The Fan Club

By: Irving Wallace

Narrated by: Eric G. Dove

Length: 21 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Four men obsessed with actress Sharon Fields meet in a bar one night and are soon planning her abduction. She is raped by three of the men and then forced to write a plea for ransom to her movie studio. She manges to communicate her location in the note and in the rescue, the three rapists are killed. The fourth man escapes and is soon planning a new fan club for another actress.

©1974 David Wallechinsky & Amy Wallace (P)2012 David N. Wilson

Chilling, Action filled psychological thriller

Eric G. Dove does an excellent job narrating Irving Wallace's dark, noirish 70s thriller. Not for the faint of heart. Complex plot and equally complex character development and interactions. The book takes place in Hollywood and the main character is a starlet and sex symbol, but also has an incredibly cinematic feel. No wonder considering Wallace was a screenwriter.

this story makes no sense.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

no. the book was entertaining but it really was quite silly.

What was most disappointing about Irving Wallace’s story?

this author expects you to listen to 4 really supid egotistical men who kidnap a movie star, then one of the dumbbells gets away and just goes home.

Which character – as performed by Eric G. Dove – was your favorite?

the mechanic was done very well as was the milktoast and the insurance salesman.

Was The Fan Club worth the listening time?

it had potential to be a great book. either a really thriller or a funny book. these kidnappers had a very low iq.
the sex was boriing and should have been cut a lot shorter in the story.

it was a strange book.

Any additional comments?

i thouhgt it was going to be a thriller. at first i thought it was a comedy but in the end i am not sure what it was.

Irving Wallace - a Master in character development

If you could sum up The Fan Club in three words, what would they be?

incredible detail, unforgettable

What other book might you compare The Fan Club to and why?

Although I can't come up with a similarly - themed book that has this kind of character development which comparable to the great Russian authors of the 1800's. The theme is definitely "be careful what you wish for, the wish may come true." Crime and Punishment might be a good book to compare this to, not for a parallel theme, but for the way you can't let go of thinking about it once you have committed yourself to listen. It is long, but if you listen to it you will not forget it.
I read this book when it came out in the 70's and I never forgot how powerful this novel was - maybe because of the subject, but I think mostly because of the way it was written.
I think Irving Wallace was one of the best writers to come out of the 1900's.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Sharon Fields shoots the rapist, that decides to kill her, in the nuts,
even though he is dying with a knife in his back.

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

be careful what you wish for, the wish may come true

Any additional comments?

I noticed that this novel received only a couple of reviews and they were average at best. If you have never heard of this author or did not finish listening to the complete
book, I would recommend checking them both out again.
Also, I am a male in his 50's, so I remember when we had female actresses that were iconic. Remember this book was written before aids, breast implants, etc.
Bob Hope would bring the iconic beauties to visit and perform before the troops overseas. Although this story, of course, takes this adoration for these women
to an extreme, Irving Wallace masterfully wrote what could have actually happened.
A female may look at this story completely different than a male. I will say that it is a horrific story of rape and imprisonment, but a hell of a story as well.

decent pastime book

decent book, very graphic & not for the faint heart. Not my style but it wasn't a bad book.

Old school graphic thriller

Four men create a fan club and kidnap a famous actress, Sharon Fields. Since no-one believes any foul play, she must find her own way out of her situation.
 
This was quite a graphic and sordid story. Nevertheless, it kept me intrigued as to how it would develop and end. It develops and describes the characters well, so you almost feel like you know them and can expect what they would do.
 
Eric portrayed the characters well and was a good fit for the story. I really enjoyed his performance.
 
The book was long but had a good build up and I was not bored. The end was fairly rushed compared to the rest of the story but still had good suspenseful and thrilling moments. I recommend this old-school story, but definitely not for sensitive listeners.
 
Note: This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this objective review voluntarily.

Old School

this sure is a blast from the past. sometimes I like to reread books I read as a child and see how they still hold up. I'm pretty sure that for it's time, this book was risque... not so much anymore. still, I loved listening to it.
4 men, obsessed with a movie star, kidnap her and agree to lock her away for two weeks (so they can have some fun with her).
now, you can only imagine what 4 men do to a beautiful, sexy actress, so if you read this one, go into it well aware this book is sexual, and not in the voluntary sensw

The Fan Club

This was a very long, but good, book. It kept me interested from beginning to end. I was so anxious to find out what would happen next that I listened at double speed throughout the night. Four men were obsessed with an actress and they kidnap her. They abuse her body. Three are killed and the one that gets away plans another fan club to abduct another actress. This book has plenty of action and non-consensual scenes. Eric Dove did a great job with the narration. I received this free copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.