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The Three

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About this listen

Lost meets The Passage in this incredible new thriller, for all fans of The Shining Girls and Stephen King.

They're here... The boy. The boy watch the boy watch the dead people oh Lordy there's so many... They're coming for me now. We're all going soon. All of us. Pastor Len warn them that the boy he's not to­­. The last words of Pamela May Donald (1961 - 2012)

Black Thursday. The day that will never be forgotten. The day that four passenger planes crash, at almost exactly the same moment, at four different points around the globe.

There are only four survivors. Three are children, who emerge from the wreckage seemingly unhurt. But they are not unchanged. And the fourth is Pamela May Donald, who lives just long enough to record a voice message on her phone. A message that will change the world. The message is a warning.

2014, British Fantasy Society Best Newcomer, Winner

©2014 Sarah Lotz (P)2014 Hodder & Stoughton Action & Adventure Fantasy Horror Science Fiction Scary

Critic reviews

THE THREE is really wonderful. A cross between Michael Crichton and Shirley Jackson, hard to put down and vastly entertaining. (Stephen King)
Sarah Lotz is a ferociously imaginative storyteller whose twisty plots will kick the stairs out from under you. She's a talent to watch. (Lauren Beukes)
The finest thriller I've read in years. Dark, subtle and completely unputdownable, I was enthralled from the opening line to the last. (Sarah Pinborough)
One of the finest, freakiest horror novels I've read. (Chuck Wendig)
The author's use of the oral-history format, with its shifting voices and points of view, is a stroke of genius: the reader is in a state of near-constant confusion at the beginning, which is slowly replaced by unease and then dread as the various commentators start to see the bigger picture. A very creepy, very effective novel. (David Pitt)
All stars
Most relevant
Wasted my time listening to this. Possibly the worst book I have purchased from Audible. No wonder I haven't seen it in the book-shops. The narrators were poor with Andrew Wincott being especially bad. Same voice with different accents

Poor

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Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No. I think it would be a better read than listen, in the same way that some plays should not be staged. The repetition of Twitter etc. streams was stomach churning. The readers are both talented and managed several accents with varying degrees of satisfaction. The South African accents in particular were way off the mark and I would suggest either not doing an accent at all or pay another reader who is comfortable with these accents.

Any additional comments?

This is an author to watch and I would definitely want to read more of her work. A well-researched book and interesting story line.

Painful

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

Probably not - there isn't much of a story. You read on thinking it is building to something interesting and then... nothing. Also, the portrayal of certain foreign characters verges on the stereotypical: Japanese teens who never leave their rooms and are obsessed with robots; elderly Jewish ladies who call people 'shmucks' in practically every sentence; greedy, fame-hungry Bible Belt evangelists; unemployed Cockneys from council estates. None of them were very convincing.

How could the performance have been better?

I was so distracted by the narrators' comically poor efforts to do foreign accents (Japanese, South African, Texan, New York, etc.) that I hardly heard what they were saying.

Was The Three worth the listening time?

No - the ending is a major anti-climax. Really disappointing.

Terrible performances

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What did you like most about The Three?

I "read" this as an audio book and my favourite thing was the amazing performance by the two narrators. I liked the clever, creepy story as it unravelled and how they bought the characters to life, I don't think the book would have been as enjoyable if I had read it myself.

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

Yes - if I could have listened to this in one sitting I would have - I was always eager to be able to have time to spend with this book.

Any additional comments?

Before purchasing this book I had read lots of negative reviews about it - but at the end of the day it is only the reviewers opinion and what one person likes another doesn't. So I chose to ignore the negatives and try it myself.I would certainly recommend this as an Audible purchase rather than as a book that you read yourself, I think if I had read this myself I would have become easily bored with it as it jumps from person to person and country to country - BUT this has to be one of my most favourite Audible books as the narrators bring the book to life - from stifled crying and earie children that just kept me gripped from start to finish. Some people said they thought the ending was unsatisfactory - I disagree - but thats just my opinion! I certainly enjoyed it!

Go for Audio book!

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It's supposed to be a horror book, but I'd hardly count it as a thriller even. The building blocks of the story is good, it's just lacking in follow-through.

Where's the horror??

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