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Decapitated Dan
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Decapitated Dan's Best of 2014: Audio Books
Well it’s the end of the year, and what better way to recap it than by making a list! So check out what Audio Books I liked best in 2014!
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2014 was the year of the Audio Book for me. I had a chance to check out more books, and while these did not come out in 2014, these 8 books were the ones I listened to. So I figured why not rank them and share the love. Maybe you will have a chance to check them out in either Audio or Book form. So here we go. . .
I will admit that I was really excited to listen to Hell House. I read great things about this book, and even though it was a book about a haunted house I thought that it was going to be great. I mean so many people had it on their lists of Great Horror novels. Yet I was let down. Not that it’s not a good story, because it is good. However I just don’t think haunted houses are my thing. I was never nervous or on the edge of my seat while listening to this one. Narrator Ray Porter was fantastic though. I would have to say he was probably the saving grace here. He did a fantastic job of selling the excitement and horror, but the story is what I think let him down here. So overall I will say it was good, but it was nowhere near as good as I had hoped.
Unlike Hell House, the Loon is a fantastic story, that is actually played down some by the narration. Now I’m not saying that John Bell did a bad job, but it was not what I would have wanted. I thought he was able to sell the voices, but the pacing when it came to the excitement levels seemed to be off. The story itself has two solid layers to it. You have an insane asylum where the worst serial killer is on the loose, but on top of that a monster is also out hunting down the humans. So while you are worried about one, you are also worried about the other. It’s a great sell job by Collings in regards to the writing.
Well I enjoyed the comics, and the TV was about to come to FX, so I decided that I better get started on this trilogy this year. The first book is a great take on vampire lore. It’s original and never lets up. The pacing is always on point, and I love how it’s all build. Sure there is final resolve in how it all plays out, but it leads right into book two perfectly. It’s no where near as strong as the other two books, but you have to read this one before you can even touch those two. The big surprise is hearing Ron Perlman read this one. He does an outstanding job, and it really good with voices. A perfect start to the trilogy.
As much as I enjoyed this book, and I really enjoyed this book, I couldn’t rank it any higher than this spot. The final book in the trilogy takes place a few years after what takes place in book 2 as the world is in disarray. I won’t spoil anything for anyone, but this book does a great job of bringing it all to a close. One of the things I was worried about was who was going to make it at the end, and I was very happy about who did. Overall this trilogy was just outstanding. It’s probably one of the best things I have ever spent 36 hours taking in. Oreskes even outdoes Perlman, with the narration, which I will explain later in the list. The Strain Trilogy is a MUST if you ask me.
The Fall in the Godfather 2 of the Strain trilogy. With Orsekes taking narration duties over for Perlman nothing slips a beat. I actually think he did a better job on the voices and pacing of the story. This book picks up right where book 1 left off, and things are not looking good. As it plays out things just go from bad to worse, and it actually has a feeling like nothing good is on the horizon. Once I finished this book I had to jump right into Night Eternal to find out what happened next. A perfect second act that was stronger than the other 2 books in my opinion.
Having listened to a Haunted House story, a Vampire tale and a book taking place in an insane asylum I was looking for something new, and a werewolf tale was it. Ravenous takes a good turn on the werewolf myth and makes it even more exciting. I’ll spoil this and only this, the virus is transmitted sexually. Along with that the book contains a love story, a serial rapist and one confused sheriff. The death and action scenes are highly detailed and played out so cinematically in my mind. What really clinched this books spot above the Strain books was the ending. I never saw it coming, and now I want to know what happens next. Agostini delivers on the narration, and it makes this audio book one hell of a complete package.
This was the second Keene novel I listened to this year and it barely missed out on the top spot. This book is just intense and completely insane. Without letting to much info out, this small little town is descended upon by a group of 5 murderous crows. Now they aren’t always crows, they shape-shift and just wreak unimaginable havoc on the town. It seems like there is no stopping them, until Levi Stoltzfus comes around. This book is highly detailed, scary as hell and just downright a drop dead trip to listen to. Sauerwein was a perfect choice for the narrator, who was able to grab my ears and not let go. This book added another layer to what I had heard in Darkness on the Edge of Town (which I will get to next), and I need more now!
This book won’t only be my pick for the Best Audio Book I heard in 2014, it will also be added to my list of Best Books EVER! This was my first introduction to a Brian Keene novel (I have read his comic book work before) and it won’t be my last. If anything this book made me want to go a find anything Keene has ever written so I can devour it next (which I did by following up this book with A Gathering of Crows). This book is dark, it’s creepy as hell and it never, never let me go. I really have to try and not spoil anything, but from what I now understand, Keene’s books all revolve around the 13. A group of god like creatures that are mad and wreaking havoc on multiple Earth’s. I think I already said too much, but hell it’s hard not to let that cat out of the bag. Anyway, this book focuses on a town that one day goes dark. No electricity, no weather, no sky... just pure darkness, but it ends on the edge of town. People spiral out of control as they try to figure things out, and it’s just a dark gloomy story with a fantastic ending that leaves me wanting to know what comes next. To add to how good the story is, it’s read by Eric Medler, who is probably my favorite narrator (I have also heard him narrate John Everson’s The 13th). Not only does he deliver on the voices, like no one else, he also tells this story in such a dramatic fashion. This book introduced me to Keene’s Labyrinth Mythos and I am now in the mood to take on all of his books to know more. I need more, so up next is The Rising, which I can not wait to listen to.
