Book 1

Mr Bible brings us Asheville as we've not seen it before. A veritable smorgasbord of the supernatural combines with the author's special blend of snark.. It's fast paced, dramatic, often hair-raising, a really enjoyable book.

10 people found this helpful

Supernatural Postal Dimensional Roullette A-Team

On an Earth where a paranormal event described only as "The Happening" allows for 2-way (or more) dimensional travel, beings and locations from myth, folklore, paranormal sightings, and even religious writings are explained away as actually being visitors from, or peeks into other dimensions that some ignorant human just had to go and tell everybody about. So in this new world where a monster from a horror movie could be sitting at the next table over from you in a restaurant, or a wrong step in a pothole could send you to a frozen wasteland, "normal" changes from minute to minute. This also gives the author carte blanche to call upon or make up anyone, anywhere, anywhen.

Black Box Inc. is actually a team of unlikely friends, all with their own specialties and proclivities. They essentially offer a safety deposit box, and sometimes transport service to their clients for the right price. This team that has obviously done many jobs in the past bickers like family as they try to keep their business afloat. Their language and gestures are sometimes crude and profane, and the places they visit range from the gruesomely violent to the pornographically immodest. Luckily although the audience is made aware of these details, it is never graphic enough or overly-emphasized enough to overwhelm the story as a whole.

The main character Chase Lawter from who's point of view the story is told is the classic lovable scoundrel with a heart of gold... almost. He is at the same time both lucky enough that one minute trouble slides off of him and he seems like he can think, talk or charm his way out of anything, and then unlucky enough that the next minute trouble is chewing him up and getting drool all over him. This makes the Narrator's ability to go from smooth confident leader to "why me?" in an instant perfect for the character.

There are many events in this book which come full circle. On top of that there are many times when Chase arrives at or wakes up in unfamiliar locations such that the audience must wait for further details and context to be revealed before the scene starts to make sense. Because of this the reader/listener has to pay careful attention to details as well as remember everything from where they left off when taking a break or they'll get lost and have to backtrack to get re-acquainted with important details.

Due to the dimensional open-ended-ness of the setting as well as the established but unexplored past of the Black Box Inc. team along with their future prospects there is a great deal of room for this series to grow and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

5 people found this helpful

Great story

This fast paced enjoyable story is packed full of action. In a world filled multiple dimensions and every supernatural creature you can think of, Chase Lawter, a human, is the only one who can manipulate the Dim (interdimentional space.) His firm, Black Box Inc., specializes in hiding things in boxes concealed within the Dim, where only he can retrieve them. This entertaining story is literally the road trip to Hell, with a minor diversion to the fairy dimension. I loved the various characters in this story; from banshee lawyers, to zombie office managers, yeti lovers and Fae trained assassins, they all had great appeal and I enjoyed the banter between them. The humour and exciting action was evident in both the writing and the excellent narration. Bennett brought the characters to life, giving them individual voices and he did the various accents really well. The twists in the plot, unique creatures, intrigue, different realms and amusing characters kept me entertained to the very end.

3 people found this helpful

What an awesome & amazing world!

Black Box Inc.
Black Box Inc. Series, Book 1
By: Jake Bible
Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett
I had read this book before when it first came out but forgot to write a review, although I reviewed book 2. When I had the chance to get an audible book I tried and got one! Thanks! It was nice to hear it instead of reading it. The main character is Chase and he runs a unique service. He stores things for people. No one can get what he stores because he has the ability to reach into the depths of between dimensions. He calls it the Dim. He forms a box out of the Dim then puts the item in the box and stores the box in the Dim.
Mr Bible goes even further into the imagination land (which I love!). Chase's associates include a zombie, a Yeti, and a gal raise by warrior fae. Now forget about other stories of zombies/yeti because we are talking about Bible here. These are NOT what you would expect.
Nor would you expect changlings, a face growing on someone's back, and much more! See what you're missing? It is a wild fun ride into the crazy zone and I love every page/minute of it! Witty, clever, mysteries of a strange kind, great characters, and wonderful world building!
The narrator was great too! Solid performance!!!

1 person found this helpful

Loved this imaginative tale

A new spin on a paranormal world, I loved the world building and tone reminiscent of Dresden files. Can't wait to listen to more!

1 person found this helpful

DELICIOUSLY SCARY, HILARIOUSLY STRANGE AND CREEPY!

I loved this!! LOL it's awesome, when I first started listening I was like... wth? But after a few minutes I was hooked and stayed that way throughout. It's funny and sarcastic as hell, sometimes gross, sometimes scary, sometimes I literally laughed my butt off. I mean... "Back Chase" LOL! I was dying in the car on the way home from work. It's a great story, it's a little "off the cuff" but so easy to find yourself in the thrall of it all. Great story, loved the narration, loved the characters. Would definitely recommend it, very much enjoyed it and now on #2! :)
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

1 person found this helpful

Did Not Live Up to Potential

I like Jake Bible's writing and I have listened to my share of Bible's stories. This one did not live up to my expectations. And I can't decide if the story failed me or the narrator failed the story.

Let's start with the story. In a modern world where faires, ogres, harpies, vampires, and zombies are all real, Chase Lawter has a unique ability. He can manipulate the matter between the worlds. He can create "black boxes" which he can then store things in, send them to another place unreachable by anyone but him, and then retrieve it at a later date.

So far, so good. I find the premise interesting but the characters, especially Chase, just fell flat for me and their adventure seemed like a quest for the Macguffin with no real impotence.

Next, we have J. Scott Bennett as the narrator, a narrator I must add, that narrates one of my favorite fantasy series. I love his voice in that series. He so embodies the characters of that world. However, I don't think he's right for Bible's quick talking, snarky characters. I think a lot of the humor underlying the characters was lost because Bennett's delivery doesn't lend itself to these characters. I still think he's a good narrator; I just don't think he was meant for this story.

Should you listen to this? Maybe. It was a decent story. But unlike some of Bible's other series, I wasn't excited about book 2.

Phenomenal World-Building

Black Box Inc is a very entertaining and engaging urban fantasy. Jake Bible has done a brilliant job with the plot development and the world-building; I'm thoroughly impressed. The characters are flawlessly developed, particularly the main character Chase Lawter; he is intriguing with depth to his personality. The narration by J. Scott Bennett is outstanding, he brings the characters to life. I highly recommend this audiobook. I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This book was not for me

I struggled with the stories' content. The narrator did a really great job and I normally like listening to his work. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Amazing story!

This story is full of action. It will also scare you and make you laugh at times. I also loved the narration!