loved this book

I enjoyed this book immensely. The author has a way of describing things to the point of my being able to visualise every scene. The narrator has a wonderful voice and kept my attention with every word. I look forward to Mr Wests next book in what I hope to be a long series and also look forward in hearing Mr Anderson narrate.

1 person found this helpful

An Old Time Gangster & Monster Mash Up

Any additional comments?

“Night Things: Dracula versus Frankenstein” is a quick and fun read/listen. At first thought, the book’s title made me think of a bad “B” or “C” grade movie, but it’s really much better than that. Still, I will admit that I did find myself imagining a mash up of the old black and white, James Cagney style gangster movies and the old black and white monster movies like Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein or Lon Chaney Jr.’s Wolf Man. If that sounds cool to you, then I think you will also enjoy this book as much as I did. Although my analogy is that of an old school movie genre mash up, the story is primarily set in modern day with graphic language and violence.

After reading/listening to “Night Things: Dracula versus Frankenstein,” I discovered there is a prequel to this novella as well as another book in the series featuring Jack the Ripper versus H. P. Lovecraft’s character, Herbert West. Many horror fans will probably know that name from H. P. Lovecraft’s short story or from actor Jeffrey Combs’ portrayal in the 1985 movie Re-Animator. Either way, I hope that Bryan L. Anderson, who does a wonderful job narrating “Night Things: Dracula versus Frankenstein,” will also be narrating the next story. His seriously deep, dramatic voice works really well as the voice for the monsters and the other characters including all the various accents that came with them.

Finally, this audio book was provided by the narrator at no cost in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Audio Book Blast.

1 person found this helpful

Mafia, vampires, werewolves and porn oh my

Not for kids. That being said, I'm not a kid. I enjoyed it immensely. The absurdity of The legends mixed in with the regularity of criminal life
Was refreshing. The variety of creatures
Mixed well. MANY nods to pull horror, loved that the physician was "Herbert west" (hp's reanimator). Look forward to more by this author. I received this audiobook from the author narrator or the publisher for free via audiobookblast in exchange for an unbiased review

1 person found this helpful

Great idea, mediocre writing, terrible narration

The story itself was interesting enough to keep you listening.
The writing at times felt like mediocre fan fiction.
The narration ranged from sounding like a computer "text to speech" program to a bizarre singsong and was full of unusual pauses and breaks, rushing through some sentences for no apparent reason at some points and then making unusual stops that disturb the narrative flow at others.

Really well executed idea

The idea of Dracula vs. Frankenstein's monster seems kind of funny at first, but this is a very well executed book. After the monster escaped his master, he goes and lives as far from people as possible. Dracula finds him, and recruits him as the first new member of his "family". He then turns a bunch of other young adults, who chafe at being held back by Dracula. One day they decide to escape, go into town, and feed at the loacal orphanage. The Monster tries to stop them, and they gang up on him, beating him. They then go into a bloodfury in the orphanage, burning it down to cover it up. The monster then ends up killing them all, enraging Dracula. They part ways, and the story forwards a few hundred years to the present. Monsters have come out of the coffin, so to speak, and the Monster has taken advantage, becoming a crime lord. He still hates vampires, though, so he refuses to deal with them. After a failed attack on him, he discovers Dracula is in town, looking for a final showdown which will allow him to gain ultimate power. Only the monster and some special allies stand in the way of the Vampire apocalypse. You'll have to listen to it yourself to find out what happens in the action packed, satisfying conclusion. Bryan L Anderson does a decent job narrating, differentiating the characters. His accents felt a little forced, but overall, not too bad. He kept the story moving along.

I was given a copy of this book free by the publisher, author or narrator in exchange for an honest review via Audiobookblast.

1 person found this helpful

Funny for me, and wow: So good!

So I got this for free for a honest review of the book. That's what you get: A honest review!

Ahh. What a fantastic book! I love too be surprised, and I was so surprised! This was a book for me! I could not recommend this more than 6 stars. I wish this book would never stop. The reader brings the book alive. I think maybe I would not like it like I do for the reader. He is that good.

Who are the real monsters?

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

Interesting, engaging, unique.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gary Hack for certain. Not just because he is the main character, but he is flawed. He's not a hero in any sense of the word, more like a man drawn in and way over his head.

Which scene was your favorite?

I actually really enjoyed the part towards the end when Gary is in the alley confronted by several zombies after a drug bender. I won;t spoil it, but I found it thought provoking.

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

I would not say I had an extreme reaction, but I rather enjoyed this book. It takes classic horror elements and juxtaposes them atop modern society. How WOULD NY change if suddenly all the creatures of legend stepped out of the shadows? How would we interact? Would humans persecute the night things? Who are the monsters here? I thought the book was entertaining and thought provoking. It was a fun and light read but had more depth than I was expecting from something so short.

Initially I saw the title and was skeptical, but I am really glad I gave it a listen. It was well worth the time spent. I enjoyed the historical view as well.

My only real complaint is that I think for dialogues the author should make more use of contractions and such to make them feel more real. Some of the conversations were a bit like Mr. Data from Star Trek. For instance if a character says " I have not eaten in many days. I am feeling tempted to kill a person." (Made up dialogue for example only) it feels fake. Something more like "I haven't eaten in days. I'm tempted to take someone out."

Just a suggestion.

Either way though definitely a fun read.

Any additional comments?

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

Great twist on a classic

What did you love best about Night Things?

Fun story with the classic monsters

What about Bryan L. Anderson’s performance did you like?

BLA did an amazing job with the narration

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

A story casting well known legendary monsters in a human light

This was an interesting story portraying monsters of our nightmares in a human light. Who knew Frankenstein could be so noble and forward thinking!

I received this title free in exchange for an honest review.

Easy listen

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Narrator did a good job

Was Night Things worth the listening time?

Yes

Any additional comments?

I listened to this book at work. It made the time fly by. I would listen to another from the author. I received this audio book for free through audiobook blast for my unbiased review.