Carrion Comfort

By: Dan Simmons

Narrated by: Mel Foster, Laural Merlington

"Carrion Comfort is one of the three greatest horror novels of the 20th century. Simple as that." (Stephen King)

"Epic in scale and scope but intimately disturbing, Carrion Comfort spans the ages to rewrite history and tug at the very fabric of reality. A nightmarish chronicle of predator and prey that will shatter your world view forever. A true classic." (Guillermo del Toro)

"Carrion Comfort is one of the scariest books ever written. Whenever I get asked the question Who's your favorite author? my answer is always Dan Simmons." (James Rollins)

"One of the few major reinventions of the vampire concept, on a par with Jack Finney's Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Richard Matheson's I Am Legend, and Stephen King's Salem's Lot. (David Morrell)

THE PAST...

Caught behind the lines of Hitler's Final Solution, Saul Laski is one of the multitudes destined to die in the notorious Chelmno extermination camp. Until he rises to meet his fate and finds himself face to face with an evil far older, and far greater, than the Nazis themselves...

THE PRESENT...

Compelled by the encounter to survive at all costs, so begins a journey that for Saul will span decades and cross continents, plunging into the darkest corners of 20th century history to reveal a secret society of beings who may often exist behind the world's most horrible and violent events. Killing from a distance, and by darkly manipulative proxy, they are people with the psychic ability to "use" humans: read their minds, subjugate them to their wills, experience through their senses, feed off their emotions, force them to acts of unspeakable aggression. Each year, three of the most powerful of this hidden order meet to discuss their ongoing campaign of induced bloodshed and deliberate destruction. But this reunion, something will go terribly wrong. Saul's quest is about to reach its elusive object, drawing hunter and hunted alike into a struggle that will plumb the depths of mankind's attraction to violence, and determine the future of the world itself...

©2009 Dan Simmons (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

A classic

This is one of the all time classic horror novels. Well read, thought it would be long but I wanted more. Fascinating concept.

Really Good!

After listening to Hyperion and reading The Terror, I picked up Carrion Comfort and was treated to perhaps the original Dan Simmons horror novel. Fantastically paced, spectacularly acted, with interesting characters and an absolutely chilling story about human morality and violence. Usual Dan Simmons criticism applies, though, namely that it is very overlong. An editor could've shaved 10-hours-worth of listening time off this and not lost much. Regardless, Carrion Comfort is a spectacular listen and well-worth the time investment.

Not for the squeamish but a Grade A thriller!

This is easily one of my top horror books/audiobooks of all time. It is graphic and nauseating at times but the writing is nothing short of brilliant, and Dan Simmons takes a unique spin on 'vampire' like human-monsters to the highest level.
The performance of the audiobook is fantastic, though I was initially hesitant of two narrators switching off between chapters.

If you aren't completely turned away by violence, gore, rape, and all manner of abuse this is a must-have in a horror collection.

Cringe worthy listening for African American readers

Antiquated voices and poorly written descriptions of black life. This novel touches on the avoidance of stereotypes then proceeds to indulge in many of them. I still recommend this novel because it’s a unique take on the vampire genre and is genuinely creepy. Author Simmons really exposes his personal feelings on race not so much in the subject matter but in the character building portions. Tough read for this African American.

Long but engaging

Well written, kept me hooked, and made me think! Recommend if you have the time