Invasion

By: Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's Summary

They are coming. The countdown has begun.

First visible only as blips on a telescope image, the discovery of objects approaching from Jupiter's orbit immediately sets humanity on edge. NASA doesn't even bother to deny the alien ships' existence. The popular Astral space app (broadcasting from the far side of the moon and accessible by anyone with Internet) has already shown the populace what is coming. So the news has turned from evasion to triage, urging calm and offering the few facts they have:

The objects are enormous, perfectly round spheres numbering in the dozens, maybe hundreds. They are on an approach vector for Earth. And they will arrive in six days.

©2015 Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant (P)2015 Podium Publishing

Even perfect preparations fail...

Interesting approach to a doomsday scenario. Not a deep, complex story, but a fun listen. Interesting postulation on how or why a wealthy business mogul would prepare for an apocalypse event.
I love Ray Porter's narration!

12 of 14 people found this review helpful

Just what I was looking for!

Loved the slow steady build to the climax of the book. Perfect reader. Can't wait for book 2.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Well written, couldn't put it down!!!

Loved it!!! Can't wait to read the next one. Had me at the edge of my seat, many times I had to tell myself, this is not happening to me.

8 of 10 people found this review helpful

True page turner

Alien invasion stories seem to be especially popular right now. Ernest Cline just released Armada. Edward W. Robertson is killing it with his Breakers series. James S.A. Corey’s Expanse series is crushing it, and is set to debut the television series on Syfy soon. While the appeal of the fantastic in what may come from meeting an alien race, and possibly more suspenseful, if they are met soon before their wicked intentions of domination are revealed, the most appealing aspect to these stories are the characters who may be soon to perish.

Invasion, co-written by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant, has done a phenomenal job taking an entire first book prior to the alien landing to entertain and endear us to a cast of characters ripe for an emotional disaster. On the surface of the story’s outline, the plot seems simple, and if the characters were bland, it would be mediocre at best. The aliens have shown up on space footage and a family separated from coast to coast has to find a way to a bunker in Colorado. Most of the story takes place in their cars or walking. While reading, I was amazed at how as a writer I might have been intimidated at how to make this transitional and introductory book entertaining while knowing it will be mostly a travelogue. Platt and Truant are master creators though, so it’s no surprise that the characters they’ve built have so much budding conflict between them that they could have been going to the grocery store on a normal Saturday morning and I would have been hooked.

Our main character, Meyer, is an entrepreneurial tycoon with two teenage kids, a son and a daughter. His son is enduring the beginning of puberty and a star crossed crush with Meyer’s new wife, a hot yogi who’s only fourteen years older than his son. His daughter has a secret and happens to be with her boyfriend when she’s picked up, so now he’s forced to go with them instead of going to his family. His new wife is struggling with the changes she’ll have to make to survive in this new world, as well as a jealousy over possible lingering romance between Meyer and his ex-wife. Everything from dialogue to getting into their inner thoughts keeps this story highly engaging and one of the best stories I’ve read this year. The ending really took me by surprise and I immediately had to get started on Book Two, Contact.

I listened to a few chapters of the audiobook, but I didn’t want to wait until I had a moment to listen, so I read this every chance I could in ebook. I have the paperback, too–one of the perks of being a newsletter subscriber and winning a giveaway–but I read way too quickly to make it to the paper version. Anyway, my point was to mention the narrator, R.C. Bray is awesome as always, so if you prefer audiobooks, definitely pick this one up.

I hear a lot of books called page turners, but this one truly stands out as earning such praise.

14 of 18 people found this review helpful

Armageddon Redux

Fantastic introduction to author's Platt and Truant. Reasonably fast paced and well laid out "Alien Invasion" story. If you liked the movie Armageddon, you will love this book. My only issue with it is that book 2 is not available yet..... Ray Porter does a fantastic job with the narration. Very well done and worth the credit.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Very entertaining

I am really liking this pair of authors. Their Rise Again books were super fun. This one is too. You have to take it like a tv series, though...and expect the series to continue in the next "season." I will immediately download Book 2 and hope it comes soon!!!

11 of 14 people found this review helpful

Marathon Listening to this Book!

If you could sum up Invasion in three words, what would they be?

Building suspense and action.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Invasion?

There were several but I would spoil it for others that haven't read the book if I detailed it.

Which character – as performed by Ray Porter – was your favorite?

Meyer was my favorite because I liked his attitude. He reminded me of myself in a lot of ways. Ray Porter's voice is addictive when he portrays the male characters. I liked the way he vocally portrayed Meyer.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Nothing was really "moving" but there were some areas that were thought provoking. The interaction between the siblings and the boyfriend was true to life. The author really captured the angst of puberty in the teenage son, Trevor.

11 of 14 people found this review helpful

Captivating!

Could not stop! Finished the book in 2 days and it was fantastic! On to book 2!

12 of 16 people found this review helpful

really glad that I listened to the audiobook

Aliens are coming, or at least that’s sure what it looks like. This causes a quick panic because everyone on Earth is completely in the dark as to what they want/need from them. Forcing most people into a panic, the Dempsy’s are trying to get to their underground bunker to escape anything these aliens will throw their way.

The narration, done by Ray Porter was excellent. He’s definitely a great narrator. He gives a great rendition of Meyer Dempsy and the other’s in Dempsy’s family. Porter was obviously an excellent choice, he doesn’t have the “military” man voice that some authors seem to pull off excellently, but that’s good because the main character was a businessman, not a military man. There were no issues with the production, just like every other Podium Publishing audiobook I’ve listened to.

