Failure

By: John Everson

Narrated by: Joe Hempel

Raymond is such a failure, he can't even kill himself and get it right. Cindy just plain doesn't care; she'll get on her knees for anyone beneath the football field bleachers to score a nickel bag hit. And Sal is a frustrated goon with a hook nose and an attitude so sour he can't nail a girl, even with the lure of free dope and a getaway car.

When these three desperate teens meet Aaron, a failed practitioner of the dark arts, who offers them the best high they've ever smoked in exchange for kinky sex play, things only go from bad to worse. Aaron hopes to ensnare and re-birth the spirit of a late witch to capture her power from beyond the grave for his own.

Soon, they'll all learn the darkest, bloodiest, most terrifying definition of failure.

©2006 John Everson (P)2015 John Everson

Screwed up! Loved it!

So, this story is a creepy, horrific, testament to a sick, warped mind. Teenagers tend to have very little impulse control. When the creepy sorcerer offers them a bunch of the best weed they've ever smoked, if they'd be willing to conduct a sexual ritual, they jump on the opportunity. Depravity and gore ensue. As with other books I've heard by this narrator,he does a great job, and has a clear, concise voice with excellent inflection and boyish charm. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Failure Is A Bloody Good Time

What did you love best about Failure?

I really enjoyed the mix of horror, gore, and psycho-sexual circumstances that the author managed to cram into the hour and 20 minute listen and how well the narrator was able to communicate it vocally.

What did you like best about this story?

I kind of addressed this in the previous question but I liked the way that Everson weaves a blood-soaked tale of general nastiness with enough style to keep it from just being disgusting.

What about Joe Hempel’s performance did you like?

I appreciated how he was able to deliver a great performance to match the story he was reading, how he commanded attention while glossing over the blood and ritualistic sexual behavior never losing it in the story.

If you could take any character from Failure out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Probably Emily, because she's the least bonkers of the bunch. Raymond would be interesting as well, we could discuss personal failures.

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook from the narrator in exchange for an honest review and would recommend it to anyone with a bit of a strong stomach and an appetite for somewhat-extreme horror.

Visceral and disturbing

"Failure" is anything but...

I listened to this in one sitting, amazed by the author's ability to weave words so eloquently. The read was so well done, too, Mr. Hempel's voice nearly dripping the story out, not just speaking it. The story is, in a word, horrible, but I only mean that in terms of the horror evoked. It was engaging, as each character is brought to you easily and recognizably, making it easy to fall into the story. It was disturbing, finding out what drives the characters to the actions they take. It was visceral, literally making my guts clench a couple of times.

I'm looking forward to reading more of Everson's work and listening to more of Hempel's narration.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

Excellent!

Loved it all, even though it was short, it was very exciting to listen to and enjoyable. I love John Everson books, they are always a pleasure to read and keeps my interest. 😊

A wee bit confusing at first

I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher/author/narrator via Audio Book Blast in exchange for an honest review and that's what you're getting.

Failure follows three teens around as they momentously screw up their lives. It’s kind of fun to watch this disaster because, let’s be real, none of them are very nice people. The boys have no respect for girls and the girl has no respect for herself. But I’m not here to judge . . .

So, based on the promise of an epic high and some potentially epic sex, the three agree to meet and perform an occult sex ceremony for a kinky old guy who wants to watch (so he says). Even when he whips out the “pain chains” they don’t get suspicious. Nothing bad could possibly go wrong here, right?

The story is written in such a way that I thought it was a sequel. It’s told by various character points of view and it flips back between the days leading up to the ceremony to the present day situation and I was very confused in the beginning. Perhaps that’s due to my listening to the story on audio or perhaps it’s due to my limited brain power? I don’t really know, but it all began to make sense eventually. The narration is great. Joe Hempel sounds appropriately young for the characters, doesn’t give the females a creepy falsetto and he gives the old man the sinister vibe he deserved.

It was quick, brutal and gory but nothing new or groundbreaking. Just some ugly people doing ugly things and getting their comeuppance. It kind of felt like an 80’s throwback with sex crazed teens doing what they do and a plot that felt achingly familiar. Still, I kind of liked that about the book! 3 ½ stars