The Scout

By: Eric Tozzi

Narrated by: Stephen J. Holowid

Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Change is inevitable. It's heading for Earth at 12,000 miles per hour...and it will land virtually undetected. For Jack McAllister, a young writer who has finally launched a career for himself, it begins tragically: his estranged father, a former NASA engineer, dies suddenly at his home in Merriweather, Indiana, leaving Jack's Alzheimer's-stricken mother a widow. But in the wake of personal heartbreak, he's confronted by an even more astonishing event - the covert landing of an alien machine in the forest just a few miles outside of town.

Now Jack must unmask the true purpose of the otherworldly device that has begun a detailed environmental survey of the woods. Aided by the town's young and resilient female deputy sheriff, he soon discovers that the alien scout is only one small part of a much larger operation, and the countdown to a terrifying global catastrophe is about to take place. Drawing deeply from his father's scientific influence, all while attempting to avoid the snares of a sexy, seductive, and scheming local TV reporter, Jack uncovers-and ultimately finds himself an unwilling component of-an alien plan set to terminate life on Earth as we know it.

©2013 Eric Tozzi (P)2014 Eric Tozzi

First contact!

The Scout
By: Eric Tozzi
Narrated by: Stephen J. Holowid
A different kind of first contact story. Assumed meteor hit in the woods. Things go sideways when the "meteorite" is discovered. Action packed and makes you think.
Good narration.

So down to earth

Would you listen to The Scout again? Why?

Yes I would after a year or so. Because it was so good and I am sure there are things I missed the first time around.

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

Would have loved to but is way to long although there were times I sat in my driveway waiting for a good place to stop for the evening. The reader was awesome and kept me into the story.

Any additional comments?

This was a great book, very down to earth (the characters, the places, everything) it made it so realistic, and that in turn gave it a bigger creep factor. but it was cool to think this could happen in my small town for a change not in some huge city to some celebrity.

An unexpected treat!

Would you listen to The Scout again? Why?

No, not because not worthwhile buy because I don't do that as a rule.

What did you like best about this story?

The performance was sparkling, the character had some depth to them, and the story moved intelligently.

Which character – as performed by Stephen J. Holowid – was your favorite?

The deputy sherriff was cool, but the female TV reporter rocked alot.

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

The relationship between the hero and his aging mother was very real and I did react to it.

Any additional comments?

I have recently started using Audiofile.com as a resource for finding new audio books. They certainly didn't let me down in this instance. Highly recommended to any listener.

Very Enjoyable SciFi

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

I love Sci Fi, especially stories that are about first contact. This one was very enjoyable because it had a bit of a different twist from others that I've read and unfolded in a way the kept my attention throughout. Interesting characters, too.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked the main character because he was just a regular guy, dealing with the everyday issues that come up in a person's life. When he is thrust into a situation that was absolutely foreign to him he uses his wits and common sense to bring him through. He is no super hero, and like all of us, makes some errors in judgement, but all in all is a nice guy.

Have you listened to any of Stephen J. Holowid’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I'm not familiar with him and have never listened to any books narrated by him until this one. He did all of the voices very well and my only complaint was that at times he sounded a bit wooden. But through the majority of the narration he was easy to listen to and did justice to each of the characters.

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

I guess the most touching part of the book was how the main character struggled to deal with his father's death and his mother's illness, amid all the chaos and turmoil.

Any additional comments?

I noticed that Audible does not have any other books by Eric Tozzi, so I'm wondering if this is a first novel? If so, it is pretty amazing writing from a first time author. The story just flowed and there were no awkward moments. It kept me mesmerized from start to finish. I'm impressed and will look for more by this author. Hopefully, he will stay with Sci Fi, because he is very good at it and has an inventive imagination.

Waste of ten hours

This was a badly written, badly edited unsatisfying recycling of Signs, War of the Worlds, with a sprinkling of Alien. But that sounds like it might be OK right? Problem is that this book is so poorly written that it destroyed any enjoyment I might otherwise have had. Passive voice, telling instead of showing, countless dull filler scenes that should have been trimmed and offensive stereotypical characters galore. The worst part? The story remained microscopic, hyper-focusing on a handful of uninteresting characters instead of the larger ramifications of the thread-thin plot.