Reviver

A Novel

By: Seth Patrick

Narrated by: Ari Fliakos

Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Winner, Paranormal, 2014

Jonah Miller is a Reviver, able to temporarily revive the dead so they can say goodbye to their loved ones - or tell the police who killed them. Jonah works in a department of forensics created specifically for Revivers, and he’s the best in the business. For every high-profile corpse pushing daisies, it’s Jonah’s job to find justice for them. But while reviving the victim of a brutal murder, he encounters a terrifying presence. Something is on the other side watching. Waiting. His superiors tell him it's only in his mind, a product of stress.

Jonah isn't so certain. Then Daniel Harker, the first journalist to bring revival to public attention, is murdered. Jonah finds himself getting dragged into the hunt for answers. Working with Harker's daughter Annabel, he becomes determined to find those responsible and bring them to justice. Soon they uncover long-hidden truths that call into doubt everything Jonah stands for, and reveal a sinister force that threatens us all. Putting the paranormal in the police department, first-time author Seth Patrick blends genre lines with this edgy crime thriller. The first novel in the Reviver trilogy, Reviver is sure to appeal to fans of Dean Koontz and Justin Cronin.

©2013 Seth Patrick (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Good story, not great storytelling

What did you like best about Reviver? What did you like least?

Totally liked the concept. The idea is not a new one (Pushing Daisies, anyone?)...but the way the story was written was very confusing. There is an art to "flashbacks" and this author is not quite refined at it. Flashbacks took place at odd moments, and then sometimes you would get lost in the flashback and not remember where the main character was while flashing back. I would have preferred to have this story told in linear fashion. It would have given me more reason to care about the main character.

What other book might you compare Reviver to and why?

It was at times like a horror novel, but not nearly as good as Koontz or King... just some graphic descriptions that were nothing but graphic, not descriptive.

What didn’t you like about Ari Fliakos’s performance?

He needs to work on female voices.

Was Reviver worth the listening time?

Sometimes...but I found it dragging.

Took me forever to get through this book.

Even though the narrator did a indeed decent job the story at some point fell apart which made it quite a struggle to finish the book.
I would only recommend this listen to a very patient and and very determined audience.

Amazing Book, listened to it twice

There was a French then American series called The Returned. It was so unique, I loved it. After being captivated by Reviver I found out it was written by Seth P. He creates the most unqualified paranormal fiction.

Mundane

Any additional comments?

I don't know what to say about this book except that is was just mundane and unremarkable in every way. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. It was white noise in my ear while I worked on other things, like leaving the TV on when you vacuum. I wouldn't say it was boring, just not interesting. Not a recommended read.

I am Confused.......

What would have made Reviver better?

I can't figure out how this title won an Audie award. The premise is a great one, being able to temporarily revive the dead for purposes of final goodbyes or solving murders. The plot, however, was tedious and predictable. The reader was ok, the only character he breathed any life into was Never, and that was because he had a distinctive accent. Very little in the way of character development. What a waste of a good premise.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King.

How could the performance have been better?

It was nearly impossible to differentiate characters. Annabelle's accent came and went and she was a flat character.

What character would you cut from Reviver?

Annabelle. A predictable love interest who was completely unlikeable.

Any additional comments?

I am really confused how this book won an Audie. There are far better paranormal thrillers out there. Don't waste your credit.

Very big disappointment

This was an amazing idea that started so well - don't be fooled! The idea was completely wasted as the book turned into an action story. Female characters are astoundingly bad. I was very disappointed.

Better on Screen

Lately, I've been on a horror kick and so far I've listened to pretty jacked up stories that have given me goose bumps. I really had high expectations on the first book by Seth Patrick, but "Reviver" didn't really suit my needs. As the first book in a trilogy, it lacked information on the reviver process. There was too much dialogue between the characters that gave no depth into the paranormal world.

I am a visual person and like to see scenes develop in my mind as I follow along, but maybe explaining the paranormal is better on screen than on print? The cover was more scarier than what was inside of the book. Very disappointed.

The story would been better on film because the book should had been a mockumentary instead of characters just talking and acting on the "Reviver."

Ghostbuster is one of my favorite movies of all time, but it would had been a terrible read because its hard to capture the visual into words. Seth Patrick's pages weren't vivid.

Umm, what?! Suspenseful ghost story, turned to bizarre tale of military conspiracy

This book started out great. A suspenseful story of gifted people who can wake and talk to the dead. Then, the story turns into a weird twist about military conspiracy. It felt like the author was trying to fit two book ideas into one. This was just bizarre and ruined the potential of a good read.