The Spider in the Laurel

By: Michael Pogach

Narrated by: Terry F. Self

In Tomorrow's America, Belief is the New Enemy. Even a Silent Prayer can get you Black-Bagged.

Historian Rafael Ward is a good citizen, teaching students the government approved narrative of the nation's history. Until the black-baggers come calling. They have a job for him, one he's not allowed to refuse: Ward must go undercover as a Believer and smuggler to hunt down and destroy the artifacts he cherishes. Before he knows it, he's following fugitive Hannah MacKenzie on a fool's quest to recover the legendary Vase of Soissons, a Dark Age relic prophesized to restore faith to the world.

Soon, however, Ward is betrayed by the Republic he's trying to serve. His only chance to save himself is to come clean with MacKenzie and, together, find the Vase first. Pursued through the cathedrals and catacombs of Europe, Ward and MacKenzie must battle their mistrust of each other to stay alive. Only when they are within reach of their goal do they discover the Vase is not what they thought. With more than just their lives on the line, Ward and MacKenzie must choose between each other and the Vase, between belief and salvation.

"A fascinating dystopian tale from one of speculative fiction's rising stars" (C.T. Phipps, author of Lucifer's Star)

©2015 Michael Pogach (P)2017 Michael Pogach

Highly Underrated

Stop reading this right now and go slap down a credit on this bad boy.

Okay, for those of you who are still reading this, you're in for an excellent treat. Pay no attention to the meager reviews here on Audible. Check out the Amazon scores if you must, and you'll see a totally different picture. Part dystopian, part tomb raider, you're in for an action-packed ride that sucks you in from start to finish. Plus there's enough twists and turns that keep you guessing.

All right, I'm done. Now take the plunge and have fun.

Must Listen.

What did you like about this audiobook?

As much as I enjoyed listening to the book once, I won't be listening to it again because I just don't have the time to listen to something twice. I have a long list of pending books that I need to finish.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

This was the first time I've listened to a book narrated by Terry and I'm satisfied. The narration was top notch and drew me into the story. It felt like I was watching a movie. Each character was distinguishable and had unique voice.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Definitely.

Do you have any additional comments?

I received this audiobook for free from the author / narrator / publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

Great Indiana Jones vibe

Any additional comments?

I started and stopped this listen a few times. It dealt with religion and the abuses thereof/therein so I had to take it one chapter at a time.

The listen was vast and involved and evolved and head-scratching and well, unnerving. It was full of adventure, Indiana Jones style, and the continent jumping hero was constantly in motion - in body and in mind.

I found the narration to be well-suited to the subject and will look for more titles by him.

All in all, if you are ready to have your beliefs challenged, get ready to jump into the deep end.

Kinda like the da Vinci code

But not as tight, or as understandable.
I definitely lost the plot about 2/3 of the way through the book and didn’t find it again. It has some pretty interesting political messages about extremism, but then somehow translates that into not only an adventure... but some possibly fictitious? ... religious stuff. The adventure plot was great, the political message clear and woven nicely into the plot... but somewhere I lost track of what deity we were searching for in churches and whether or not they were courting the apocalypse.

My advice: this is a great adventure book, and if you’re more inclined than I was to keep track of the religious stuff (real, historical or otherwise) the ending may make sense... I didn’t find that aspect very satisfying though.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Surprising story with a great ending!

I really enjoy books that stretch the imagination and give you different possibilities for our future. This book takes the path of a society in which the United States has turned secular, religion is banned and people are sent to work camps or killed for their profession of any religious beliefs. It centers around religious artifacts and delves a bit into the supernatural, but it's not done so overwhelmingly that it's completely implausible. There's quite a bit of religious speak, history of religion and how some people believe that religion came about.

There's also quite a bit of action as the main character travels from the US where the narrative is controlled very tightly and the citizens are unaware of life outside it's borders to other places where they learn the truth.

I really got into the characters, both good guys and bad guys.

The narration was wonderful and kept a great pace and tone throughout.

Overall, great book.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Well written and well read

Enjoyed the twist and turns. Made me pay attention. Kept me wondering what our world would truly be like 100 years from now.

Dystopian Indiana Jones

I really enjoyed this book which kept my interest with its action and twists. It's about a new world where any kind of faith is illegal and punishable by death. The "agents" are the enforcers of this law and the main character Rafe is one of these agents and is pulled into an adventure on his first solo mission. He begins to question all he has been told and with the help of a "believer" chases relics across the world. I really enjoyed the characters and look forward to more by this author and narrator. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you!

The Spider in the Laurel

I was very impressed by this book.It is a take on a possible America that puts christians in the spotlight being oppressed.If you are reported for praying,say goodbye to your family.A man tasked with going undercover to bring tresspassers to light ultimately starts to see things differently.Terry F.Self was a fine narrator.I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

A Sci-Fi/Thriller That Really Pulls You In

Although set in the future, the story pretty much feels like a contemporary thriller. And Thriller is really the operative word here.
The setting has the US now as a Republic pretty much run by Republicans. Democrats are the outsiders fighting against the Republic.
Rafe is an agent for the Republic. However, he is betrayed and is on the run. To clear himself, he must find an artifact that his commandant wants desperately for his collection. He meets up with a woman who knows something about the artifact but is searching for a different artifact. They run together in a desperate search to find both of these missing pieces of religious history. But the Republic seems to always be one step ahead of them.
I was really drawn into the story by the narrator as well as the writing. This made for a great listen that I couldn't stop all day!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Indiana Jones and Dan Brown together in a Dystopia

The Spider in the Laurel is set in an alternative future, where terrorism has gone nuclear and as a result authoritarian governments have taken hold the world over. Religion, religious iconography, and even any artwork or writing remotely related to religious belief, such as any roman empire relics, are suppressed and made contraband. That which does still exist and is allowed is only available in a university setting and discussed as myth and legend.

Historian Rafael Ward teaches at a university, covering religious history and legends. He is also a covert agent for the Relic Enforcement Command, going undercover to find and stop the black market collection of 'holy' relics. When he is put on an undercover job selling "the spear of destiny" he is pulled deep into the black market trade, which takes him half way around the world finding answers and redemption for his past mistakes.

As my review titles suggests this book is part Indiana Jones - historian and lecturer travelling the world and finding mystical artifacts - and part Dan Brown novel - religious mysteries and histories to be solved - all set in a dystopian future. Michael Pogach blends the story telling and his detailed research together well, keeping the story moving and engaging while delivering on the historical details. The book blends the real history and the dystopian imagination of the author to great effect.

Overall thoroughly enjoyable.

Narration by Terry F. Self is good. He is clear and well paced, easy to listen to, and engaging. He provides voices and emotions for the characters which make it easy to follow what is going on. The reading has an energy to it that keeps the engagement and keeps the book moving. Enjoyable narration that adds to the book.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher