• Cyclops Road

  • By: Jeff Strand
  • Narrated by: Joe Hempel
  • Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (192 ratings)

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Cyclops Road  By  cover art

Cyclops Road

By: Jeff Strand
Narrated by: Joe Hempel
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Publisher's summary

Evan Portin is at a sad, scary place in his life. While taking a long walk to compose himself and figure out where to go from here, he encounters a young woman being mugged in a park.

When he tries to intervene, he discovers that she doesn't need his help. At all.

Her name is Harriett. She is very, very good at defending herself. Everything she owns is in a large backpack. She's never seen a cell phone. She's never been in a car. She's never really ventured into the outside world.

And she says she's traveling across the country to slay a Cyclops.

She's crazy, right? Evan is not in the habit of hanging out with delusional women he's just met. On the other hand, it can't hurt to offer her a ride out of town. And maybe this insane journey is exactly what he needs...

A brand new adventure from the four-time Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Blister, Dweller, and Wolf Hunt.

©2016 Jeff Strand (P)2017 Jeff Strand

What listeners say about Cyclops Road

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    5 out of 5 stars
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AMAZING!!!!

This book was ah-bloody-mazing!!! Seriously. I've read a few books by this author and he never fails to impress and amaze me with his imagination. Where does he come up with his ideas?? Lol. Anyway, it's going to be so hard to say all I want to say about this because I will end up spoiling it. This is the story of Evan, who lost his wife and child not too long ago. He is having a hard time with life and ends up kind of getting the boot from his job too. He decides to take a walk through the park, which ends up changing his life forever!!!

Evan, oh god, my heart broke for him!! He is so sad and I just wanted to hug him. He is at rock bottom when he sees Harriet being mugged in the park. Evan is a nice guy, and decides to step in, but Harriet doesn't need help, in fact she is like a ninja!! She gets hurt and he offers to help. Little does he know that this will change his life and himself irrevocably!

Harriet is such a mystery. At the start, when she tells Evan that she is on a trip to kill a cyclops because the prophecy said so, you think, what a nut job. But her story unfolds and you find yourself eagerly waiting to see exactly who she is and where she is going?

The plot of this was unique, quirky and absolutely gripping. I had no clue where the author was going with the story, nor how he would get there. But get there he did, and let me tell you, it was an absolute rollercoaster of a road trip. I mean, who wouldn't want to go on a road trip to kill a Cyclops??

That is all I can say about the book itself because it is one better experienced. I'd advise you not to read any review (well apart from this one ;)) and just go read the book. I didn't read any and boy did I devour this one. It captivated me and stunned me.Right from the first page the author gripped me and made me become invested in the characters and the story. After finishing, I wanted to dive back in and read it slower, just to savour it. Brilliantly written and executed, this is one book I can highly, highly recommend.

Joe Hempel was simply amazing. He brought this book alive and really made it easy to visualise. He has a clear, clean voice and gave each character their own tone and personality. He also reads and performs brilliantly. It was effortless to listen to because of him!

I was voluntarily provided this free copy by the author, narrator, or publisher. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Cyclops Road

What did you love best about Cyclops Road?

I was fully entertained, and hard to put it down. This book is not the usual horror themes from Jeff, but there is some horror in it. It's more of a road trip adventure tale. And full of twisted humor

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantasy At Its Finest

Evan Portin has just lost his wife to cancer, still grieving, he quits the job he hates. What more could possibly go wrong? How about walking up on a mugging in the process! Evan goes against his better judgment and wades in to help a damsel in distress. How embarrassing that this damsel named Harriet ends up kicking ass all by herself.

Life changes completely when a skeptical Evan decides to help Harriet, as she heads to Arizona to kill a Cyclops terrorizing a small town. Along the way Evan and Harriet slowly pull together a rather reluctant ragtag team of fellow Cyclops hunters.

Magnificent! That's all I can say… well, maybe I can say more like, what a wonderful audiobook!
It’s mainly fantasy and but it has humor, suspense, heartbreak all mixed up together and what you end up with is a story you’re sad to see the end.

Joe Hempel narrates and his winning streak continues with this nearly 8-hour audiobook. I’ve only listened to Joe Hempel read fantasy/sci-fi and he is one of the best narrators in this genre, especially when there’s humor involved. He is so expressive and does well, voicing both genders. I often wonder if he just picks the type of books I like or if I like whatever Joe reads… hmm... The old chicken or the egg quandary. Either way, Joe is the rare narrator that I search for when I’m looking for a good audiobook. I know I'm guaranteed a good listen.

