Fangboy

By: Jeff Strand

Narrated by: Janine Haynes

Nathan Pepper seemed like an ordinary baby - except for a mouth full of scary sharp teeth. Because his life began with his grandmother strongly recommending that he be destroyed as soon as possible, it's safe to say that Nathan was not destined for a typical existence.

He hated the nickname "Fangboy," but nobody could deny that he was the most frightening little boy in town. And he would have adventures of every sort. Tragic adventures, like what happened to his parents. Dangerous adventures, like his encounter with the sinister Professor Mongrel. Thrilling adventures, like the part where he's on an out-of-control horse and he can't make it stop running and you think "Well, he should just jump off," but he can't because it's going too fast and he could break a leg. And, yes, one particularly gruesome adventure, though it is not described in great detail.

Will things end happily for Nathan? Will he bite somebody? Gather your family and your most deranged friends, make some chocolate chip cookies, and share the twisted comedy treat of Fangboy, a bizarre yet heartwarming yet rather tasteless saga that - all ego aside - will define a generation.

©2011 Jeff Strand (P)2017 Jeff Strand

Fangboy

I absolutely loved this fable. I loved how it was written and how the humor really built up the characters and even fed the plot. I kept having to remind myself that this was Jeff Strand and not Neil Gaiman. It was so unlike what I have read from the first and so much like the latter. It was not really for kids in the way that the old Looney Toons were not really for kids. There was one or perhaps two places in this book that would give me pause in allowing my 12-year-old to read it. Though it is way less gruesome than the Grimms fairytales. The narration was great and really brought me right into the story as well. Great job.

A very cute and funny tale..

A very cute and funny tail. Appropriate for children but entertaining for adults as well. I laughed out loud several times.

Come Meet the Frightening Fangboy

I'm a bit torn on this story since I will most likely be in the minority. I'm a huge fan of Jeff Strand's work, but I wasn't overly excited about this story. It seemed a little bit disjointed and while the main plot of trying to find loving parents was a good one, some of the side plots felt like they took over too much of the story. The whole ten year freeze really threw me off and I felt like it threw off the story as well. As always it contained Strand's magic touch but other aspects

I really enjoyed Nathan as the main character. You can't help but feel for him as all he wants is loving parents and despite all the bad things that happen to him, he continues to try to do the right thing and stay positive. I liked how eventually he catches back up with his friends, although I wasn't excited about the cheese incident. That kinda came out of left field and I think the story would have been better without it.

The piece of the plot that I really enjoyed was the freak show circus. Little aspects about the different carnies were quite imaginative and really appealed to me. It wasn’t your typical circus and Nathan was going to be the star as he was really the only true freak. There were plenty of other parts that really worked well and then there were parts that I felt should be removed or shortened a bit.

Either way I wouldn’t say you should skip this as Strand is a phenomenal writer and a master storyteller. What doesn’t work for me may work perfect for you. I’m glad I listened to it even if I wasn’t super excited about the whole journey.

Janine Haynes did a great job with the narration. I really loved her voices for the carnival folks, but she did a good job with all of the different characters. She has a good soothing voice that definitely made the book fly by as she lulled me into the story.

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

Great fun story

I have yet to read anything by Jeff Strand that I didn’t enjoy immensely. Fangboy is no exception. It’s very hard to be different in a world that doesn’t like different and Strand captures that realty very well in this story. It’s one of those stories where the tension is strong throughout and you just wonder if it is ever going to resolve. Will Fangboy survive the circumstances that are thrust upon him? Will he ever find some sense of normalcy and happiness? I guess you’ll just have to read and find out.

Filled with Strand’s always sharp humor, Fangboy is a fun quick listen that tugs on all the feels. Janine Haynes is fantastic as the narrator. You will not be disappointed in this listen. Give it a whirl. You’ll be glad you did.

Meh

Jeff Strand has become one of my favorite authors, and I always look forward to another of his original, captivating stories. This is the first time I've struggled to finsh one. It almost felt like someone else wrote it. The story itself is fragmented, and while the premise is interesting, the whole thing just fell flat.