Into the Black

"A Short Story"

By: Billie Dean Shoemate III

Narrated by: Victor Warren

Length: 1 hr and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

It is said that, in this library, all the secrets of creation are stored here. Everybody that arrives has no memories, no names, and no escape. Together, they must find out why they are here, what sent them, and why they all feel like they are being watched.

A plan is formed. Escape from the library at all costs. Until a new visitor enters. A visitor who, like the others, has no name. No memories. But, he is a bit different than the others. If the library contains the secrets of all creation, maybe there is no need for escape. Maybe a new plan needs to be formed....

Entering into the genre of science fiction is a rarity for horror/thriller novelist Billie Dean Shoemate III, but "Into the Black" showcases the talent of the prolific independent novelist, blending his unique style into a genre that is, on its own, worthy of the deepest and darkest exploration.

©2020 Billie Dean Shoemate III (P)2020 Billie Dean Shoemate III

where do we go?

I received a free code for this story.
Great listen, a really different take on who what and where we are. well worth the listen.

good short story

I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a solid if quick listen. I enjoyed the main character's arc quite a bit. While the author doesn't go into much detail regarding the other characters, he still manages to form them quite completely. My favorite scene would have to be the beginning of the story. I really enjoyed the slow build as it followed the main character.

"Andrew?"

A library, books floor to ceiling, reading desks with green shaded lamps, all so familiar - and yet... There is something wrong. Told in the first person, the main character cannot remember anything personal to himself, not even his name. And finds that this is true, too, or the others in the library. So he calls himself Andrew.
This is an intriguing short story of a little less than two hours which kept this reader enthralled for the full length. Starting with an ever increasing creepiness in the well developed descriptions, it later devolves into a more speculative, scientific and esoteric meandering which is, if anything, even more chilling. Narration is by Victor Warren, whose voice has an almost wistful timbre well suited for this reading, and he slivers this (essentially) monologue with a slow but perfect pace and good modulation throughout. A nice performance.

Billie Jean Shoemate III is an author I have not previously encountered and I was most fortunate to be freely gifted with a complimentary copy of Into The Black, at my request, by the rights holder via Audiobook Boom. Thank you so much. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, listening deep into the night and then thinking about it after. Definitely recommended

Interesting concept

I received a free review copy of this audio book, at my request, and am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review.

This was a very interesting short story. At a little more than an hour and a half, it's a little longer than the typical short that I've read/listen to, but it never feels long for the story being told.

This story is kind of like a cross between the song "Hotel California" and the twilight zone episode where the last living person ends up in a library, with broken eye glasses.

The story is told all from one pov and the entire story is his trying to make sense of his reality. I really enjoy this type of story, where the mystery is situational rather than murder based. The concepts get a little metaphysical towards the end of the story, but it all fits in with the narrative.

The main character is the only character explored and the story is a retelling of his experiences, so secondary characters are more window dressing than actual components of the story. It is very descriptive of the world its in and has very limited character interaction. In a novel, this would be a flaw, but in this short story it works.

The setting is familiar but aloof. This is the same way that the characters experience it, so it definitely works on that regard.

The book was maybe about 10 minutes too long, the ending could have been tightened up and maybe a few descriptive paragraphs could have been ditched, here and there, but overall it didn't feel too long.

The ending was a little disappointing, for me. I get what the author was going for, but I had hoped for something a bit more interesting. Or some better self realization from the character. The ending wasn't bad, it just didn't leave me with the "wow" factor I expected.

The voice narration, by Victor Warren, was well done, for what it was. There is almost no dialog in this story, so I can't speak to his voice talent. He has a good voice for the main character and the few lines of dialog from other characters were different and distinct. His female voice was OK, but as there would only a line or 2, it's hard to tell how extensive it could have been.

All in all, this was a very interesting story with a compelling mystery. The voice acting was well done and it had just about enough plot/mystery to fill its run time. The ending could have been a bit more interesting, but over all this was well done.

What feels like an autobiographical story

*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.*

This book feels more like an autobiographical story rather than a fictional one. It is told in first person and totally relatable. It includes a few interesting quotes to reflect on. I found myself quite engaged from beginning to end, even though it went a completely different way to where I was expecting. I actually ended up linking it much more than I thought.

The writing style and the narrator helped on the reader's engagement and you kept needing to know where the story would go next.

If you're more driven by the message and include it in the plot, this book is for you.

Out of my wheelhouse, but glad I listened

The story sucked me in right from the start, which was good, being a short story. I really liked the early version of “Thomas”, Victor Warren did a great job bring him to life. Essentially, it was a sad story for me, but, really imaginative, and interesting.
I’ll need to look up other works by Shoemate and Warren. I liked the creative story, and the great narration.

Into the Black

Good story.Good narration by Victor Warren.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'

It was okay.

Story itself: 2 stars
Narrator: 5 stars

I'm not sure how I felt about this story. It was interesting but I wish there would have been more to it. The idea of Andrew creating an imaginary library in his mind didn't work for me. What I mean is, it's one thing to imagine a library with people in your mind, but it's a whole other story to keep going back to those people and having them living as though they're real, doing and thinking different things, and then to create multiple libraries with tons of people. That's just not how the mind works, in my opinion. I get this isn't a true story but still.

One area I didn't understand was regarding the people who committed suicide as opposed to just leaving the library. Why cause yourself pain?

The narrator did a great job.

I requested this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.