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The Influence cover art

The Influence

By: Bentley Little
Narrated by: Joe Barrett
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Summary

Everything is about to change…

When Ross Lowry moves into his cousin's guest house in the small community of Magdalena, Arizona, he expects nothing more than breathing room and a brief respite from his economic woes. But something is not right in the desert. After a raucous party on New Year's Eve, the luck of the attendees undergoes an immediate U-turn. The rich and successful suddenly find themselves facing catastrophic failure while the less well-off are unexpectedly flush with good fortune.

This is only the beginning…

Soon the citizens of Magdalena are experiencing unnatural desires. Next their children begin to disappear and freakish creatures emerge from the surrounding wilderness. The community is unraveling at a frightening pace. But these are merely the early warning signs of a showdown with a powerful force of darkness that could obliterate the world forever, and only Ross Lowry sees the danger that lurks ahead.

©2013 Bentley Little (P)2013 AudioGO

What listeners say about The Influence

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    4 out of 5 stars

Avoid reading any synopsis of this novel

Stranger in a small desert town - weird things start to happen to animals and then people start to act odd. The author successfully holds back from revealing the possible catalyst for the strangeness (and I liked the revelation when it came). There is then the suspense concerning whether to believe the version that the locals believe or whether to doubt them.

I usually listen to audiobooks in the car, for short and long journeys. This time, I happened to be at home and listened to the first of the two downloads (about 4 hours) in one sitting - an indication of how I enjoyed the first half of the book.

The second half was a bit of a let down after such a strong beginning and, by the climax of the story, I was no longer really engaged. Still, I finished the audiobook in a couple of days.

This is the first Bentley Little novel I've come across so I can't compare it to his other works. There's some very strange and gory imagery (and graphic descriptions of sexual acts).

Please avoid reading any detailed synopsis of the novel. I had only read the summary on the audible site and benefitted from the surprise about the catalyst of the mayhem in the town in the novel.

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15 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A chill in the desert

I discovered Bentley Little by accident. 90% of his books are 'on the edge of your seat' reads and this book is no exception. Horror at it's best

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7 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Adults only elements

Has a eighties quality, by which I mean that it's well enough written, and moves along, but every few chapters there's a gratuitous sex scene, completely unnecessary, and the core idea is laugh out loud ridiculous when you try to summarise it, so I won't. It works in the first half because you don't know what's going on, but as things get weird you get increasingly disconnected. A modern James Herbert.

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5 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Sick

Baby sacrifice
Sick - this book should be censored.
This book should not be so easily available.
Shocked and horrified at some of its content.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Bentley little is addictive

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

Strange alluring nightmarish

What did you like best about this story?

The mix of the humdrum modernity of the mundane
Colliding into the completely absurd horrific weird world of freakiness

Which character – as performed by Joe Barrett – was your favourite?

Joe Barrett's laid back almost bored sounding american voice was perfect for this journey into Bentley Littles world of a fractured reality.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

It ain't Oklahoma

Any additional comments?

Bentley Little

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3 people found this helpful

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Loved It!!!

When I started this book I wasn't sure I would like it. It started kind of slow for me. But once things got going, I was hooked. I wanted to listen to this book as much as I could, and I found the story really interesting. It had just enough scary stuff to keep me wanting more, but not to put me off (I don't like anything that's too scary). I couldn't wait to find out how this book would end, but at the same time, I didn't want it to end. I thought the performance of the narrator was very good as I am really particular about the narration of an audiobook. Really good book for those that like strange stories with a touch of supernatural to it.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Really enjoyed it!

I listened to the audioversion of this book. I really enjoyed it. My first taste of Bentley Little, but it certainly won't be the last.
I'll be honest. I didn't even read the synopsis. I just wanted to try one of Little's books so I picked this one at random. Really glad that I did!
Quite a bit more graphic than I was expecting, I mean, I've read and written some pretty messed up stuff but one scene in this book actually make me wince.
Definitely recommend!

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1 person found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Okay

Just like one of his other books, the first part was great and the second part was too busy like he had crammed every horror story he could think of in it. What really made it for me was the gorgeous voice of the narrator

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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loved it

again didn't really know where it was going at the start. but really enjoyed where it started and ended up going !!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

AVOID : Stephen King it “ain’t”.

Laughable plot, featuring what must be the least scariest ‘demon’ in modern literature. Too many ‘plot holes’ to mention, poorly drawn characters, dire ending - think Jason and the Argonauts battling ‘the monster’ with elements of the Walking Dead thrown in for good measure.
The narration too, is pitiful - the gravelly voiced reader sounds out of breath at the end of every sentence, or is he just heaving a sigh of relief that he’s managed to get through another agonising few words?

Truly dreadful.

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