Shattered Hourglass

Day by Day Armageddon, Book 3

By: J. L. Bourne

Narrated by: Jay Snyder

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

In a desperate bid to take back the continental United States - where hordes of undead now dominate the ravaged human population - a Navy commander leads a global mission to the heart of the pandemic. Task Force Hourglass is humanity’s final hope, and his team’s agonizing decisions could mean living one day more - or surrendering to the eternal hell that exists between life and death.

Shattered Hourglasss is the terrifying new novel in the acclaimed zombie apocalypse series.

©2012 J.L. Bourne (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

"Meh"

Is there anything you would change about this book?

WTF happened here? I had to restart this book 5 times. The droning of irrevilent war statistics made my eyes cross. Only the narrator made this book interesting. The actual story line sucked ass
.

Would you be willing to try another book from J. L. Bourne? Why or why not?

I totally loved his first two books. This one was a spectacular failure though. I hope he keeps trying. I am going to blame his editor for this fiasco.

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

He is a fabulous narrator.

Was Shattered Hourglass worth the listening time?

Probably not.

Truncated: YES, but.......Gratifying: YES AGAIN!

With the first two books in the series, the author really won me over with the journal entry style of the story. While this book is not in the journal entry style, it was still a very satisfying listen overall. Is it as good as the first two books, no, but it is still very good nonetheless.

Thank god I picked it up instead of listening to most of the previous reviewers whine and complain about the change of style and pace for this book! I mean seriously, if you think that you could have done a better job than the author, then write your own book and see what people like you have to say about it.....Anyhoo, obviously this series has stirred up alot of emotions for all types of reasons, the most important of which is what the world could possibly turn into if everything breaks down: communications, food stores and supplies, employment, travel, the government, heck all governments, just to mention a few.

When life as we all have become accustomed to changes for the worse, when survival becomes your most basic need in life, that's what is so gripping about this book. Yes, the book's pace is quickened towards the end, but that is only in the last 2 hours or so. The first 8 hours of the book are phenomenal, and insightful, continuing in the tradition of the first two books.

While I could easily see a part 4 of this series, this book isn't a cliffhanger either. The author, I think, and for whatever reason, gave everybody something to hang onto, and in the end, I felt good about the whole series in aggregate.

The narration is the true reason why I gave this book five stars. Jay Snyder's range really shines on this one: he does everything from little boys and girls to hardcore special operations forces members! The way he performs the voice of the protagonist though is truly amazing. You begin to look forward to hearing his voice through the mass of characters that are in dialogue across various storylines and scenes.

Keep and open mind, and give the author a break if you have read the other two books before this one. And if you have not read the other two books, the author did a great job of filling you on the backstory.

More char. To Follow Plot thickens!

Would you listen to Shattered Hourglass again? Why?

Yes, Because it's a brake from the previous writing styles in book one and two. Both 1 & 2 follow the journal from the main character. With several sets of character in different locations the book flow took a more traditional layout.... and I tend to like books that don't end on a complete downer.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I Like most of them,... the original ones from hotel 21. The new team that was sent back to hotel 21 had a nice chemistry & made me crack up a couple of times.

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

Yes.... Always excited to see what's going to happen next.

Any additional comments?

With me being a big fan of the walking dead TV Series I've been really pleased to find this book series.

Someone needs to coach the narrator

Starting off, love the series. Like the idea of "day by day journal" of a apocalyptic zombie survivor. The narrator needed to be coached on military lingo. I know, I know; splitting hairs but the "Chief Of the Boat" is not none as the C.O.B., he is known as the cob. BUD/S is not pronounced as B.U.D.S., it's buds. A RIBH (inflatable boat) is a rib. Anal but those things piss you off when you are listening and truly have an understanding of what the author intent is when characters are using the language. Every time I heard these mistakes, I was ready to set my hair on fire and scream like a fire engine. Just my two cents!!

A wonderfully detailed and engrossing story

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

Never read the print version. Though I would love to have backup book for when the power goes out :)

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shattered Hourglass?

The action and sacrifice of his charaters. Also the touch of the real world issues.

Which character – as performed by Jay Snyder – was your favorite?

Huck and Kill showed how broad his range is.

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

yup! Can't wait for the next one.

Any additional comments?

Keep em coming JL!

Not at all like the first two...

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

I can't recommend it like I did the first two. It does continue the story, but the problem is this sudden change from the journal (hence the "day by day") to a more classic zombie story.

I'll would recommend, still, the first two books, but would likely just tell them that the story is over. The third book loses what made the first two books unique a sea of zombie apocalypse stories.

What was most disappointing about J. L. Bourne’s story?

Delivery. The "day by day" journal-style of the first two books was engaging and unique. I felt like I was listening to something akin to the style of House of Leaves, only more coherent. If the first two books were published in book form, however, it would be really neat to see! The third would just be another zombie book on shelf.

What about Jay Snyder’s performance did you like?

Jay is fantastic. Great narrator.

Could you see Shattered Hourglass being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Before it had hype. With the third book, it'll be a Syfy channel C-list movie.

excellently carried a horrific atmosphere

this story paints a vivid picture of the hopeless odds of doom the characters are facing immersed in a barren depleted world now over ran with the undead

Good addition to the series.

Any additional comments?

A good addition, but not quite as good as the first two. Part of this had to do with the deviation from the single character style, and part with some of the subplot. However, there is a lot of creativity in the subplot and the zombie origins. Fans of the series will be satisfied I think.

Not as good as the first two...

This book was adequate. What a ringing endorsement, eh? The first two books in the series were really quite good, but this one left a little to be desired. It felt as if the writing style was different. The characters became too cliche, and the plot line just didn't seem to know where it was going. Disappointing, but still a fairly good read. I was just expecting more of the same great writing as in the first two books.

Day by Day series

Any additional comments?

How I love the Zombie Apocalypse. This is one of my top 10 series in the genre. If not all but most Zombie books are roughly the same. And many reviews on here will mislead you with words like (brings nothing new to the genre or unoriginal story line) which in turn pisses me off. There books about Zombies!!! If you change much more then Speed of the zombies or how they came about then there not ZOMBIES anymore. Alright that said Book 1&2 are great full marks If your a fellow zombie lover it's a must have. Unfortunately book 3 makes me want to puke, not that it's not alright, it is OK. But next to the first two books it looks like a steaming pile.