewed by Russell A. Potter When I was in Gjoa Haven for ten days in 2004, I remember a local Inuk who, though he was happy to answer my newcomer's questions, regarded my interest in his community as a short-term one, despite my protestations to the contrary. When I asked him why, he put it plainly: many  Qallunaaat say the same thing -- but then that's the last you see of them -- they never come back. David F. Pelly is one who came back -- again and again -- and so earned the trust and the friendship of the people he sojourned among. And these qualities are vital to the  project of  Ukkusiksalik , which is no less than to provide a comprehensive oral history of this area from the earliest appearance of humans to the establishment of the national park that bears its name in 2003, and beyond. Indeed, Pelly opens with an account of the geological history of the area beginning with the last Ice Ag...
Read more

REVIEW: Star Wars Vol. 2 Showdown on Smuggler's Moon by Jason Aaron, Stuart Immonen, and Simone Bianchi

Image
Star Wars Vol. 2 Showdown on Smuggler's Moon by Jason Aaron, Stuart Immonen, and Simone Bianchi Publishing Information: Paperback; 144 pages Publisher: Marvel; 26 Jan 2016 ISBN: 9780785192145 Series: Vol. 2 Copy: Out of Pocket Reviewer: Tyson Amazon Synopsis: "Injustice reigns on Tatooine as villainous scum run rampant. Will Ben Kenobi risk revealing himself to do what's right? Then, Luke continues his quest to learn about the Jedi by heading for the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Plus: Han & Leia are confronted by an unexpected foe from Han's past! COLLECTING: STAR WARS 7-12" Last week I reviewed the first volume of the new Star Wars comic book that covers the time between New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. Volume 2 continues the adventures of the rebels and this time it features a little more of Leia, which was missing from the last book. I don't want to give too much away but in this storyline Han and Leia's struggling romance gets sidelined when someone...
Read more

REVIEW: Mort(e) by Robert Repino

Image
Mort(e) by Robert Repino Publishing information: Hardcover; 358pgs Publisher: Soho Press; 1 Jan 2014 ISBN: 9781616954277 Series: War with No Name #1 Copy: Out of Pocket Reviewer: Tyson Amazon Synopsis: "After the “war with no name” a cat assassin searches for his lost love in Repino’s strange, moving sci-fi epic that channels both Homeward Bound and A Canticle for Lebowitz. The “war with no name” has begun, with human extinction as its goal. The instigator of this war is the Colony, a race of intelligent ants who, for thousands of years, have been silently building an army that would forever eradicate the destructive, oppressive humans. Under the Colony's watchful eye, this utopia will be free of the humans' penchant for violence, exploitation and religious superstition. As a final step in the war effort, the Colony uses its strange technology to transform the surface animals into high-functioning two-legged beings who rise up to kill their masters. Former housecat turned ...
Read more