Madness

Madness Chronicles, Book 1

By: M. L. Banner

Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann

Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

FACT: There's a real-life parasite that rewires mammal brains for extreme aggressive behavior.

Over half of all the world's mammals are already infected, but aren't symptomatic because the parasite remains dormant in most hosts. Like a ticking bomb, this puppet master is patiently waiting for the right time to set off its hosts against the world.

That time is now!

A canceled flight due to a volcanic eruption and a violent animal attack at their port almost cause Ted and TJ to miss their transatlantic cruise and a needed escape from their busy lives in the US.

But there will be no peace or tranquility on this cruise as something is very wrong: animals have started to attack for no apparent reason.

It will take Ted and TJ's unique skills to not only survive their cruise, but to understand an apocalypse of madness which appears to have struck the whole world.

With mammals outnumbering humans 10,000 to 1, is this the end?

©2018 Toes in the Water Publishing, LLC (P)2018 Toes in the Water Publishing, LLC

ok

Struggled through some of the main characters ramblings, it became a bit overkill, story took awhile too long to get into the action. but not the worst book I've read.

Fast paced.

Ted and TJ Williams are on the way to their cruise ship when their flight is diverted due to a Volcanic eruption. While they are waiting for another form of transportation they witness some birds attaching people. They put it down to a freak accident and secure a car to take them to the port, but with rumours and news of other attacks, they realise that something might be happening. On the ship, the dogs aboard are starting to act weird and things escalate quickly. With evidence mounting, Ted knows that things are only going to get worse.

This was terrifyingly real!! As the author says at the start "FACT: There's a real-life parasite that rewires mammals brains for extreme aggressive behavior…" The author portrays the events of this in such a way that you could see this happening.... well most of it anyway. It was hard to put it down because I had to see what would happen next.

I really liked both Ted and TJ. TJ has a real fear of animals because her partner was attacked by a dog and she froze up. The thoughts of any animal attack leaves her terrified and I can relate to that. I wouldn't say I'm terrified of dogs, but I do have a fear of them. Ted is a scientist and author and wrote a book about animals turning rabid because of a parasite. He also studied the parasite and knows all there is to know about it, it's why the Captain of the ship turns to him when things get bad.

The plot was fast paced, well written and action packed. The science was well told and easy to follow and I had no problem believing it. I loved the twist the author added to the book. I don't want to say what because it will spoil it but it was a unique way to get there. I'm really looking forward to the next one to see where the story goes.

In all, this was a great read and a fantastic start to whats sure to be a brilliant series.

Gary Tiedemann was clear, easy to follow and had plenty of different voices and tones for the characters. He was able to bring the atmosphere to life and gave a brilliant performance.

I was given this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.

Not the Zoo! Something much better!!!!

When I first saw this book the first thought I had was, wasn't that stupid tv show Zoo bad enough? Do I really need to read about more animals going crazy? And then I read the book blurb. There was actually a solid, well thought out reason behind everything and it had an actual basis in the real world. Then, I started thinking of Brian Keene's book, the Rising in which animals came back as zombies and were tearing up people left and right. This sounded likethat kind of a story.

You want to talk about a book that makes you think? I'm not going to tell you, but there was just one really big question I kept asking myself as the book went along. Why would humans not be infected, too? This thought drove me along as I listened to the awesome work by Gary Tiedemann. All I could do was wonder if and when the first person was going to zone out and go psycho like the animals, and now that I put that into your head, you will too. Believe me, there are points where you will say to yourself, if it happens now . . .oh . . . dear . . . God.

The writing is spectacular, and as I said, it builds tension. You can see yourself in this situation and wondering what the hell you would do. Your mind will also make you realize that this is a no win scenerio, and that humanity, and life for higher organisms, in general, is pretty much doomed. You can feel every character's sense of urgency and utter desperation (thanks in no small part to Tiedemann), and the action scenes are wrought not only with teeth, talons, and blood, but can be very heartbreaking as well.

I think you may just get that I really enjoyed Tiedemann's work. He really nails this performance, and brings the characters to life in a way that you don't generally get to see. I would say that he is fun to listen to, but it really wouldn't be appropriate to say that for this kind of book, but, darn it, he is so fun to listen to. He animates and elevates the story. I really enjoyed his performance, I think you will too.

I am taking a star off, because while I enjoyed this book, I felt that it really should have been a one and done book. There were some really drawn out parts that could have been trimmed down, and the book could have been expanded into othe areas, moving the story along faster. As in the aforementioned Rising, that was originally a one shot piece, that got fluffed out to cash in on the $$ the first book made. I think a longer stand alone book would have been more powerful, and more impactful than what looks to be a lengthy series. Still, the book is fun, for an apocalypse book, and I will certainly get the rest as they appear. I must know how this ends!!! Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

If this review helped, please press the YES below. Thank you immensely!!!

great story

i loved it. I really like a story that can mix realistic science with the fiction of the story. I can't wait for the second one!