London Burns

Now I have More books that I must have!

Getting this freebie was a dirty rotten trick! Now I want to get more of each series!
There are two shorts: one is a paramilitary teased at in the publisher's blurb, and the second is an excerpt from the sci-fi series of Elmoryn with lethal trees.
James Foster, the audio performer, continues to amaze me with his scope of dramatis personae and ability to pace perfectly.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Good short zombie story with a unique bonus short

The London zombie story is short but well written. Good narration. The bonus short was unique and enjoyable. I will keep my eyes out for more by both the author and the narrator. I received this audiobook for free from the author narrator or publisher via audiobookblast in exchange for an unbiased review.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Another great Story

What made the experience of listening to London Burns the most enjoyable?

This isn't a super long story, but it fills in what happened to some of the guys we met along the way

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A must read!!!

As always, James Foster was great. Hearing what happened in London completed that missing piece of information. Loved getting Hal's POV and loved Beck as well. Great story.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

entralling

great narrator. I haven't read any of the book from this series... (GASP!) I know! after listening to this I bought the first one. I need to listen to the whole series.

this would haven been perfect had I read the whole series. my fault. I will just have to start all over... darn lol (yes I'm being sarcastic)

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Enjoyable addition

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this short story. James Foster did an excellent job narrating. I'm looking forward to listening to the other books in this series. I received this book for free through Audiobook Blast for my unbiased review.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A nice little treat

Any additional comments?

Although I have not read any of the authors work I was easily able to immerse myself in the story lines.It was interesting to see the backstory of characters in the Adrian's Undead Diarys series.The gem of this book was Elmoryn Roots Grown Deep.I enjoy High Fantasy,and this short story was reminiscent of the feeling that reading LOTR inspired in me.The narration was well done.I received an audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

a fantastic addition to the world of AUD

Unhappy Endings was the first story collection set in the world of Adrian’s Undead Diary (AUD).
London Burns is the next installment in the continuing series. It contains two stories. The first is London Burns, which runs just over an hour and six minutes. The second is Roots Grown Deep, a story from the Elmoryn universe, running just under thirty-nine minutes. One hour and forty-five minutes is a short audiobook but perfect for those trips that are expected to be less than an hour and fifteen minutes until you hit the unending construction on the beltway. I was able to listen to this audiobook in one sitting thanks to traffic delays.

In the many AUD books, there are characters who pass through, whose ultimate fates are unknown. Many of these characters are people who risk themselves to save others but the readers never knows if they escaped the danger, only whether their sacrifice was beneficial to the main AUD characters. Unhappy Endings and London Burns are great forays into the AUD world that we often just catch a glimpse of from the corner of our eyes as we progress through the series.

London Burns was a fantastic addition to the peripherality world of AUD. In Midnight, Book 3 of AUD, We meet a multinational group attempting to reach safety in the London area. When things go wrong, as they tend to when zombies are involved, the group must separate. One group continues on while the other group stays in the middle of disaster to buy time for the others to escape. London Burns is the story of the group left behind. It is a fascinating view of the apocalypse in it’s very early stages. The group is trying to reach Buckingham Palace, which after all is a fortress with large gates and high walls. As they progress through London, they encounter wildly different groups. They find panicked mobs fleeing from the sight of people attacking and devouring people. They find tourist taking pictures on the street, thinking they must be viewing some quaint English reenactment of a battle. They see police abandoning their post and leaving the helpless citizens behind. And they encounter those wisest and noblest of London citizens, the cabbie, who risks himself to save them. Whether or not the group makes it to Buckingham Palace and what they find there, you will discover for yourself as you listen for yourself.

Roots Grown Deep is part of the Elmoryn universe, a universe that I am not familiar with. But that was not a hindrance in enjoying the story. It stands well enough on its own. It introduces a community living behind walls. The walls protect them from an “undead” that does not sound zombie-ish as much as magically reanimated. In this land, a body resting in peace only rests if a special ceremony is said before the burial, before the magic in the world reanimates it. In Roots Grown Deep another danger has emerged from the past. Only the oldest members of the community are aware it exists. Younger members question whether it is just myth. And as they debate, it moves steadily closer.

As always James Foster does a fantastic job narrating. I honestly have not heard anything narrated by him that did not work. He is very talented. His accents, male and female voices are all spot on and believable. The pace of his narration matches the action in the stories. I recommend James Foster narrating anything. Even if the story is weak, his narration will improve it.

I enjoyed both stories. London Burns was a universe I was familiar with so it was like revisiting friends. Roots Grown Deep was an enjoyable story. It left me curious about this Elmoryn world. I will be adding it to my already groaning to-read list.

Audiobook was purchased for review by ABR.

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11 of 15 people found this review helpful

British AUD and some Elmoryn!

Excellent story of what happened in Britain! I loved the narrator! Story was very detailed and you can picture it in your mind. The Elmoryn story was a pleasant surprise. Very well done! I have not read the Elmoryn series and I will read it in the future. I liked the setting for the story.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Adrian's world continues to grow.

I really enjoyed hearing more about the team that assisted Kevin in London. Rather than just being introduced to names, you get to experience their character as well, in addition to people that they interact with. As a bonus, you get introduced to the Elmoryn series. I didn't have any experience with this series before but after hearing the chapter included as a bonus, I'm looking forward to picking up the first book!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful