The Punished

By: Peter Meredith

Narrated by: Jeffrey Kyle Carpenter

There is no way out.

The house takes them, flies in the web, and won't let them go.

The house is beautiful and silent as a tomb.

There are children at play, pretending to live as their souls are sucked out of them.

There is no way out. The doors are locked and the windows hammered shut.

Some have been there for years, their minds warped into insanity by the fear and pain. Curt is new and can't understand why no one speaks and why the only sounds come from the night. He wonders what it is that comes out of the basement when the sun goes down.

There is no way out until you are cold and stiff.

©2013 Peter Meredith (P)2015 Peter Meredith

Unique twist on a ghost story

I give the author an A for coming up with something unique. I love horror stories, and was intrigued by the description of a foster child living in a weird old house with even weirder foster kids. The book delivers as promised. I am not giving the book 5 stars for several reasons, however. First of all, it moves so slowly, and the narrators voice was so monotonous, it really dragged the whole story down. Second, I found it hard to believe the kids didn't try to team up to overpower the evil in the house. It was an interesting concept, though, that the kids would come up with ways to have their fellow foster brothers or sisters punished instead of being punished themselves.

I also just find the idea of ghosts that can take on a physical form to be too unrealistic.

There were also too many questions about how they all survived, where did they get their groceries, and none of them went to school? And they were having sex in the house and that was ok? But they weren't allowed to talk?

But if you suspend your disbelief, it's a pretty good story and the author does a good job of character development, plot development, backstory, and a plausible ending.

A great story to listen to in the dark!

What did you love best about The Punished?

I enjoyed this book from the story line and the way the characters were brought to life.
Even with "The House" being the only setting for the story, you couldn't help but feel for the young kids and their hated foster mother, Mrs. Feanor. She makes anyone look considerably better. Curtis, the main character was fun to root for. And without giving away any of the story, you will thoroughly enjoy this audio book if you like thrillers or scary stories. I found myself waking up the next morning with the covers over my head...no joke. Peter Meredith is a very good author, and I will check out some of his other books in the near future. The narration kept me on edge as well. His voice was fabulous in capturing the voices, especially when The Mouse speaks. That still gives me the willies.

What did you like best about this story?

Just a great scary story without gobs of blood and guts from start to finish. I really love the narrators way of capturing the moment and scaring the %#*# out of me! I will most definitely keep an eye out for all of his future works in the future. He sounds pretty creepy...in a good way. haha

What does Jeffrey Kyle Carpenter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Its his voice and the way he sets you up before he grabs you by your throat. Seriously more than once I found myself gulping while I listened to it. Honestly, I listened to the last 4 or 5 chapters during the daytime. I had to get some sleep sometime

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

I did want to listen to it all at once, yes. Unfortunately I had to go to work. I did draw some similar comparisons from Mrs. Feanor to a co-worker. I'm just saying

Any additional comments?

I don't understand the reviews that weren't highly entertained by this audio book. I guess they don't like this type of story to begin with. But for those of you who enjoy a good old fashioned scare, you will like it a lot.

Good book. Bad narrator.

I enjoyed the characters and story. Author had a good command of tension.

The story telling was severely marred by a narrator who thinks a significant voice needs to be sloooowww. In addition to which he cannot pronounce “especially”. He pronounces it “expecially”. Unfortunately it’s bad enough to jar one out of the story as well as be a word the author uses about 15 times in the book. This makes it worse in the handful of times the narrator pronounces “across” as “acrossed” and “larynx” as “larinix”.

wOw!

if you want the Crap scaried out of yourself. this is a must listen. warning this book has excessive violence. so not for the faint of heart.

Edge of your seat listening

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The characters within this book will make you run all gametes of your emotions. Wonderfully well written and narrated. I don't recommend listening to this late at night when home alone.

What does Jeffrey Kyle Carpenter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

OMG...Jeffrey's voice when telling this story made me feel like I would jump out of my skin. This is the first time listening to a book that the person reading it made me feel like creepy crawlies were on me. He did a wonderful job.

