Fugue State

By: Steffan Piper

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Sebastien Ranes has drifted aimlessly since graduating from high school six months ago. Down on his luck, the 19-year-old is recovering from pneumonia, working a dead-end job, and living in a shabby makeshift bedroom in the basement of his mother and stepfather’s home. Looking to escape his lousy situation, Sebastien robs a local grocery store and makes off with $4,800 - but not without the store’s security cameras spotting him. Driven to a state of panic, and out of control, Sebastien is hit by a drunk driver. Pulled from the wreckage by a Marine, Sebastien is offered a ride home - and a way out of Alaska.

The Marine Corps shows Sebastien another world - of abuse and authority, of war and compassion, of lust and consequences - and by the time he returns home, he’ll be forever changed.

©2012 Steffan Piper (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Exceptional!

I can't wait until Steffen Pieper's next book. His characterizations are so real. Great story.

A memoir edited into a series of stories

starting with Sebastian's gray late teens in Alaska (hating living in his mom's basement -smells like mold to me) moving through Marines boot camp and on to duty in DC and the Gulf. If it isn't based closely on his life, he's able to completely nail someone's (italics) life.
Particularly with this narrator, it's a bit like sitting next to someone very bright and articulate -a good storyteller- on a cross country Greyhound ride and hearing their story though the night, shaking hands at the end, saying good bye and then, as you wander back off to your life thinking to yourself, "Man, that guy went through some crazy s*** ."
I listened to this mainly over Christmas in Maine, running in the 10° snow. It fit.

Grittier than "Greyhound"

I read and devoured Steffan Piper's first book, "Greyhound", in just a couple of days.
"Fugue State" was a much tougher and grittier read. In some ways, Sebastien has grown up from the naive yet hopeful boy of "Greyhound" seemingly overnight, and the world around him (his family, notably) seems to not have changed at all. It's a juxtaposition that is incredibly jarring.
The narrator is terrific, as always, and this book would probably have been better if one hadn't read "Greyhound" first...

Interesting

I didn’t like it as much as greyhound; but it was still very interesting. I’llI look forward to seeing how Sebastian‘s future unfolds.

A Gripping Memoir

This follow up to Greyhound (which was fantastic) was an unexpected account of Sebastian's life as he grew into a person that you wouldn't have expected. Even though he wasn't the same person as I had expected, it didn't matter. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and hope there is a third journal entry into Sebastian's life, and where he goes next.
Also, the narration was superb. Nick Podehl did a fantastic job in both books. If you're thinking about buying this book, do it, but download Greyhound first. You'll be glad you did.

WOW, I loved it

WOW, what an amazing story l loved it just as much as Greyhound.
It's so refreshing to have some speak the truth. Both audiobooks a brilliant, Nick Podehl does an outstanding job, these two books are ranked in my top 10 audiobooks of the year.

Not quite good

It’s impossible not to compare this sequel with its predecessor, Greyhound, a surprising coming-of-age story. Though Greyhound had some quirks (the over-use of “rejoin,”’ for example), its story was solid, deftly progressing the narrative toward the end. Fugue State feels just like that—never quite sure where its story actually is, how to develop it, and it never quite comes together.

Most obvious is what is missing from the book: the period of time from the end of Greyhound to the beginning of Fugue. What happened in PA? Where is his sister? Why did his grandparents let him leave with his mother? I couldn’t not think about these questions and others as I listened to Fugue.

The writing in Fugue posted another issue for me. There were several areas that I felt were forced. Much of the dialogue between marines was unrelated to the plot and seemed to exist merely to say “marines like to insult each other and each other’s mothers a lot.” The same can be said of the sex scenes. They seemed like a writing class practice in how to write sex scenes—amateur at best, egotistical at worst. Listening to these scenes added to the awkwardness as the reader “acted” them—including the moans and sighs.

The author’s life is worthy of being shared, but overall, this book wasn’t polished enough. I wish he had a better editor to guide him and shape the writing more.

So disappointing

Would you try another book from Steffan Piper and/or Nick Podehl?

Maybe. Loved Greyhound, hated Fugue State.

Would you ever listen to anything by Steffan Piper again?

Maybe Greyhound

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

Not sure

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Fugue State?

The soldiers interactions were difficult to listen to.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed Greyhound so much and was looking forward to being entertained by Fugue State. What a let down. Full of unlikable characters and hateful situations. Couldn't finish it no matter how hard I tried.