Deathmaster

By: Kent Hill

Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett

Length: 3 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

Enter a world that is the ultimate valentine to those cheap and cheesy sci-fi/fantasy flicks from the 80s - a world with hot chicks, blind cyclopean wizards with bad attitudes, swamp zombies, purple cannibalistic aliens, talking gambling mutants that will cook you breakfast, hover-bikes, a gigantic ghost warrior, a ninja, a recently divorced and suicidal sorcerer, dragons, a cyborg demon and borrowed movie dialogue. 

All this you say and no musical number? That's what sequels are for.

©2017 Kent Hill (P)2018 Night Sky Book Services

Call the Bomb Squad because my mind is blown!

Sweet baby Bejeezus! I yearn for stories like this, tales that pay homage to, and exceed, something from the past. This book plays around with old movies from the eighties like a kid eating silly putty with pictures on it. It takes what was great, and then chews it up and makes one hell of a mess, but the mess is more interesting than what you started with. I am hard pressed to recognize every flick that was referenced in one way or another, but if you just go by the title you can see Beastmast, Buckaroo Bonzai, and Conan. He hits so many sci fi films and fantasy flicks that it will boggle your mind how he can juggle all of that and still manage to make a coherent story.

Saying this story is over the top does it no justice. The top of what? An ant mound? Mt. Kilimanjaro? It is far safer to say that this book is very clearly out of this world. It is without a doubt a mind bending trip that will make you say, "What the fu. . ." before you even realize the words are leaving your mouth, and by then, Hill will have moved on and you will still be playing catch up.

The craziness of this story is very reminiscent to another book that Bennet narrated called Tales from the Flip-Side: The Adventures of Big Daddy Cool and the Bombshell Kittens. In that book you could tell Bennett was having a blast. Here, you can literally feel him bursting with energy and merriment as he narrates this book. His narration was so spot on perfect I'd call him Mary Poppins, becoase it's practially perfect in every way. Maybe I'll dub him Manly Poppins instead. Either way, he really brings joy to this story, and an energy that is rarely found outside of a nuclear reactor. Bennett is made for weird wild roles. Mmmmhmmm, no doubt about it.

This book was a fun blast from the past that will make you smile, and want to go and watch some cheesy 80's films. Do yourself a favor, and look for more books by Hill and Bennet! You won't be sorry!! Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. Getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

If this review helped, please press the YES below. Thank you immensely!!!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Chock Full O' 80's Cheese

As you can read from everything this is an homage to every cheesy 80’s B science fiction movie made for TV. This truly is a wet dream for all prepubescent boys searching the late night shows after their parents go to bed hoping to find some scantily clad warrior woman fighting alongside some bare-chested barbarian. This story uniquely takes aspects of all different movies and strings them together in a nostalgic epic story. The level of awesomeness this story is able to achieve while reminding you of so many childhood movies and people is truly impressive.

I really enjoyed the humor in this book. You get the typical humor from cheesy B scifi, but also get some great dialogue. From the start I knew I was going to love this story when I heard, “Mr Big Dick and pap with an M16”. The whole fight in the beginning with Mr Big Dick and Pap was amazing and I had to rewind it just to listen again. The rest of the crude humor and utter nonsense are perfect for anyone looking to relive some juvenile antics as told by a immature boy. While being the Deathmaster, the main quest for Bobby is to get laid, so there is a lot of sexual conquest.

J. Scott Bennett is a great narrator and does this book justice. His character voices are spot on and he really brings the story to life. If you love scifi then you will love hearing Bennett serenade you with this epic tale of conquest.

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

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

LOVED IT!!

As a child of the 80's, I loved this story, filled with 80's references from a zillion things/movies from the 80's you'll surely remember. It brings me right back there! To a time when I was much younger and much more fun and a lot less achy :) What a ride!! You'll scream WTF a lot but it's a crazy and fun ride and I loved it!! It's long a long book but it's packed with great stuff and crazy characters. I LOVE J. Scott Bennett's narration on many books, and this was a great example of his work. You can tell he enjoys what he does. Who wouldn't! :) Really loved it :) Great story and outstanding narration! :)
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Deathmaster

This is a seriously funny send up of all the kitsch from the 1980's.Full of inside jokes,it's a fun ride!J.Scott Bennett was the perfect narrator.I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

'I Have the Power!'

