The Silence
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Get 3 months for £0.99/mo
The Silence
Buy Now for £16.99
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Narrated by:
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Mark Meadows
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By:
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Tim Lebbon
About this listen
In the darkness of an underground cave, blind creatures hunt by sound. Then there is light, voices, and they feed.... Swarming from their prison, the creatures thrive; to whisper is to summon death.
As the hordes lay waste to Europe, a girl watches to see if they will cross the sea. Deaf for years, she knows how to live in silence; now it is her family's only chance of survival. To leave their home, to shun others. But what kind of world will be left?
©2015 Tim Lebbon (P)2015 Isis Publishing LtdListeners also enjoyed...
If you could sum up The Silence in three words, what would they be?
Intriguing but disappointingWhat was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
The thing that took me by surprise in a good way is that most of the characters are nice! The first person protagonist, a deaf schoolgirl, really loves her family, even her annoying kid brother - and even he bothered to learn sign language. The father, the third person protagonist, doesn't turn out to be an alcoholic or child abuser or adulterer - almost as if the author realises that these things aren't actually interesting. He's simply an ordinary guy prepared to do what it takes to protect the ones he loves.The opening scenes are thoroughly engaging. A caving expedition in Moldova goes horrifically wrong, but as most of the characters have to check an atlas to even know where Moldova is, that can't affect them, can it? Meanwhile, we consider the protagonist's deafness and the book's title and wonder how they relate... Unless of course we've spoiled it for ourselves by reading the blurb!
Some have likened this book to Day of the Triffids but I think it has more in common with War of the Worlds, at least in its initial sense of growing menace. Add in a bit of real world stuff, such as the existence of ecosystems entirely independent of our own (Lake Vostok springs to mind), and the uncontrolled rabbit population in Australia, and you've got a scenario that is far more interesting (not to mention credible) than just another zombie apocalypse.
For the book's first half, I would have given a very strong four stars, maybe five. But once the global threat is underway, the story loses its momentum, and it plays out in a way that is no longer so different from your average zombie apocalypse. As usual, the real threat is other people, but the baddies in this story are not terribly believable. They put themselves in considerable danger in order to gain something that they don't really need. Granted the leader is insane, but motivations need to be a bit more positive than just, "Well, they're crazy."
The last part of the book is largely speculations about what the world is going to be like now, which would be fine, but it doesn't go as far as any number of existing stories of that ilk, including Survivors and The Walking Dead. If Lebbon brings out a sequel, I will almost certainly read or listen to it, but my expectations will be medium rather than high.
What does Mark Meadows bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Besides making it very clear who is speaking, and when there's a change in scene or point of view, he does great newsreader voices.Incidentally, despite the excellent narrator, this is one book that I would suggest people read themselves rather than listen to if they have that option - the clue being in the title.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It is not practical for me to sit for 11 hours.Any additional comments?
There is a great storm scene.Despite my negativity towards the later parts of the story, this is not a book I regret buying and listening to.
Not with a bang but a whisper
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What made the experience of listening to The Silence the most enjoyable?
It is a different type of story from the ones I have read or listened to lately Interesting plot with well written charactersWhat did you like best about this story?
lots of twists and turns in the plotWhich character – as performed by Mark Meadows – was your favourite?
Liked all of the main charactersWas there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Death of the grandmotherAny additional comments?
I shall look out for more by this writerNot my usual type of story but I'm pleased I tried
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How good sci-fi horror should be written!
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5 stars not enough
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For the story, it's a great take on the possible end of humanity that avoids politics and climate change and war. And it follows a family and sees their relationships grow, and also their characters change and adapt. A really great book and incredibly easy to listen to.
I've been listening while walking the dog, usually around and hour and a half, and it's gone too quick.
Better than the film, obviously
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