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The Electric  By  cover art

The Electric

By: Andrew David Barker
Narrated by: Nigel Peever
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Publisher's summary

In the summer of 1985, 15-year-old Sam Crowhurst discovers an old, abandoned cinema that screens movies made by ghosts, for ghosts.

Sam and his friends Emma and David find themselves drawn into a world where the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Lon Chaney, and Theda Bara are still making pictures, where Harold Lloyd and John Belushi team up for roustabout comedies, and Karloff and Lugosi appear in films scripted by Edgar Allan Poe. Sam comes to learn the mysteries of the Electric cinema and his part to play in its long and strange history.

The Electric is about movies, ghosts, and that ephemeral moment in all of our lives: childhood.

©2013 Andrew David Barker (P)2019 Andrew David Barker

What listeners say about The Electric

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The Electric

The story is about the ghosts but the story is carried by the children, especially the protagonist, Sam. The tale weaves and dances around and fits the autumn backdrop perfectly; the fading sun proving a great metaphor for how childhood slips away.

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What a Production!

The story itself was unique but the narration and sound effects added by the narrator made this such an experience. It reminded me of the radio shows my grandparents spoke of, but I never had the opportunity to listen to. I have not listened to a book before with added effects, but I will certainly seek them out in the future. Once I got used to listening with the sound effects, you came to expect them, and I was never disappointed. Every time I thought something should be there, it was. The narrator does an excellent job voicing the characters; not only do they each have their own voice, but also their own inflections and attitude. For once, I was able to tell who was speaking and often how they felt long before the dialogue tag. While I really liked the story, I am so very glad I did not read this as a book, because so much more is added by the narrator. I recommend giving this book and certainly this narrator a try.

I was provided with a free copy of this audiobook for my honest review. The views expressed here are entirely my own.

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Phenomenal Story!

The theater style Narration of the story is incredible. Typically I listen to audiobook while I work or commute, but this one caused me to simply sit and listen. Reminiscent of the radio shows in the day befor television, the reader is left hanging in every word. The feeling of suspense is palpable and one hears the sound effects and music notes. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a story about an other world theater caught between the past and present! Bravo! I am a new fan!

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Really Great Story!

This is an Enhanced story, so if that is not something you like then don't bother. However, if you enjoy enhanced audio books then you have to check this one out! The story itself is well written. It's told as a memory of the main character, Sam. As memories go, it does "wander" a bit but the wanderings do tie together nicely. I really enjoyed the slow eerie feeling and quiet spookiness of the tale. The narration is superb! Nigel Peever has become one of my favorite narrators! He can do so many different distinct and clear voices it's just amazing! He has a nice clear voice and knows just how to use sound effects to truly enhance the listening experience. This is a great story with excellent narration that is well worth your time and credit.

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Fantastic Story!

This horror tale is superbly written and the fact that it's narrated by the very talented Nigel Peever makes it even more enjoyable. If you like horror and suspense tales, then you'll love this one.

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    5 out of 5 stars

An awesome book on teenagers and ghosts

Sam has a great love of old black and white movies. a love that his father cultivate in him. When Sam happenes upon a dilapidated old movie theater strange things started to happen. He starts seeing actors like Bograt and Greta Gable in movie that had never been seen by anyone else.Sam got his friends to go with him to the old theater, they started seeing these same ghosts. the ending had me getting goose bumps. Nigel Peever was awesome in his narration of the story. I liked the plot that the author wrote. great book

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just wow

I really loved this audiobook. I had to stay up all night to finish this that's how good it was. This is a reading with sound effects and atmospheric music and it really drew me in. At four am, I was making coffee so I could continue to stay up.

Writing: You may think Andrew Davide Barker's writing style is a bit meandering but this book is a reminiscence and memories are rarely a straight timeline. When we think back, we remember odd bits that may not have much to do with the main plot of our life. Stick with it if you are finding it a bit slow at first.

In this book, there is a lot of history dealing with films but it's not dry, it's woven very well into the story. Barker writes about the feelings that movies can create in us. Those feelings that make you believe in magic, make you believe in that world that exists in imaginations but is often more real than what goes on around us. It's such an indescribable feeling but Barker catches that feeling with this book.

Narration: I can't imagine the work that must go into a production such as this. That being said, wow. This performance was amazing. Nigel Peever has SUCH a wonderful voice for narration, especially for nostalgic pieces. His voice captures bygone eras brilliantly. His accents and voices for Bogart, Chaney and others were done really well. I've heard so many Bogart impressions over the years and some of them are really over the top.

Production: Very, very well done. The sound effects really drew on my memories of going to the movies. The sound the projector makes, how the film sounds as it's going through the projector, the music from the era's the movies were set in. But it also captured that idea that these were movies made by ghosts, for ghosts.

I found myself wishing I had someone to talk to after this book was done. It's going to stick with me for awhile.

Brilliant writer, narrator and production.

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Brilliant!

The concept of the story is brilliantly conceived and executed! A story of mystery, loss, love and the dreaded growing up. The story flows wonderfully from start to finish. The narration and production are excellent, adding even more depth to the story. I would recommend this story to anyone teen and up.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

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A treasure of a novel, subtle and beautiful

I got this book at the suggestion of the narrator, Nigel Peever. I've heard him doing some Sherlock Holmes books and think he does an amazing version of the character. In fact, he's my #2 Holmes, just after Jeremy Brett. He gave me the code after I had asked for another book. He felt it was some of his best work, and I cannot disagree.

The writing in this book is hyper-detailed. It is so descriptive and has such a unique style that it draws your ear in instantly; there is a scene when Barker is describing the old projectionist's face that just captivated me. The details of the Technicolor Tramp likewise was so vivid that I could see him in my mind's eye.

This is coming of age story told via a love of cinema, loss, first love, friendship, grief, and family. Barker weaves so many themes into this story, which is a flashback told by the Main Character of a time in the eighties before he became a man. The protagonist has lost his father and is still trying to come to grips with it, as he finds an old cinema in the woods with posters for movies that were never made.

Barker has a clear love for the silver screen and stars of yesteryear, plus John Belushi, and his made-up movies have the thumbprint of films from that long-forgotten era. I really want to see the one with Karloff, Lugosi, and Lorre. The tone of this book is subtle, tender, heartwarming, and heart-wrenching. Poor Em. What I really enjoyed was that the novel failed to fall into the easy tropes, i.e., the last third of the book didn't have the trio getting "mandraked" as one might expect. For me, it was the slow unspooling of the events centered at the Electric that made the book special. One might think that a novel about ghosts making movies would need a lot of jump scares or horrifying backstories, but the truth is the story is quiet, soft, and perfectly paced. I could not have asked for more. Thank you Mr. Peever!

Speaking of Nigel Peever, I have to say that he was at his most chameleon-like on this book. His renditions of Lorre, Bogey, and Karloff were pure perfection. The way he made the voices sound as if they were coming from a movie reel was so well done that I would have believed that he was playing old movies in the background as he narrated. The music, sound effects, special effects, etc all came together so that the book could be categorized as an old-time radio show, and I mean that in the best of ways. It only added to the story's mystique.

I went into this novel with no expectations and came out deeply moved. I identified with the main character and his summer escapades so much. It really hit home. I used to watch old movies like that with my grandmother and grandfather, and so grew up watching Bogey. Hell, I even have a replica of that great Mcguffin, the Maltese Falcon. Maybe that's why this book moved me so much.

Regardless, I cannot recommend this book MORE than I am now. This is the most honest review I've ever done, and it's not because I've lied about other books. No. I am more open about how this book affected me than any other time I've stepped up to suggest a book or warn others of mediocrity. So, I guess the Electric got to me as much as it got to the characters who sat in its seats and watched those old movies. Very few things have ever done that to me. I am thinking of my grandparents and how I fell in love with Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep. Funny, I haven't thought of that in a long time, and this book awakened that memory.

So, thank you, Mr. Peever, for letting me listen to one of your best works and a novel that has stirred ancient and untouched memories that have lain forgotten in the recesses of my mind.

If you take anything away from this review let it be this, not all ghost stories are scary; sometimes they can touch your soul.

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An intriguing tale with mesmerizing narration

First off, “The Electric” reminded me a little bit of “Something Wicked This Way Comes.” I thoroughly enjoyed this book with its eerie tale of teenage friends who discover an isolated, crumbling, strangely compelling cinema. I am not a fan of music and sound effects in an audiobook, but in this case, it makes this tale all the more chilling. Narrator Nigel Peever is frightfully magnificent, thus making this novel an eerily enjoyable and scary adventure. His perfect timing and characters’ tones brings this gripping tale to life. Sinister but also emotionally sad and nostalgic, make this adventure left me wanting more. Peever is perfect, thus making this novel an unusual combination of sentiment and adventure. I will be searching for more by Peever. I loved this wicked-creepy and gripping story. So highly recommended I can’t stress it enough. Well worth a credit. Thank you to Nigel Peeves for giving me a chance to step out of my Audible box and find a new genre.
👏✍🏻⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✍🏻👏

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