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Dark of Night  By  cover art

Dark of Night

By: Jonathan Maberry,Rachael Lavin
Narrated by: Ray Porter
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Publisher's summary

The dead rose. We fell.

The survivors are trapped in a world of monsters who prey on the helpless. Some of them are zombies...but they are not the only predators who feed on pain and suffering.

Dark of Night is a story of worlds in collision. Three heroes who have survived the apocalypse are in a deadly race to save a busload of children from ravenous zombies and ruthless human scavengers.

This brand new novella brings together three of New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Maberry's award-winning series. Captain Joe Ledger (Patient Zero and Code Zero), Officer Desdemona Fox (Dead of Night and Fall of Night), and Rachael Elle (Bits & Pieces) are caught between an endless wave of the living dead and an army of corrupt men who want to enslave the last human survivors.

©2016 Jonathan Maberry and Rachael Lavin (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Featured Article: Mmmm, Brains...Satisfy Your Cravings with the 20 Best Zombie Audiobooks Ever


Zombies have been a potent cultural force for decades. Something about the concept of a ragtag crew of survivors facing off against endless masses of shuffling brain-munchers really seems to speak to people! There are hundreds, if not thousands, of zombie-themed stories out there. But which ones are the very best? And which zombie audiobooks will have you double-checking the locks and sleeping with a baseball bat next to your bed?

What listeners say about Dark of Night

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    5 out of 5 stars
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The Walking Dead, but better

What did you like best about this story?

Fast paced, thrilling, immersive

Which scene was your favorite?

The introduction of Captain Ledger and his dog

Who was the most memorable character of Dark of Night and why?

Captain Joe Ledger, he is a good guy, doing bad things to bad people.

Any additional comments?

In Dark of Night: A Joe Ledger Novella, New York Times and award winning thriller writer Jonathan Maberry brings together three of his heroes, from multiple series to fight against The Walking Dead. The book is co-written with another talented author, Rachael Lavin. This was my first experience with Mr. Mayberry‘s work and I’m very happy with the end result.

If you are like me, a big audiobook fan, you probably search for new books by your favourite narrators. This is exactly what I did, I finished listening to Into the Storm, performed by the amazing Ray Porter and I looked for more books read by him. When I saw that Dark of Night was rated with 4.9/5 I decided to give it a shot, especially since it’s just 5 hours long.

The story follows three main characters, which are separated at first, then later they will combine their collective forces in order to save a bus full of children from the horrors of a world ruled by the walking dead and by some really nasty individuals. Yes, this is a zombie book, but one so fast paced and thrilling that I couldn’t stop listening until Ray Porter delivered the last sentence.

I liked very much US Rangers Captain Joe Ledger and his tank of a dog, called Baskerville. For a book this short it’s just amazing to see how fast the authors are able to pull you into the story. I usually don’t listen to zombie stories, but this one is more about the living and about the survivors, good and bad, while the living dead are more of a bump in the road for both parties.

If you like The Walking Dead, you’ll love Dark of Night, because it is a story about what it means to try to remain human in a world without hope. Speaking of hope, the book opens on a hopeless note and after all the horrific events that took place, it ends on a positive one.

After a short search I discovered that many of Jonathan Maberry‘s audiobooks are performed by esteemed actor, voice over artist and award winning narrator Ray Porter. In Dark of Night he gives life to all the characters, attributing each ones a different voice and accent, keeping them well differentiated in the listener’s mind. His voices range from the scared little girl to the ugly, ruthless NKK (New Klux Klan) assholes. Ray is a force of nature, he reads, acts, shouts in all the right moments. He is sad, funny, scary or neutral as the plot dictates it. My ”first contact’ with Mr. Porter was the awesome thriller called The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow and since then he stayed in my top 5 male narrators, alongside Scott Brick, Dick Hill, Grover Gardner and Michael Prichard.

Ray Porter and the two authors deliver with Dark of Night a great and deeply immersive post-apocalyptic story, filled with unforgettable, vivid characters. The action starts on second 1 and keeps going with a blazingly fast speed until the last word.

Now, with this review over I will purchase Patient Zero, the 1st book in the Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Mayberry and also performed by Ray Porter.

Please find more audiobook reviews at theAudiobookBlog dot com and if you found this review helpful vote Yes below.
Thank you,
Victor

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32 people found this helpful

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

NKK, NEW KLUX KLAN

FIRST--OUCH, SECOND--DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN
Joe ledger is the main character, so there is comic relief. If somehow you have gotten through life without meeting Joe Ledger, this is a good way to do so. As Maberry explains in the Intro, even though this involves characters from three different series, you don't need to read them to listen to this.

SHE'S NOT SCARED ENOUGH, IF SHE THINKS ZOMBIES ARE THE WROSE THINGS OUT THERE.
Like the majority of zombie books, this is more about the evil humans and they are evil. The zombies are not ignored though, they play a big part in the book. It is an action packed book with some very scary parts to it. I will have to admit that, there were times when my mind did wonder. It is time that writers start getting a little more creative with their zombies. As the judges on AGT like to say, make it your own.

