Savages

A Novel

By: Don Winslow

Narrated by: Michael Kramer

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Part-time environmentalist and philanthropist Ben and his ex-mercenary buddy Chon run an independent Laguna Beach–based marijuana operation, reaping significant profits from an established clientele. But they may have come up against something that they can't handle---the Mexican Baja Cartel wants in, and saying no is unacceptable. When they refuse to back down, the cartel kidnaps Ophelia, the boys' playmate and confidante. O's abduction sets off a dizzying array of ingenious negotiations and gripping plot twists that will captivate listeners eager to learn the costs of freedom and the price of an amazing high.

©2010 Samburu, Inc. (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A spellbinding, tour de force that is utterly impossible to put down. Savages is, bar none, the finest novel I have read in years." (Christopher Reich, author of Rules of Deception)

Kings of Cool was MUCH better!!!

A bit disappointing, believe it or not, for this author... too much sarcasm ( And I love his sarcastic style) and the sarcasm seemed to be author opinioned venting that was little or no contribution to the story. He went overboard in the sexual situations... if I wanted to read a sex book at I'd have bought one...

I read the Kings of Cool 1st and it was a much better story, better written. My only comment was the excessive use of "chapters" in both books. On one hand, I get it, on the another level... I still think it was excessive. I doubt I would have read Kings of Cool if I read savages 1st... Even though I've read or listened to at least 6 or 8 of Winslow's other novels and liked all of them...

amazing writing

this book is an ode to style. Not to say that substance is lacking although the characters are not particularly credible. But oh the style. In the same vein perhaps as James Ellroy and almost in the same league. That's high praise...

Goon Where the Wind Don't Blow so Strange!

I derive a sick pleasure watching my bipolar friends and family freak fully out at the state of affairs. Depending on which way they swing it's either the best of times or the worst of times. I'm just sitting over here like nothing is ever going to change and we're all going to die. The coral reef is missing but their is an over abundance of glyphosate along with cancer. Despite the 80's my moms even made it to the ripe old age of 49 which a million years ago was ancient. Anywho, once again I was wrong and despite Hollywood's ruination of all things good Winslow is still batting a 1.000. In this old sailor's humble opinion, Savages was truly amazing but now like a damn liberal even I'm depressed. I thought I had one more Winslow piece to go only to find out it was a German version of one I've already read. Thanks Trump.

One of my all time favorite listens!!

If you could sum up Savages in three words, what would they be?

A brilliant story

What other book might you compare Savages to and why?

I really can't think of anything else to compare it to. Winslow is one of a kind and I think this is his best, better than Dawn Patrol. Better than Power of the dog. I only wish it was longer. I really found his one word chapters interesting and amusing.

What does Michael Kramer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Michael Kramer is the perfect actor for this story. The way he read it portrayed the personalities of the characters perfectly. I've listened to it three times.

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

Yes

Savage!

A super fan of Don Winslow since I saw the movie Savages I didn't read this book right away but I wanted to see what else the author had. I started with Power of the Dog then The Cartel, The Winter of Frankie Machine, Dawn Patrol, California Fire and Life and Gentleman's Hour. After reading and absolutely LOVING all of those I finally decided to see how different the book was from the film and read(listened to) Savages. It was naturally more in depth than the film with a cooler ending. Compared to all the previous Winslow books I've read, Savages is almost Don's"Y.A." novel, if Y.A. novels had lots of graphic sex, drug use and violence of course. Meaning just that the other books seemed more adult in their characters and plots. Savages is more a young person's type of story, I would have sworn this book was the end all/be all had I read it as a late teen/early 20 something. It reads like most of my life back then actually and reading it reminds me of how lucky I am to have made it to 37yrs old. If you like sex, drugs and "Iraq and Roll" type Cartel-gangster s**t you're gonna F**k'n Love Savages!!!

Good book weird editing

This is the second book I’ve listened to recently that most of the first words are cut off. I can figure it out but am getting annoyed with having to. Not sure what’s going on. Great book though. Good listen!

Decent story, creepy narrator

Story starts a little slow but overall is good. Narrator is distractingly creepy, almost like Hannibal Lectet reading to you.

Great until the end.

This book takes place in Orange County, CA and since I used to live in Irvine, I enjoyed all of the author's detailed references about the places and people.
I liked the book in spite of a few implausible scenes, but found the end to be disappointing. It was like the author ran out of ideas.
He portrays the protagonists as sharp and capable all the way through the book, but then has them knowingly give up at the end, in spite of being in a position of possibly succeeding.

exciting and interesting

Where does Savages rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Savages is cinematic and the action just drives. Very enjoyable. Lot of explicit sex so don't listen near the children.

Twists and Turns and Mayhem

Ben and Chon are two California marijuana growers with a large but laid back distribution network. Ben is the brains and Chon (ex-military) is the muscle. Ophelia is their shared love. All is ideal until the Mexican Baja Cartel wants in. The Cartel won't take no for an answer. Significant mayhem occurs with many twist and turns.