Caught in the Web

By: Jason Davis

Narrated by: Darren Marlar

Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the morning, the invisible spiders had hatched and had spread. Now the small town of Hammond is under quarantine and the inhabitants are fighting to survive. They face something they can't see, and no one, not even the military has answers. They just know they must escape before it's too late. They must stop themselves from being caught in the web.

©2015 FoF Publishing (P)2015 Jason R. Davis

Aracho-Undead, ugh!! Squish them!!!

I always enjoy it when a book picks up where the last left off, and this picks up right after Hatched. It is also a series, so I don't know how many books there will be, but if they are all as good as the first two in this series, then I hope it has a long shelf life. Despite being a series, this book does tie things up fairly neatly, so at this time I haven't got a clue a to which direction it will take, and I like that. This work is anything but predictable. Further, it has added even more horror to an already terrifying genre. Zombies are bad enough, but getting spiders that crawl under your skin is soooooo much worse. So Kudos to you Mr. Davis, for raising a bar I didn't think could go any higher.

The story is much better managed, less main characters on POV's t shoot through, and the creepiness is really amped up. Can you imagine having to kill a loved one because they came flying through a window to kill you? I really don't know what is worse, hearing a thud in the night and thinking it could be a zombie, or actually having a spider crawl across a part of your body and then remembering this book.

Marlar does a fantastic job narrating, and knows how to build tension. I almost think he could pull off a typical movie jump scare (like when a cat yowls and leaps on screen for no discernable reason).

I cannot say how much fun this book is, the story, characters, and the aracho-undead just cuts through all of the stuff in life bogging you down and takes you on a journey that you may not come back from the same.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Interesting take on the zombie genre

This was an interesting book - much better than I expected. As the second book in the series, I fully expected to not understand characters and their relationships and grasp the current situation. I have to say, this is one of the few books that I've read as part of a series without reading the previous installments first that actually made sense. I don't feel like I was missed much by not having read the initial book though I would guess it's at least as interesting as this book. The 'zombies' were unusual from the typical zombie we're used to in current media. I liked it, it was a nice change. The story developed a good momentum and while many of the characters were certainly not likable, they were interesting. I'd definitely check out another book by this author. (Three and a half stars for the story, but I round up.)

The narrator did a great job giving the characters their own voice and feeling. I look forward to hearing more of his work in the future.

I received this book free of charge from the author, narrator or publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Book 2

Any additional comments?

This is the second book in the series and immediately starts where the first book left. The already tense nature of the book only increases by leaps and bounds as the pace quickens and havoc is wreaked upon this small rural town. There were multiple times that the book left me agape, as the mental imagery from the action was magnetic.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

SPIDERS

It's almost unfair for Jason Davis to use spiders (which are absolutely horrifying to begin with) to scare us in this zombie tale! That said, he spins (hah!) such a satisfying un-dead story that I'm willing to overlook the use of spiders (what's wrong with gnats or silver fish?). Typically, if you've read a zombie story then you've read them all. But that is not the case here. 'Caught in the Web' is part two of a fresh take on the idea of an infestation that kills you and then brings you back. I'm very much looking forward to book three, which it sounds like will circle back to the beginning of the invasion to give us a unique perspective. If you like zombie stories (and are ok with hours upon hours of descriptions of being covered in spiders!) then this is the book for you. Darren Marlar gives a good performance.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Very interesting

This was definitely a decent listen. It takes a completely different approach to the zombie apocalypse that will. It does have a slightly slower buildup but if you aren't worried about that, you should enjoy it. I did not listen to the first of the series, as this book was credited to me and I can honestly say I don't feel like I was missing too much or that things just didn't make sense. I personally was not a fan of the narrator, and it made it hard for me to finish, but the story itself it well worth the time.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Unique

I love this unique approach to "Zombies". It was very entertaining and I grew to be cheering for all of the characters in the story

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fresh twist

What about Darren Marlar’s performance did you like?

He did a great job.

Any additional comments?