#8: Hell House by Richard Matheson
Narrated by Ray Porter
(Blackstone Audio)
I will admit that I was really excited to listen to Hell House. I read great things about this book, and even though it was a book about a haunted house I thought that it was going to be great. I mean so many people had it on their lists of Great Horror novels. Yet I was let down. Not that it’s not a good story, because it is good. However I just don’t think haunted houses are my thing. I was never nervous or on the edge of my seat while listening to this one. Narrator Ray Porter was fantastic though. I would have to say he was probably the saving grace here. He did a fantastic job of selling the excitement and horror, but the story is what I think let him down here. So overall I will say it was good, but it was nowhere near as good as I had hoped.
#7: The Loon by Michaelbrent Collings
Narrated by John Bell
(Audible)
Unlike Hell House, the Loon is a fantastic story, that is actually played down some by the narration. Now I’m not saying that John Bell did a bad job, but it was not what I would have wanted. I thought he was able to sell the voices, but the pacing when it came to the excitement levels seemed to be off. The story itself has two solid layers to it. You have an insane asylum where the worst serial killer is on the loose, but on top of that a monster is also out hunting down the humans. So while you are worried about one, you are also worried about the other. It’s a great sell job by Collings in regards to the writing.
#6: The Strain Book 1 by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Narrated by Ron Perlman
(HarperAudio)
Well I enjoyed the comics, and the TV was about to come to FX, so I decided that I better get started on this trilogy this year. The first book is a great take on vampire lore. It’s original and never lets up. The pacing is always on point, and I love how it’s all build. Sure there is final resolve in how it all plays out, but it leads right into book two perfectly. It’s no where near as strong as the other two books, but you have to read this one before you can even touch those two. The big surprise is hearing Ron Perlman read this one. He does an outstanding job, and it really good with voices. A perfect start to the trilogy.
#5: Night Eternal: The Strain Book 3 by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Narrated by Daniel Oreskes
(HarperAudio)
As much as I enjoyed this book, and I really enjoyed this book, I couldn’t rank it any higher than this spot. The final book in the trilogy takes place a few years after what takes place in book 2 as the world is in disarray. I won’t spoil anything for anyone, but this book does a great job of bringing it all to a close. One of the things I was worried about was who was going to make it at the end, and I was very happy about who did. Overall this trilogy was just outstanding. It’s probably one of the best things I have ever spent 36 hours taking in. Oreskes even outdoes Perlman, with the narration, which I will explain later in the list. The Strain Trilogy is a MUST if you ask me.
#4: The Fall: The Strain Book 2 by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Narrated by Daniel Oreskes
(HarperAudio)
The Fall in the Godfather 2 of the Strain trilogy. With Orsekes taking narration duties over for Perlman nothing slips a beat. I actually think he did a better job on the voices and pacing of the story. This book picks up right where book 1 left off, and things are not looking good. As it plays out things just go from bad to worse, and it actually has a feeling like nothing good is on the horizon. Once I finished this book I had to jump right into Night Eternal to find out what happened next. A perfect second act that was stronger than the other 2 books in my opinion.
#3: Ravenous by Ray Garton
Narrated by Michael Agostini
(Dark Realms Audio)
Having listened to a Haunted House story, a Vampire tale and a book taking place in an insane asylum I was looking for something new, and a werewolf tale was it. Ravenous takes a good turn on the werewolf myth and makes it even more exciting. I’ll spoil this and only this, the virus is transmitted sexually. Along with that the book contains a love story, a serial rapist and one confused sheriff. The death and action scenes are highly detailed and played out so cinematically in my mind. What really clinched this books spot above the Strain books was the ending. I never saw it coming, and now I want to know what happens next. Agostini delivers on the narration, and it makes this audio book one hell of a complete package.
#2: A Gathering of Crows by Brian Keene
Narrated by Monty Lewis Sauerwein
(Dark Realms Audio)
This was the second Keene novel I listened to this year and it barely missed out on the top spot. This book is just intense and completely insane. Without letting to much info out, this small little town is descended upon by a group of 5 murderous crows. Now they aren’t always crows, they shape-shift and just wreak unimaginable havoc on the town. It seems like there is no stopping them, until Levi Stoltzfus comes around. This book is highly detailed, scary as hell and just downright a drop dead trip to listen to. Sauerwein was a perfect choice for the narrator, who was able to grab my ears and not let go. This book added another layer to what I had heard in Darkness on the Edge of Town (which I will get to next), and I need more now!
#1: Darkness on the Edge of Town by Brian Keene
Narrated by Michael Agostini
(Dark Realms Audio)
(Dark Realms Audio)
This book won’t only be my pick for the Best Audio Book I heard in 2014, it will also be added to my list of Best Books EVER! This was my first introduction to a Brian Keene novel (I have read his comic book work before) and it won’t be my last. If anything this book made me want to go a find anything Keene has ever written so I can devour it next (which I did by following up this book with A Gathering of Crows). This book is dark, it’s creepy as hell and it never, never let me go. I really have to try and not spoil anything, but from what I now understand, Keene’s books all revolve around the 13. A group of god like creatures that are mad and wreaking havoc on multiple Earth’s. I think I already said too much, but hell it’s hard not to let that cat out of the bag. Anyway, this book focuses on a town that one day goes dark. No electricity, no weather, no sky... just pure darkness, but it ends on the edge of town. People spiral out of control as they try to figure things out, and it’s just a dark gloomy story with a fantastic ending that leaves me wanting to know what comes next. To add to how good the story is, it’s read by Eric Medler, who is probably my favorite narrator (I have also heard him narrate John Everson’s The 13th). Not only does he deliver on the voices, like no one else, he also tells this story in such a dramatic fashion. This book introduced me to Keene’s Labyrinth Mythos and I am now in the mood to take on all of his books to know more. I need more, so up next is The Rising, which I can not wait to listen to.
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So
there you have it, my rankings for the all of the Audio Books I listened to in 2014!
