Video Night: A Novel of Alien Horror

De: Adam Cesare

Narrado por: Matt Godfrey

Who better to repel a body-snatching alien invasion than a group of teenage horror nerds?

Billy and Tom are best friends, but each knows that at the end of the school year they'll be moving in different directions. But why not go out with a bang and throw one last video night? They can invite some girls over, order a pizza, then maybe try and fight the alien infection that's taken hold over their suburban town.

It's The Breakfast Club meets The Night of the Creeps in this slime-drenched '80s horror romp.

"Hit that first chapter. It’ll hook you, and the next time you look up, you’ll have swallowed the book. It’ll be nesting inside you like a seed, like an egg, like an invasion." -Stephen Graham Jones, author of Mongrels

"The momentum keeps building. The stakes keep escalating. The monsters just keep getting worse and worse, the catastrophic mayhem more juicy and hopeless. Best of all, the writing moves like a greased torpedo, compulsively readable as it rockets through your brain." - Fangoria

"If you put together the gore, action, monsters, and sense of excitement that made '80s horror movies so great, you'll only have about half of what makes Video Night a must-read tome for horror fans." - Horrortalk

©2017 Adam Cesare (P)2018 Adam Cesare

Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets Alien

Man, I do love books like these. I call 'em B-movie books becuase they embrace the feel of those older movies that were made for teenagers on a Saturday night. I think the best movie example of a tribute o that kind of film wsa Night of the Creeps. It played on every single troupe it could, admitted the kind of story it was, and never apologized.

Video Night does the same. This is Invasion of the Body Snatchers blended up with Alien. I could almost say that I even see a touch of the Thing in there, but it is more the other films. Cesare does an amazing job here. He lays out the premise quickly and easily. He sets up the characters and their setting, and then he goes about destroyng the lives of the people in Sleepytown, USA.

The story is really fun and fast paced, and I inwardly cheered whenever an alien burst out of someone's face. In some ways, this really felt like the way Sandler did an 80's movie with The Wedding Singer or Cusack did in Gross Pointe Blank. Just seeing the eighties again, and the mention of VHS brought a tear to my cold heart. The only way this could have been better is if he could have figured out a way to have an actual 80's soundtrack playalong in the back of the narrator.

Godfrey does AWESOME (sorry, had to do that 80's reference) here as the narrator, BTW. He plays the characters as if he were in the book, and he knows how to play a scene. His pacing is spot on, and he knows when to joke and when to mope.

I really recommend this book. I also hope that there is another one to follow, as this is a fun, nostalgic romp that ended far too quickly! Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

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Night of the Alien Invasion

Have to start out saying how much I enjoyed the setting for this story. I loved the setting of the video night with the girls, the discussion of horror movies - all of my favorites might I add, the talk of the mom and pop video store and employees, and the whole 80's high school feel. Very nostalgic for me, so right off the bat I was in love with this story and completely hooked.
I feel like this alien story is a pseudo Invasion of the Body Snatchers mixed with V, the original miniseries, mixed with a bit of some teenage Stephen King novel, and maybe a little bit of The Thing. Either way it is a great mix which makes for a wonderful story. With popular TV shows bringing back the nostalgic look and sound of the 80’s I think this book fits in perfectly. I was raised on all the movies that the boys discuss and this story definitely felt like it fit within that niche. Makes me want to rewatch all those movies.
If you are a child of the 80's, loved the small horror movie section in video stores, or like the popular Netflix show then you should definitely get this book. It is well worth a listen and this author should be added to your list.
Matt Godfrey has the perfect voice for this type of story. Having listened to a few of his other books he seems to have found the right books that complement his tone and cadence. His subtle voice change for characters is perfect so that it doesn’t distract from the overall tone and you can easily become memorized.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Video Night

Overall, the story was okay. The interplay between the characters felt forced. It was interesting how the aliens took control of their hosts. Narrator did a good job. I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom for my unbiased review.

Love Vans mmm mmm 1984

Great story classic chiller theater mix with Night of the Comet great characters and the Sheriff was classic Long Islander 1980s BAD ASS ENJOYED through out thanks for a great story

Good Enough

Kind of fell in the middle for me. Fun and entertaining enough, but nothing that I'd consider a favorite or a must read. I will say that Adam Cesare did a fantastic job of recreating the feel of campy 80s creature/monster pulp novels in the vein of something Zebra Publishing would have put out with fun and colorful artwork.

A very good throwback book.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes horror movies, especially from the 80's.

great fun!

Wow, what a fun book! This brings to mind my teenage years- going to the movie store and browsing the horror section, dragging my little sister along. Thankfully, we didn't have aliens taking over our bodies... or did we?! I liked all the characters. They were real and easy to connect to and care about. I liked the story, it was lots of fun. I really liked the ending. I wasn't expecting that but Bravo!

I received this audio book in exchange for a honest review.

Video Night

I wasn't sure about this book at first. I thought that the premise was nice but really the story could have broken down at any point and left me feeling like I wasted 8 hours on another bad book. That was not the case here. I was hooked from the beginning to the end. It began like so many 80's horror movies and just kept rolling. It was funny and nostalgic (to me certainly) and left me wanting more for sure. Matt Godfrey was fantastic reading this and was actually the reason I picked it up. Going forward I will be looking for more books by Adam Cesare as well however.

Just so you know, if the book had ended with survivors huddled on top of a Winnebago each carrying an atypical weapon like a fire poker or a little league participation trophy looking over a sea of zombies with a mix of terror and giddy determination in their eyes, I could not have been more thrilled. My childhood buddies and I could have been Billy and Tom (ok, we would have all been Billy).

This book was given to me for free at my request for my voluntary and unbiased review.

Great chilling horror

Great horror astory and narrative. My first A. C. book but won't be my last.

Stranger Things + Critters + Species = Video Night

Adam Cesare wrote a good novel with great 80's Nostalgia. The plot doesn't explained how the aliens arrived or when. It still has some good elements on how it explains to make it a visual aspect in your mind on every detail. It has some sex scenarios which I prefer not to when listening to a horror or sci-fi thrillers. It has good action, humor and a bit of gore. Being born in Generation X and growing in the 80's really loved the story with nostalgic names of toys, movies, singers and movie actors of the era.
Listened through it in only two nights at work. I wished it was longer and the end makes you think there's a sequel. Strangers Things is a great show, but I wouldn't mind seeing Video Night as a Movie. Matt Godfrey did a good job narrating this Unabridge Audiobook.