Dark Matter

By: Michelle Paver

Narrated by: Jeremy Northam

Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

January 1937. Jack Miller has just about run out of options. His shoes have worn through, he can't afford to heat his rented room in Tooting, and he longs to use his training as a specialist wireless operator instead of working in his dead-end job. When he is given the chance to join an arctic expedition, as communications expert, by a group of elite Oxbridge graduates, he brushes off his apprehensions and convinces himself to join them.

As the young men set sail from a gloomy Britain on the verge of war, Jack feels the overwhelming excitement of not knowing what lies ahead. Little can he imagine the horrors that await him in their destination, Gruhuken, a place that cannot escape the savage echo of its past.

©2010 Michelle Paver (P)2010 Orion Publishing Group Limited

amazing narration! great story

I really felt submerged in this story. inwas drawn in by the solitary aloneness that Jack felt. I could feel the isolation. I could feel his fear.. the story was not wham bam kind of locomotive. it built slowly and lingered in dark places that were more frightening as you felt the seconds slowly ticking.. dread.

Excellent reading by Northam.

Best reading I have ever heard. His voice brought life and dread to this somewhat predictable story.

Dark Matter

I enjoyed listening to this story about a group of young men going on an expedition together. All of these men were different from each other but had the desire to learn and teach others about a new place. This story was very creepy, but I couldn't stop laughing. I loved it! I think anybody who likes ghost stories will enjoy this book. I greatly enjoyed the narrator's voice.

Atmospheric & heart wrenching

Jeremy Northam is perfect as the narrator. The story is…I lack the words to adequately describe it. There were times when I had to take a break because I cared so much about Jack and the dog(s). This is one of those rare books that made me feel transported out of my own life and into someone else’s entirely. I loved it.

Scared the You Know What Out of Me

I read horror books often and this is one of the best. The story is in the arctic and the dread of the sunless days hung on me like a funeral pall. I couldn't stop reading it.

Good story, Fantastic narrator

The narrator was fabulous. I listened to this book like 3 times. I thought it was very goid and really well read. if only all narrators could be so proficient. I quite enjoyed this tale also, it was unique, well fleshed out, I felt I was in the icy cold, dark north, I was curious, I liked the characters and I was thoroughly creeper out. I don't know how this works but the "item" of concern really freaked me out. I may have developed a phobia of someone else's paranoia!

Beautifully narrated; thoughtfully moody.

Hard-core horror fans may not be enamoured with this story, as the fear slowly simmers without really boiling over. Just enough detail to imply horror, and lots of beautifully written tension. The placement of this story post-WW2 aids several plot points and adds to the feeling of displacement, or disorientation, the reader may experience. The main character is nicely developed and likeable. His story is told in an intimate, journal style. The book takes it's time getting to the "creepy parts," but the quiet, moodiness of the writing, and the character development is, in it's own way, suspenseful. Possibly not the most thrilling ending, but really, the story wraps up nicely and the denoument is quite satisfying. Definitely a mood piece. And...WOW, the narration is INCREDIBLE!!!

Simple premise, northern feel

As I live in the North myself, I can tell you that Paver captures the feeling of the cold and isolation extremely well. A simple premise, but Paver explores relationships between friends and man and dog effectively. Class issues permeate through the relationships between the men and the main character comes to new understandings through his experiences and is a changed man by the end of the book. A unique book which I would highly recommend. The narration was excellent.

Feels like old-school Lovecraft

The Good:
It was a very well written book. I found myself feeling dread just from the author's description of a log in the ground. Not something easily done for me! I can't go into too much depth without giving anything a way, but it does have that Lovecraftian journal-writing feel that slowly injects you with growing dread of something that shouldn't be.

Jeremy Northam does a good job as the narrator and by the end of the book you really feel he is the voice of the protagonist.

The Bad:
There are a few thoughts and declarations of male homosexuality that Michelle Paver crams in near the end of the book that I didn't feel were really needed, but the story was still great despite it. Not sure why she decided to add it. There isn't any physical homosexual contact. It's all in the guy's head. However, you won't miss anything by skipping the few tiny bits that she included if you are the homophobic type.

Also, if you are seeking an action-packed read, then you will not find it here. You should probably look for a different novel if that's what floats your boat.

Overall:
All in all Dark Matter was a great horror story that I enjoyed a great deal. Anyone who enjoys tales of growing dread and creepy horror stories, but isn't looking for action, should definitely give this audiobook a listen.

Excellent

This is the first novel from Michelle Paver I have listened to, but it won’t be the last. You feel as though you are there in the Arctic. She is a very gifted writer. So much so that I am about to purchase another by her. What are you waiting for?