BOO! A Halloween Story

God Complex Universe

By: George Saoulidis

Narrated by: John York

Length: 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Wear the mask. It will come off in the morning.

When a young man from a village comes to the big city to study, he finds himself overwhelmed by the urban lifestyle. But will he manage to blend in by going to a Halloween party, when his crush asks him to help decorate the place, when the abandoned villa becomes all too spooky for him and when the illusory masks everyone wears seem to never come off?

©2018 George Saoulidis (P)2018 George Saoulidis

Quick fun Halloween story

For a short quick story, the narrator and author keep you hooked pretty easily and tuned in. I guess this is part of a larger universe called the god complex, going to have to look into the other stories. I got kind of a black mirror (Technology/sci-fi meets horror) vibe from the story which is not a bad thing at all. Definitely enjoyed it. Narrator was great!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a bad trip must be like

This wasn't the story I was expecting but was really happy for that. Didn't expect the futuristic twist to the story but it worked really well and I really enjoyed it. Would love to see a story like this made into a short show like Tales From the Darkside or Tales From the Crypt.

I loved the writing style and for a 30 minute story you really get a lot out of it. Narrator did a great job too and his inflections for each character were top notch.

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

Like a lost Twilight Zone TV Show Episode

Saoulidis has never let me down as a storyteller. He comes up with some brilliant concepts, and Boo! is actually a futuristic novel more than a horror story. Some of the ideas he has will one day become a reality without any doubts, most espicially, the way we will scan everything we see, and get feedback instantly as if we had wiki and google in our head.

John York is really fun as the narrator, he really plays himself as the MC, and that makes it pretty realistic. His pacing is great, and the emotions he puts into his narrative are real.

I won't say that you don't know what is coming by the end of the story, but the execution is so good that you do feel like you are watching and episode of the Outer Limits.

short and sweet

I liked it. For anyone who is a fan of creepy pasta or similar programs this is definitely for you!

Interesting, but felt like I was missing something

'Boo!' is well written for the most part, and excellently narrated. Set mostly during a Halloween party in Athens Greece, the story involves augmented reality technology, the use of which was quite interesting. The story is presented as an email being written by the main character to his mother, which is a good concept, but also one that becomes weird when the character gives his mom more than a few details about a sexual encounter he had. However, aside from taking place during Halloween, there was nothing actually scary about this story. While interesting and well executed, it all felt more like an inconvenience that requires a call to the IT department than anything horrifying.

I think my biggest issue, and point of confusion, is that the story is part of the God Complex Universe, which I assume means there are other stories that fill in aspects of the world and setting. Since this is the only book I've read of that Universe, I was left feeling there were things I should already know. Most of it was pretty easy to pick up, but it did detract from the overall enjoyment.

John York does an excellent job narrating. I found he really added to my enjoyment of the story.

In the end 'BOO!' is lacking when it comes to connecting the reader to the setting, as well as anything coming close to scary. However, the characters and concepts are interesting and well executed, and the narration is excellent. Given some more details and world building, this would have been a much better story, but despite its flaws it is still pretty good.

I received a copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

So Much Promise

This story is set in the relatively near future, when cybernetic implants have started to become popular, particularly with late teens and younger adults. That is not clear in the early portion of the story but it is a significant detail.
I perceive this story as an allegory, with elements of the movie Shallow Hal and a messages about self confidence and social perceptions. The ending of the story fits the latter two ideas, with the primary event demonstrating the former. Yet, even with the connections to the two ideas, Instill find the ending wanting and anticlimactic.
John York did a solid job of narrating. I am not a fan of too many English narrators but his style is pleasant to listen too.

Don’t think I’ll try these masks

This is the fourteenth book/story I’ve read/listened to by this author and I am working my way through most of his books.
Each story has been quite different, but they are similar in that they are engaging, odd, original, kind of freaky, and a bit out there. This one is no exception. It is not a “hide under the covers while you read” kind of story, but there is a bit of creep factor.

This is the first book I’ve listened to by this narrator ( John York ). He did great giving separate voices to each character and putting the correct emotion to story. Well done.

There are no explicit sex scenes, or excessive violence. There is the occasional swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

Fear from a different perspective

This story is about a young man, unthinkably changed by a Halloween party. Avoiding any spoilers, i'll say the premise for this story is fresh and made me think how amazing it would be if this could actually be done. I really was primed for a bigger ending though, and was left thinking, that's it?, when it ended. But it's still a good story, suitable for Halloween without being the traditional demonic or horror based tale.

I was given this book at my request for free in exchange for this honest and unbiased review.

Creepy

I received this book for free at my request but the opinion is of my own. Wear a mask for a crush no big deal right? Comes off in the morning have some Halloween fun. But there is no Halloween fun in the end and will people go back to normal?

Great short for the season

It’s the season for spooky stories and things that go bump in the night. This is a modern tale of augmented reality magic and mystery that will give you the heebejeebies like it’s intended to. Enjoy it. I did