A Black and Endless Sky

By: Matthew Lyons

Narrated by: Hillary Huber, Neil Hellegers, Amara Jasper, Pat Grimes, Qarie Marshall

Siblings Jonah and Nell Talbot used to be inseparable, but ever since Jonah suddenly blew town 12 years ago, they couldn’t be more distant. Now, in the wake of Jonah’s divorce, they embark on a cross-country road trip back to their hometown of Albuquerque, hoping to mend their broken relationship along the way.

But when a strange accident befalls Nell at an abandoned industrial site somewhere in the Nevada desert, she begins experiencing ghastly visions and exhibiting terrifying, otherworldly symptoms. As their journey through the desolate American Southwest reveals the grotesque change happening within his sister, one thing becomes clear to Jonah: It’s not only Nell in there anymore.

Pursued by a mysterious stranger who knows far more about Nell’s worsening condition than they let on, the siblings race to find a way to help Nell and escape the desert before they’re met with a violent, bloody end. But there are far worse things lurking in the desert ahead…some of them just beneath the skin.

©2022 Matthew Lyons (P)2022 Dreamscape Media, LLC

You’ve got to be sh***ing me but in a good way

Don’t worry about hating the main characters because I gather that this is the gist of it. I wish I could’ve gotten to know the main characters to give them some grace but I think that’s what makes the entire novel is you hate them and that you’re always trying to dig for something better to not hate them. I will admit it does start off slow and excessively gory and the gore never stops; it’s very Argento but without the writing. You will find yourself confused about who to root for. You will find yourself wondering, ” how the hell are they still alive?”
The entire novel is daunting and what seems like not only a dark sky but a pointless road but the ending ties it so well together that you were not only left with your mouth open but you are wanting more but you know that more could never come.
This novel is comparable to a very violent loss of somebody that you wanted to know more about. You knew them growing up and you knew they were always trouble and they go a certain way but you’re too chicken to find out how they went. these are those people.

Packed with action and gore. I should have liked it more.

I should have liked this story more than I did, because it’s right up my alley. There were some strong moments, but for some reason it just didn’t connect with me. As much as I thought it would that may be because I just never felt that invested in any of the characters, I was entertained, but I was never really worried about the outcome for any of the characters.

Difficult Characters

The main characters are difficult to really connect to. Without spoiling the story all that I can say is that no one takes responsibility for their actions and some of the things done were huge. Shutting down and not communicating with one another became old after a while. But the overall story was ok.

Unlikeable characters and bizarre plot

The main characters Jona and Nell constantly argue and it makes for a difficult listen at times. The were some facts from beginning that didn't make sense....buried under 1000 feet of frozen Mojave desert? What? But on a positive note, the biker fights were good. If you like gore and action then you may like this story, but if you want something more literary this isn't it.

Rough start but I’m glad I kept going with it - fun read/listen

At the beginning I was on the same boat as those with the negative reviews about the concept of their life calling was to be bar fighters. I still think that was a silly characterization, especially because there was no background to that. Bad childhood? Early life trauma? I don’t know.
Ultimately what gripped me was the brother and sister relationship and the growth they had throughout the story. I was intrigued by the supernatural concepts and would like to read more about the lore the author used for such an intriguing world.
Once I stopped overthinking some silly decisions it was an overall fun read.