• Brainrush, a Thriller (Brainrush Series Book 1)

  • By: Richard Bard
  • Narrated by: R.C. Bray
  • Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (1,141 ratings)

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Brainrush, a Thriller (Brainrush Series Book 1)

By: Richard Bard
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
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Publisher's summary

Listed in The Wall Street Journal as the number-one Bestselling Action/Adventure in their "Readers Guide to Self-Published Big Sellers" (December 9, 2011).

When terminally ill combat pilot Jake Bronson emerges from an MRI with extraordinary cognitive powers, everyone wants a piece of his talent - including Battista, one of the world's most dangerous terrorists. To save his love and her autistic child, Jake is thrust into a deadly chase that leads from the canals of Venice through Monte Carlo and finally to an ancient cavern in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan, where Jake discovers that his newfound talents carry a hidden price that threatens the entire human race.

An original weave of current events bound by colorful locations and cutting-edge technology, Bard's novel is a must-listen for fans of Michael Crichton, James Rollins, Clive Cussler, and Brad Thor. A dynamic mix of fast-paced action and thought provoking soul, this book challenges the listener to keep pace with every sharp turn and shocking twist. Acclaimed by fans of action, sci-fi, and political thrillers alike, Brainrush is one of the most innovative and entertaining books of the year.

Brainrush was in the top 10 of the Amazon - USA Top-Rated List for over four months straight. The sequel, Brainrush II, The Enemy of My Enemy, was released in December 2011 to rave reviews. Within a few weeks it became the number-one Top-Rated Action/Adventure stories on Amazon.

©2009, 2011 Richard A. Bard (P)2011 Richard Bard

Critic reviews

" Brainrush explores the bonds of friendship while pushing the boundaries of science, creating a compelling, action-packed thriller with a climax that's a knock-out!" (C.J. Lyons, New York Times best-selling author)"A terrifically entertaining thriller with three finely executed set pieces strung together with nice characterization. Especially successful is Bronson, an amiable, low-key tough guy able to rescue his princess, survive brutality, and retain a sense of humor." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Brainrush, a Thriller (Brainrush Series Book 1)

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

BRAINRUSH an exciting, thrilling, adventure!

This is the best thriller - science fiction I have read in ages! It has current events as well as glimpses of possible, chilling, futuristic events.
Medical anomalies, thrills, non-stop action, cool weaponry, scifi, romance, mystery and much more. Something for everyone!

I hope you don't have any other pressing matters, because you will NOT be able to put this book down! I first read this book twice, on Kindle, and was thrilled when the author released on Audiobook. R.C. Bray, did a WONDERFUL job as the narrator, capturing the characters' personalities and accents.

What a BRILLIANT debut book, by author Richard Bard! His wonderful descriptive ability, and excellent character development, make you feel like you are in the story.

This was one of the best books I've read all year! BRAINRUSH II was even better, if that's possible. It's out on eBook now and hopefully it will be out soon, (Feb.??) on Audible too.

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23 people found this helpful

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

Watch this author!

I bought my copy of this via audible!

I knew nothing of the story going in.
This is what I found.

Story/plot!
Extreme -- you have mad scientists. Terrorists. Hero's. One with real super powers, and yes! ALIENS!
That is alotta stuff in one book. If I read the blurb and it mentioned all this then I would have bought another in its stead.
I mean seriously...I would have made a big mistake. The author pulled it off brilliantly!

Theme
Hard to pin point within all these plot lines but I think it is the plight of autistic chldren and how they are being marginalized within "mainstream" life in general. Well, that is what I took from it.

Writing style
Amazing. Really and at this price, try it, you might not like it, you might love it as much as me.

Editing and formatting
Not applicable since I listened to it on audible

Narrator
I absolutely adored this narrator. His pacing, calm and soothing voice added so much to te characters that I know I am rating this book higher due to the narrator than I would have if I read it. The narrator is absolutely a master at his craft

Over all
Get the book....it even has a bit of romance......
Trust me. It is worth the read.

WaAr

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10 people found this helpful

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

The Plot Emerges from the Writer's Arrogance...

Couldn't finish this book. Found myself thinking more about the author than his charaters, which means his ego was totally invested in the story, so it was all over the place.

Instead of a story building naturally from events and from the character's personalities, it jumps to whatever fun place the writer wants to go to show off his great abilities, with espionage, supernatural powers, and of course, the ladies. He compares himself shamelessly to 007. Shouldn't these comparisons come from the other characters, or from the devoted reader?

I just couldn't take it. There was so much potential with his pitch, but he couldn't suspend my disbelief even for a second. Why were he and all of his friends suddenly in Venice? Not because the story sent them there, no, because the writer wanted that write off.

Made me angry. Grrr.

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9 people found this helpful

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

Should've been marketed as teen fiction

I quit after about an hour and a half. The story was weak and the characters were entirely unoriginal. This felt very formula driven, and not a good formula at that. A LOT has to be taken on faith. One example: the villain of the novel. He's half Afganistanian (father is an Afgan rebel) and half Italian (mother is rich Italian). For the novel he needed to be educated and rich, but inherently evil. I couldn't help trying to figure out how the bad guy's parents got together in the first place. Or why the Afgan father sends his son to Italy to be raised in Italy after his tenth birthday. It was a very minor point, but this shallow storytelling is scattered throughout the book. If I was 10 years old, it wouldn't matter. Adults are going to find it annoying.

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9 people found this helpful

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

Excellent Audiobook!

Would you consider the audio edition of BRAINRUSH, a Thriller to be better than the print version?

I would say that the Audiobook is better than the print version because the narrator, R.C. Bray, does an incredible job of bringing the characters to life. It's hard to believe all of the accents came from one person.

