The Crater

De: Riano D. McFarland

Narrado por: Richard Salem

No one knew where they came from or how long they had existed. Their origins were as enigmatic as their purpose—silent sentinels in the wilderness, waiting. Yet one truth remained unshaken: no one gazed into their depths and walked away unchanged.

Long-buried secrets surfaced. Forgotten transgressions clawed their way into the light, merciless in their clarity. The crater did not show what was wanted—it showed what was needed.

A whisper of change. A reckoning. A new beginning.

Standing at the edge of destiny, staring into the abyss, one question echoed louder than all the rest: What will it reveal about you?

©2025 Riano D. McFarland (P)2025 Riano D. McFarland

Storyline and characters were great

I really enjoyed this overall, as the story kept me interested and characters development was good. Keeping up with some of their stories sometimes was tedious after visiting the crater, but otherwise was an overall good experience. Voice was soothing and melodic, and helped to enhance the story.

It will pull you in

A truly thought-provoking listen that lingers long after it’s over. Five stars for both the story and the narration. This author is one of my favorites, and once again, they did not disappoint!

Thought-Provoking as Always

Rating 3,75/4

Riano’s books always make you stop and think about life and existence. Each one may explore different themes, but the underlying principles remain the same—and The Crater is no exception. It’s a deep, thoughtful read, made even better by the narration.

Big great surprise!

The idea was very intriguing, at first I was just hooked to the different stories and outcomes of the "encounters" with the Crater, but I loved how it later intertwined and created a bigger story.

For sure you can find many things to contemplate about. Worth trying out.

Narrator was good - he did not try to change the "pitch" of his voice to do the female parts - and maybe it was for the better.

Excellent Story

This author writes some of the most diverse novels I have listened to or read. This story makes a person really think about how things come about to be. Narrator does a Great job with the various characters voices and the entire storyline. Highly recommend this book.

well written and captivating

The story was laid out well and the characters were well developed. It was a very good listen. one thing I found frustrating though is that the narrator was so old, he made everyone sound like ancient grandmas and grandpas.

SPOILERS: a note regarding the book's message. I've never subscribed to the idea that our greatest advancements came from aliens, or some other non-human source. I have a few reasons for this, but one major reason is that doing so discredits human ingenuity when these brilliants minds get together to make a major breakthrough. It also doesn't account for incremental technological developments that allow for even greater versions of the same tech. we didn't start with computer processors with millions of transistors in them. instead we began with just one, then two, and rapidly developing from low power computers that were more like fancy light switches, to computers that can help us research how to make better computers. Don't discredit the human minds that put in the effort simply because you can't grasp how we got to where we are today. It shows disrespect. It's not mindblowingly hard to jump from lightweight solar panels, to putting them on a glider. that. doesn't at all take any kind of knowledge injection. It just requires someone motivated to do it. whether that's for the likes, for money, or to make the world a better place. ok, my rant is over.

Aside my distaste for the origin that the book pushes as the source of all our greatest breakthroughs, it was a fun story.

very intriguing

There are so many layers to this story. I will have to listen again to even begin to wrap my head around it. Riano McFarland always amazes me with the depth of his writing. The narrator was well chosen and did a great job.

What If ?

I fell in love with this book I mean this will blow your mind!
this touches on a scale so much larger of conversations and debates of what if, the next question would be would you?