Subversion

Life on the Edge - of Eternity

By: R. Manolakas

Narrated by: Paul J. McSorley

Length: 9 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Fast-paced plot driven by the threat of a world-wide viral pandemic, an underlying suggestion of government evil, and a pervading sense that all is not what it appears to be. This is a great listen filled with suspense as our central character races with time to perfect an anti-virus in his top-security lab near the nation's capital, all the while uncovering startling secrets about his surroundings, his work, political and scientific history, and even his family-including his brilliant and sexy wife Dara.

This paranormal thriller takes on an eerie, gothic tone as Dr. Collin De Gise-a youthful Nobel Prize Laureate and ex-Gulf War Two commando-faces down the dangerous virus, clashes with high-level government figures in Washington DC, and battles to unravel the mystery of a sinister presence behind it all. Great suspense, an occult mystery that's refreshingly different, an conspiracy thriller with a chilling surprise ending that leaves you with the aura that maybe something like this isn't so incredible after all. It all seems hardly less normal than the dark turn that our turbulent society seems to be taking.

©2013 R. Manolakas (P)2014 R. Manolakas

Amazing story

All I can say is wow. Just when I thought I had this book figured out it throws me multiple curveballs. This book kept me thoroughly intrigued throughout the entire story. And I have to say the narrator did a great job of differentiating each character, and his angelic voice was nice to listen to.

Lots of plot twists

Suspenseful story with enough plot twists to keep most mystery fans interested. I listened to the audible version of this novel and found the narration to be well done.

Grabs you and keeps you till the end!

What did you love best about Subversion?

Did not see that ending coming! The plot just keeps getting better and better!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

This is a great book with a fantastic narrator. A compelling story that keeps you mesmerized from the first word and won't let you go.

Which scene was your favorite?

The last part with Collin and Stephenie in the lab.

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

The whole book was very good. Couldn't stop listening once I started. Changing plot keeps you on the edge of your seat!

Any additional comments?

Excellent book with a great narrator. Paul J McSorley did a fantastic job. Listening to him reminded me that there is an art to both the writing and the telling of stories and this story drew me in quickly and kept me enthralled.

Wonderful paranormal thriller

This is book is technically about a threat of a world wide viral pandemic, but there is a lot more to this book. It follows along with the main character Collin, he is a scientist trying to come up with a anti-virus to stop the pandemic before it spreads. This story intertwines between past events and the present time. As the story goes along with all of the twists and turns, you don't know who you can trust anymore and you find out what the real anti-virus project is about. The fast pace and lots of twists and turns does an excellent job of drawing you in.

The narrator did a wonderful job. He is easy to listen to and did a great job of making sure everyone had a very distinct voice.

An Unnerving Feeling...

Subversion is a pretty unique and highly enjoyable story. It revolves around a nobel prize winning virologist working on a knife edge project to create an antivirus for a virus which is causing some havoc to a largish number of people. The output of the product is intended to be the antivirus, but with a slight twist, accidental or on purpose, it could go the other way and produce a world decimating virus. The lead finds himself going from a man with a loving family and friends to an ever descending spiral of worsening conditions, where he ends up alone trusting absolutely no-one (and I do mean alone...).

I kind of had the whole "Rosemary's Baby" vibe listening to this book, where even at the early times, you had the underlying feeling of people maybe not being who they were, and an underlying feeling of dread. And in the end, it was all worse than I thought!

On a slight downside, the narrator, although he had a good voice, and was easy to l;isten to, had some off pronunciations. Eg, he kept pronouncing Medieval Med-ev-i-al and a few other oddities. I don't believe this is an actual pronunciation in any locale, I could be wrong though.

Mesmerizing Listen!

Subversion by R. Manolakas is a fascinating and mesmerizing listen. The author wove a great story with Collin being the center character. I loved the twists and turns it took, and the feeling of who to trust and who to believe. I did not see the ending coming. The performance by Paul J McSorley was outstanding, He conveys such realistic emotions and adds to the suspense. I could envision so many details with how he said things.

Carried away and couldn’t stop reading!!

If you could sum up Subversion in three words, what would they be?

Addictive, Stimulating, Unexpected

What other book might you compare Subversion to and why?

The Stand by Stephen King. Both authors brought you into the lives of their characters struggling through trials and tribulations brought about by a pre-or post pandemic.

What does Paul J. McSorley bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice and enthusiasm brought the characters to life. I was able to feel the fear, pain, excitement of the characters through his emotions. He carried me through the book from start to finish.

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

Yes. I could not stop listening once I started. I became emotionally involved with the characters and the plot of the story.

Any additional comments?

Very engaging and am hoping for a sequel to this book. It would be nice to have the same narrator since I have already identified his voice with the voice of that characters.

Great Book

Any additional comments?

This is a well written, fast paced book. It kept me listening just to find out what would happen next. The narrator did a great job.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Loved it!

Where does Subversion rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is one of the best.

What did you like best about this story?

The voice of the reader, the main character and the chilling surprises.

What does Paul J. McSorley bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice is fantastic and it fits the story, adding to it. His voice has a very nice quality to it.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes! I laughed and cried. It does keep you listening, because it is so interesting.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend it. The main character—Collin—is mesmerizing and changes as the story progresses. I love that, and I love the surprises at the climax and the strong women (good and evil) characters. Even though technically supernatural, the storyline seems frightfully real as though it could really happen. Look at what’s going on today, and you kind of wonder. The author’s short story, “Lonely Pines,” has a similar eerie feel. I’d buy more, maybe even in a short novel form—five stars plus!

It’s contagious!

Excellent apocalyptic story with a weird paranormal edge. Colin is a virologist and is working to create a vaccine, however spies abound with their own religious agenda to create a new weapon. Paranormal and historical with twists and turns galore! Excellently narrated! I received a free review copy of this book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.