Preview
  • Prepare to Die!

  • By: Paul Tobin
  • Narrated by: Ray Chase
  • Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (174 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Prepare to Die!

By: Paul Tobin
Narrated by: Ray Chase
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Nine years ago, Steve Clarke was just a teenage boy in love with the girl of his dreams. Then a freak chemical spill transformed him into Reaver, the man whose super-powerful fists can literally take a year off a bad guy’s life. Days ago, he found himself at the mercy of his archnemesis, Octagon, and a whole crew of fiendish super-villains, who gave him two weeks to settle his affairs - and prepare to die. Now, after years of extraordinary adventures and crushing tragedies, the world’s greatest hero is returning to where it all began in search of the boy he once was...and the girl he never forgot.

Exciting, scandalous, and ultimately moving, Prepare to Die! is a unique new look at the last days of a legend.

©2012 Paul Tobin (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: Romance
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Editorial reviews

When Reaver is captured by his nemesis Octagon, he is allowed a two-week stay of execution to get his life in order before he is to be killed. He decides to return to his old life - before the chemical spill that turned him into a superhero - as Steve Clarke, and back to the girl he has always loved. Paul Tobin creates a moving meditation on mortality and regret in Prepare to Die!, a powerful demystification of superhero myth. Ray Chase gives an indelible performance, augmenting the broken, yearning, and rueful emotion behind Steve Clarke's final days.

Critic reviews

"This is something of a comic book without drawings, and Chase brings his A-game, further energizing the action scenes and making for a guilty pleasure of a listen." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about Prepare to Die!

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    104
  • 4 Stars
    45
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    98
  • 4 Stars
    48
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    98
  • 4 Stars
    44
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

better than average

If you could sum up Prepare to Die! in three words, what would they be?

Better than average

What other book might you compare Prepare to Die! to and why?

Emperor mollusk vs the sinister brain

What does Ray Chase bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

inflection and tone that promotes the proper mood

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

no

Any additional comments?

it was ok not top notch but it kept me listening

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

"Take some time off"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What did you love best about Prepare to Die!?

An R rated super hero story with some unique characters, made me laugh numerous times. This book was meant for an audio book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Superheroes are people with issues too

So within the first hour I was hooked and hate to admit this but there was a line that really rang true to me and, hopefully, many other guys.

"I allowed myself a shower piss, one of man's greatest pleasures, if women could see us pissing in the showers the way we're not bothered by it running down our legs, I'm not sure if they'd ever sleep with us again."

After that line I was all in and had to find out more about Reaver and the circumstances of his impending death or execution. Also this line really sets the tone for the rest of the audiobook. Reaver is an "invincible" hero, many would say that isn't true and that he simply heals extremely fast, who has met his match. All of the other "good" supers have been killed off by the "bad" supers and he is the last one, a very heavy weight to carry. Finding himself caught by his nemesis Octagon, as a gun was being held to Reaver he was told "Prepare to Die", with the great response of "How long do I have?" Ultimately settling on two weeks before Reaver has to submit to execution he finds it necessary to finally do somethings he has been meaning to do yet couldn't find the time, being needed to save the population all the time. Prepare to Die was a very dark, gritty and melancholy story, defiantly not for the those who are looking for a PG Superman vs. Lex Luthor, please look elsewhere, as this audiobook is full of foul language, sexual situation and stories, love and loss, brutal graphic gore and violence. With much of the story telling back story of how Reaver became a super and what he has done with his power and the internal struggle of doing what he wants or doing the hero thing torments him to no end, almost to the point where I wanted to grab Reaver and shake and slap him to stop whining. Paul Tobin was able to create relatable characters that brought the heroes down to earth ans human beings that are full of their own issues that when left undealt with, starts to eat them up inside until they can find closure. With a few plot twists and turns I was left smiling in my cubicle while the end credits were being read and thinking to myself how much Reaver was like me and how I have to tell and show my wife how much I truly love her.

Audiobook provided for review by Audible.

Please find this complete review and many others at audiobookreviewer dot com

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

great entertaining story about a superhero in his final hours, good if you like superhuman philosophy or if you just want an entertaining read#

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow.

This book is absolutely wonderful. I cannot believe it took me this long to read it. Wasted time. People!! Read this book. The action is great. The story is deep and moving. The comedy is perfect. Not over the top and too dry. There are some really good twists and the characters are full of life. It should go without saying, but Ray Chase is the man. So read and enjoy. "Take some time off" and enjoy this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great book.

I enjoyed most everything about this book, minor quibbles about the end aside. you should download it right away. worth it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Quite good

The narrative is all over the place yeah, but it's building to something and it pays off. I liked how this hero was flawed, pervy, fun, and relatable, and a great supporting cast. The audio got too quiet in places.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

TAKE SOME TIME OFF!!! ...and listen to this book!

What did you love best about Prepare to Die!?

Story is very adult oriented for a super-hero theme. Almost tempted to say that it's more of a comedic drama with super-human elements. It's very grounded, in that some superhero themes are perceived as stupid by the characters, but they're forced to accept them since its reality for them.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Prepare to Die!?

This book has a lot of juvenile humor and adult themes. The main character, being a superhero, discovers online porn based on his super hero persona.

Any additional comments?

The narration is great. A little growly at first, but it really grows on you.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

His is an insanely good book

Trust me it will be a nonstop read or I guess in this case a nonstop listen. My friends had to ply me away from listening this with promises of food and video games. And even then it would only be for short times. I'm

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Amazing,fun,and just what I was looking for!!!

My only complaint is that this story needed an epilogue, because you can't have a great dinner then skip the dessert. There was great humor and the narrator making all the voices sound like the hero made it feel like he was telling the story, rather than reading a book. I love these hero books but good ones, written well are not always easy to find.

This had great humor , a relatable hero and just enough jokes to make me laugh every now and then. I don't necessarily want more books in this universe,however I would love to see a longer more detailed version of this one. This would a risky make a good movie or mini series. Not as finny as the Dresden files sometimes is, but good humor. The audio sample is a perfect example and actually is one of my favorite jokes in the book.

I can't quite place the voice. Maybe an old wolverine mixed with Orson Welles and Clint Eastwood? I enjoyed it no matter what. Even the relationship parts.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful