The Hurricane

By: Hugh Howey

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Daniel Stillman's Life: 42 Facebook friends, 18 Cell phone contacts, 6 Twitter followers, 4 blog subscribers. Now a category five storm is about to take this all away. And replace it with a neighbor he's never met.

©2012- Hugh Howey (P)2013 Hugh Howey

Realistic portrayal of a hurricane

I have lived most of my life in Florida and have experienced many hurricanes as child and adult. I have never read such a realistic portrayal of living through a hurricane and its aftermath. The only missing facet is the length of time the actual storm can last. The longer term effects are touched on with the loss of the father's houseboat with most of his belongings and the mother's car. The unexpected benefits are also shown by the improving relationships between the estranged father and his children and the gratitude everyone shows that no one was hurt and the realization that most things can be replaced. The book also shows how quickly a storm can change its path and intensity and how important it is to be alert to news of the storm.

Great, If You Haven't Read Other Howey?

I've read praises for Hugh Howey for, well, forever, and recently bought the whole "Wool" deal but haven't had time to listen to it. When I saw "The Hurricane" and saw that it was in a different style, I was intrigued and thought I'd give it a shot. I'm really glad I did. It is a really wonderful, people as fish-out-of-water, coming together, looking for hope story. And from what I've read from other reviewers, it is so unlike Howey's other books, I would've been disappointed/disgusted had I read it/listened to it after said works.
Even if you've read other Howey, give this a shot, maybe just as a Daily Deal, or something as it's fairly short (I got it cheap as a kindle/audio bundle). Judge it on its own merits. The characters are likable and flawed, they're thrown into an interesting situation, and there's a sliver of sunshine in a life that looked very dark indeed.
What's not to like? Well done, Mr. Howey!

So Much To Say

First off, HEY AUDIBLE... How about categorizing bks properly??? This was in no way an SF novel, despite your listing... This a mainstream/young adult novel...
Anyhoo, this was a good book... I loved the commentary on our society's disconnected connectedness... Daniel was a likable character, and I found myself relating to him as I thought of myself at that age... His thoughts and experiences resonated w/ me, but then again maybe I was just a ginormous geek at that age;)
It's a little picture of the "normal" family following a disaster... It really shows Howey's diversity and complexity as a writer... It's complex in it's own way, but not a hard read at all... Very easy actually... It's a picture of life in a segment, which is fiction after all... The narration was superb, TGR is one of the best of professional voices!!! If you're looking for adventure or thrills this isn't the book for you... If rather you're lookin for an easy resonatining read this is for you;)

A storm of life

This was an interesting study of how life can be out of control and no one even knows it. It often takes a major happening to put the things that matter in focus. Well written and narrated. I would highly recommend it.

Could be a good story but narrator kills the book

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Tim Gerard Reynolds?

Just about anyone. I gave up shortly after starting because of how Gerard Reynolds pronounces words like calm and palm.

Any additional comments?

I have enjoyed many books by Howey but this narrator all but ruined another book by Howey that was part of a series I just had to finish. just cannot get past his pronunciation to get into a new book.

A little disappointed

I bought this book because I enjoyed the Silo books. Am I sorry? No I'm not but nor am I particularly excited by it.

NARRATOR – The narrator does a good job with the material he had. I found him a tad stolid but that could have been the story. Sometimes it is very hard to tell. He did a good job with different voices and his accent wasn’t too annoying. In this book the narrator is average.

STORY – This is a story that lends itself well to airport listening or reading. Nothing exceptional or unpredictable happens and to be quite honest I found it a little boring. If you enjoyed Heller’s “Something Happened”, then this book may be for you but this book doesn’t have the same characterisation. In other words not a lot happens.

I would recommend this book as bit of a time filler for someone going on a journey where you did not have to think too much.

Kept my interest

What made the experience of listening to The Hurricane the most enjoyable?

I love to watch the Weather Channel videos of storms. This book was like living through one.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Hurricane?

The most memorable moment for me was the end, when Daniels realizes the immensity of the storm.

What does Tim Gerard Reynolds bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Emotion

If you could rename The Hurricane, what would you call it?

I wouldn't rename it.

Any additional comments?

I usually go for horror and mystery novels, but this book hooked me in the very beginning and kept my attention throughout, even though the main characters were youngsters.

another hit

what can you say it's hugh howey and great as always. don't wait to buy this one.

Not as good as wool

I enjoyed the writing. The descriptions and use of imagery was wonderful but I wasn’t crazy about the story. Didn’t really care for the characters . Not his best work in my opinion

Not what I expected

What did you like best about The Hurricane? What did you like least?

The story was well written for what it was. It did a nice job of capturing a slice of modern life. It is probably my fault for not reading the reviews closer, but I was expecting science fiction. This was a teen anxst story with a Hurricane background. Not terribly exciting really.

What was most disappointing about Hugh Howey’s story?

No real climax to the book. A little too pat in the story line. Was expecting something more along the lines of "Wool". My bad for expecting it to be science fiction.

Have you listened to any of Tim Gerard Reynolds’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. Does a find job of reading.

Do you think The Hurricane needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I wouldn't read it. I barely finished this one.

Any additional comments?

If you are thinking about getting this because you liked "Wool", "Dust" or any of that series, don't bother. Not in the same ball park.