SINCE WHEN HAS LADY LUCK EVER GIVEN US ANYTHING BUT, A BAD HAND JOB.

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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

Dark of Night: Joe Ledger Returns!!

Mayberry is nothing less than a creative phenom! All three books in this series are like being on a nonstop rollercoaster which is always in a motion of free-fall. The amazingly descriptive graphics, combined with well written, dynamic characters, came together flawlessly in creating the perfect listening experience.

Des Fox was refreshing as the lead female protagonist, and I loved her pull no punches authenticity. She's a strong, intelligent, beautiful woman, who can mouth off like a sailor with her fellow brothers in blue without ever missing a beat!
Just a super funny, take not prisoners kind of gal, who had me laughing out loud quite a bit while listening to her clever, rapid-fire quips and retorts she shot off at whoever was aggravating her at that moment in time.
That being said, she also has a softer, compassionate component to her personality, and all these factors combined together made her one of my favorite characters throughout all 3 books.

Much thanks for the opportunity to experience Joe in a whole different environment and circumstances. He still kicks bum like nobody's business! Hooyah!!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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commands your attention throughout

When I first saw this coming out I was so excited. Because two Joe Ledger books in one year is a rarity. Sure it is a short novella, but I do not care. I devoured it in one sitting.

There is so much to take in. 15 years have passed since the last Ledger adventure. Several thing struck me. Ledger has a child, somewhere, if you have been following this characters development you will understand why this is so surprising. He still has a dog, but it is not Ghost but his descendant. Ledger seems to be carrying around so many more internal demons than before and an overall melancholy about his continues existence.

Des Fox is just who I expected from reading the Dead of Night series. If you are unfamiliar she is basically a female version of Ledger, yet a little deeper.

The newcomer to me was Rachael Elle a woman traveling the zombie apocalypse in cosplay or LARP gear, fighting the creatures she has dubbed "Orcs". This character was fascinating to me. Yet was a master with a sword. I need to find out more of her story.

Without giving too much away I will try to summarize. All three of the above characters are living in the full on zombie apocalypse. Eventually meeting up and defending those that need it from the dead as well as the living. Not without their first encounters of each other.

There was this one part when Dez and Joe first discover each other where I was brought to tears. I was listening in my cubicle at work and actually let out an audible sob, to the surprise of my coworkers. The tears started flowing until the situation was resolved. If you have listened to this you know the part.

This Joe Ledger novella commands your attention throughout. Action filled as you would expect with anything written by Maberry. With a not so straight forward plot. I did not want it to end and then it did. Maberry is a master of writing in only one universe and every once and a while his stories converge on one another. Somehow his is able to keep it all straight and make everything so engrossing. I really hope that Maberry continues with this in between storyline.

As always Ray Porter brings Joe Ledger to life in a way that no one else could possibly come close to pulling off. Not only does he succeed there, but also embodies the personas of Dez Fox and Rachael Elle with ease. The anguish and other emotions that Porter injects into his performances are simply amazing. The tear jerking part above would not have been as successful had it not been for him.

Audiobook was purchased for review by ABR.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Maberry and Porter does it again.

The book includes characters from several of Maberry's other novels. The main characters,of course, are Joe Leger and Desdemona Fox. *SPOILER* First let me say these two teaming up is CRAZY. They are a perfect couple in Maberry's post apocalyptic zombie world. The story is awesome, fast paced, and very well written. It drowns you in so much fear and chaos and doesn't seem to let you up to take a breath. My only complaint is, I wish it were longer. It seemed so short, I just wanted MORE!!!!

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Solid zombie story

It was a good zombie book. Believable characters. Makes me want to read the other books in series.

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Awesome Story!!!! Sad though..

It feels like the Joe ledger story ends in a sad way, am not saying that this was an end or something.. But after all the close calls the Joe went through, will the world still end the Joe loose the battle? Maybe Jonathan Maberry will come with a twist, or maybe this is another world, another maybe ending.... I don't know... But I want the Joe Ledger story to continue and for him to win.

This short story was really good, I wish it could have been longer tough. Fox is great when she teams up with Joe. And there isa 3rd character who was a refreshing addition to this series.

Ray is an awesome narrator, and he brings all the characters, specially Joe to life. He does a great job

Let's see what is next from Maberry, can't wait.

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Anything with Joe Ledger!

Wish there was more to this book right now. I put off reading it because I knew I would want more!

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The perfect knot to tie it all together...

Mr Maberry has become likely my personal favorite over the last 5 years. All of his stories are stellar and edge of the seat from start to finish. This piece is the one that brings all the stories together and it's perfect.... keep them coming Jonathan... please!

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Excellent book

Tying together 3 separate book series is tough but Jonathan Maberry pulls it off wonderfully

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