Wow! What a new and fresh take on an old genre. I loved it. I read the book out of order this is actually book 2.Listening to book one now. Other that wondering how it all started book two is so well written it could be a stand alone book.
It takes place in small town America and we follow a small group of people who end up in a bar.As well as the Military personnel both on the inner and outer perimeter and the General and his men hidden in a bunker after the K Protocol or "Lockdown Protocol" was activated.The most serious practical of them all and it was put in place to rapidly move things along with any unknown Biohazards or catastrophic event that threatens National Security. They usher the General Mayfever in charge to an underground bunker and he is Un-named from that time on to give him the anonymity to make the tough calls and do what needs to be done to save the country.
In this case, a small town Doctor Samuel Wilson notified the CDC a Dr.Baine Thompson who initiated the K Protocol.Most everyone else was left out of the loop and doing their job without understanding the gravity and what exactly is going on. They even called in Local police from other towns to help secure the perimeter.The whole town was in quarantine, no one in, no one out!
Jasin was called in to work at his mom's bar to help his aunt Tina out who had an emergency to tend to.His Aunt Tina was only a few yrs older than he was. When she called and asked him to help her where she was Jason called in his closest buddy who was a conspiracy theory enthusiast and who had been preparing for the end for some time. But wasn't at his place when the crisis came.He was at the Bar helping his friend out.
Things became quite apparent to Jason that something really messed up was going on when his little sister Lisa came crashing through the window trying to kill him. Her skin like the others had a gray hue and blank eyes. He had to get back to the bar. After a few break-ins his mom went a little overboard with securing the bar, now he was glad she did, it may be the safest place around.Or is it? I won't say anymore go pick up your copy.
Mr. Jason R Davis presented quite a large twist to the story by following the transformation as well as the characters.They seem to see and feel spiders crawling on and under their skin,and mutilate themselves trying to get them off before they become zombie-like and start killing.What an epic indicator of the change.LOL that would be enough to make a grown person go crazy even on a normal day.Way to raise the creep factor bar, well done. I had not read anything by this Author before but I will be now I guarantee it. He is a great storyteller and his work is outside the norm and a fresh now take, I like that.He sets a vivid scene and believable characters from the weak to the strong and everything in-between.
The narrator did a great job with this book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

End of the First Story Arc

Firstly, I'll start with a quick overview of the three audiobooks available in this universe.

The first is Inside the Mirrors. The main character of this is Rob Aletto, an ex-Chicago cop and now small town part time cop. It is a standalone story to the following two books, but does provide a common character for all three books.

Next is Hatched, the first book in the Invisible Spiders series. This book has Rob Aletto in a more or less cameo appearance, and is set in a town about 30 miles away from Standard, the setting for the Inside the Mirrors.

Finally is Caught in the Web. This book has the author listed as Jason Davis as opposed to the other two which list the author as Jason R Davis, so an author link search in Audible won't show all three books. This book also features Rob Aletto as a lead character.

I got Caught in the Web as a review copy, and seeing it was part two, I purchased Hatched to listen to that first. Then the narrator kindly pointed out that Inside the Mirrors was related and also offered me a review copy of that, which I gladly accepted.

This book continues with the story begun in Hatched, and provides I feel a better story, with the same great ideas, but without the avalanche of too many character viewpoints. Like Inside the Mirrors, the story is told from the perspective of a smaller set of characters, making it easier to track in audio format. Also, as mentioned above, Rob from Inside the Mirrors is a lead in this book too. The idea of the spiders and the "zombies" was definitely a good twist on the idea, and I think I can safely say that of all the zombie variants I've encountered in fiction, these are the ones I'd less like to encounter... The book is book 2 in a series, but be assured that this book does form a complete and satisfying arc, and wraps up the story nicely. It did leave me pondering what direction will be taken next.

The narration was enjoyable, and I found it engaging, and had no issues understanding of having to re listen to passages. Voices were conveyed well enough.

The book has a good afterword by the author, I really think should be a forward (so you can hear before the story).

Overall, recommended for someone looking for a new zombie concept but be warned it really needs to be read in conjunction with the prior book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A Great Read!

A great fresh take on the zombie theme. This is a continuation of the "Invisible Spiders" series (and I recommend that one read's the other book (Hatched) first; if you do you'll enjoy this one all the more!) The book is really tense and scary (if you don't like spiders) all the way through. The story is set again in a small town with a small group of strangers (some less likeable than others!) trying to surive the unleashed biohazard.

The narrator Darren Marlar was very good; handled the characters well and added extra tension to the story by the way he read; not every narrator is good at this; so he made the story more enjoyable.

I would recommend this book to any fan of horror, it's a tense listen; and you will not be disappointed.


*I received this book for free in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Unique and enjoyable!

Would you listen to Caught in the Web again? Why?

Maybe, I didn't listen to book 1 so if I do I may listen to book 2 again. I read a lot so I usually don't read the same book again.

What other book might you compare Caught in the Web to and why?

This was very unique.

What about Darren Marlar’s performance did you like?

His clear and has an easy flow but is sometimes monotone.

Who was the most memorable character of Caught in the Web and why?

This isn't so much the most memorable character more the most memorable moment. Towards the beginning when the townspeople are only beginning to see zombies and haven't quite figured out what's happening there's a man in a car. He see's zombies walking towards him but hasn't figured out what they are and thinks it's a joke or people with make up. This part had me in rolling in laughter.

Any additional comments?

The idea Jason Davis uses, invisible spiders, is a different. I have seen almost every zombie movie, read several zombie books and his is unique. I enjoy that creativity in taking a worn out concept and making it his own. The only thing I didn't enjoy about the book was the authors repetitive descriptions because they slowed down the pace of the story for me but otherwise an entertaining read and highly recommended for zombie fans.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful