Pandemic

The Retreat, Book 1

By: Craig DiLouie, Stephen Knight, Joe McKinney

Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Length: 4 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

The first episode in a new novella series by acclaimed horror writers Craig DiLouie, Joe McKinney, and Stephen Knight!

In Boston, a battalion of light infantry struggles to maintain order as a new disease turns people into sadistic, laughing killers. As the numbers of infected grow, the battalion loses control, and the soldiers find themselves fighting for their lives against the very people they once swore an oath to protect.

During the ensuing collapse, the lost battalion learns the Army is still holding out in Florida, which has been cleared of the infected. Harry Lee, its commander, decides the only hope for his men is to get there. But first they must cross more than 1,000 miles of America that has been turned into a war zone, fighting a fearless, implacable, and merciless enemy.

©2013 Craig DiLouie, Stephen Knight, Joe McKinney (P)2016 Blue Heron Audio

Its if fun and a hell of a ride

Can you please make next one and book 3 and 4 and 5 it's is fun

a military action filled nightmare

As soon as I heard about this audiobook, I literally stopped everything went to Audible and bought it. I have listened to stories from all three authors, Craig DiLouie, Stephen Knight and Joe McKinney, before and knew that this was going to be good. Then mix in one R. C. Bray to the mix and you would think you would have an audiobook powerhouse of a story.

A pandemic virus has spread to the United States turning people into creatures. No not zombies, but kind of the same idea. As the disease is spread by body fluids. The diseased are called Klowns because they laugh hysterically when they are inflicting pain on others or experiencing pain themselves. They are not mindless by any means and live to turn you into one of them.

Interestingly the story stars after the initial infection and society has already started to crumble. I am going to assume so that will leave plenty of material for flashbacks and characters remembering thing from the start of the outbreak.

From the beginning we are dropped into a small military unit in Boston. As they try to defend the city from the Klowns. This is where you can tell that the team of authors are experienced and really good at what they do. Because of the characters. Not cookie cutter, black and white, transparent or shallow at all. They are quite dynamic in the sense that their personality continue to change throughout the story. DiLouie, Knight and McKinney were able to pump so much emotion into each and every one of them I could smell the fear they were experiencing.

Pandemic is a military action filled nightmare. With some of the scariest infected that I have come across. I just felt that the story didn't really go anywhere other than to set the story in motion for the rest of the series. It did, however, make me interested, and kept my interest, enough to be on the look out for the next in the series.

R.C. Bray was the narrator. Really I could just stop there. Bray is a narration master. Continuing to develop his skills and adding those special touches that has made most love his style. In this performance he laughed like a mad man and sang a verse from a song. Bray delivers at a solid pace, however I did find this performance to be a bit on the slow side.

Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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The possibility of this really happening

Once again another hit. Every time I had to press pause I couldn’t wait to get back to the story.

Wonderfully written and read

Very nicely done group story telling. Flow was perfect and I loved the characters. RC Bray was a perfect choice to read this story. He gives each character a personality all their own.

fun to listen to

first few chapters were slow but great after those . to bad this is the only book of the series on audible.

KILLER CLOWNS and A BAG OF DICKS

THE GUN CALLED TO BE USED
The crazies in this book are a great idea. I like them better than Zombies. I so wish these three guys would have done more with them. This instead is a Military clichéd book. If you like military talk and action, this is full of it. For those who like unique monsters, this could have been so good, but fell short, as the three amigos decided to make it mostly a military book.

ONCE YOU DIED YOU STAYED DEAD.
Bray ain't dead, he brings life to all he reads.

RC Bray Saved It

When I'm out of options for books to listen to I will go with a RC Bray narration because he's the best, IMO. This is a poorly written story about the apocalypse involving hysterically laughing mobs that got a virus. That should have been the first clue I wouldn't like it. Buy it for a no-brainer listen by Bray but that's about it.

Great series..

Narrator does a great job with the character changes...has that nice silky strong voice...great inflections...

Retreat

Great listen. Good storyline. R. C. Bray is a great narrator. Well done as always.

great book!

The first book of the series, also my first audio book that I listened to the whole thing lol. Thanks Stephen!