14

By: Peter Clines

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Science Fiction, 2013

Padlocked doors. Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches.

There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment. Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much. At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s. Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends. Or the end of everything....

©2012 Peter Clines and Permuted Press (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A riveting apocalyptic mystery in the style of LOST." (Craig DiLouie, author of The Infection and The Killing Floor)

"A wholly original story that weaves together mystery and the apocalypse like a finely tuned band." (Evan Roy, Bricks of the Dead)

Nice Sci-Fi -- Really enjoyed not my typical book

Would you listen to 14 again? Why?

I am glad I listed to it and would recommend it; but once was enough. I don't typically read sci-fi books but I really enjoyed this one. Was a nice change of pace and didn't have any problem finishing the book. Good story.

What did you like best about this story?

Engaging, entertaining

A Fun (but Flawed) Audio Page-Turner!

Here's a short review:

Imagine if Stephen King combined with HP Lovecraft was asked to write a series of LOST episodes about a haunted/weird apartment building. Throw in a fun cast of stereotypical characters and some Scooby Doo-style mystery solving. That's 14 in a nutshell. It's the audiobook equivalent of a page-turner.

Here's a longer review:

Nate is a normal guy who doesn't make a lot of cash, and finds a great deal on a new apartment. After moving in, he notices that the apartment is just plain weird. The light fixture in his room is strange, there are random padlocked doors, and cockroaches unlike any he has seen before.

Eventually he meets a colorful cast of neighbors and each has a story to add about how strange his new apartment building truly is. I think a quick rundown some of the major players will give you a pretty good idea of the tone of 14:

Veek - Indian girl with a conservative attitude and a strange computer. Good with technology, hacker.

Tim - Man with a mysterious past, seems to know about lots of stuff that he shouldn't.

Xena - Blue haired, artsy, hot, and loves to sunbathe in the nude.

Mandy - A super hot, blonde, wannebe actress who is pretty much written as just a bimbo. Early on in the book there's a whole chapter told from her point of view, but she doesn't appear much after that. This is very out of place and really seems like an accident of editing. I'm sure in an earlier draft she was more important.

Andrew - Religious fundamentalist, kind of outcast from the rest of the group.

There are more involved, but this is a pretty decent sample. These characters are wildly varying, but all fairly archetypal. They're handled decently, but it's nothing special.

At its heart, 14 is a LOST-style cliffhanger story. As this group digs into the mysteries of their apartment building, it's clear that at every step one of them is going to have the specific expertise required to overcome the problem and move the plot along. Hey, we found a part of the mystery that's vaguely computer-related - let's get the computer chick to figure it out so we can move onto the next chapter! This repeats many times throughout the book as we work our way towards a resolution.

There's a theme throughout the book where characters cutely call each other by Scooby Doo nicknames, and unfortunately at times this mystery+character archetype=solution structure can make 14 feel kind of like a Scooby Doo episode. It can be a little hard to buy at times that this entire diverse group has nothing better to do than meet up every day after work to go on wacky adventures together. Oh, and there's also a lame landlord trying to bust up their adventures at every turn! Bummer!

Even if the basic structure of the book can be a little tough to swallow, Clines does an excellent job of dangling that carrot in front of the reader/listener - I truly did want to know what happens next over and over again. Like I said in the intro, 14 is definitely the audiobook equivalent of a page turner. These various revelations work their way towards a truly epic ending. I don't use the word epic to mean 'awesome', I mean epic in the sense of HUGE. 14 is not a book with a subtle conclusion. I enjoyed it, but it's completely over-the-top. I can see this sequence losing some readers - it's pretty out there. Unfortunately it's difficult to say any more without giving the whole thing away.

If 14 sounds like fun to you at this point, I'd recommend avoiding any spoilers like the plague. The fun in 14 is finding things out, and without that there's honestly not a great reason to read this book. The characters and setting are ok, but all just there to service that all-important mystery.

If you're into books that revolve around revealing the unknown in a horror-ish, Lovecraft-ish, sci-fi-ish world then pick up 14 and you'll probably burn through it!

A fun time!

I laughed out loud; I was on the edge of my seat. There are references and subtle allusions to classic and modern sci-fi, including HP Lovecraft, Lost, and Doctor Who. The time with this just flew by. Months later and remebering this book makes me smile. So much fun!

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A fun, enjoyable read

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun sci-fi mystery which had me laughing frequently.

Great Story

I enjoyed listening to this book. The story was really exciting and different from others I've heard.

I always loved Scooby Doo

I just want Ray Porter to read things to me. My books, my emails, my shopping list, whatever.

The story is hard to describe. Scooby Doo/Friends in a Steampunk Horror Universe. The first 3/4 of the book and the last 1/4 of the book are very different from each other. It wraps up in a bow at the end, if you like that sort of thing. I enjoyed it. Don't regret buying it but not sure I'd recommend to friend because I'm not sure what genre this is!

Great Mystery Thriller Oddities Book

No major regrets. The story has a fast set up while building characters successfully. Something isn't quite right about the apartment but the current residents can't afford to cause a fuss and get kicked out. Yet...a few new guys are going to stir things up and get in that burning curiosity going too hot for most to resist.
The building is odd, the characters have secrets, and the book is fast paced.
The only thing I didn't love was the ending. A twist is one thing, but this book goes off the edge into WT?! The Fold does the same but 90% of the book is really good, I would read the author again and I will just expect the same odd ending and its okay

An amazing ride

The less you know about this, the better. Don't spoil it; just read. It's great!

great book

loved this book, it kept me wanting to not stop the book to see what was coming next. the narrator was very good and kept the book interesting.