Southern Fried Horror Done Right

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Robert McCammon has done it again with The Listener.

Two young people who can communicate in a most unusual way that is thought to be a mental defect by those closest to them.

A femme fatale who can judge people more deeply than anyone, perhaps even she, is aware of.

Southern Town, rich, poor, some racial tension, and the Depression.

These things are the perfect mixture for a horror masterpiece by Robert McCammon.

I loved every moment of it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Curtis was my favorite character because he was so brave, yet he was unaware of that bravery. He thought that he was plain, ordinary, and nothing special, yet without him the book would have been lacking a lot of its essence.

Which character – as performed by Marc Vietor – was your favorite?

It would be impossible to pick just one. I like to be able to forget a narrator while I am listening. If a narrator is great, then the characters come alive and you're involved with them, and the narrator fades into the background.

This was my first listen by Marc Vietor and he was great. He didn't, as my daughter calls it, break the 4th dimension. I will look for other things he narrates.

I was with the characters, experiencing the tale with them and not aware that I was listening to a book. I can't give a better compliment to a narrator.

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

Yes, I did and I will listen to this book again. I will recommend this to my book clubs as well.

Any additional comments?

I'm very happy to see more unabridged Robert McCammon books on Audible. I am a big fan of his works. Listening to one of his wonderful stories on a rainy day is my idea of time well spent. Thank you Audible for making these available.

128 people found this helpful

So, so, SO good!

This is the first book I have read/listened to by Robert McCammon, and I was floored by how superb it was. What an incredibly fine writer he is! "The Listener" had me hooked from the first sentence, and it didn't let up until the very end. I found I was timing all my tasks so I could listen to it while I worked... and certainly during my daily commute. I worried that I might find it upsetting or sad because it has to do with children in terrible trouble. But instead I was spellbound, in suspense, almost holding my breath -- all the way through. I liked the "good" characters and was totally fascinated by the bad guys. I could see the entire story as it unfolded -- see it in my mind in bright technicolour, as bright as it would appear on a large screen. I don't know if a movie has been made of this, but if it hasn't, it should be.

If you want a gripping, can't-stop-listening story, this is it.

Now I'm off to find another book by Robert McCammon!

56 people found this helpful

Wonderful

This book is full of heart and soul, magic and love. Not hocus locus magic, but the magic of love and the stuff that connects us to one another. A young boy first learns that he can talk telepathically with those possessing the same ability. When a couple of grifters decides to kidnap the children of a wealthy businessman. The resulting story is how he is able to help others with his gift and how all of us are connected and things do happen for a reason. This is a great story with good character developments; I highly recommend this book!

26 people found this helpful

Lots Of Potential

I admire the heck out of Robert McCammon and have repeatedly gone on record opining he's one of the most underrated writers of his generation. I still stand by that, but have to say, for me, this newest offering is just kind of ... okay.

It's well-written, make no mistake. It has the genuine immersive feel and detail McCammon brings to his historical fiction (if maybe somewhat overly cautious when touching on the racial issues and ugliness of the era). The characters are interesting and seem like real people, the story's solid enough. It's just missing the full depth and punch and wow factor I've come to expect.

I guess I just wanted more from this book. I wanted more backstory on the kidnappers, I wanted more conflict and tension and resolution. I wanted more than the slightly wince-worthy 'magical Negro' trope, while at the same time I wanted to know and see more of his abilities, wanted more pro-activity.

Maybe I'm just greedy and spoiled when it comes to my favorite authors; I expected so much more. Wasn't a waste of my listening time or anything like that. Just wasn't what I think it could and should have been.

Marc Vietor was outstanding with the delivery of the story and made the book enjoyable for me.

19 people found this helpful

Too much violence for me.

With one little blip at the beginning this started out as good story. But then it just seemed to be violent act after violent act. It seemed the entire last part of the story was people getting killed, beaten, shot, stabbed, tortured. I'm not a prude but it was too much for me.

243 people found this helpful

McCammon makes it real

I’ve been a McCammon fan since I was a young teenager and he wrote horror. Swan Song, to me, still beats The Stand as the ultimate post apocalyptic novel.

This novel, like Boy’s Life, is set in the south and is a Norman Rockwell Thriller (I just made that up). You get all the trappings of the old south but with horrors and a touch of the supernatural. This slight flavoring of the supernatural is actually one of my favorite aspects of his work. Like Koontz, he takes real life people and just gives them a little smattering of something more. Love it.

This novel felt too short. It’s not too short, it just felt that way.

I recommend.

50 people found this helpful

McCammon is still the master

Once again, Robert McCammon shows why he is America's undisputed master of story crafting and character development. And the performance will keep you wanting to listen just a little while longer, take an extra lap around the neighborhood before getting home and stopping for the night. Did I say "I love this story and the narrator. "

28 people found this helpful

Southern Delight

I really dug it... Some simply fantastic writing! A tale of good and evil, light and dark, have and have nots, and woven together so skillfully... It’s gotta slow pace for the most part, but that perfectly fits the evocatively vivid and nearly tangible settings, like a leisurely sw Louisiana spring afternoon... I could smell pontchartrain and the gumbo;). Especially taken by the Arthurian theme and Curtis as its exemplar... Definitely light suspense, and I in no way read it as horror, but just short and between.... I wish there were more bc it sucked me in and ended too soon....

40 people found this helpful

Loved it!

As with most of Mr. McCammon's work, The Listener is an enjoyable and fast read. It's a story that describes the times, the depression in Louisiana, as well as the characters. Ultimately, it's a mystery and about the very best in people and the very, very worst. Don't miss this book!

27 people found this helpful

Another Win for McCammon

Robert McCammon has the ability to tell a really good tale that engages you from beginning to end. Sometimes its a little unbelievable but that's ok with me. This story brings us to the south in the 1930's, there is a plot to abduct 2 children and hold them for ransom. The quirky part is that the little girl is blessed with a gift that allows her to communicate with certain people telepathically. The story is told from the perspective of a rich white child and a poor black "redcap" and how their lives interconnect. It's about love, evil and heroism. If you like this author get this book! The narrator is excellent as well #dark #gritty # inspirational #fairytaletwists #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

17 people found this helpful