Hellbender

By: Frank J. Fleming

Narrated by: Austin Rising

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

Doug wasn’t sure whether he should trust Satan. 

The red flag was that he said he was Satan. But the deal was good: Listen to Satan’s story in exchange for some donuts. And Doug only half-fulfilled his part of the bargain. 

But maybe he should have listened better, because during his friend Bryce’s next scheme (theft with light to moderate treason - the usual), Doug and the rest of his friends - Lulu (the fun one) and Charlene (the not fun one) - end up with a powerful artifact, a small metal cube with world-ending power that Lulu decorated with bunnies. And now everyone wants the bunny cube, which means Doug, Bruce, Lulu, and Charlene are being pursued by a insane supermodel general, an army of sadists, a vast criminal organization, a smaller, more-in-startup-mode criminal organization, and an unstoppable killing machine - the worst kind of killing machine. 

Doug and his friends may be a bunch of losers who aren’t particularly smart or good at anything, but they have one thing going for them: a really cool name for their mercenary group. And now it’s up to Hellbender to save the world - well, what’s left of it. It’s pretty ruined and war-torn already. But, you know, they live there, so they kind of need it. 

It’s a mess, but that’s what you get for listening to Satan. Or half-listening.

©2019 Frank J. Fleming (P)2019 Frank J. Fleming

"Hey, listen to this..."

While listening to Hellbender, I found myself stopping family members and saying, "Listen to this bit - this is really funny!" And, they get a laugh because the author, Frank Fleming, does comedy well, but he does physical comedy really well. And, he does action really well. This book starts at a run and just accelerates from there.

The book's universe is a not-too-distant future sci-fi with strong supernatural elements. The story follows four orphans who have become family to each other. They immediately get into trouble that spirals into ever-greater conflict, alternating between calamity and triumph. Fleming does a great job of world-building so that the pieces fit together and revelations build on one another finally to expose the true stakes. And, the protagonist is the most unlikely hero, but a heartwarming one to root for.

I don't want to steal the jokes or give away too much. Intelligent action and quick wit - what more can you ask for?

6 people found this helpful

Very funny, kinda deep, amazing voicework

Great story. A writer who has his own voice but isn't afraid to give Asimov the business. An ending that gave you something to be curious about but not too cliffhangful. Laughed out loud many times. Memorable characters. Lowkey has a lot of substance. Best narrator for this range of voices I've heard, very few missteps. I do recommend listening at 1.15 speed.

1 person found this helpful

Entertaining as hell

This was one of the most entertaining and funny books I have listened to in a long time. From the first meeting with satan, to the would be man killing robot it was just a lot of fun the entire time!

1 person found this helpful

LoL funny

Hellbender is a fun ride with plenty of laugh out loud moments. Fleming is masterful at juxtaposition and character development.

If you enjoy stories set in a dystopian future, combined with a team of dysfunctional spies where things never go their way, in a way, that leads them to success, plus a dash of pop culture references and just a pinch of religious seasoning, then Hellbender is for you. Oh yeah, I forgot, and Robots.

I recommend the audio book. Really great for those with long commutes. Narrator Austin Rising is brilliant at creating distinct voices giving full color to each character.

1 person found this helpful

good book, did enjoy.

It was a very good book, funny writing, good characters, and great running jokes that actually pay off. Overall a very good book.

Futurama meets 1984

parody and comedy. The character Doug reminds me of Fry, set in a dystopian 1984 world.

Great story & characters

Great characters, that made me laugh out loud, traversing an interesting story. . The performance was def. one of the better audiobooks I've experienced.

Great, funny and compelling story

I really enjoyed this audiobook! It was laugh out loud funny and I would definitely recommend as a purchase. Five stars!!!

1 person found this helpful

Surprisingly good

Well written characters, nicely layered plot, satisfying goodies, baddies and a few in-betweenies and immersive character acting.

I hope there is more to come.