Zoo City

De: Lauren Beukes

Narrado por: Justine Eyre

Zinzi December has a Sloth on her back, a dirty 419 scam habit, and a talent for finding lost things. But when a little old lady turns up dead and the cops confiscate her last paycheck, she’s forced to take on her least favourite kind of job: missing persons.

©2011 Lauren Beukes (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Sci fi south african accent story. DIFFERENT

People that commit murder get saddle with a aminal that holds their soul and sometime mystical powers. The accents made it difficult to understand some of the story but, it was a fun different type of story. NOT a shifter story. A cool who done it. Worth a credit??? eh.. maybe.. Was not horrible.. ok

Terrific story!!!

What did you love best about Zoo City?

I liked the flow,the pace, the energy. You can't wait to know what happens next, but you are excited to learn about the past too.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The twins. I can't say why, it might give away spoilers.

What does Justine Eyre bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The accents and the cultural differences that I would have missed had I read it instead. On some occasions I wasn't sure what she was talking about. But I'm from central white bread America, so that's probably a big part of it.

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

Oh yes. I have an hour long commute and even then I would sit and let the page or chapter wind down before getting out of the car.

Any additional comments?

The author finishes the story and there is a suggestion of a follow up, please let there be!!!!

Urban Fantasy That Does Flinch

Fans of China Mieville and William Gibson take note: Lauren Buekes??? ???Zoo City??? is every bit gritty noir as it is urban fantasy, and it shoots along like bullets through a warm night sky.

Which means, this story is not a story for the faint of heart. It culminates in one of the roughest blood baths I???ve ever listened to. The worldbuilding is everything you???d want it to be --particularly the ghettoization of the Zoos -- and Beukes turns a phrase better than most and writes broken characters with heart. Her Zinzi is an antihero who despite all her flaws and failings, somehow manages to make us care about her. That said, the ending fell a bit short for me ??? not so much a payoff of counterfeit bills, but more like a stage magician who closes out her stunning show with a rabbit trick. It???s not bad, and there's resolution, but it left me wishing for something different.

I can???t comment too much on the authenticity of Justine Eyre???s accent, but she did an impressive job reading this one ??? from differentiating between the characters, the internal dialogue of Zinzi, and all-in-all carrying this story.

If you ever wondered what might have happened if James Ellroy was raised in Johannesburg by a witch who moonlighted writing 419 scam emails on the side, this is your ticket. All in all, well worth the listen, and I???m eager to see where Beukes takes us next.

Great story. Terrible narration

Having enjoyed reading the book years ago, I was excited to hear the audiobook, but the narration was terrible... Awful fake South African accents and many mispronunciations. Great pity

4.5 stars

super interesting. loved the idea of a physical representation of our sins. would recommend to friends interested in expanding their world view.