The Silent Land

A Novel

By: Graham Joyce

Narrated by: John Lee

Award-winning novelist and cult favorite Graham Joyce transports listeners to a mysterious world of isolation and fear with this hypnotically dark story - a daring and powerful novel about love, loss, and rebirth.

In the French Pyrenees, a young married couple is buried under a flash avalanche while skiing. Miraculously, Jake and Zoe dig their way out from under the snow - only to discover the world they knew has been overtaken by an eerie and absolute silence. Their hotel is devoid of another living soul. Cell phones and land lines are cut off. An evacuation as sudden and thorough as this leaves Jake and Zoe to face a terrifying situation alone. They are trapped by the storm, completely isolated, with another catastrophic avalanche threatening to bury them alive… again. And as the couple begins to witness unset­tling events neither can ignore, they are forced to con­front a frightening truth about the silent land they now inhabit.< /p>

The Silent Land is a brilliantly conceived novel that puts a husband and wife in a strange and frightening reality where it would seem they are the last two people on Earth. Together they will face the ultimate test of their love for each other, and they will be forced to decide what their lives are worth - and what they will sacrifice to save each other. Joyce has written a mysteri­ous masterpiece, a tour de force that will thrill fans of Peter Straub and the hit television show Lost.

©2010 Graham Joyce (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“[A] gently haunting fantasy thriller.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Excellent read

What did you love best about The Silent Land?

The surprise ending

What did you like best about this story?

It was just an interesting book, the subject matter was not something you see over and over again, that's nice.

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

Very good reader

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Two went for a ski, no one else came back.

Any additional comments?

This is a great book, you will love the story, and be shocked by the ending.

A compelling story

It's a great story, and not as predictable as one might think. My only complaint is that the reader makes the characters, particularly the female character, seem vapid. But the story is so good that it's worth it anyway.

A True Mystery

I never tired of the way this author kept only a few characters in motion in a limited setting. This true mystery kept me guessing all the way to the end.

not what I thought

This would have done better as a short story. As a full length, I'll be at short, novel it meanders and includes many scenes that don't seem to connect with the overall story arc. Maybe if the author had concentrated less on multiple sex scenes, and more on the fantasy aspect of the story, it would have done better. I enjoyed it once, but probably won't keep it in my library.

A sad, sweet love fantasy

This is not at all science fiction, so those of you who do not like fantasy are warned.

It is, however, a sad and sweet fantasy about the enduring quality and great power of love. It is at times a bit like a twilight zone episide. The characters are quite well done and, though it is rather predictable, the plot moves along nicely and it is easy to grow attached to the characters and their plight. Overall, it is fairly entertaining and at times touching.

good love story with a mysterious twist

I enjoyed the book thoroughly. The characters were likable and realistic and the overall story line was addictive. Listened to the entire book in less than 2 days.

Very good book. I would recommend it.

Would you listen to The Silent Land again? Why?

I really enjoyed this book and found myself looking forward to listening to it as I cleaned my house. I would completely clean my kitchen and not realize I had done it because the book was holding my attention.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Silent Land?

The entire book was interesting. I might go back and listen to it again since I know how it ends.

Which character – as performed by John Lee – was your favorite?

There are only two characters in 99% of the book. They were both good characters.

If you could rename The Silent Land, what would you call it?

The Silent Land was a good name for this book.

Any additional comments?

This was probably one of my favorite books I've gotten from Audible because it kept my attention the entire time. I also really like this narrator. He did a great job with the voices.

Well written mix of horror and fantasy

The story could easily be a very long Twilight Zone episode, a couple survive being buried in an avalanche and return to the hotel to find everyone missing. After attempts to leave and contact the outside world they reach the obvious conclusion.

The author does a good job describing Zoe’s emotions, and all of the details of the setting. The slowly increasing tension and additions to the mystery are well handled.

My one complaint would be that he overuses a major soap opera cliché. The one where two people are talking and one tells the other “I have something really really important to tell you, that I must tell you now” and then they get interrupted. After the interruption passes, the other person (unlike any human being ever) doesn’t then ask what they were going to say. That happens at least three times. It can be frustrating, but not enough to ruin the story.

The reader is ok overall, but more than a few times doesn’t really distinguish between the two characters. In some of the conversations they have it can be difficult to tell which of them is speaking.

This was a 'gem'.

As a long time reader of horror (all varieties) I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, but the pace of the story was excellent, kept me guessing, couldn't wait until the end.

Keeps You Guessing

What did you love best about The Silent Land?

I love stories where the main characters are married or at least in love. This is such a story. As the story builds the mystery increases. You will form one conclusion only to have it wiped out a few pages later. By the end of the book I was pretty sure I had it figured out and almost did but the author still managed to surprise me with the way other elements fit in to the picture.