Korean Road

A Novella

By: Brian Scutt

Narrated by: S. W. Salzman

Length: 2 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

His tour is over, but the war rages on for Dickie, one of the forever-haunted veterans who gave up his soul during the Forgotten War. Here is a glimpse of his story, of the battleground he can never leave. Only death can conclude his final objective: closure, and peace. Join him on his road, the Korean Road, as he battles horrors he carries and those that he meets along the way.

"Korean Road nailed the hell so many of us live with. It left me craving more - more of this tragic story, and more from this capable, engaging storyteller. I'm looking forward to seeing what this new author brings us next." - Heath Stallcup, creator of the Monster Squad series

©2017 Brian Scutt (P)2018 Brian Scutt

A Great Listen

I didn't know what to expect before I listened to this audiobook, but I am so glad I did. Brian Scutt spins a well-written story that left me thinking about it for hours afterward. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the narrator did the story justice. The character voices were distinct and well-done. I highly recommend this audiobook!

Great Story About A Man Struggling With His Past

I had never read to listened to anything from Scutt before, but he has been well-reviewed, so I thought I would take a chance with this novella. I was not disappointed at all. This was a harsh, gritty story about a Korean War veteran who never really left Korea, and his family paid that price. Scutt progressed the story nicely, and it got nasty when necessary, twisted when necessary, and generally encouraged me to keep listening. I will definitely be checking out other stories from him.

As for the narration, I just have to shrug. Salzman has narrated many other books and has been generally well-reviewed, even on this novella, so I presume others liked his work. But there was something in his cadence and tone with the prose in this story that kept pulling me out of the story. It almost struck me as being computer-generated, but I know it wasn't because his dialogue was outstanding. Unfortunately, anything that pulls you from the story is a bad thing, and that was the case here. I will definitely give a listen to other pieces he's narrated, as I presume this was a one-off or just my impression of his narration.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this audiobook for anyone looking for a quality horror novella.

Korean Road

A haunting fictional memoir about the effects of PTSD. Very well written and narrated!

Brutal story of PTSD and it's effects

Brian Scutt's Korean Road tells the story of 'Dickie' a Korean veteran who never really left the war and brought it home to his family, to painful and horrific effect.

The story mixes three time periods - the Korean War, the initial years after the war, and decades later once Dickie's kids are grown - to tell a harsh, compelling story of PTSD and the impact on families. How there can be generational damage done. The story is, at times, brutal and saddening, but also insightful.

S. W. Salzman does good work with the narration. He is well paced, clear and he provides voices and accents for all the characters. A solid performance.

Awe-inspiring...

Wow. I don't often say this of indie books, mainly because so many are poorly done, but this was an absolute gem of a novella! I was blown away by where the story took me. I went into it thinking it would just be about a poor guy suffering PTSD and this young man getting a story out of him and some melodrama. I was expecting to enjoy it on that level as well. But this turned into a fast-paced bloodbath, and my jaw was hanging open at the end.

I won't go into the details for fear of spoilers, but also because I hope you'll come away from this review and RUN to purchase a copy of this book. It's very short as well, but you don't walk away feeling you missed out on anything or that the story was underdeveloped. Again, I was blown away. You NEED to read this book. You NEED to listen to the audio version. It's that good.

SW Salzman did the narration in the audiobook, and he knocked it out of the park. I've listened to a few of his narrations, and he always does a good job, but this was his best performance thus far, IMHO.

Get this book. You'll find a dark treasure within.

A moving and tragic reality!!!

Korean Road was very well done. It was paced nicely and thoroughly enjoyable. The tragic figure at the center of the story was very well developed. The struggles he went through with PTSD are very realistic. The author has obviously done quite a bit of research. The terror that someone who has seen war goes through is very real to them and they often will retreat into themselves. This is clearly on display here. Bravo, well written tale.

The narration was deftly handled by S. W. Salzman. He was able to convey the sadness and instability of the character as he went through his final journey.

I requested a free preview copy of this audiobook and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review.

Korean Road

This was a sad story. It was mostly well written. There were parts that seemed to flow less evenly than other parts. This is a short story that hits on survivors' guilt and PTSD and mixes in a bit of a ghost story with abusive family life. It deals with none of them but hits on all of them. I felt the overall tone and eventuality of the plot fulfillment was sadder than anything else.

Fictionalized war PTSD experience...

I can't even image what some of these soldiers went through and how PTSD affected them, but Korean Road by Brian Scutt did a good job of giving me an idea. The novella spans three time periods during Dickey's life-During the war, right after the war and finally, when Dickie's kids are older. This novella is based around Dickie's experience and his own PTSD and the widespread effects that it can have on a person and in truth, others around them, hence the various time periods. It gets pretty intense at time and I just really can't imagine what it's like for anyone to go through that. If you're interested in a fictionalized war PTSD short story, then I would definitely recommend Korean Road.

S.W. Salzman did a great job with the narration. The variations between characters and his regular narrator voice really added to the listening experience. This is my first time listening to one of her narrations, but I'll definitely be looking for more of his performances. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher for an honest review.

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Atmospheric, realistic, and haunting.

Wow! This is a chilling book about a haunted character. Haunted by his past, that is. And not one I’ll soon forget. Bravo!

Korean Road

The setup too long. Interesting flashbacks. I liked the narrator. Didn't see the twist coming at the end. I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom for my unbiased review.