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)

Great book and narration is excellent.

Didn't know what to expect, and Amazon had recommended this book. very glad I tried it

This is a great story

I loved this. It was strange, a little funny, a little sad, mysterious, exciting and a bit scary! It even had a touch of romance. I enjoyed uncovering the mystery and getting to know the characters. It was a fun adventure. I looked forward to when I could spend time listening. Ray Porter was perfect for reading this novel. He brought it all to life. I definitely recommend listening.

Love Ray Porter

Please keep in mind, I’m an escapist. I care little about grammar, syntax, sentence structure, etc. it’s all about getting out of my own thoughts for a while. It was a fun book. A bit long, granted, but I enjoyed it. The characters were likable/hate able. As usual, Mr. Porter did an outstanding job.
I’m not going to immediately seek out the author’s next novel, but I may in time.

I thought this was going somewhere I was wrong

The story starts off really good and then I’m not really sure what happened but it completely tanks. The ending is horrible.

Enjoyed this!

I loved the narrator! He really brought the characters to life and read the story at a great pace. The story was interesting and engaging. .

Whatever you think this book will need, it isn't!

What a fun story. It reminds me of a much less depressing House of Leaves in that -- and this isn't a spoiler because you get this much from the book description -- the building doesn't seem right. It has so many anomalies. Odd shaped apartments, sealed or locked doors, spaces whose inner dimensions don't match up with their outside, and some too good to be true perks for the tenants. The book is part mystery, part suspense, part horror, with even some touches of humor and romance. And it's very good at each of these. Intriguing puzzles to work out, some genuinely scary sections without resort to cheap gore. It was fun watching the characters unfold. This isn't a literary classic, but it's solid entertainment. It will go where you don't expect, and it's a hellava ride.

I'm beyond impressed with Ray Porter's narration. I actually had to check that there was indeed only one narrator. He's that unicorn among male narrators whose women's voices actually sound like women. Each character has their own unique tone, timber, pace and accent. He manages to nail this particular type of Texas accent without sounding like a painful parody. He convincingly does people of different genders, ages, cultures and temperaments. I will look for another book by Peter Cline, but I'll definitely buy another book narrated by Ray Porter.

Cline and Porter

Ray Porters knows how to interpret characters and Clines knows how to write them. Part fantasy mystery, definitely apocalyptic, full of wit, sarcasm, and the kind of subtle character development that demonstrates Cline really knows how to write both normal, obviously obsessed, and more insidiously destructive humans, 14 is an easy and absorbing listen. I’d hang with Nate, Veek, Xela, Roger, Tim and the rest.

a promising start with a disappointing finish

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, as I enjoy the juxtaposition of uncanny elements in seemingly ordinary, mundane circumstances. The book starts well with interesting characters and an underlying sense of creepiness. Unfortunately, it descends into tedium and ends with a full-blown, unimaginative rip-off of Lovecraft. I wanted to like this book but was disappointed.

Great characters and story!!

My sister recommended this book and I'm glad I listened to it. The characters and banter is fantastic!! The story is interesting and makes you think, like a game or a puzzle. I definitely recommend this!

Very Intriguing

As in all books, some parts were better than others, but the better parts of this were really quite exciting and fun. Very imaginative idea with some fine connections to steam punk early 20th century stuff. All in all, very entertaining.