Original Horror Anthology

What made the experience of listening to Night as a Catalyst the most enjoyable?

The performance by the narrator is the part of it that I enjoyed the best, as Joe Hempel has become someone I can rely on to perform practically anything. The stories themselves being original in comparison to other works I've read is a close second.

What other book might you compare Night as a Catalyst to and why?

I've read a lot of horror anthologies, so the obvious is comparing them to this. More specifically it compares with works that are of a more independent variety because instead of relying on old tropes it has some rather interesting settings and different perspectives on things.

What does Joe Hempel bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brings a great narration, as he does with everything I've listened to that he's done. The stories are varied and he does a good job with each of them making them all solid.

If you could take any character from Night as a Catalyst out to dinner, who would it be and why?

It's hard to say, a lot of the characters are nameless narrators and others are people who I really have no interest in meeting. I'd probably have to go with the main characters from 'One Up a Tree' because they seemed reasonable.

Any additional comments?

I received the audiobook for this in exchange for an honest review. It was full of short and not-so-sweet horror stories in a variety of situations. Recommended.

4 people found this helpful

can't stop listening!!!!

these r non-stop tales to mess with ur mind. this has about every scary thing u can think of. well worth the read or listen. I found it extra creepy by listen and putting a voice to it. definitely worth reading or listen to.

3 people found this helpful

Perfect listening

Perfect to listen to on the daily drive to work. The stories are short enough you don't have to figure out where you left off most of the time. Fun to listen to and even more fun to think about afterwords.

2 people found this helpful

GreaT collection of stories

If you could sum up Night as a Catalyst in three words, what would they be?

Short Story Mayhem

What could Chad Lutzke have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Given a foreward about the types of stories featured

Would you listen to another book narrated by Joe Hempel?

Yes

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Nah

Any additional comments?

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

2 people found this helpful

Too Short

I loved several of the short stories 3 of my favorites were One for the Road, Up a Tree and Collecting Cats. Even so would like them longer and more detailed. Fun read when you can only listen for short periods. Would give it 3.5 out of 5. This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast. Thank you

2 people found this helpful

Imaginative

Night as a Catalyst is a horror anthology by writer Chad Lutzke.

It includes 18 short stories, and after each story, Chad gives a brief description of his inspiration for that particular piece of work.
I thought it would be the perfect book for me to use to write my first review for audiobook reviewer because it includes a lot of key words I enjoy: short stories, fantasy / science fiction, and horror.

Most of the stories were incredibly short. Little bursts of great ideas for stories with not much follow up.

Chad shows us he has some fantastic ideas for stories, that he has a talent with words and imagery, but the stories end almost before they begin.
The descriptions included after each story was an interesting idea, but I would have personally preferred it be left to the end of the book for the who were interested .

To be fair, I know other writers have included assides about where their inspiration came from, including Stephen King and Orson Scott Card, two of my favorite writers. However I think it’s better suited as a bonus at the end for readers, like those who are writers themselves, who may want to know where the inspiration came from. Others (like myself) would rather just hear the stories.

Unfortunately, because I listen to audiobooks on the go, I was not able to write down the names of all Chad’s stories, but there were a few I really enjoyed. I tried finding a table of contents online but was unsuccessful, so a description of two of my favorites will have to do.
One was about stray cats who kept turning up on a mans porch with missing limbs. Another was about two boys spending the night in a tree house , and they witness something horrific. I thoroughly enjoyed both stories and would love to hear an expanded version of them!

I’ll have to leave it at that, no spoilers here!

Joe Hempel was the narrator of this anthology, and he did a good job. I didn’t notice any subtle changes of voice for different characters, which is something I think an excellent narrator does, but there also weren’t many opportunities for that . He had a clear and pleasant voice, and great fluidity. I can see why 4 authors have quite recently trusted him to narrate their books.

Overall, I give this anthology 3.5 stars. It was enjoyable and had some great ideas. A bit of twilight zone for the imagination!

2 people found this helpful

enjoyable and had some great ideas

Night as a Catalyst is a horror anthology by writer Chad Lutzke.

It includes 18 short stories, and after each story, Chad gives a brief description of his inspiration for that particular piece of work.
I thought it would be the perfect book for me to use to write my first review for audiobook reviewer because it includes a lot of key words I enjoy: short stories, fantasy / science fiction, and horror.

Most of the stories were incredibly short. Little bursts of great ideas for stories with not much follow up.

Chad shows us he has some fantastic ideas for stories, that he has a talent with words and imagery, but the stories end almost before they begin.
The descriptions included after each story was an interesting idea, but I would have personally preferred it be left to the end of the book for the who were interested .

To be fair, I know other writers have included assides about where their inspiration came from, including Stephen King and Orson Scott Card, two of my favorite writers. However I think it's better suited as a bonus at the end for readers, like those who are writers themselves, who may want to know where the inspiration came from. Others (like myself) would rather just hear the stories.

Unfortunately, because I listen to audiobooks on the go, I was not able to write down the names of all Chad's stories, but there were a few I really enjoyed. I tried finding a table of contents online but was unsuccessful, so a description of two of my favorites will have to do.
One was about stray cats who kept turning up on a mans porch with missing limbs. Another was about two boys spending the night in a tree house , and they witness something horrific. I thoroughly enjoyed both stories and would love to hear an expanded version of them!

I'll have to leave it at that, no spoilers here!

Joe Hempel was the narrator of this anthology, and he did a good job. I didn't notice any subtle changes of voice for different characters, which is something I think an excellent narrator does, but there also weren't many opportunities for that . He had a clear and pleasant voice, and great fluidity. I can see why 4 authors have quite recently trusted him to narrate their books.

Overall, I give this anthology 3.5 stars. It was enjoyable and had some great ideas. A bit of twilight zone for the imagination!

Audiobook provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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11 people found this helpful

I loved this

Any additional comments?

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com.

I love short stories as much as I love novels. This collection was full of surprises and creepy things. While I wouldn't necessarily categorize this "horror" I did thoroughly enjoy theses stories. I would definitely want to read more from this author.

2 people found this helpful

There are some very good horror stories here.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."
This is my first foray into Chad Lutzke's world and I liked it a lot. There are some really nice horror stories in this audiobook. Short stories are difficult to execute well, since there is not much time to put the reader/listener in situation or to develop the characters and plot, but mr. Lutzke has a knack for delivering a tightly packaged story. Joe Hempel's narration is spot on. There were one or two stories I didn't like as much, but that is to be expected since the author explores many subgenres of horror. One of my favorites was "One up a tree".

2 people found this helpful

Bite Sized Shivers ...With a Few kida Chewy

*4.5 Stars for Story

I've read several of Chad Lutzke's short stories. It was a treat to come across this collection.

Each story is unique; some are better than others- but almost all of them are a minimal of 4 stars.

All of them are well written and Joe Hempel brings justice to the delivery.

I'm thrilled to find so many stories in this collection. A few of the stories are over 20 minutes. Most are a few minutes and I listened to a few each night.

The stories aren't horror-scary. Maybe spooky or creeping, mixed with shock or comedy.

I review all ebooks and audiobooks, however:
"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."