Whirly World

By: Brandon Jones

Narrated by: Brandon Jones

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Theme-park blogger Jason Green is dead and his spirit is stuck inside Whirly World, his favorite place to be. What should be a dream come true turns into an abstract nightmare as Jason confronts malevolent forces trapping him there. Desperate to escape, he has to befriend the other 10 ghosts inhabiting this afterlife, from a disgruntled hostess crushed under a revolving stage, to a bereft security guard that still thinks it's 1983, and combine their strange powers to dig up the park's mysterious past.

©2023 Brandon Jones (P)2023 Brandon Jones

I give this book a 5 out of 5.

I’m honestly terrible at writing reviews, but I enjoyed this story. Been a longtime fan of Brandon’s work following him from GT to EA and now as an author. It was hard to not anticipate a “9.5 out of 10,” but I eventually moved passed that. Keep the great work, Brandon.

Fantastic narration, as only the author could deliver.

This book was a delight to experience. It's a fantastic listen for all ages, and particularly for fans of amusement parks. Looking forward to whatever else the author imagines up in the future.

Great children’s book for both children and adults!

I loved how vivid the descriptions were and the narration was sweet as honey as per usual with Brandon Jones!

A cozy time that doesn’t outstay its welcome

I’ve been a fan of Brandon Jones since 2013 so seeing him transition into an author was a welcome surprise and made Whirly World a no brainer. Brandon could have easily made a carbon copy of Disney world but instead decided to make a unique world of his own and fill it with a quirky and diverse cast of characters and does an excellent job of delivering them to life with his golden vocals that don’t disappoint.

Love hearing Brandon’s various voices. Well done!!

Loved the chapter titles. Rather creative. Felt like I was back at six flags as a kid again.

Brandon Jones Delivers

When I heard Jones was writing a novel it was pure curiosity to see what it was about that sent me looking for it. When I heard the premise I was shocked because it was a theme I very much enjoyed, and so I picked it up without a second thought.

This novel was great! An interesting take on the afterlife and real love put into the main character's love for the setting, which I'd assume was born from the experiences in the Video Game industry that Jones has. The reverence that Jason has for Whirly World is incredibly well written and leaves me wishing there was a Whirly World I could go to.

Excellent work, and can't wait to see what Jones does next. As always, love and respect.

An engaging and entertaining world

First of all, I would like to say that Brandon Jones' performance in this audio book was wonderful. The warmth and personality he gave each of his characters makes it very easy to love them, and that emotional buy-in is rewarded in spades along the narrative. There's something very comforting in his voice throughout that made me wish the book could just keep on going.

With the runtime being a bit over 9 hours, the pace of the storytelling feels solid and satisfying. We are given enough time to spend with each character to learn about them - not only who they are, but how they think and how their varied perspectives shape their actions - without ever feeling like the story is lingering unnecessarily or losing momentum. Each interaction feels meaningful, a necessary step on the way to understanding this world and its people.

The characters are easily the highlight of the experience for me. I found myself caring deeply for each one. They all feel unique and interesting, and their perspectives feel rational and consistent. Every one of these people have their own strengths and flaws, and they all fit together very well. That isn't to say there isn't friction between them, but not one feels out of place.

I think the best compliment I can give is that after having finished listening to this audio book, I feel an immediate urge to start the whole thing over again. I just want to spend a little more time with all these lovely people that Brandon Jones has crafted. I heartily recommend you give this ride a try.

Love and Respect

Exactly what I was looking for

What a genuinely entertaining book. I was beginning to get bored with audio books. It seems like every book I've recently listened to were convulated and overtly exaggerated stories that had too much unnecessary fluff. But not this book. This was a fun, we'll-performed audio book. Every page and word felt like it was progressing somewhere and the book never over stayed it's welcome with exaggerated fat. The characters are likable and memorable, story is unique enough to grasp your attention and I enjoyed the visuatlation of the last few chapters. Tho I do kinda wish there was one more mini chapter with all the characters. I enjoyed them a lot and wouldn't have minded that. But the books finale was entertaining and solid. The twist was also nice tho I wouldn't mind if there were illustrations of the characters. Voices were also done well, except for one female character. She sounded too much like Jason but she isn't a recurring character and every other voice had a unique twist. My personal favorite is Eddie's voice. The build up for the conclusion was also well earned. I was worried it wouldn't be satisfying but it was. The story progressed naturally and the twist was a nice set up. Tho I think he could've elloberated more on one part of Jason's twist. Overall, it's a good palate cleanser if you're tired of those big, weighty audio books. It's a fun, solid story with good performance.

Trapped in the happiest place on earth

The lightest hearted romp (well…as light hearted as it can be when everyone is dead) through “not Disney land”, exploring what attracts or repels us from these places of manufactured manicured joy. With the vibe of a “through the looking glass” style exploration of a new but familiar world, a paranormal mystery plays out about the (after)life, the universe and everything.

A ghostly thrill ride of a book!

I really enjoyed the book, it's a great mix of mystery, fun character interactions, and a sprinkling of general theme park enthusiasm that buoys the whole thing. The main character has a great mix of child-like exuberance and petulant childishness at the start of the book (the most of his death) and through bouncing around park meetings it's other inhabitants you get some really delightful moments and a nice meaningful character journey out of it too. Plus the hook of the story physically taking you throughout the theme park makes you feel a little like the first time at Disneyland when you can't wait to find out what THAT ride or area is like. There's also a mystery underpinning the whole journey that, while not quite the beating heart of the story like the cast of characters, gives a nice forward momentum to the whole thing.

Would very much recommend!