
The Brains of Rats
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Narrated by:
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Travis Baldree
About this listen
When Michael Blumlein's debut collection The Brains of Rats first appeared, it marked the arrival of a major new talent, earning widespread acclaim from mainstream critics as well as genre stalwarts Peter Straub, Harlan Ellison, Pat Cadigan and many others.
©1989, 2017 Michael Blumlein (P)2017 Valancourt Books, LLCListeners also enjoyed...
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I also want to give praise to Travis Baldree for the narration. Spot on. He really worked it and put a ton of energy into the performance.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Well written and weird
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So, this was a collection of short stories full of dark and visceral brooding. Michael Blumlein is apparently an MD, and some stories are very clinical, if creepy, and focus on a lot of the medical jargon while talking about the patient's perspective... The narrator was fantastic. He had a great voice for these psychological horror stories. All in all, this was a good experience.
great collection of psychological horror stories
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I've reviewed other audiobooks narrated by Travis Baldree (in different genres) and I continue to be impressed by him.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
3..5* - great narration, different short stories
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Just Unremarkable
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I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
Odd Collection
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This book was given to me for free at my request for my voluntary and unbiased review.
The Brains of Rats
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What a disturbingly strange and oddly enjoyable collection of shorts. I am rarely at a loss for words when reviewing a work. This was good. Maybe even better than that.
The narration for this one was excellent. Seemed to fit the stories perfectly and I think really added to the dark and brooding atmosphere. Well done.
*I was given a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
A dark and brooding 4.5 Stars
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I have already recommended this to friends of mine with similar taste. It's quite a diverse collection ranging from jaw dropping body horror to heart warming (and heart breaking) dark fantasy.Who was your favorite character and why?
The narrator of the final story, "Bestseller", a writer who struggles to earn a living and feed his family (including a sick child), until he discovers a way to generate income that most people would find utterly unthinkable and horrifying. You can't help but sympathize with his plight, even if you're disgusted by the way he ends up.Which scene was your favorite?
"Tissue Ablation" is one of the very best horror short stories I've read, and I've read many of them. A tale of a truly heinous surgical procedure, told in a detached, emotionless academic medical style. It's the most stomach turning story here, and also one that will draw you into the reality it creates and leave you completely dumbfounded when you realize what is happening."Keeping House" was another one I enjoyed, a Shirley Jackson-esque tale about a woman being driven to madness by a house. Great stuff.If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
No idea. I just know that I would want it to be directed by David Cronenberg.Any additional comments?
A fantastic collection. I didn't love every story as much as the ones I mentioned above, but everything here is well written. Blumlein has a knack for temporarily rearranging your reality and drawing you into the worlds he creates with his stories.Harrowing medical horror and more
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