The Measure of a Man

By: Shauna Roberts

Narrated by: Justin James

Length: 1 hr and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

On a beautiful tropical island in 1598, three men face challenges that test their integrity to its core: zombies, Komodo dragons, and each other.

Inacio, an educated sailor from Portugal who is shipwrecked on Flores Island, believes non-Europeans lack honor and intelligence. Buti, an Indonesian villager, has a well-deserved reputation as a lazy and cowardly drunk. Belly, a cave-dwelling Ebu Gogo, desperately wants to pass his rite of manhood.

The lives and destinies of these men intersect one terrifying day in 1598 when the peace and beauty of Flores is desecrated by zombies from Inacio's ship.

Based on substantial research, this novelette is as historically and ethnographically accurate as possible (like all the author's historical works) except:

(1) The Ebu Gogo (Homo floresiensis) probably died out on Flores Island thousands of years before this story takes place (although local folktales of the Ebu Gogo live on and date them much more recently).

(2) Zombies did not invade Flores Island in 1598. In fact, according to my research, zombies have never invaded Flores Island. If you do not want to ever have to use your zombie invasion plan, you may wish to move to Flores Island. Remember to create a Komodo dragon evasion plan first.

©2014 Shauna Roberts (P)2016 Shauna Roberts

I'm in oaa from this book...

I was expecting some short book not snowing I will receive this and I enjoyed it so much the language the story everything was perfect it was one of the finest hour I gave to audio books and I'm so frilled I listen to this
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Wow!

So short but beautifully written .
This book is so not my style but I've enjoyed every moment of it, if I only had a history teacher like this author I'm sure I would have gotten an A all year long.
Excellent performances.
Wish it was longer, but fully recommend this book!!!

An Amazingly Written Hidden Gem

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this unbiased voluntary review.

In my opinion, this may be one of the best books I’ve heard read. The author’s language and descriptions were amazing and made the overall story a must read. I was initially worried about the story being about zombies, but it never felt cheesy or unoriginal. Plus, perspective and Indonesian folklore was used to make an excellent story.

This narrator was also quite god. His soothing voice was calming which was juxtaposed to the violence. He was skilled in his reading throughout the novel. I was especially impressed by voices and accents. The voices were never out-of-place and fit the characters wonderfully. If Justin James is not a voice actor (not counting his narrating books), I would be certainly surprised.

All in all, I was amazed by this audiobook’s storytelling.

Not my usual genre, but . . .

I found this work to be very well written and the narration was so good that it helped overcome a bazaar story-line. As stated in the title of this review, Contemporary Sci-Fi Fantasy isn't one of my preferred genres. In fact, this story was so far out of the box with its zombies, dragons, butchering, and, well, fantasy that I found it surprising that I finished the listen. Although I did not care for the story, itself, there is just no denying that it is a very well written piece and the narration was nothing short of superb. Justin James' voice and accent made me feel like I was right in the midst of the story; albeit better described as a nightmare, LoL

All in all, I would recommend this listen to those that enjoy this type of genre, but not for the faint of heart. If the 'Publisher's Summary' tickles your fancy, then give the listen a try and you'll more than likely enjoy the narration. A review copy of this audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in return for this unbiased review. If you found this review helpful, please take a moment to click yes below.

Interesting take on Zombies

I can honestly say that I have never listened to anything quite like this. Zombies, primitive natives and pirates, what a combo. I did have some trouble initially with the sudden changes the story took, almost seemed like they were short stories, but they eventually gelled together and became cohesive. The primitive man was well written, the other characters could have appeared in other books about pirates. The story is really what saved this due to its originality.

The Narrator was a little dry but he did a great job with the voices. It was just the Narrator part that was dry.

I requested a free preview copy of this audiobook and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review.

Unique tale based in truth

The Measure of a Man by Shauna Roberts was an interesting listen and I have mixed feelings about it. For a novelette with a running time of just over an hour and a half, it's a quick listen so the characters aren't too deep, which is to be expected. That being said, I did identify with the historically accurate aspect of the story, including the "zombies" that were being referred to. I also appreciated the folklore that was intertwined within the story. That being said, I just didn't love the story. I found it a little rushed and I can't quite put my finger on what exactly else I didn't love about it. That being said, the other reviews on here clearly show that people seem to really enjoy it or really don't. If the novelette sounds intriguing, I'd say give it a shot, regardless! Everyone has different tastes and no author will have every single person loving their works.

Justin James did a good job narrating this novelette. He was easy to understand and had a good cadence. He also read with emotion as needed. His character voices were different enough so that, joined with each characters unique way of talking, made it easy to understand which of the three main characters was talking at any given point in the story. I I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher for an honest review.

Historical Zombies

'The Measure of a Man' tells the tale of a 1598 zombie invasion of a small Indonesian Island, and the three men who fight them. The three men are from three very different backgrounds – one a islander, one a Portuguese sailor, and one a (now extinct) hobbit like ‘man’ called an Ebu Gogo. And there is also Komodo Dragons. The story is told from the three different points of view (all 3rd person, not 1st person), so that you can a different understanding of how each sees and interprets the events. It is quick, but interesting tale.

I will say the thing that interested me most of it all was the post-script by the author giving a bit of information on the Ebu Gogo and what we know of them, and their research into them. I certainly want to know more.

The blurb containing the statement ‘Zombies did not invade Flores Island in 1598. In fact, according to my research, zombies have never invaded Flores Island. If you do not want to ever have to use your zombie invasion plan, you may wish to move to Flores Island. Remember to create a Komodo dragon evasion plan first.’ Made me expect some tongue in cheek humour or something, but the story is a straight forward telling, for action not humour.

Narration by Justin James is well done. He gives each of the three characters distinct personalities and voices, making them easy to tell apart, and easy to follow the action. He engages with the text well, providing excitement and emotion as required. Well paced and clear, it was very good work.