Devoured

The Hunger, Book 1

By: Jason Brant

Narrated by: Wayne June

Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's Summary

*Day One:* A series of terrorist attacks spread a cloud of noxious gas over highly populated areas.

*Day Two:* Higher brain function erodes in those exposed to the gas. Their bodies begin to distort, faces distending, skin sallowing, teeth elongating.

*Day Three:* The infected disappear into the shadows, fleeing the harsh daylight which has begun to sear their flesh.

*Day Four:* The world is DEVOURED.

Life isn’t kind to Lance York. A full-time job has eluded him for years, his wife loathes the sight of him, his bank accounts are empty, and his wealthy father-in-law revels in his failures.

After he lunges in front of a car to save a sick and disoriented woman, Lance awakens in a quarantined hospital. A devastating plague is spreading worldwide, driving those infected with it insane. Their bodies begin to mutate into horrors that have haunted mankind’s nightmares for centuries.

The world descends into chaos as the infected flee to the shadows, emerging at night to devour the remnants of civilization.

With the help of an unlikely ally, Lance must navigate through the collapsing city of Pittsburgh, striving to escape the madness of the apocalypse that unfolds around them.

©2013 Jason Brant (P)2014 Jason Brant

great addition to my zombie library

Any additional comments?

devoured is a really good initial outbreak story. although it's not a pure zombie novel, zombie enthusiasts will definitely like it!

this story reminded me of 3 of my favorite zombie stories: infection: alaskan undead apocalypse (book 1 only), the remaining, and we're alive.

i thought of infection b/c devoured starts out in a hospital. i thought infection had the best hospital outbreak scenario, but devoured's is better. brant does a really good job building the tension as lance, his wife, liz, and his friend, don, learn the hospital they're in gets quarantined. brant also does a good job racheting up the fear and hysteria as more and more people in and around the hospital become infected and the military shooting starts.

i thought of the remaining and we're alive b/c the infected aren't zombies but something worse, much worse if you can imagine that! as michael aptly puts it, "zombies are only the cocoon stage!" brant adds his own horrifying twists on the infected, giving them a creepy and unique feel.

this is a well-balanced story. there's a lot of action and good character development. i'm not one of those people who talks during movies, but when i'm alone, listening to a good book, i do tend to talk aloud sometimes when i'm riveted by something that's happening. while listening to this story, there were a few times when i found myself talking / yelling / swearing at a character. so you can say i was affected by parts of this story and its characters.

wayne june does a pretty good job narrating. he is able to conjure and portray the different range of emotions and their tones, and he knows when to speed up and slow down.

overall, a very enjoyable story! i highly recommend it to all those who love a good zombie / end of the world story.

Zombies only the cocoon stage? Nice change!

Keep telling yourself: This isn't a zombie apocolypse novel.

Is that a BAD thing? Not at all.

I like twists on a theme. In this case, Brant takes a tried and true concept of infected masses turning into zombies, and make the zombie condition not the final transformation, but a PART of the transformation, more of a cocoon stage, if you will. The infected's FINAL transformation and result is terrifying (Aren't we all a bit weary of the oozing, shambling dripping moaning dead? Just a bit?), and makes for a good listen, and a good beginning to the series.

Pittsburgh serves as the backdrop for the author, and he writes well for the genre. Brant's writing is descriptive without being heavy-handed, flowing without skimming over the important points. Just a bit slow at the beginning, but it paces nicely from there, and has solid action and story lines, good character development and for a "first in the series," is a nice launchpad for what's ahead. You'll be drawn into this world, which is also a great reason to read or listen to a good work such as this - The suspension of disbelief is a writer's chief craft, and without this, it's just words on a page, or noise on an audiobook. It becomes forgeable, and is thrown on today's ocean of such books.

Finally, all of the above strengths reminded me of Clines and a few other modern scifi/horror writers that share these combined skills, and garnish our attention, and justifiably so.

The narrator Wayne June did a good job here, and assisted in the journey - He's a storyteller, and almost sounds as if he's talking to you over a kitchen table. A budding conversationalist. Always a nice touch.

I'll read the next in the series., that's for sure.

So, I recommend that you open that purse or wallet, and pull out that shiny Audible credit, and buy this audiobook. And while you do, keep telling yourself:

This isn't a zombie apocalypse novel... This isn't a zombie apocolypse novel.

Action-Packed Awesomeness...and a Battle Axe bonus

Any additional comments?

I preface this review with three things:
1. I received a copy of this audio book as a prize in a contest.
2. I'm not a post-apocalyptic / zombie / monster reader
3. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would recommend it.

Looking for a post-apocalyptic story chock full of powerful, flesh-hungry monsters? Listen to this book.

Author Jason Brant crafts a plausible scenario in which mankind faces a terrible extinction. The main characters encounter a series of obstacles as they strive for safety from certain doom and being eaten alive. There are a number of twists to this story, so I am trying to keep plot points to a minimum in this write up.

Brant provides ample description of the gore and unpleasantness of the world he's created. Brant also pays attention to real-life issues like food, water, and shelter for those who are fighting to stay alive. I feel that this attention to detail makes the story much more believable and raises questions like, "What if something similar happened here?"

Plenty of action. Witty dialogue. Flashes of humor. Just a great story that held my interest all the way through. If I have a negative comment it would be that the story ends at a point which is somewhat of a cliffhanger. The book is full length and to make it longer would not work. Moving to a second book in the series makes sense for both author and reader. Brant should be congratulated on leaving a reader/listener wanting more.