Meyer Dempsy is not someone you would normally feel sorry for. Rich, with a wonderful family, and even a plan on how to survive almost anything. I’m glad that Platt & Truant didn’t dive much deeper into Dempsy’s past because I don’t think I could have felt sorry for them. Following them while they encounter problem after problem. Dempsy was prepared but not as much as he could have been.

Platt & Truant did a wonderful job making you really feel for this family. Within Invasion you go from not being sure what Meyer was thinking–to basically realizing that this man was a genius (other than a few small problems).

I really enjoyed this, I finished it in a few sittings and was really glad that I listened to the audiobook version. I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series (to which there was a 15-ish minute clip at the end of this audiobook). Platt & Truant are easily becoming one of my favorite duo of writers.

Audiobook provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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30 of 41 people found this review helpful

Get ready...they ARE coming !

If you could sum up Invasion in three words, what would they be?

Detailed
Intense
Honest

What did you like best about this story?

First off, you just HAVE to give it up to Ray Porter. This reader ( an excellent actor in his own right ) is OUTSTANDING in this offering. He must jump around through a number of characters/genders/ages and does so seamlessly and with precision and , at time, a form of ironic humor. So, that is my highlight.

He also has excellent story material to work with.

Which scene was your favorite?

The gas station in the midwest was well crafted.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The first meeting between the exWife and trophyWife. Very honest and real experiences.

Any additional comments?

This is the beginning of what appears to be an epic dystopian series. I genuinely enjoyed this story, and can't wait until the next segment, which MUST be soon! Highly recommended!

11 of 15 people found this review helpful

Well narrated disappointing story

Would you try another book written by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant or narrated by Ray Porter?

I'd definitely buy another book narrated by Ray Porter as I've enjoyed previous audiobooks he's narrated and he did a good job with this one too

What could Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

it's not so much that the story is bad...it's just not what I expected having read the synopsis and listened to the samples. I was expecting more science fiction...more focus on the imminent invasion whereas this dealt more with the breakdown of society. I didn't even make it half way through the book but got so bored of the riots etc. Maybe the next book will be better...I'll never know.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

the first few scenes, where the news of the imminent invasion first broke.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Not what I expected.

The story line centres mostly on the interaction between the members of a family and their reaction to an imminent Alien invasion of approaching ships . That unfortunately is all you get in this book. It talks about the breakdown of civilisation and the cleverness of the hero in building an underground bunker which they have to journey to, and their adventure on the way. Yawned a lot. Sorry showed promise but in my opinion didn't push any buttons. I listened to the first part of the next book, more of the same. I will not be buying it.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Apocalyptic alien invasion of Earth yet again, but this time done much better!

This is a fantastic novel with great narration. The apocalyptic Alien invasion is a theme that recurs often, but somehow this one has been done better than most. My only criticism is that it was a bit short. That could just be because I'm used to reading epic novels now, but to be fair to the authors, this is a series and I already own the next two books.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Struggling to Finish

Started off good, but I'm struggling with this one.

The narrator is putting me off. His normal male voice sounds like Brian from Family Guy, his female voice for Heather sounds like a female Jack Black.

The way the narration plays out Myers (main male character) is way too serious compared to everyone else who acts likes it's a vacation.

I'll try and get through this one.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

More of a prologue than a complete book

I can't consider this book as being complete. It really is just a preamble to the main event. Having said that, I can't wait to get to the main event as the story is well written and the narration is awesome. Book 2 commencing as soon as I type this full stop (or period as the pretent English speakers prefer to call it).

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

1% Alien, 90% BS

What disappointed you about Invasion?

I was expecting a book about Aliens, however, the only Alien part of the book is in the title. The rest is only about one family trying to get to a bunker, running from other human beings. It's Walking Dead without the zombies...
Narration was very good, though.

Would you ever listen to anything by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant again?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

More aliens, less human relations.
Describe the aliens, how do they look? What do they want etc.
Not going to get the next one, as sample made me think it will be only about other people trying to get into the bunker and again, not enough about aliens.
This title should move to romance category.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Not sure if it was the narrator or the female char

They just really grated on me, not sure if it was the narrator doing the female voice badly or doing a shrill nasal voice perfectly but either way I listened about half way and lost interest.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great start to the series

I genuinely enjoyed this story. It's a good start to a series and introduces you to the main characters well. I found the family interesting and the pacing was great. I know some people complain that this book is just the precursor to the actual Alien Invasion but I think that's a good thing. It introduces the threat then becomes a survivalist/prepper story focusing on the family trying to get to their destination whilst society starts to fall apart around them.

Luckily, both books 2 & 3 are out now so I'm going to go straight onto them as if it were one long story! Really looking forward to finding out what happenes next.

As usual, Ray Porter does a great job narrating. His pace is on point and he's a pleasure to listen to.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Worst audio book/book I have ever completed

Simply the worst story I have ever finished. the only reason I finished it was to see if the invaders were successful. But I'd have to listen to part 2 to find that out and life simply isn't long enough to contemplate that. I'd rather watch paint dry first.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Mind Provoking

Would you consider the audio edition of Invasion to be better than the print version?

I wouldn't know I have not read the print version

What was one of the most memorable moments of Invasion?

When the realization sets into the age old question "are we alone in the universe" is this real or just a nightmare??

What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I always listen to the narrator of audio books because I think that they bring the storey to life and if their passion shines through, it makes it makes the storey a good listen and Ray Porter did that for me.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did have an emotional reaction because of my belief that there are other races out there and we maybe right at the bottom of the galactic pecking order.

Any additional comments?

I hope that Audible will soon get the next book in the series while the storey is still fresh in my head.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful