Butcher Bird

A Novel of the Dominion

By: Richard Kadrey

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis 60

Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

Spyder Lee is a happy man who lives in San Francisco and owns a tattoo shop. One night an angry demon tries to bite his head off before he's saved by a stranger. The demon infected Spyder with something awful - the truth. He can suddenly see the world as it really is: full of angels and demons and monsters and monster-hunters. A world full of black magic and mysteries. These are the Dominions, parallel worlds full of wonder, beauty, and horror.

The Black Clerks, infinitely old and infinitely powerful beings whose job it is to keep the Dominions in balance, seem to have new interests and a whole new agenda. Dropped into the middle of a conflict between the Black Clerks and other forces he doesn't fully understand, Spyder finds himself looking for a magic book with the blind swordswoman who saved him. Their journey will take them from deserts to lush palaces, to underground caverns, to the heart of Hell itself.

©2007 Richard Kadrey (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Another entertaining piece by Kadrey!

Sarcasm, wit, action, demons, angels, magic, and a twist, pretty much sums up Kadrey's work. if that's what your into, and I am, then you'll love this!

Great Book

What did you love best about Butcher Bird?

There is never a dull moment.

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

You could tell he got into the story. He was very enthused and brought me further into the story.

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

It was, however I listened to it while I ran.

Open your eyes

Richard Kadrey has an impressive imagination, and his worlds are very well thought out.
A tattooed man, and a blind demon hunter team up to take a book back from hell, and well all hell breaks loose. Once you get past the strangeness of the first chapter (only 8:44 minutes) the story unfolds nicely. Our hero, his best friend, and a princess from another dimension/world walk willingly into hell, just for our pleasure.

Kadrey is as gritty as ever; performance lacking

I haven't yet finished the book, but it has often become annoying and that is due mainly to the narration. I am an enormous Kadrey fan. His Sandman Slim series is unrivaled and the narration of Macleoud Anders is perfectly matched for Kadrey's gritty and intelligent writing style. And I'm a fan of Jonathon Davis so imagine my disappointment.

The problem is, Jonathon Davis is the wrong narrator for Kadrey. His pace and tone are continually off. There are pauses or emphasis that come off as the attempt to be gritty or dark and all I'm left repeatedly thinking is that Davis cannot do Kadrey. His characterizations are okay, but they are all delivered in the same stilted manner.

I seldom write reviews primarily because I'm not good at it, but I had to let other audible Kadrey fans know that if you're looking for the combination of good Kadrey delivered by good narration, this isn't the book. Part of my dissatisfaction could be that this is one of Kadrey's earlier works and he didn't received the best of editing work (that's just conjecture) and in turn Davis is struggling to narrate. What I can definitively say though is that I've been repeatedly annoyed by the narration. I've enjoyed other narration works by Davis. He's a good narrator, but this match up just didn't work.

Wow. What a wild ride!

very creative and well detailed, well thought out.

a bit dark and pretty gross, moreso than my usual reading.

enjoyed the story - heroic, weird Odyssey through different milieus, with monsters, magic, deceit, and even a love interest. the book didn't seem as snarky as Kadrey's Everything Box because not as many of the the characters here are as sarcastic as often. maybe the different narrator makes a difference too.

enjoyed the narrator - nice deep voice and good enunciation, good differentiation of characters. he does give the characters a deadpan vibe though.

A Road Trip Like No Other

It’s like a road trip through "The Matrix" into "The Wizard of Oz"— ending up at the "The Sandman" and "Hellblazer."

I’m impressed that Kadrey just made me compare "Butcher Bird" to all my favorite action fantasy epics.

Protagonist Spyder, a San Francisco tattoo artist, is infected by a demon with a power that lets him see other "Dominions" of angels and devils. He now must go looking through these Dominions for a set of lost books that will keep the worlds in balance.

Kadrey describes the coolest other-worldly creatures and scenes:

"People threw money at the Volt-Eater's feet after each demonstration of her electric skills. It made Spyder a little sad to see her. On any other night, she would have been the hands-down highlight... Tonight, however, the Volt Eater was just a pretty girl spitting watts, no more or less miraculous than Bible-quoting kittens or the lion-woman who'd just pronounced him both a fool and a hero."

Narrator, Jonathan Davis brings it all to life.

Slow start from a younger Kadrey

This may very well be my favorite Kadrey novel.

Initially a slow start, bordering on ponderous.
Then the story starts to gain some momentum and then it starts to move deftly like a snowball heading towards hell itself, gaining both mass and inertia.

The Butcher Bird story has many of the hints of the Sandman Slim series. Bits from many if not all of them.

Mr Davis proved quite adept at differentiating the personalities and voices of the many characters. None of his voices was annoying and some were quite engaging.

Great book, could barely hear the narrator at multiple spots

Great book, not as good as the sandman slim series, but still quite enjoyable. The narrator reads way to quietly in multiple places. Audible needs to up their volume in general.

Fun ride

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

For me Kadrey's style of writing just clicks, I enjoy the mix of fantasy and real life and the attitude of the characters. It was an enjoyable romp through an imaginative world. I also see many hints of Sandman Slim in the main character. The best complement I can give is that I devoured the book as quickly as I was able to, and then found myself looking to see if there was a sequel. The narration was adequate and did not detract from the story.

Game Changer

This book introduced me to an entire genre i had never even known about, let alone fall inlove with. I read this book during a darker time in my life and it helped to bring me back to wider world. With its combination of dark-gutter humor and relatable tattooed other side of the street characters, i found myself i immersed in a world i found both familar and longed for. If youve ever seen yourself as someone on the outside, read this book it assue you will relate.

A hellish good ride

What made the experience of listening to Butcher Bird the most enjoyable?

Butcher Bird feels like an old fairy tail (more brothers Grimm than Walt Disney) its a dark and twisted tail of anti heroes and dastardly monsters, and im really looking forward to the next book, I've read the Sandman Slim books by the same author and enjoyed them so i was really pleased to see Butcher Bird on audible

What other book might you compare Butcher Bird to, and why?

theres a few books that have alternate reality stories , Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman) and Nightside (Simon R Green) spring to mind , both of which use similar ideas and while the idea of a world behind the world is a well used one, Butcher Bird is definitely uses it in a new way, cyber punk and magic.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Jonathan Davis really has a good grip on the characters and his delivery is well suited to story, giving a flawless performance

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was gipped from the start and didn't want to stop listening

Gripping storyline!

Would you listen to Butcher Bird again? Why?

I would listen to it again and buy the series!!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Butcher Bird?

The story twists were amazing , puzzling and intriguing!

What about Jonathan Davis’s performance did you like?

Great voice easy to listen and understand.

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

YES!! Almost did too.

Any additional comments?

If you are wondering... BUY the book, it is fantastic!