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The Supernaturalist  By  cover art

The Supernaturalist

By: Eoin Colfer
Narrated by: Chiwetel Ejiofor
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Publisher's summary

In the future, in a place called Satellite City, 14-year-old Cosmo Hill enters the world, unwanted by his parents. He's sent to the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys. Freight class.

At Clarissa Frayne, the boys are put to work by the state, testing highly dangerous products. At the end of most days, they are covered with burns, bruises, and sores. Cosmo realizes that if he doesn't escape, he will die at this so-called orphanage.

When the moment finally comes, Cosmo seizes his chance and breaks out with the help of the Supernaturalists, a motley crew of kids who all have the same special ability as Cosmo: they can see supernatural Parasites, creatures that feed on the life force of humans. The Supernaturalists patrol the city at night, hunting the Parasites in hopes of saving what is left of humanity in Satellite City. Or so they think. The Supernaturalists soon find themselves caught in a web far more complicated than they imagined, when they discover a horrifying secret that will force them to question everything they believe in.

Eoin Colfer has created an eerie and captivating world (part Blade Runner, part futuristic Dickens) replete with nonstop action, humor, and a spellbinding cast of characters.

©2004 Eoin Colfer (P)2004 Random House, Inc., Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

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What listeners say about The Supernaturalist

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

You Have To Love Sci-Fi

Although I am not the biggest Sci-Fi fan, I did enjoy Eoin Colfer's "Artemis Fowl" series immensely and thought that I would give this book a chance. I liked it. The story was really out there! I definately hope that this is not our future. But if it is, I hope the Supernaturalist are around to help us. I would recommend the book to children over the age of 12. There are some very adult issues (death, battle, and legal mistreatment of orphans). There is a very exciting twist near the end - I won't give it away - but it was a big, unexpected twist. I would recommend to others (over 12 of course). I would also highly recomment Eoin Colfer's "Artemis Fowl" series. Delightful series for all ages. I dare say better than Harry Potter!

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

lots of conflict, good pace

This was a pretty enjoyable listen for a family road trip (including my 11 yr old daughter and 14 yr old son). There is plenty of conflict, the usual good and evil stuff. A little too much moodiness in some of the main characters, but it kept all of us listening. The reader did a nice job differentiating the players, and it has a good mix of fantasy, sci fi, & drama.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Cool

Add me to the list of the many grownup Colfer fans. I disagree with those who say this is so different from the Artemis Fowl books. Like those, it's technically slick and environmentally conscious without being preachy, and lots of fun. I think the story of The Supernaturalist was a bit more mature, dark and involved compared with the Fowl series, but still accessible. I will keep coming back to Colfer for a quick, fun, clean listen.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Very imaginative...but still a betrayal story

The story is indeed imaginative in the way it uses technology. It was hard to get a clear picture of the type of environment the author was writing about, but all in all, it didn't keep me from listening.

However, there were times that the technology didn't make sense. In a nutshell (and without giving too much away), I didn't see how one of the character's with a "robotics plate" in his head made him more capable of using it as a hitting device. I mean, it's still his head!

Personally, I grow weary of the common use of betrayal in many stories. This one is no different. I don't mind the guessing game of "whodunnit" or "whosgonnadoit", but betrayal has become cliche for me.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, horrible Narrator

I was able to listen to about half of this book, before I gave up. The narrator's complete lack of intonation and its variance ruined the story for me (Imagine a repeated rythm...up, up, down, down, up, up, down, down...this is the the narrator's "reading style". It rather reminded me of droning calculus lectures from college-at least they had overheads!). I would highly recommend all of Colfer's works on audible with this one exception. Take a pass and "read" the book.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Not as good as Artemis Fowl

If you love the Artemis Fowl books, you'll be a little disappointed. Colfer creates an interesting world - a near-future corporate and lawyer-dominated society, and describes it in good detail. The characters too are interesting and well written. The one weak point, in my opinion, is the invisible blue creatures that are forced on to center stage. After creating such a gritty urban world with tons of real problems, any one of which would be enough to motivate vigilantes to fight for justice, the addition of a fantasy-esque creature feels forced. After all, this is a place where orphans are used to test new products - till they die at a young age! Maybe this is a transition book for Colfer, from kids fairy books to a more "Blade Runner" adult world, and he will shake off the remnant fantasy creatures next time.

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3 people found this helpful

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

It never hooked me.

I was hoping for the Colfer I have always enjoyed. Too little humor for me to do again or recommend.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Strong and Loyal

This is the story of Cosmo Hill, an orphan with the will to survive. Cosmo knows that he only has a short time to escape before the "testing" that corporations use orphans to do, eventually kills him. Cosmo dreams of independence and a family, all the while living with hundreds of other orphans in an orphanage that feeds them government banned food byproducts. Then one day he gets his chance to escape and finds his life will never be the same... if he lives through it.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Good Listen

I got this book for the kids and decided to see how it was compared to Artemis Fowl. I thought it was a good book with a lot to it. You have to excuse some of technology stuff which I didn't find very believable (although some of it was pretty cool). But, thought it was a great book for teens. I could see this being a movie without too much change to it and a good one at that. Take a listen!

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2 people found this helpful

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

I really enjoyed it !

I thought this was a fun listen, and I enjoyed the narrator's voice. This is one parents and kids can listen to together. Will definitely look for other books by this author.

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2 people found this helpful