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)

Too Weird

This is truly a very weird book!! I usually don’t read things like “14,” but it appealed to me after I had listened to more than 40 hours of “Far From the Tree” which was pretty serious and often sad. By contrast this book is a fantasy/science fiction type, something I occasionally enjoy as a change. It certainly WAS a break from my norm, and I’m now more than ready to return to reality again, even in my choice of fiction--at least until George R.R. Martin manages to finish his sixth book in the “Song of Ice and Fire” series.

There are a number summaries and analyses of the plot of “14” so won’t add another. It’s enough to say that I rather enjoyed the first three-quarters of the novel, but I only endured the ending. It just got too strange for me, and I couldn’t relate to either the characters or the story by then. It is like the TV series “Lost” in some ways. I found both compelling long enough that I stuck with them all the way, including their rather disappointing endings.

In order for me to give a book more than three stars, I have to feel that I learned something proportional to the time I invested in it. Unfortunately this was not the case with “14”. However, unless I really dislike a book or hate it enough to not finish it, I rarely give less than three stars. So three stars it is for a fairly entertaining first three-quarters but a rather numbing last section and ending.

Not worth it

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

The worst; if I had been physically reading this book, I would've stopped.

Would you be willing to try another book from Peter Clines? Why or why not?

No. The ending of this book didn't answer most of the questions brought up and it was super cheesy.

Any additional comments?

This book started as a decent mystery but ended as a hokey sci-fi.

This book is over-rated...

I was expecting some good fictional mystery....not some silly fantasy. Thus, I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for the plot to develop into something exciting. That kind of happened eventually, but there was nothing about this book that I would recommend to anyone I know.

Jumped the shark

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

Ray Porter did a good job with the narration.

Any additional comments?

This book started great then got a bit to "Out there" for me. Too bad because I truly enjoyed the premise in the beginning.

I'm in the minority - didn't enjoy the narration

The story was fairly well written and had plenty of suspense. I felt the characters lacked adequate depth, but I enjoyed the plot enough to disregard. I did not enjoy the narration, however. I've seen comments stating exactly the opposite, but felt it was choppy and almost monotone. It was worth my credit...but barely.

Good story, terrible dialogue

Story was intriguing, the mystery was set up well and the reveals were really well timed. The characters were alright, if somewhat generic. The dialogue was terrible though, nothing but "banter." Really unnatural and forced. The ending was pretty good, though.

Not my cup of tea

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

Ray Porter, yes.

Has 14 turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

Was 14 worth the listening time?

I found it irritating in some places. At the end, the characters were not in sync with the action.

Fan-tastic Mystery Story!

If you could sum up 14 in three words, what would they be?

Fan-tastic Mystery Story

What was one of the most memorable moments of 14?

The Big reveal.

What about Ray Porter’s performance did you like?

He did a great job differentiating character voices.

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

Don't spoil yourself too much. This book deserves to be listened to without spoilers.

Silly demons, forgettable story.

What did I miss? Looked at this book for a long time. So many good reviews. OK, summer vacation reading... Maybe, if you like the ghouls attack, end-of-the-world, vein of fiction. No for me. Not sure if this was intended as a satire of the genre or honest attempt at modernization.
Ray Porter brings his vocal stylings to this book. Problem is that he is the perfect voice for cynical noire stories and I never know when to take him seriously. But, he sure is a great narrator.

Went no where slow!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

no it was to long and drawn out!

If you’ve listened to books by Peter Clines before, how does this one compare?

this was my first

Did Ray Porter do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

yes he did

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

no

Any additional comments?

I thought the author did a good job making the characters but the story didn't really go anywhere shocking or if it did it took so long I forgot what they were looking for!