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The Electric

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The Electric

By: Andrew David Barker
Narrated by: Nigel Peever
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About this listen

In the summer of 1985, 15-year-old Sam Crowhurst discovers an old, abandoned cinema that screens movies made by ghosts, for ghosts.

Sam and his friends Emma and David find themselves drawn into a world where the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Lon Chaney, and Theda Bara are still making pictures, where Harold Lloyd and John Belushi team up for roustabout comedies, and Karloff and Lugosi appear in films scripted by Edgar Allan Poe. Sam comes to learn the mysteries of the Electric cinema and his part to play in its long and strange history.

The Electric is about movies, ghosts, and that ephemeral moment in all of our lives: childhood.

©2013 Andrew David Barker (P)2019 Andrew David Barker Historical Fiction Fiction Haunted Heartfelt Scary Ghost

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I wasn’t sure at 1st when I started listening but after about 45 mins the narrator got me wondering what was next! He built the creepy vibe as he went.
The story was really unusual & The Electric was a definite place I wish I’d seen & experienced. The kids weren’t annoying, like I usually find in some stories. The way they got on was sweet & innocent.
The build up to climax was very good & I wasn’t expecting the end at all.
Overall very good story & reading

Atmospheric & creepy

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I thought the narrator was particularly good with dialogue and the teen characters's voices, excellent in reading description and creepy narrative.

The premise of a haunted cinema, a film that was never made and a group of teen friends in the 1980s hooked me and delivered the mix of nostalgia and coming of age that I was hoping for. The teen relationships rang true, especially the boys' embarrassment and self-consciousness at Emma's precocious teasing - a timely reminder that growing up is no easier for boys than for girls.The places linger in my imagination although I finished listening two weeks ago: the Car Cemetery, where the kids hang out in wrecked vehicles, and the derelict cinema were vividly brought to life and every place felt real to me. I also found the ending well-conceived,a haunting conclusion. There was much to love but I sometimes grew irritated by the slow pace, the repetition, and being told every single emotion felt by the characters at all times.Also, the period detail came from lists and names, which worked for me as I knew most of them but more context and fewer names, whether of e.g. song hits or film stars, would have been better.

Evokes a time and a haunting place

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This was an unusual narrative, a mixture between the adventures of teenagers in an age now past, first love, discovery of an old building, films from the black-and-white era and the paranormal. As with most of the books I've reviewed recently, this was in audiobook format, but with a difference. Headed up by the actor Nigel Peever, this also encompassed music and sound effects, which gave it a cinematic feel, probably quite different form the experience of reading the original book.

David, Emma and Sam (the narrator), are passing time towards the end of the long summer holidays of 1985. Sam stumbles across an old movie theatre, The Electric, hidden amongst undergrowth and off the beaten path. It is spooky and he has a strange reaction to it, but he can't wait to share his discovery with his friends. Emma feels the strangeness of the place immediately, but it takes David a while before he is drawn in. Together they discover the history of the place, why it was built, who watched and what was shown.

I really enjoyed this novel but there were a few things that irritated me. Not being a film buff, I thought there was too much description of the films and this would probably have bothered me even more if I'd been reading. In addition, while I loved the sound effects, I did think the background rain or traffic might have been faded out to leave us with the narrative, instead of drumming on in the background.

The story had a personal element too; Sam's Dad had died and he was living with his mother, while Emma had also lost her mother and was living with her father. Their grief is still raw and comes to the surface during the narrative. This grounds the otherwise somewhat fantastical element of the story.

If you're into old films and don't mind a bit of fantasy, then this could be your next summer read.

The end of Summer.

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This was a spooky read and the sound effects really bring the story alive. The narrator does a superb job of distinguishing between the characters and sounds a bit like Vincent Price when recounting the story as the main character Sam. During the summer holiday Sam discovers the wonderful Electric Cinema, a dilapidated building hidden from view. The Electric is a Picture Palace for ghosts which shows films made by ghosts. Deceased directors, writers and even well know actors have carried on doing what they do best, producing films, but this time for a ghostly audience. This is an intriguing tale with a moving finale - it would make a great film!

An intriguing tale

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Listener received this title free

a very intriguing premise told with sincerity and love for its subject matter. the protagonists come off as genuine and the emotional parts of the story are unforced. the audible narration is a joy, and the production values top drawer. a highly recommend listen

all film stars are ghosts

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