Those poor kids

I'm a huge lover of haunted houses and a firm believer in places and things holding memories of previous people and events. I'm also a nurse and a mother. The torturing of these kids sent a chill through me but at the same time I could not stop listening to it hoping that they would be saved. I wanted to hate one of the characters for what he did but at the same time my heart ached for everything he must have had to endure. The psychological warfare that went on and on. And even with escaping will they ever truly be free. Having to relive it every day in their head. One thing I felt was lacking and unbelievable is the fact that these were all underage kids but nothing was mentioned about schooling them. I know many foster families that still are responsible for the kids going to school. Tutors could have been brought in and made slaves of the house as well the make it more believable. Other than that I loved it. Was a very on the edge of your seat suspense that left you wondering and wanting to know what was going to happen next.

Brilliant Story - Horendous Narration

Would you consider the audio edition of The Punished to be better than the print version?

No, I would not consider the audio edition of The Punished to be better than the print version. The narration was horrible, but I stuck with it because of the story.

What did you like best about this story?

The whole story was great. The only thing that almost ruined it for me was the horrible narration.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator could have read faster and should learn how to pronounce common words in English. Honestly, this was almost painful to listen to. The only way to make this narration better would be to hire another narrator.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction, but the author did a tremendous job showing the fear Curt felt each night at bedtime.

Any additional comments?

The Punished had an old-fashioned horror movie feel to it that I loved. However, the narrator almost ruined the story. He read so slowly that it quickly became boring, which is a shame because he has the kind of voice that could certainly hold my interest if it didn't sound like he was reading to a 3-year-old child. If you love horror, do yourself a favor, skip the audio book. Visit Amazon and buy this book. You'll love it.

Bleeping Wow!!

Too real scary! Fear, frustration, failure! No ultramacho hero to save the day, no easy out, no aw come on B.S. last minute saves. Real courage is terror overcome, but it has a price.
Only a very few people really know if they could risk damage and even death to save themselves or someone they love, and that's because they lived it. Each new threat is an uncertainty to how u will act. We like to imagine we would be a hero when we r young, but really we're scared kids projecting toughness, because weakness invites attack in those places, especially those places where evil is the system, from top to bottom.

Excellent Listen. Its a must have book!

Would you listen to The Punished again? Why?

YES! This book takes you to a place where you've probably never been.

What did you like best about this story?

The subject matter. Very refreshing and new but full of dread.

Have you listened to any of Jeffrey Kyle Carpenter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. He is a good narrator but reads a little too slow.

If you could take any character from The Punished out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Curt. He deserves it!!

Any additional comments?

This book takes you to a world of dread. I place where you have to shake your head and remember you aren't in it and be thankful. Makes you wonder if this isn't real somewhere out there. The audible version of this book make it so much more real than just reading the book.I know because I have done both. If you are in to a different kind of horror, get this book.

Really got my heart racing!

What made the experience of listening to The Punished the most enjoyable?

I mostly listened to this lying in bed in the dark after getting my daughter to sleep. I would find myself clutching my pillow with my heart racing in anticipation. I could really relate to the kids!

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the fresh concept. With the story unfolding all in one location, the author still did a great job holding my interest and maintaining suspense. I really enjoyed this audio version of the book, largely due to the spot on narration that pulled me in and never let me go. I felt characters were portrayed just as the author intended and it was easy to identify with both the victims and the villains.

Which character – as performed by Jeffrey Kyle Carpenter – was your favorite?

I enjoyed the portrayal of Curt, because he is the main character and I was immediately and continually concerned for him. However, I felt that Paul was a much more complex character, and the narrator did a great job capturing the essence of Paul's evolving states.

If you could take any character from The Punished out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would love to take Ms. Feinor out for a "lovely" dinner, every night, for years! I'm sure I could find something most unappetizing for her to subsist on!

Any additional comments?

I know how much work goes into authoring and narrating books for our entertainment. I appreciate a good honest review that is well written and not overly or personally harsh. I did laugh at the reviewer who criticized the narrator for "mispronouncing common English words", while at the same time they are unable to spell "HORRENDOUS" correctly themselves. LOL :)