As a stated clearly in the introduction, this book pays homage to the over-the-top and empowered macho action style stories of the 1980s. If you're familiar with the popular cinematic and literary sensations of the time period, then there is little more that this review will tell you that you do not already know. If however this narrative style is unfamiliar to you then you need to prepare yourself for story where the hero though they may start from humble beginnings becomes ever increasingly powerful and the companion of their gender opposite is primarily a lustful and tempting icon of sexuality. The story will often and easily switch from normalcy, to space opera, to magic wielding fanciful creatures and undeveloped wilderness, and back again.

The narrator's ability to go from hardened icon of machismo to the painful internal monologue-ings of "why me?" are a benchmark of his vocal stylings. Along with an extensive vocal cast, the narrator's voice will easily pull you into the story and keep you grounded as the narrative itself waffles back and forth between the blended genres in classic 80s style.

The book itself feels like a one-off, and yet the author leaves many things unresolved which could in fact bolster what would seem to be random musings into a cohesive series. Despite its topsy-turvy and over-the-top roller coaster ride of action and clichés, there is a distinct story progression to be found within the pages if one plays very very close attention. Thus if you are a connoisseur of any of the aforementioned elements, this story will lead you on one wild adventure which may harken back to the days of your childhood.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Hilariously entertaining

Deathmaster: Adventures in the 39th Uncharted Dimension

By: Kent Hill Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett

I couldn’t listen to this story without pausing it periodically to laugh. It was hilariously entertaining and a little bit twisted too. I kept picturing it being written by a group of college kids sitting around brainstorming with the help of acid or mushrooms. Yes, it was that out there, both literally and figuratively; after all, it is set in the 39th uncharted dimension. This is a must get for your next road trip (adults only). I loved it and think anyone with any kind of dense of humor will to. Deathmaster is easily a 5 star book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Take He-man, hitch hikers guide to the galaxy and countless 80’s flicks and this is their descendant

Take He-man, hitch hikers guide to the galaxy and countless 80’s flicks and this is their descendant. You will listen and recognize countless favorite 80’s B movies references throughout this tale. A little bit mature so not for younger listeners. The hero is over the top amalgamation of every corny 80’s hero you can think of. The story line leaps through various quests and battles and will never cease to amuse. Enjoy it as much as I did! Take He-man, hitch hikers guide to the galaxy and countless 80’s flicks and this is their descendant

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Love this master audio

This is a first from the author for me. It’s a story full of fantasy, taking out of this world. The narrator is great . I have listen to Scott Bennett a few times, his voice is deep and clear. He plays the parts perfectly.

This is about the hero that has a wild imagination, wishing that he is right in the middle his fantasy . Bobby the hero is a $ex crazed young man . He is thrown into a dimension where the women are willing and satiny him. Bobby then is thrown into another dimension where the women are not that easy .
What Bobby is trying to do is actually be like his dad .
Grab it and see if Bobby is thrown into another dimension or does he stay into the everyday life

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great Story!

I received this audio book for free in exchange for my honest review. This quirky story is very well written and the narrator does an excellent job. I'm sure that you will thoroughly enjoy this one. I know I did.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Very different!

This book was so different than any other book I've ever read. I really liked the unique characters! The narrator did good at changing his voice for each character and situation. If a second book were to come out I would buy it for sure!

I didn't get it.

I'd listened to this narrator once before, and despite having a limited voice range, I really like him. The story I just didn't understand. Most of the humor revolved around back to back sexual encounters and dick jokes. Don't get me wrong, i'm not above such things, but they just fell flat for me. I still don't know what the overall plot was. Much was lost on me. Although somewhat short, I didn't finish it.

A riot from beginning to end

I LAUGHED FROM THE FIRST 60 SECONDS OF THE BOOK. SO ENOUGH SAID LOVED IT