Growing up Dead

The Life and Undeath of Mortimer Drake

By: Greg Wilkey

Narrated by: Maxwell Zener

Mortimer Drake discovers that he is the product of a supernatural mixed-marriage. His mother is human and his father is a 925-year-old vampire. His life is completely turned upside down as he struggles with this knowledge and his emerging vampiric nature. The truth behind the myths and legends of the vampire are revealed as Mortimer enters into a centuries old war of the Undead.

©2012 Greg Wilkey (P)2015 Auspicious Apparatus Press

Fun Vampire Book

This was a fresh take on the "teenager discovers that he's a supernatural creature" premise. I liked the funny family dynamics. The narrator Maxwell Zener definitely enhanced the book. He has the kind of relaxing, pleasant voice that I like to listen to, plus he did a great job bringing the characters to life (or should I say . . . to death?) Overall, it was a fun listen!

New Blood to the World of Vampires!

What did you love best about Growing up Dead?

First I must say that I'm not really a regular vampire or YA reader, but I received a copy of the audio book as a gift and thought I would give it a try given Wilkey’s reputation on the street.

I finished listening to “Growing Up Dead” yesterday. Wow! Great story! I found myself looking forward to the next time I could carve out a few moments to listen to more of the unfolding story.

Wilkey provided a refreshing new take on the vampire story, history, and dynamics of their society, adding a new take to a genre that has lacked substantial, original creativity since the days of Anne Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles”.

While there are some elements of writing style which I do not necessarily prefer, that is okay as I am not the target audience, and it works well for the intended YA crowd. Of course I should reiterate that the power of the story itself was able to overpower the issues I've mentioned and I found it completely enjoyable, and I look forward to the next book!

Good job Mr. Wilkey, and keep up the good work!

WOW! When is the next one coming to Audible?

Where does Growing up Dead rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

As an adult that enjoy YA fiction I have to say this is awesome. Well written and entertaining. Smooth transitions, fairly strong characters for a first novel of a writer. Mortimer (even with the geeky name) could be any child out there. If you are a fan of Harry Potter OR Vampire Chronicles you have to check this out. I sure hope the rest of this series gets put on audio...AND SOON!

What other book might you compare Growing up Dead to and why?

Harry Potter for the YA side, very well written strong characters. The Vampire Chronicles for the whole mythology and vamp thang.

What does Maxwell Zener bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He was the weakest part of this book experience but NOT BAD AT ALL! I think it took him a little to warm up to the characters though.

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

No...it was just issues...but I had been waiting for it, AND WANT MORE! NOW!

Mortimer comes to life!

Greg Wilkey has a genuine gift of creating engaging tales with vivid accounts of the woes of teen angst. The hero of our story in 'Growing Up Dead', Mortimer is faced with a new supernatural existence which provides it's own set of challenges. Wilkey takes us step by step through Mortimers journey as his social interactions and school life are altered permanently. Delving into this story I found Mortimer's conflicts to be accurate to a teen experiencing life changes as he matures, the dialogue between the hero of the story and his mother are classic.
The one thing that struck me about this story is the atmosphere of the places in which key events occur. The scenarios came alive in my imagination as I read and then listened.
I read the book first and then listened to the audio version. I thought the narrator did a great job of pausing making clear sense of the writing and added life and inflection that enhanced and did not draw from the overall adventure.
It gave a different perspective and reaffirmed the amusingly familiar true to life accounts of Mortimer's teen dramas with his mother and school officials.
I highly recommend this book. Must read more of his work.

Growing up dead. You will be hooked by the title and want to learn the answers to the secrets of the Blake family

I received an audio copy from the publisher for review.

I planned on listening to one chapter a day. That did not happen. The further the story progressed, the more involved I became. It was very easy to see, hear and smell the essence of the story from the colorful descriptions. There is a clear sense of reality and imagination throughout the book. I especially like that the book draws to a close but the story does not end. Plenty of space for a sequel that will be well received. The audio book is well done by Maxwell Zener and compliments the author's voice presented in the written words. I will be looking for more writing from Greg Wilkey.
Dorothy Kirby BA Literature, retired teacher

Awesome all around!

Would you consider the audio edition of Growing up Dead to be better than the print version?

I think it depends on your personal preference. I liked the audio edition, but I wouldn't say it was better, they were the same. It was more of a convenience, I could listen while cleaning, driving, mowing, etc.

What did you like best about this story?

How relatable Mortimer is and how this vampire story is so different from all the others out there.

Which character – as performed by Maxwell Zener – was your favorite?

Alexander Drake because when Maxwell Zener started reading him, he didn't seem to have a feel for him and grew into the charactor.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I think Mortimer's drinking his mother blood and then feeding her his when he had only fed on animals was a very moving moment.

Any additional comments?

I loved the story line and Maxwell Zener did a great job. I can't wait for an audio edition for the rest of the books.

Clever Take On Vampires!

Narration - Maxwell Zener - Really Good - he has a smooth voice with good range, does nice females and has a nice varied assortment of male character voices.

This is a cute book, which is sort of a weird thing to say about a Vampire book, but I like the younger vibe of this story.

Mortimer Drake is a 14 year old kid who starts experiencing some weird changes, which cause him to get in trouble at school, with his friends and at home. He doesn't see his dad much because he always works nights and comes to find out the reason why. His Dad is a Vampire and Mortimer comes from a mixed set of parents. (human-vampire)

His parents didn't know what would happen if they had a kid, but they now realize that these changes signal his transformation to Vampire, and Mortimer has to learn how to be one! This is a clever story with a little different take on Vampirism.

There's some fun, some mystery, some danger, some suspense and some sorrow in this story and we are definitely left with more story to tell and mysteries to solve.

It is a YA title and I think it will have great appeal to a younger audience, but I think adults will enjoy this too. I'm certainly going to move on to the next book in the series.

That's all!

So proud to be the new face of Mortimer!

The book is truly my new favorite book.. the others will surly be as good or even better. I'm excited to read them all!

A legend, A teen, And every wants him dead...

Written by: Greg Wilkey
Narrated by: Maxwell Zener
This is a fun and exciting teen/young adult book about a guy that finds himself in the middle of a big vampire problem, that problem is him.
How to fix that problem, kill the problem. He doesn't like that solution. Mortimer did not know anything more about vampires than anyone else that watches TV.
Now a bunch of vamps want him dead, why? Let's just say he is one-of-a-kind and some kind of legend...
It is humorous, suspenseful, crazy, twists, exciting, and a lot of fun. Except for Mort! I bought the next 2 books!
The narrator does a fantastic job at changing voices and keeping the excitement going, really makes the tension, suspense, or fun over the top at the right moment! Great job!

yawn

Better young adult vampire stories out there. poorly written and major plot holes. Narrator wasn't very good.