Prelude to Mayhem

Mayhem Wave Series, Book 1

By: Edward Aubry

Narrated by: C.S.E Cooney

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

In the ruins of his world, Harrison Cody follows a mysterious voice on the radio as he and his pixie sidekick travel on foot across a terrifyingly random landscape.

They discover Dorothy O'Neill, who has had to survive among monsters when her greatest worry used to be how to navigate high school.

Together they search for what remains of Chicago, and the hope that civilization can be rebuilt.

©2016 Edward Aubry (P)2016 Tantor

"Fun" post-apocalyptic fantasy

I scoured Kindle Unlimited books with audio (though I think the audio was $1.99) and found this, and once again wondered why Audible is so lousy at recommending books. Their parent company Amazon (who also owns Goodreads) is good at recommendations as is Goodreads. I would venture a guess that a lot of people would really like this story if anyone knew about it!

A strange apocalypse has happened, most of the population has disappeared, and magic is loose in the world. Not a wildly original premise, but it doesn't have to be. Solid writing, interesting characters (I loved Glimmer) who are well developed, and interesting storyline.

I liked this better than Unhappenings (though I did enjoy that one too), which I read before this one.

The only drawback--WHAT is with the audio narrator? She's horrible, except when she does dialogue and then she's fantastic.

I do hope the next book in this series will be on audio, and that Audible does a better job of getting it in front of people.

Fun, but not the same level as Unhappenings

The narrator was one of the worst I have ever heard. I felt like a Speak-N-Spell was reading the book to E. T. I ended up getting the book and reading it, only using the audio book on occasion. I assume it was a real person, UT she sounded like a 1980's computer voice. The story itself was very interesting. I will definitely be reading the following stories to come.

Enjoyed the characters

Loving the post apocalyptic story. I enjoyed the characters very much. Definitely worth reading.
Draw back…. The narrator is horrible! I seriously thought a computer was narrating. The emphasis on every single syllable about drove me insane!

Fun and unique post-apocalyptic fiction

Prelude to Mayhem is a quirky and fantastic take on the post-apocalyptic genre. The characters are written with an endearing honesty, and their banter is what drove me to sit in my car in the garage listening to the end of chapters. The author is an absolute master of dialogue that is both entertaining and authentic. The plot is plenty interesting and provides ample compelling mysteries about what happened to the world, and how the protagonists will accomplish their goals.

I listened to the audio-book, and very much enjoyed the quality of the narration, delivered in a quiet and precise manner that matches the fine detail of the prose. And the narrator is a master of voices, giving distinct tones and accents to over a half-dozen characters. (Her voice for the pixie character Glimmer is especially spot-on.)

Two thumbs up for this book and its narration, but only because I lack a third thumb.

A Marvelous and Quirky Novel

This novel is a fantasy post apocalyptic adventure that delves into the human condition, the nearly universal need for connection, and the mysterious alchemy of love and need and trust that transforms strangers into family. Voices are distinct and easy to identify, and the writing style flows beautifully for audio.