Regarding the narration on the audio, I have mixed feelings. I have listened to several audiobooks in the past. The male reader on this audiobook has a good voice and performs well. However, he does put on a "female" voice when women have dialogue. I would have enjoyed the book just as much, if not more, without the female impersonation.

Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely and I would recommend this story to fans of post-apocalyptic, action, or horror books. I plan to listen to/read the next installment in the series.

I LOVED the characters...

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

Yes, you cant help but love these characters. I found myself laughing out loud and really being able to relate to them.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I have to say at the end of the book I found myself really admiring the growth of Lances character. So for me it would be Lance but Lance from the end of book 1.

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

I loved his narration. It was great he nailed the sarcasm and humor.

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

Not an extreme reaction but it made me really start to care about the characters. It made me want to know what was and is going to happen. It kept me completely engaged.

Any additional comments?

Although this is not a zombie fiction book which is my favorite genre. ..... It is awesome!!!! I completely loved it. The characters are developing as the story goes on the action is great... All in all it is a great listen and I have already purchased and started listening to book #2!!!! What a great series keep it up!

Love it!

Any additional comments?

While this book doesn't really present anything new as far as apocalyptic books go, the main characters are rich and fully developed. In addition instead of including preppers as eccentric side characters, this book explores the nature of the survivalist or prepper mentality. Specifically, this book tries to incorporate how survivalists or preppers might fair in an apocalyptic USA. It is an interesting Naziesque twist. The narrator does a passable job.

These creatures are FREAKING SCAREY.

Devoured is book one of a 3 book series. I had to buy the other 2 on iBook, because Audible has not done them. I wish they would, and that they would have the same narrator do them. These are not traditional zombies in this appocalypse trilogy. They are called vampires, but they are scarier than the traditional vampire by a long way. Also, the protagonists are not gun-toting macho idiots, or military personnel, or life-time survivalists with years of training in preparing for this event. They are ordinary people like you and me. Also, the women are as strong as the men. Cass is perfectly willing and able to pick up her battle axe, bow, gun, or whatever, and fight alongside her husband. She is even a better fighter. I love strong women, and there are not enough of them in most appocalypse stories. This one is a definite must-read.

Love the series..

Main character is Joe average that does not so smart things...but has luck in his favor...though fleeting. Good sarcasm and humor in the face of utter destruction. Ive enjoyed the first three while on long road trips... Makes time pass due to good story and reading by narrator.

Quite the surprise

When I first started listening to Devoured, I nearly stopped right around the time the lead character mentioned the word Pittsburgh. Another zombie novel set in Pittsburgh. Ugh. I even put it down for a few days, but eventually I crawled back to this one because I am an enormous, unabashed fan of Wayne June’s narrations. I am glad I did. Turns out it isn’t a zombie novel set in Pittsburgh. It’s a vampire (sort of) novel set in Pittsburgh. Now here is the rub of this revelation.
I don’t particularly care for vampires.
I’d much rather read yet another post zpoc story set in Pittsburg than read any kind of vampire novel. Keeping this in mind, Mr. Brant had a very long hill to climb in order to get me to even remotely like his novel, much less love it. Well, the man not only climbed the hill, he planted a flag on the top and set off up the next one, and I intend to follow him.
The book itself was well written. I enjoyed the interactions between the main characters and the lead is a likable loser who you find yourself rooting for from the first few lines. We all feel like him at times. Down and out, on the last of our luck if we have any at all. I know I do. So to see someone so average and wounded (physically and emotionally) fight his way through these hordes of undead mutants—and survive—is pretty cool.
The undead were great! I loved the descriptions of the beasts, especially the phases they go through from bitten humans to hulking monsters. Daywalkers and night terrors. Good move, Mr. Brant. Just enough beasty to make every hour of the day suck sweaty balls to live through.
Now onto the audio portion of this review: I am a fan of Mr. June, and he is well deserved of the accolades. And not just because he has a hella sexy voice. I have heard plenty of folks with drop dead sexy voices royally screw up reading a book aloud.
I have said this before in reference to the very talented Fiona Thraille’s readings and will say it again here with Mr. June. Some people read books, some narrate them. Mr. June not only narrates them, he brings them to life. It’s like listening to a several hour long play or sound track for a film. His characters are unique, each one so vivid you feel like you’ve heard them speaking somewhere before. His pacing is an art to itself, taking his time, never rushing the story. His emotions are palpable; the fear is so real you can taste it, the suspense breathtaking, the pain heart wrenching. He will always have a fangirl here. I suspect I could enjoy listening to him reading the phone book aloud. The fact that the book was awesome as well made it a doubly amazing experience.
In short, I loved the novel well enough to want to read the next one. Listening to it would be even better because I get to hear Mr. June purring in my ears.
Well done, Mr. Brant and Mr. June. Well done.

One of the top 3 Zombie (or whatever) books

Would you listen to Devoured again? Why?

Yes, especially if there is a long wait for the next in the series and I need to refresh.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Devoured?

When Lance breaks through the militia and gets to the stadium with the babe and starts rounding up the rest of the cast.

Have you listened to any of Wayne June’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, this is the first.

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

Yes and I very nearly did.

Any additional comments?

I am eager for the next in series.

Really enjoyed this book.

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

Yes - it was well written, believable, main characters were fairly well developed.

Who was your favorite character and why?

of course the "hero"

What about Wayne June’s performance did you like?

he puts some real emotion into the reading.

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

The dumbass thing was funny.

The cheating wife... i am still hoping they come back to her and she gets what she deserves!!

Any additional comments?

Worthy read. Not exactly a zombie book but close enough you can pretend.