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)

Fascinating story, very science fiction twists

This story grabbed my attention fast. The mystery of everything had me thinking hard to figure things out. Several people seem to not like the twist it gives, and my guess is because it's very sci-fi. So be prepared for things to go crazy in a good ridiculous fun way.

The narrator does a fantastic job with all the different voices. Each character is so distinct it's very easy to sit back and visualize the whole story.

Also, if anyone is wondering about content, several of the characters swear quite a bit, and there are a handful of sex jokes. While the story is great I wouldn't recommend this to a younger crowd.

Solidly worth it, but could have been amazing

Where does 14 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The countless reviewers before me comparing 14 to LOST are not far off, in fact the plot, and characters remind me a lot of (what I thought) was a great show. In this book, the ending was significantly better than LOST's, but also lacked a lot of the human aspect of that show. There are about a dozen characters in the book, all but one (our narrator) or maybe two escape any sort of growth within the confines of its pages despite several playing integral and long-lasting roles in the plot.

In the end, this is a solid book with clear influences or similarities to H.P. Lovecraft stories, the novel House of Leaves, and LOST, with countless other nerd-cred references sprinkled throughout this listen. However, what House of Leaves and LOST have in character development, 14 left out in favor of a much faster pacing.

I thought this was a very solid book and very enjoyable, and could definitely make an equally great movie soon.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

With the whole point of this book revolving around the mysteries of the Kavatch Building, there were a great many plot twists. Some where fairly expected, a few were really mind-bending, and one or two were just a little silly. The ending was pretty much necessarily unexpected until the last dozen chapters or so, by which point it was inevitable.

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

At first I felt like Ray Porter's narration was a deeper voiced William Shatner impersonation, but I quickly became attached to his nuanced voices and ability to convey some emotion on the part of the characters. By the end of the book, I had decided he was pretty damn good at this business.

Awesome!

What a great story! Absolutely did not want to put it down and was sad when it was all over.

Enthralled!

I got the book because of the Ex series. I was not disappointed! Every little clue sucked me in to the point I listened to this virtually straight through without stopping. It is different, fantastical, and entralling. very pleased! The narrator, Ray Porter did a great job on this too.

Edge of your seat! WOW!

Would you consider the audio edition of 14 to be better than the print version?

Did not read it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Xela. She was quite a character, unusual, artsy, and smart.

Have you listened to any of Ray Porter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No but I would again.

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

I don't know in one sitting but I certainly couldn't wait to get back to it!

Any additional comments?

This was a surprisingly exciting story enhanced by the talented Ray Porter. Twists and turns and heart-stopping action. Mysterious, too. What a treat!

good book, slow beginning, but it's worth it.

in the beginning is really slow at the end it's really worth it to read all of it. if you're really into a little bit of science a little bit of fiction , this is the perfect book for you.

Nice quick fun story.

Would you try another book from Peter Clines and/or Ray Porter?

I may but i have to read positive feedback out of other people before i spend my time on it.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Most interesting is the mystery itself and how slowly they are uncovering it. That made it a page turner. Least interesting is when the mystery was revealed and everything went Hollywood action style on the end.

What about Ray Porter’s performance did you like?

He was consistently good and loved how he brought the characters to life.

Was 14 worth the listening time?

I was expecting something more at the end but it fell flat in my opinion but it was still a time well spent.

Any additional comments?

Fun read but the ending is not as mind blowing as i expected.

Loved this - amazing adventure!!

This book was AWESOME - the best I've read/listened to in as long as I can remember. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next right up until the end, and it built up to the perfect climax - to the point where I was practically yelling in my car as I drove and listened. This book combined all of the things that I love most - lots of interesting characters, mystery, history, suspense, ultimate adventures, and the narrator did a great job. I can't wait to read more by this author! My only question - when is this going to be made into a movie?

Top Notch character work development and storytelling...

Only enhanced by Ray Porter's incredibly engrossing performance.
Listened to it in less than a week.
Couldn't stop it!

Very fun book.

Where does 14 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was super up till near the end. Then, I think it just got a little hoaky for me.. but it was still a fun story and well performed. Narrator did the characters very well.