Virtual Voice Sample
  • The Darkening

  • A Zombie Apocalypse Novel
  • By: Cynthia Melton
  • Narrated by: Virtual Voice
  • Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (24 ratings)

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The Darkening

By: Cynthia Melton
Narrated by: Virtual Voice
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Publisher's summary

It's not about the zombies; it's about the survivors.

When a meteor obliterates a top-secret government research facility, the world spirals into chaos. The dead walk among the living, and humanity's hope seems lost.

Chalice Hart never imagined she'd lead a band of survivors through the apocalypse. Now, she must guide her rag-tag group to safety, navigating a world where every sanctuary is fleeting, and danger lurks around every corner. As they journey through the ruins of civilization, they gather allies and lose friends, each step fraught with peril.

Their one beacon of hope is Colton, the first survivor they rescued, and the whispered rumors of a cure that could save them all. But just as their fragile optimism begins to take root, a new nightmare emerges: the undead are mutating into something far more terrifying than anything from their darkest childhood tales.

In this heart-pounding race for survival, will Chalice and her group find their haven, or will the world be lost to the relentless hordes of the undead?

The Darkening is a gripping tale of resilience and humanity in the face of unimaginable horror. Prepare to embark on an unforgettable journey where survival is just the beginning.

This title uses virtual voice narration

Virtual voice is computer-generated narration for audiobooks.
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What listeners say about The Darkening

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Nice story but lose the computer

Good story but I do not like a computer with no feeling reading it. Otherwise it was great.

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

AI is terrible

The AI voice and vocabulary is horrid. If an actual person read the book I would give it a 5.
The story was great not unlike other stories but enough characters that were different. The character development was pretty good.

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

the narration was really the worst part. The mechanical voice was very distracting. It lacked feeling and felt very unatural.

I did like the general idea of the story but it felt like the author didn't do much in the way of researching the story and certain aspects of a potential apocalypse. It says the story was about the survivors but it failed to cover many potential hardships. The survivors seemed to have it to easy and a lot of opportunities to spice up the story were missed

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

no to narrator

it might have been a good story but robot voice made it bad. Really 👎

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

Human nature

Love the zombie genre and this was spot on, although a little predictable. Pace and action was good. I didn’t not care for computer generated narration, lacking inflection. I enjoyed this listen.

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

Good, exciting parts of the book—ignited the adrenaline!

Certain parts extremely exciting! Would look for Sony books from this author …enjoyed the computer voice fine

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

Story was good AI terrible

For the most part storyline wasn’t bad. But the AI was terrible and I hope the message gets across that it might be cheaper but it ruins the experience.

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

A happy and hopeful ending

Reading using virtual voice is extremely annoying. Please return to real narrators. The story was okay.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

AI voice is the worst thing that happened to audio bookstores

Writers need to make sure their work isn’t turned into garbage with this AI reader, was the story good? I have no idea as the voice was putting me to sleep. Avoid these at all costs.

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