Ex-Purgatory

By: Peter Clines

Narrated by: Jay Snyder

Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

The fourth novel in Peter Clines' best-selling Ex series.

When he’s awake, George Bailey is just an ordinary man. Five days a week he coaxes his old Hyundai to life, curses the Los Angeles traffic, and clocks in at his job as a handyman at the local college. But when he sleeps, George dreams of something more. George dreams of flying. He dreams of fighting monsters. He dreams of a man made of pure lightning, an armored robot, a giant in an army uniform, a beautiful woman who moves like a ninja.

Then one day as he’s walking from one fix-it job to the next, a pale girl in a wheelchair tells George of another world, one in which civilization fell to a plague that animates the dead…and in which George is no longer a glorified janitor, but one of humanity’s last heroes. Her tale sounds like madness, of course. But as George’s dreams and his waking life begin bleeding together, he starts to wonder - which is the real world, and which is just fantasy?

©2014 Peter Clines (P)2013 Audible Inc.

Brain candy can be delicious

What did you love best about Ex-Purgatory?

I loved the continuing story of the superhero-types in zombie'd out L.A. The story bumps up against the absurd from time to time but then again we're talking about superpowers vs. undead. So I tell myself to get something sciencey if I want a read like that. The book does exactly what readers expect it to do: continuity of characters; gradual revelations about their backgrounds; engaging narrative style; focused conflict. Not exactly Booker Prize material but who the f*** cares? We got superheroes fighting hordes of exes over here!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ex-Purgatory?

Revelations about Stealth's background. No spoilers here but that comes up in the novel.

What does Jay Snyder bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

By now, Jay seems to have a good feel for the different characters and he can distinguish them by subtle changes in voice.

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

Not as such, but I did kinda go "oooh" when yet another brain-hop happened. Seriously, guy, you gotta explain what's up with all the brain hopping. Give us something to hang on to here.

A good ending

This was a fun ending, to a fun series. It's not a complex series, which makes it good for a younger audience.

Changed the story narration without notice

Would you try another book from Peter Clines and/or Jay Snyder?

Yes

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Twisted

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jay Snyder?

The original cast from the previous books. It was like listening to old time radio show. Was sad to find out my favorite series had not continued with the whole cast.

Do you think Ex-Purgatory needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

All good series need another book

Any additional comments?

Please stick to the narration format you've used in the first few books. If there was a category for multi cast audio books, I'd probably shop more on audio.com

Miss the rest of the cast

Jay Snyder is fabulous but I miss Khristine Hvram's female character narration. They should get the team back together for the next book!

Just as good as the previous books

Only complaint is that there's only the one narrator. Snyder does a good job as usual, amd he does a fair approximation of the voices done by the other narrators in previous (and the next, apprantely) installments. But the overall experience is different enough to be notable. I dont know why that decision was made, but I will be glad when the others come back.

Another great Ex-Addition, but needs full cast

If you could sum up Ex-Purgatory in three words, what would they be?

Mystery Twists Fun

Who was your favorite character and why?

Big fan of Zap! His awesome power combined with his fragile "normal" form make for a really interesting character. Not to mention he gets major points for being a big geek.

What does Jay Snyder bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Jay Snyder is amazing as usual. His character voicing and emotion make the book come alive. That said, please bring back the rest of the cast. As much as I love Jay, this narration is really hurting without everyone else. After listening to the whole series, it's really jarring to all of a sudden have a lot of the characters I love go through a major voice change.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yep!

Any additional comments?

Really great and interesting addition to the ex-series. Big fan of all the books and the characters. Really excited about the next one too. I'll keeping reading/listening if Peter Clines keeps writing. Again, I'll echo all the other reviews, PLEASE bring back the full cast for the next book narration. It's really distracting to not have the same voices. I would find myself occasionally forgetting who I am listening to because they sound so different than the previous books. Thanks!

Great story

Love this series. Actually read this book before and rated it 3 out of 5. Not his best work but still a good read. The only issue I have with the audio version is the voice work is not the same and takes away from the experience

original, clever change of pacr

should be read in series order, enjoyable change of pace book compared to the other Ex- entries. Proves Clines as an intelligent and resourceful author who has repect for his readers. As in all his offerings, begs multiple reads :)

Great story

The story kept me on edge, I miss the multiple narrators but you get over the change very quickly.

Great story but missing something.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of the characters of the story are my favorite. I'm just missing the style and sound of their voices.

What does Jay Snyder bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Jay is a great main narrator for this series and for his characters. His attempt on the other characters of the Ex story's was just WRONG. This is almost like John Glover narrating Ghost Story for James Marsters in The Dresden Files. PLEASE bring Khristine Hvam and Mark Boyett back to the series.