Temporary Monsters Audiobook By Craig Shaw Gardner cover art

Temporary Monsters

The Temporary Magic Series, Book 1

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Temporary Monsters

By: Craig Shaw Gardner
Narrated by: Thomas Machin
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About this listen

Lenny Hodge is a young man with certain abilities - special talents that even he doesn't understand. It is only when he joins Terrifitemps (the temporary employment agency that secretly controls the world) and meets his new team - a psychic, a vampire, a ghost hunter, and a werevole (yes, a werevole) - that Lenny realizes how much his special talent will put him in jeopardy.

But it's worth it, right? Hasn't Lenny always wanted to save the world?

©2016 Craig Shaw Gardner (P)2017 David N. Wilson
Classics Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Literature & Fiction Funny Mind-Bending Scary Witty Comedy

What listeners say about Temporary Monsters

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Scary good fun`

Characters are unique and fleshed out, the narrator does a great job getting there voices different. The story does drag a butt on the carpet a bit but then it takes off and your glued to the words.

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

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Another light hearted addition from Mr Gardner

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

Yes, A fun light listen

What other book might you compare Temporary Monsters to and why?

This book is, in many ways, much like many other of Mr Gardner's

Have you listened to any of Thomas Machin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This seems to be my first encounter with Mr Machin's work. But I look forward to future works form him.

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

No, It's a good story, but it seems to follow the same formula as many of Mr Gardner's previous works.

Any additional comments?

First, to get it out of the way, "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."
With that said, anyone who has ever read, or listened to any of Craig Shaw Gardner's earlier works can be prepared for more of the same. He writes with a familiar formula that tells a fun lighted hearted story that entertains the reader/listener. If you are looking for an epic with deep meaning, you will disappointed.
If you have never encountered Mr Gardner's work, have no fear. This is a great story to introduce your self to his works.
Mr Machin's narration of this book is a superb compliment to this book. Making the story that much more enjoyable.

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

Temporary Monsters

Any additional comments?

It took awhile for me to get into the story. I really like the quirky characters. The narrator seemed to hit his stride third way into the book. I would recommend this book to my friends. I received this audiobook for free from Audiobook Boom for my unbiased review.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A cute story

Wonderful for young adults. This is one I would let my children read. I received this audiobook for free and voluntarily reviewed.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Still funny after all these years.

Any additional comments?

I received a copy of this audio title for free in exchange for an unbiased review.

Wow, new Craig Shaw Gardner! I fell in love with fantasy books back in grade school and high school, with a special fondness for humor based fantasy, as such some of my favorite authors at that time were Piers Anthony, Robert Asprin, and, yes you guessed it , Craig Shaw Gardner. I still have very fond memories of his Ebenezum series, his Wuntvor series, and his Cineverse cycle series. In fact I still have my old paperbacks. I must admit I wasn't even aware he was still writing, but what a wonderful surprise. Temporary Monster is the first book in a new series and I am thrilled to have found it. Not even sure how to describe what the book is about, it's just pure silly fun. I wouldn't say it's as good as either his Ebenezum or Wuntvor series, but then those two series have strong nostalgia for more, so a comparison really wouldn't be fair, but as I said it is pure silly fun. The cast of characters is great and the story is just wacky fun.

This is the first book I've heard by Thomas Machin...and doing a search here on audible I am shocked to see it's his only one!! How is that possible? Is this seriously the first book he has done? If so...WOW. The guy is fantastic. Some narrators can do 'voices' and some can't. (Of course there are some who think they can when they can't and no one has been nice enough to tell them that they can't, but let's not talk about those. Thomas Machin CAN do voice. He totally brings every single character to life. I'm honestly not sure who I liked best...no, that's not true. The Barron (aka the group's vampire) is great as is Karnowski (the groups ghost finder), but hands down my favorite had to be Bob the blue pooka! Not only were his parts funny has heck, the voice Machin uses for him was a riot. I seriously hope to see more from Machin in the future.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good

This is an ok story. The narration was good the story was a little discombobulated but it had its moments of humor and it was entertaining.

I received this book for free for an unbiased review

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A fun fantasy romp

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

I really enjoyed this book's characters and their crazy personalities. This really reminded me of the old king's quest games. Very silly and full of all of the traditional fantasy elements. All in all, it was just fun, nothing serious.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

An amazingly funny Urban Fantasy!

Lenny Hodge has had weird stuff happen to him since he was a kid. Mermaids, aliens, you name it, Lenny has probably seen it. Lenny can't seem to hold a job. Weird things just keep happening to him. He eventually ends up at TerrifiTemps, a job placement company. They offer him an immediate job on their staff. What Lenny doesnt know is that TerrifiTemps is a group dedicated to fighting supernatural and superscience Evil. Lenny is put on a team with a Romanian Vampire, a ghost finder, a Werevole (Think a really big Mole), and a psychic. They immediately head out on a mission after Terrifitemps boss is cursed, and they track the villainy to Foo, an evil genius. This begins the race against time to stop Foo's evil machinations for world domination. Can Lenny's erratic powers be trained enough on the job to stop Foo? Only way to find out is to listen to the book.

Characters are a major strength of this book. They're quirky, funny and earnest, and that includes the villain, who looks at world domination as just another corporate merger. Lenny is a likable everyman who just has so much weirdness swirl around him. The TerrifiTemps crew is hilarious, as are Foo's Henchmen and his narcissist of a daughter. This is a worthy successor to his Wuntavor books of the 80's, which are some of my favorite comedic fantasies.

Thomas Machin did an excellent job narrating. He brings each character to distinctive life. His pacing is good, and the narration never lagged or became monotone. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of this team.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

a misfit group saving the world

This was another pickup from AudiobookBoom.  That means I got the book for free, to give a review.  The price has no bearing on my review.  If you like audiobooks and write reviews, and really enjoy free I suggest checking out audiobookBoom.

This is the first book of the of the Temporary Magic series.  We meet Lenny Hodge, Lenny is looking for work.  He has a tough time holding down jobs.  He gets an interview at Terrifitemps .  They seem very eager to have him on board.  But his first day with the agency things seem to be falling apart... again.  This time his workmates let him onto a secret.  The weird things that always seem to happen to him, are part of his special abilities.  His teammates are made up of a psychic, a vampire, and a  ghost hunter.  

Seems like a normal group to work with right.  If that wasn't strange enough his ex-girlfriends father is an evil villain looking to take over the world.  But in order for his master plan to succeed, he must kill Lenny.  With the team assemble in an epic battle of good vs evil the Terrifitemps look to save the world.  

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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One grand adventure...giggle

OMG what can I say about this book. Loved it Loved it Lovveedd it.
This is one of those unique books that shows how much Murphy's law can effect ones life and boyyyyy what a ride! If you want something different, fun and non stop. Here you go...Enjoy! I cant wait for the next one, please tell me there will be a next one?
I was given this book for free in exchange for an unbiased review, thank you thank you thank you so much
btw...ull love the voice actor too, the voices given are just amazing, sighs happly

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