What other book might you compare BRAINRUSH, a Thriller to and why?

It's very hard to compare BRAINRUSH to other Thrillers because it has so many elements to it. So many Thrillers these days seem to be very generic, almost like the author is following a formula. Richard Bard does a great job of breaking the mold and creating a truly original Thriller.

Have you listened to any of R.C. Bray’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not heard any other audiobooks narrated by R.C. Bray.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

BRAINRUSH definitely has both funny and sad aspects. Since one of the main themes of the book is terrorism, it is sure to elicit emotion from all who listen.

Any additional comments?

BRAINRUSH is one of the best and most original Thrillers I have read/listened to in a long time. I highly recommend it!

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9 people found this helpful

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

an everyday hero willing to lose everything

Jake Bronson has been diagnosed with cancer for the second time, this time it’s terminal, during a routine MRI scan to determine his life expectancy an earthquake hits and Jake will never be the same again. His new found intellect and skills have been captured on TV and soon everyone wants to know all about Jake, no one than Luciano Battista who is a terrorist posing as a scientist, his plans will have you worried for the future. Jake and his friends travel across the world, fighting enemies and trying to save the girl – because let’s face it, what action story doesn’t need an everyday hero willing to lose everything for those he cares for. The action is non-stop. The writing is fantastic and it is hard to believe that this is a debut book by author Richard Bard. It has an ending that will have you crying out for more, luckily four more books are available at all good book stores right now.

R.C. Bray’s performance had me cheering, smiling, crying and laughing – the delivery of some lines had me laughing out loud and thinking ‘Only Bray could have made me have that reaction’. He has such a talent for immersing the listener in the story that you just want to clear your schedule so you can listen intently to every word and enjoy the wild ride.

I think the team up of author and narrator for this audio book is absolutely perfect and I’m so pleased to see that they are together for each of the next four audio books in the series, which are available on audible, I highly recommend you go and grab them now. I’m already warming up the audible app for book 2 – ‘The Enemy of my Enemy’ – the review will be forthcoming, keep your eyes peeled.

Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.

Please find this complete review and many others at audiobookreviewer dot com

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

Diagnosis: sudden onset superheroism

It is similar to Mark Greaney's the Gray Man (series) in tone, pacing and plot. I think I'd have to say that Greaney's is a bit better written. It feels like Bard "wanted" to be Jake in this book - to the point where it felt like the author was fantasizing about being a super hero. Of course, this book also has a "fantasy" component that isn't in Greaney's.

The romantic component is weak and I think the book would have been better without it. Jake's superpowers seemed to develop (i.e. appear out of nowhere) just as he needed that specific superpower. Then this superpower wasn't mentioned again... until it, or a similar one, popped up just in time to save him from the next pinch. This also happened with characters - when Jake needed X, a character with X appeared in the story, just long enough to provide his service then disappeared. (Yes, I meant "his" service - there are women characters but, at best, they are cutouts based on stereotypes, at worst, they are just cutouts).

As an action packed pseudo-military story (it doesn't start off like this but after the events in Italy, it becomes almost exclusively pseudo-military) it was not bad at all. Lots of gun descriptions, lots of fighting and lots of stuff getting blown up. Perhaps some of the fighting was a bit overdone, perhaps some of the characters were a bit too melodramatic (Carlos, for example), and perhaps the story was a bit too long for its content... but overall I kinda enjoyed it.

Some people have commented on the shift to "aliens" near the end of the story. I didn't find this any less believable than Jake's sudden onset superheroism. In fact, I think it actually fit the storyline.

The narration is good - dramatic but not overly so. The characters are distinctly voiced. There is no sex and I don't think there was much foul language. There is lots of violence, but mostly non-gory.  I will probably buy the next in the series when it comes out.

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

Paranormal Thriller with a Scifi Teaser

When you think of radical, fundamentalist terrorists I know what comes to mind...the most technologically and well trained military and scientific force in the universe...no? Oops, because that's the basic premise behind Brainrush.

The Good:
1. The premise is great. A freak accident gives the hero a super-brain.
2. The first scene in which the protagonist uses his newly acquired awareness and eidetic memory. Very well written, witty, and simply fantastic.

The Not-So-Good
1. Everything after the first scene in which the protagonist uses his newly acquired powers.
2. The protagonist's powers quickly expand to telepathy and telekinesis, and the author seems to forget about the protagonist's memory and awareness advantages, because they cease to play an important part of the story.
3. The absolute cluelessness of world governments and the military
4. The inclusion of alien artifacts

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

A Roller-Coaster!

Would you consider the audio edition of BRAINRUSH, a Thriller to be better than the print version?

I loved the ebook, but I enjoyed the audio version even more. The narrator is amazing! He really brings the characters to life.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved all the twists and turns. I never knew what was going to happen next.

What about R.C. Bray’s performance did you like?

Mr. Bray is a true performer. The accents were spot on.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

What a rush!

Any additional comments?

I can't wait or the sequel!

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

Best Book I've listened to in a long time!

What made the experience of listening to BRAINRUSH, a Thriller the most enjoyable?

The characters are both down to earth and unstoppable. There are plenty of twist and turns in the story line, but not so many that any of them drag or get lost in too much detail.

What was one of the most memorable moments of BRAINRUSH, a Thriller?

The black obelisk rocketing off.

What does R. C. Bray bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He has good changes of voice for the different characters and good energy.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I actually stayed up all night to finish it!

Any additional comments?

This book is one of the best that I've listened to in a very long time! Totally worth the money and time to listen to. It's one that I'll be listening to again!

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