Carrion Comfort

De: Dan Simmons

Narrado por: Mel Foster, Laural Merlington

"CARRION COMFORT is one of the three greatest horror novels of the 20th century. Simple as that." --Stephen King

"Epic in scale and scope but intimately disturbing, CARRION COMFORT spans the ages to rewrite history and tug at the very fabric of reality. A nightmarish chronicle of predator and prey that will shatter your world view forever. A true classic." --Guillermo del Toro

"CARRION COMFORT is one of the scariest books ever written. Whenever I get the question asked Who's your favorite author? my answer is always Dan Simmons." --James Rollins

"One of the few major reinventions of the vampire concept, on a par with Jack Finney's Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Richard Matheson's I Am Legend, and Stephen King's Salem's Lot. --David Morrell

THE PAST... Caught behind the lines of Hitler's Final Solution, Saul Laski is one of the multitudes destined to die in the notorious Chelmno extermination camp. Until he rises to meet his fate and finds himself face to face with an evil far older, and far greater, than the Nazi's themselves…

THE PRESENT... Compelled by the encounter to survive at all costs, so begins a journey that for Saul will span decades and cross continents, plunging into the darkest corners of 20th century history to reveal a secret society of beings who may often exist behind the world's most horrible and violent events. Killing from a distance, and by darkly manipulative proxy, they are people with the psychic ability to 'use' humans: read their minds, subjugate them to their wills, experience through their senses, feed off their emotions, force them to acts of unspeakable aggression. Each year, three of the most powerful of this hidden order meet to discuss their ongoing campaign of induced bloodshed and deliberate destruction. But this reunion, something will go terribly wrong. Saul's quest is about to reach its elusive object, drawing hunter and hunted alike into a struggle that will plumb the depths of mankind's attraction to violence, and determine the future of the world itself…

© 1989 by Dan Simmons. ℗ 2011 by Brilliance Audio.

Edge-of-the-seat thriller!!!

A fantastically delicious novel of centering on some truly despicable and vile creatures that the main protagonist refers to as "mind-vampires", people that can invade a person's mind and control their actions.

What makes this book an absolute must-listen are the performances by Mel Foster and Laural Merlington. These two talented narrators are like chameleons in how well they can change to another voice and inhabit that character, especially Merlington. Her reading of Melanie Fuller is one of the best I've listened to.

While the story became a bit contrived towards the climax and seemed to fall into plot convenience, it more than makes up for that in an action-packed finale. This will not disappoint!

Not finished listening but.....

The entire Philadelphia saga is just a waste of time. The old woman outsmarts 50 FBI agents and brings down a helicopter. The FBI agents had plenty of time to kill her but the writer continues the ridiculous Philadelphia saga. I’m half through the audiobook but seriously considering giving up on the story. The writer thinks his audience is stupid!

Gritty, greasy, kind of amazing

I had some long road trips so powered through this relatively quickly. It’s like a brutal backcountry hike of ups and downs and exhaustion but ultimately very satisfying. Because it plunges through racial issues so directly, it can be hard to take at times. Simmons doesn’t pull any punches or dance around our 2020s sensitivities. Parts of the book are overly brutal, overly racist, and overly graphic, but it’s that brutality that sort of defines the universe the characters have had to endure. In the end, the powers that some of the characters used on others was certainly no more horrible than our human ability to treat others with inhuman savagery. For a book written around a fanciful premise, it was pretty terrifying in its reality. And given the politics of the day, it actually seems a bit plausible.

Last thought: I was drawn in to the thoughtful discussions contained in the book. The musings were subtle enough that if you are a racist or care little for certain groups within your community, you might actually wonder who the antagonists are - those seeking power, or those trying to control it.

A remarkable book.

Choose to Live

Disturbing, Horrifying, yet captivating. 9/10 would recommend for horror fans. Was one of the best horror books I've ever listened to.

One for the ages

This is one of my favorite horror stories. I’ve gone through it twice and it hit me like a truck both times. Great protagonists, some of the scariest villains I can think of and historical value through the roof.