This audiobook was gifted to me in exchange for an unbiased review!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

I wish there were a sequel!

I was so impressed by this book. I'll read just about anything by Jeff Strand, and listen to almost anything by Joe Hempel, so when you combine the two, you know it's going to be a winner.

It starts with some witty banter between two people, in a way that made me invested in them from the beginning. I thought, wow, these people are a little nuts . . . but in a good way.

From there the story soon becomes a mix of comedy and suspense, with a bit of Twilight Zone thrown in. It's basically a really long, strange road trip where you have absolutely no idea what to expect. Crazy things happen out of nowhere. I laughed--a lot.

In the end I liked this even better than the Wolf Hunt books. Those were also funny and suspenseful in Strand's hallmark way, but this one has an off the cuff weirdness the others lacked. I really wish Strand would do a sequel--and have Joe Hempel narrate again, of course. As usual, Mr. Hempel gave life to the characters and his delivery was flawless. Even the female characters were perfect. It was much better and more fun than reading this in print.

I received this audiobook for free at my request, and have voluntarily left this review. I bought the Kindle version to go with the audio, even though I didn't read it because the narration was so great. The book is totally worth the money or the credit.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Fresh Take on an Old Monster Story

I had a lot of fun listening to this story. Harriet is a very interesting character from the first moment we meet her. She is a very well-written female character. As was said by George R. R. Martin, it seems like the author considers women to be people, and writes Harriet as such. The camaraderie that she and Evan share really helps define and shape the story. It shifts with each addition, but it is still the framework. When they finally reach their goal, I was satisfied with the intrigue and developments we found. Jeff Strand really nailed it. A classic cyclops hunt reminiscent of the Odyssey for me took on new life and context journeying through the United States.

The story was narrated by Joe Hempel's welcome voice. My own issue, and the -1 star, is that I did not feel Joe differentiated the characters' voices well enough. I following along fine, didn't find any distracting quirks, and enjoyed the overall tone and reading. I would listen to Joe again happily.

I volunteered to receive a free copy of this audiobook and have volunteered my review with no influences other than my own listening experience. I recommend this book!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Hooked me from the first sentence

Any additional comments?

Have you ever listened to a song for the first time and knew immediately when the words and melody began that you would like it? That's this book!!

The narrator and the author were a perfect duo. The story started off with a death that was so masterfully written that you know you are in for a literary treat. And boy, does this book deliver.

Yes, the band of would-be slayers are ultimately going to kill a cyclops, but with tongue firmly planted in cheek, the author and the narrator took us on a wonderful journey that I hated to see end.

I loved every minute of this book. I wish Evan and Harriet had gone back to the fight club (did I mention the fight club?) and got their money back but other than that, my sci-fi oriented, mystery loving heart was happy.

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Listener received this title free

Fun!

"Quirky" is the first word that comes to mind. Cyclops Road is a strange but fun story with likable and strange characters.. Did I mention the story is strange? Joe Hempel does a great job with narration and with the subtle humor that runs through the book. Don't try to make sense of it - just enjoy the ride!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Review Cyclops Road

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review "
Jeff Strand has done a terrific job with this story. It is fun, light, adventurous, with just the right amount of witty humor. The story starts with an unlikely meeting and moves into a road trip with unexpected curves and ends up with the unreal being real. Joe Hempel's five star performance pulls it together for a very enjoyable listen. I love it when each character is automatically recognizable and I'm not back tracking to figure out who what when. Enjoy.

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Fun Romp

Solid Narration on this fun cross country journey seeking a mythological monster. Jeff Strand delivers.

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A terrific read... er, listen...

This is a really fun stand-alone urban fantasy, and a terrific read... er, listen.
Evan, still mourning the loss of his wife, absolutely loses any sense of good judgement and torpedoes what's left of his normal life by fighting with his boss, and of course, losing his job. Evan is adrift, and a bit hazy about the future, when things suddenly come into perfect clarity as he stumbles across a woman being mugged. At least for the moment, he knows what to do... Get beat up! LOL... and that, my friends is how this rollicking adventure/quest starts down the Cyclops Road.
Joe Hempel's performance is perfect for this wonderfully fun tale!
This is the first book I've read by Jeff Strand, but I guarantee that it won't be the last... Get the book and sit back and enjoy...

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