Rated R

By: Mike Leon

Narrated by: Buzz Blackburn

It's crass gun porn filled with fanboy pandering action movie references.

Do you like action movies? Do you like dark, edgy, hard-boiled heroes? Do you like fully automatic weapons blasting guys' heads off? How about product endorsements that are awkwardly placed between depictions of intense violence?

Yeah? Then this book is for you!

It's about Sid Hansen. He's a mega badass who kills anybody who stands between him and what he wants. And what he wants is to get laid and eat submarine sandwiches. Great aspirations aren't really his thing.

It's also about the total skankbox on the cover. But let's not talk about her, or the third of the novel spent setting up the plot. That stuff is boring. Let's talk about explosions, cheesy one-liners, car chases, knife fights, villains with exotic weapons, cars that blow up for absolutely no reason, and firing two guns whilst jumping through the air. That's the cool stuff, and Rated R has it in spades.

Once the exposition is over, and the body count starts climbing, this story goes from a hard R to a really ridiculously rock hard R that will blow your nuts off.

©2014 Mike Leon (P)2017 Mike Leon

Splatter house pulp action at its best

Take kill bill Sin City. Pulp fiction roll it all together mix it up sprinkle little extra sex on top and you get rated R, The story is packed with a probable action undefeatable villains undefeatable heroes doing battle against each other. You've got ninjas, high school drama, sibling rivalry and more stereotypes than you can shake a stick (or bat) at. Get ready for an improbable romp and enjoy. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Awesome!

Listens like an action movie complete with product placement. Plenty of action and lots of humor. The narrator was awesome and really made the story. I highly recommend this if you're looking for something a little off beat with a lot of laughs. I received a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Interesting concept

Interesting concept that almost worked too well. Mindless action works in movies because it’s eye candy... in the book it works against itself because we all know what is going to happen at every event in the book.. good guy wins by the most obvious action trope possible. There isn’t a plot question to make us wonder. So what makes a reader continue to turn the page and why did I say “almost”? Well lucky enough for this book there is just enough humor and satire to keep you entertained throughout. Not great but if you want to read a satire send up to the 80s action movies of your youth.. this is the book for you

Fun New World Order Super Soldier Adventure Ride!

Would you consider the audio edition of Rated R to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version so I can't really compare the print version to the audio edition. I can say that I was entertained with how Buzz Blackburn portrays the characters and their unique personalities.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hands down Sid (Jeremy) was the best. Just your typical super soldier killing machine oblivious to societal norms trying to be a normal guy. The guy was killing since he was a toddler and his first word was kill but all he wants is to work at Game Stop and have central air. Awesome.

Have you listened to any of Buzz Blackburn’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first audio book narrated by Buzz Blackburn so I can't compare to his past performances. I can compare Buzz to the many other audio books I have listened to in the past and say that his performance in my opinion is in the top tier. There were a few times I felt he was just reading a script but for the other 95% of the time the performance was excellent. From the slutty teen voice to the dark baritone super killer voice and to the voice of Sid's blood lust brother Vincent, Buzz did an excellent job keeping all the characters unique and entertaining.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The book was a great action packed roller coaster of a ride with excellent dark humor throughout. It wasn't a drama story with any particular emotional scene bringing you to tears or anything. I suppose the most moving part of the story would be when Sid the super killing machine begins to fall for Lily the high school super slut.

Any additional comments?

This audio book is a really fun listen and had me laughing throughout. I definitely look forward to more books by Mike Leon and narration by Buzz Blackburn. I've read other reviews where the book is compared to a Quentin Tarantino film. It's true. There were excellent corny one-liners throughout. The story even included a weird story line cut-in where Lily the teenage slut was suppose to die and the story line was somehow altered by the strange appearance of Quentin Tarantino. I kind of rolled my eyes at this one but Buzz did a good Quentin impersonation. Buzz also does an excellent Adam Sandler impersonation. Hilarious! My favorite quote of the book, "Now I'm just a threat to myself. Fuck! This is the biggest mind fuck. You are hands down the worlds worst dad." The audio book is a really fun five and a half hour listen. If you don't mind the violence, sex, and profanity (as the title Rated R obviously suggests) then you'll enjoy it.


"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

Over the Top Mayhem, totally worth a credit

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I think this book is what would happen if Quentin Tarantino had created a Deadpool-like anti-hero story (and yes, this opinion may have been biased by the Quentin Tarantino cameo in the story). The book is FULL of snark, action and sex. It's unapologetically profane and totally entertaining. I'm actually kind of sad that this is the only thing I could find on Audible by Mike Leon and Buzz Blackburn. If you enjoy stuff like The Expendables and Deadpool, you will enjoy this book. If you're easily offended, you'd best stay away.