The Bureau

Volume 1

De: Kim Fielding

Narrado por: Joel Leslie

This collection contains the first three Bureau novellas:

Corruption

Once a proud demon of the night sky who carried nightmares to humans, Tenrael has spent decades in captivity as the star attraction of a traveling carnival. He exists in miserable servitude to men who plunk down ten dollars to fulfill their dark desires.

Charles Grimes is half human, half...something else. For 15 years he’s worked for the Bureau of Trans-Species Affairs, ridding the country of dangerous monsters. When his boss sends him to Kansas to chase a rumor about a captive demon, Charles figures it’s just another assignment. Until he meets Tenrael.

Clay White

Someone - or something - is murdering young men in San Francisco. Clay White has been fired from the Bureau of Trans-Species Affairs, but he’s determined to track down the killer. When he comes across a vampire named Marek, Clay assumes he’s caught the perp. But the encounter with Marek turns out to be more complicated than Clay expected, and it forces him to deal with his own troubled past and murky psyche.

As Clay discovers, sometimes the truth doesn't come easy - and the monsters are not who we expect.

Creature

Alone in a cell and lacking memories of his past, John has no idea who - or what - he is. Alone on the streets of 1950s Los Angeles, Harry has far too many memories of his painful past and feels simply resignation in facing his empty future.

When Harry is given a chance to achieve his only dream - to become an agent with the Bureau of Trans-Species Affairs - all he has to do is prove his worth. Yet nothing has ever come easy for him.

Now he must offer himself and John as bait, enticing a man who wants to conquer death. But first he and John must learn what distinguishes a monster from a man - and what a monster truly wants.

©2018 Kim Fielding (P)2018 Kim Fielding

5 Stars for love of monsters

How do you define who or what is a monster? I had never read or listened to anything by Kim Fielding before and I was pleasantly surprised. I really like all of the stories, but I especially loved the third story of Harry and John. I originally picked this up because I have liked other books narrated by Joel Leslie, and I must say he did a brilliant job with these stories. Don't miss this one, it is well worth your time and a credit.

LGBT Great!

Enjoyable alteration on Frankenstein with gay themes and romance set in the late 40s with an an FBI for interspecies relations with the supernatural beings of this Story World.

Excellent collection of stories!

I read each of these stories as they came out and loved them... now the audio version makes them even better!

Corruption is the first of the three books, and does take place first in the timeline. This one introduces us to the Bureau of Tran Species Affairs, the organization created to deal with the monsters in the world... Charles Grimes, who is not quite human himself, is sent by his boss Townsend, to kill a demon. What he finds is Tenreal, a demon who has been captured, sold, and tortured by humans for years. Instead of killing him, Charles..... well, you'll just have to read it!

Clay White may be the second book, but it's the last one in the timeline. Clay is no longer an agent with the Bureau, but after so many years he can't stop trying to save people. He's poking around in a club in San Francisco trying to locate what is killing young gay men. He meets Marek, an ancient vampire who helps him... in more ways than one! Clay gets some help from another source that I won't mention due to spoilers.

Then we have Creature, the final book in the collection, but the middle book in the timeline. And my favorite of the three! Harry has left his home looking for a better life in Los Angeles, and had hopes of becoming an agent for the Bureau, but as Townsend tells him, he's too soft. When he is at the end of his rope, Townsend offers him a chance to become an agent afterall. His mission is to attract the attention of a man who has been attempting to raise the dead and make a creature of sorts. Townsend sends Harry to Portland with a creature the Bureau has been storing for an unknown number of years. That creature turns out to be John... John changes over the few days the two are together, turning from an emaciated collection of bones and skin, to an intelligent, curious, caring partner for the lonely Harry. Harry is able to find Swann, the bad guy and.... you'll have to read it to find out what happens to Harry and John!

I went through an emotional rollercoaster ride with these books... I was disturbed and horrified to see what humans can do, both the Tenreal and John. I was distressed for Charles, Clay, and Harry, who while different, have a common bond of loneliness. Actually Tenreal, Marek, and John share that bond now that I think about it. All of these beings, human and otherwise, are all a mess! Then there was the happiness I felt at the end of each story. Without giving too much away, I will say that each story does have a good ending.

I was also interested in Townsend. He appears to be human, an obnoxious, smoking, drinking human, but he's been around a long time. What is he? We don't really know!

Kim Fielding is one of my favorite authors, and these three stories are excellent. While they do tie in together, they are clearly individual plots. Each has a beginning, middle, and happy ending, with background to the characters, a little sex, emotions, darkness, light, and bonding between the characters.

Then we have the narration.... Hello! It's Joel Leslie so it's perfection. His voices are amazing, each fit the character, in accent and intonation. Especially John, as he changes, so does his voice. Joel Leslie is able to put so much emotion and passion in his voice in every book he narrates, from college age men, to Australian ranchers, to British billionaires, to demons, vampires, and lonely humans. His passion for his craft is evident in every book he narrates.

I have both read and listened to these stories and can tell you they are wonderful, in whichever format you prefer!

When men fall in love with monsters

Dark love stories of monsters and men. The last story, Creature, was the best of the three and is worth grabbing this book for that one alone.

The narrator is very good at making very different voices. You’ll never get confused as to who is speaking.

How do you define a monster?

If you like your romance with a little paranormal thrown in, this is a great collection if short stories.
Each story stands on it's own and Kim Fielding has a knack for writing the best and worst of "humanity".
Joel Leslie's performance brings a unique voice and life to each of the characters.
I do wish the stories were longer and there were more in this series though.
I will happily listen to this book again. Each story kept me engaged, the characters are interesting and their stories raw and emotional.