Midnight Son

By: James Dommek Jr., Josephine Holtzman, Isaac Kestenbaum

Narrated by: James Dommek Jr.

Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

James Dommek, Jr., an Alaska Native writer and musician, sheds new light on a real-life mystery that pits Native American folklore against the US justice system. In the vast Alaskan Arctic, legend has it there once lived a mythic tribe—Iñukuns—that only existed in rumors and whispers. This changed forever when an actor-turned-fugitive, Teddy Kyle Smith, had an encounter that brought Iñukuns from myth to reality. Smith was an aspiring actor with a promising career until it all came quickly crashing down with a gunshot, a manhunt, bloodshed, and other frightful events.

The story of Smith’s tragic downfall has long haunted James Dommek, Jr., the great-grandson of the last of the Iñupiaq story-tellers. Midnight Son is his journey in discovering who Teddy Kyle Smith was, what he did, and what he really saw. Along the way, listeners will experience the soul of the real Alaska as narrator Dommek, Jr. brings this multilayered and sprawling tale to life.

Please Note: Midnight Son contains adult language and violent themes. Discretion is advised.

©2019 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

Solid performance, interesting lore, but...

I want to like this story more than I do. It stumbles a bit at the beginning - mostly by overselling the idea that it's supposed to be a documentary - but once it finds its footing, the world comes alive and sucks you in... until the last 10 minutes or so, when it veers wildly off course, leaving pretty much every single question unanswered.

Great story telling, makes you think!

I loved this narration and story. I listened all the way through. This book really makes you think about the Native Alaskan people, and their beliefs. The narrator makes you feel as if you are present with him as he goes through his journey. There is so much of the world we don't know. I hope the tribe/people that he describes are out there but never found and tainted by outsiders.

Meh

I do believe that all cultures matter and keeping them alive enriches all of human history. Claiming Teddy is anything more than a crazy violent person is ridiculous. He has problems and those problems are both complex and simple. Believing in mythical people is fine as long as it's not used as an excuse to hurt other people. It's just not credible.

To much bad language

Seriously a great storyteller. I would listen to him a lot more except the language makes me cringe. It’s not even necessary in my opinion. I can’t even suggest this book to anybody just because of the language. I could see it in the interviews because you can’t control that as much, but the author can omit it entirely!

Not as fantastic as I expected

The sound is powerful and captivating, but the plot itself has very few turns. I guess I expected more supernatural involvement.

Wow!I

Fantastic. Immersive story. Great narration.
Fresh idea told in a compelling way. Pleasant yet exciting

interesting story

stayed intrigued the whole time. good voice for story telling and enjoyed learning about native American culture.

Definitely worth the time

Up to downloading Midnight Son, I had not taken advantage of any of the free titles offered by Audible. I am very glad I did in this case. This is an intriguing story that takes you into the world of the native Alaskan people - their village life, culture and long held traditions. It is also the story of how some people sabotage themselves when they are so close to realizing their dreams. The author and narrator has a casual yet compelling style that leaves you on the edge of your seat wondering how the story of Teddy Smith ultimately ends. At just a little over three hours, it is well worth the investment of time to visit a place and people that we don’t see and hear enough about.

captivating

being from alaska, this story was even more interesting because I knew the places and events the author was talking about.

the fine art of story telling

this is a great example of outstanding story telling. its lost now in our ridiculousl city living and our obsession with instant everything. reminds me of the good stories told next to a hot camp fire on a cold night after a gard day with good family and friends. 100% good read/listen.