To the Center of the Earth

By: Greig Beck

Narrated by: Sean Mangan

Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Down there, beyond the deepest caves, below the crust and the mantle, there is another world. An old woman locked away in a Russian asylum has a secret - knowledge of a 500-year-old manuscript written by a long-dead alchemist that will show a passage to the mythical centre of the Earth.

She knows it’s real because 50 years ago, she and a team travelled there. And only she made it back.

Today, caving specialist Mike Monroe leads a crew into the world’s deepest cave in the former Soviet Union. He’s following the path of a mad woman and the words of an ancient Russian alchemist that were the basis of the fantastical tale by Jules Verne. But what horrifying things he finds will tear at his sanity and change everything we know about evolution and the world, forever.

©2020 Greig Beck (P)2020 Bolinda Publishing

Incredible!

Best investment ever made driving from California to Tennessee!!!!! this book was filled with excitement, fear, joy, and horror. Wow what an incredible journey!

Shout Out to Jules Verne

A modernized version of the Jules Verne tale, it's more like a sequel with current scientific theories thrown in to bring some validity to the classic tale. The story dragged at times and the narrator was bland. I found the book interesting overall, but not enthralling and feel that this book could have been a LOT better. One thing that annoyed me was the fact NO ONE in the book thought to bring a camera! I don't know any "caver" that doesn't have a camera as part of their kit bag.

Great horror novel

This book reminded me of the movie The Descent. Reader knows that the happy smiley cavers are heading to danger. This is great suspense.

Enjoyed the story.

I struggled at first with the narrator's voice but soon became accustomed to it and enjoyed the rest of his performance. it is a very engaging story.

Decent adventure story, could use a human narrator

Decent "remake" of Verne. A little slow starting out (so was Verne, actually). Narrator was a bit dull, like he had only heard about emotions second-hand and couldn't put them into his voice. Lots of odd little technical mistakes, like thinking the Earth is bigger than it actually is, forgetting what tools the characters had or didn't have, etc, as if the author was rushed or distracted. You might not notice those (well, NOW you will), but I'm a bit OCD and listened to the whole book in one long day of outdoor projects, so I spotted every little inconsistency.

decent but

this book was good in the sense that it had good lore, story, and details. however, the decisions the characters made I don't feel are real. my opinion of course

Entertaining sci-fi adventure

I've read some non-fiction about extreme caving, and this book includes a little bit of a glimpse into that world. But it's mostly a sci-fi adventure, with just enough science to make it seem plausible but not so much that it gets in the way of the story. I enjoyed the whole adventure!

Great Listen

This was a good twist on an old classic. Great story telling and narrator keeps you wanting to listen to more.

Excellent Retelling of a Classic Adventure

Sean Mangan did a wonderful performance bringing to life the many characters and personalities developed in To the Center of the Earth.

Creepy Lovecraftian Horror

I absolutely love books like this with (SPOILERS) lost civilizations and ancient races. Its a great book, and a great intro to GB's writing. If you enjoy this book give his others a try.