Watershed: A Novel

By: Colin Dodds

Narrated by: Charles Cromer

Watershed is a thriller about a pregnant woman and the two men - one a snake dealer with a sideline in secret messages and the other a billionaire living under an alias - who pursue her through a near-future America of anti-technology neighborhoods and illegal hospitals, where stockbrokers moonlight as assassins, nurses procure obscure pleasures, and the powers-that-be blow up the new World Trade Center to goose tourism.

Watershed was named a Book of the Month by The Association of Independent Authors and recognized in Kirkus Reviews’ Stars & Recommendations section as “[A]n appealing mix of adventure and contemplation”.

Praise for Watershed:

“A highly readable, quirkily creative alternate reality that comes frighteningly close to real life...the present taken to its logical extreme...much more than social commentary. It’s a genuinely captivating edge-of-your-seat thriller, which kept me reading from beginning to end, looking forward to each new chapter.” (The Lost Coast Review)

“The world of Watershed is a vibrant one, packed to the gills with absurd and yet oddly-believable detail - everything from a September 11th memorial service that involves a full-scale recreation of the original terrorist attack, to a man who gets off on being locked in a coffin with a bag full of cats.... Dodds manages to make all this and more seem not just possible, but vivid and tangible too.... It’s the real deal...a strong contender to be one of the most interesting books you’ll read this year.” (IndieReader Reviews)

“This cynical and surreal vision of a near-future America is intriguing and there is some genuine dark humor in the story.... The use of language is interesting and the ideas are expressed thoughtfully, with attention to each word...unusual in both ideas and expression, blending elements of a suspense thriller with hints of paranormal fiction and a fair portion of social commentary to create a unique feel.” (Publishers Weekly, BookLife Prize Review)

“Readers will never be quite sure what lurks around the next corner.... An appealing mix of adventure and contemplation." (Kirkus Reviews)

“Watershed is a unique book, and one that will grip you from the first page...exceptionally well-written, unique, and an overall brilliant ride...unlike any you’ve seen before, and which is rife with fascinating ideas played out to gleeful excess.” (The Indie Book Journal)

“The masterfully dystopian Watershed unpacks the future of a modern America that, while spectacular, nobody was expecting.... It’s a future that, as Leonard Cohen sang, is murder. The revelations of prose in Watershed makes that murder enjoyable...one of the few things worth believing in.” (Two Thirds North)

©2014 Colin Dodds (P)2019 Colin Dodds

Wild and erractic fiction!

I really enjoyed this fast paced, unusual book. The narrator was great with the different voices, but the audio issues were distracting from the story. The pauses between chapters were especially long and sentences were repeated at least 5 times. With that said, I still enjoyed the story line and will look for this author again! Bravo Mr. Dodds!!
"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

LOVED IT!

I loved it. The narration was great and kept me entertained. The author did a great job with the character builds and plot. This was my first book by this author but definitely not my last. I look forward to reading more of his books. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Production quality detracts from story

THere's a LOT of problems in the production/narration (repeated sections, long pauses between audio 'chapters' etc) that seriously detract from what is a interesting, wild story. I couldn't get past these to enjoy it as much as I'd like. I wonder if remastering it would clear up the problems and help the total quality of this offering.

I received a copy of this book at my request in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent

When a escort is dropped naked from a plane it sends her on a new life course
From unorthodox lifestyles to reenacting 9/11 there’s plenty of factors to keep the story interesting
Well narrated with a smattering of strange I’ve come to enjoy from this author
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

Pleasantly surprised

This story was not too bad at all! As previously mentioned the production left things a little choppy at times. The prolonged pauses between chapters (I assume) made me stop and check to see if my audiobook was stalled out or something. A short "chapter 2" would transitioned better especially in the last 2hrs. The chapters go quicker and so there's a lot of weird pauses.

That said...The narrator did a really great job kind of personifying Norwood who it seems to be kinda telling the story at least some of the time. Cromer feels a little young but so does Norwood. He did great doing the voices of the Hurley and Willamina too for instance. Very effortless transition between voices.

While I DID final some subtitles to the story that felt a little inexperienced writing wise, they were far overshadowed by the concepts and ideas within the story. The near future America and Ludlights and the probable steps up in technology all were easy to suspend disbelief to follow the story.

Dodds literally drops us in as a naked escort out of a plane in the middle of the night for an unsuspecting Ludlight guy, Norwood to happen upon in the middle of nowhere. Now THAT'S a beginning for you! There were a few parts that seemed to fast forward suddenly leaving you to wonder why. Raquel leaving the escorts and shacking up with Norwood was abrupt and under explained I think.

The little subplots like the 9-11 anniversary. That was an interesting take on a national event and memorial day. The snakes and the odd jobs Norwood does for Willamina etc. It all weaves a web of good story making.

Things start to get a little hasty in the pursuits and double crossings and finally at the end things get weird and fast and the epilogue seems almost an afterthought but definitely necessary as far as I'm concerned.

Cool story, good narrating!

Not my kind of story

The writing is amateurish, the characters are poorly drawn, and the story is just plain weird. It's completed, but the ending feels rushed. It's simply not my kind of story.

Charles Cromer's performance is passable. He does make an effort to give distinctive voices to most of the characters, but the production lacks polish. In fact, I suspect there are missing bits, but I can't confirm that.

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