Mr. Mann

The Afterlife and Times of the Devil's Acquisitor Ad Infinitum

By: John Byron

Narrated by: Todd McLaren

Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

My name is Marten Mann. I work for the devil, or the prince of lies, as you people are so fond of calling him. Yes. You read that last line correctly. I am employed by the powers of evil as acquisitor ad infinitum. I did not seek out this job: I was chosen for the position. To put it in simpler terms, I am a broker of sorts - you know, the guy who finds out what it is that you want the most. I make it readily available to you for a price. I think we all know just how costly that one thing that you think you need so much can be, which is why I urge all of my clients to choose wisely.

©2015 John Byron Parker (P)2015 John Byron Parker

Wonderful heresy

First, from a religious point of view there is almost nothing in this book I agree with. With that out of the way, this is just a really fun book. The narration is spot on and the characters are really well done. I bought this in the $3.95 gems collection, i would hapily spend more

A Great Angle on an Age Old Story

What did you love best about Mr. Mann?

The humanization of Abby. I have never read (or listened to) a book where the bad guy was humanized this much, especially when the character is THE ultimate bad guy (Satan). I especially love the sequence where Abby talked about the origin of death.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Abby for sure was my favorite character. John Byron did an amazing job of adding all of the human (and demon/angel) idiosyncrasies that made the character pop in my mind. Abby was shown as the worst possible deity early in the book, but as Martin continued to work with him I actually felt sympathy for Abby.

What about Todd McLaren’s performance did you like?

Todd McLaren did an amazing job with the reading, especially with Abby and Brady. Todd's tone for Abby fit the character perfectly. The low calm voice (on the verge of insanity) and the excellently delivered screams when Abby was not so happy with a situation made this fun to listen to. I also loved the voices of terror that Todd delivered, especially Brady's voice when he was running scared in the "hot lands".

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

Some of Martin's take on difficult situations made me laugh, the way he digressed during awful occurrences added a nice dark humor to the book. I felt a heavy emotional response to Abby's recollection of the first experience of death for the Angels, it just made you feel bad for him.

Any additional comments?

I had a great time listening to this book. I thought the story was well written and a fresh take on an age old story.

WOW!!! Anti-Breaking Bad

This is a dark, dark fantasy that is beautifully written, incredible character complexity, SUPERBLY NARRATED!!!! and honestly thought provoking.

First of all Marten Mann one of the best characters I have experienced in a long time. He is like Walter White if Walter had been a bad guy who became good.

Then there is Abby and all I will say is "sympathy for the devil"

This story is dark make no mistake about that but there are part in this story that are so heartwarming it makes all of the dark point worth going though. John Byron is able to do what few authors are able to do; say there is no good or evil and MAKE IT CONVINCING!!!!!

Then there is the narration. OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!! Todd McLaren brings this book to life in a way very few narrators every done. Every thing from how he portrays emotions to how he describes the world so beautifully it brought me to tear at times

This book is well worth your money or credit. If you like dark fantasy, character complexity, superb narration and a story that is both thought provoking and heartwarming. than this is a MUST HAVE!!!!!

Wow

What did you love best about Mr. Mann?

I appreciated the fact that throughout the book, each character grew...evolved. Nothing was stagnant about this book. Great turn on an old story...very well done.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mr. Mann?

When the main character looks into his own self...several times in the book.

What does Todd McLaren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I would have enjoyed the book...whoever did the reading...but in this case...Todd McLaren was PERFECT for this book.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Games of Heaven and Hell

Any additional comments?

I truly did not want to put my player down...I couldn't wait to get back to the book to see what was going to happen next. I am almost hesitant to start another book, because this one was so very good.

6 star Perfection. I will be recommending this.

The entire story kept me enraptured. I will be listening over and over. Hell's contractor.

Richard Kadrey without the charm or good writing

I thought I'd give this novel a try, being a fan of Richard Kadrey, this seemed like it might be in the same vein, and I generally like say the Dresden books or Craig Schaefer's Daniel Faust. Mr Mann tried to be like those books, but it just wasn't there for me. I write this review having not actually made it through the entire book. I gave up on the book for two reasons.
One, the book starts out with a scene building to some conflict but immediately shifts to a really really long back story. Like, I listened for four more hours and it was still back story and I had no idea what this conflict we were working towards was. When you're four or five hours into a book and you don't know what the conflict is, it's kind of hard to keep caring.
Two, I might have pressed on despite the lack of clear plot, if the author's writing style hadn't irked me so much. There were times I just about wanted to throw my audio player out my car window. The author has one of those stylistic quirks that makes listening almost impossible once you've spotted it. Nearly every single line of dialogue is followed by a description of what actions the character has taken while speaking, or how they are breathing or their expression. I think I can count on one hand the number of times a character said more than two sentences in a row without the author interrupting to tell me how that character lit a cigarette or some other useless tidbit that broke the mood and slowed it down. The book needs serious editing. The scene where Abby tells Martin about how the human race came to be might have been quite moving, if it hadn't been twice as long as it ought to have been (it's more than thirty minutes), because the author kept stopping again and again and again to tell me how Abby was sitting, or breathing or what brand of cigarettes Martin is smoking. It's really really aggravating.
The narrator did the best job he could with the material given him I suppose.
Bottom line: stick with the tried and tested authors until this one gets a better editor.

If you liked The Screwtape Letters you'll enjoy it

A little slow beginning, until you "meet" the characters and relate them to religious history. Funny, thought provoking, surprise ending.

Like the Screwtape Letters, this is a story told through the eyes of the 'king of lies' and his many workers.....

Surprised. Very good.

very good story and so well done. some will have issues with the theology but beyond a superficial understanding one can move thru the story with minimal trouble and you might even like the thought experiment.

Very entertaining!!

This story was unlike anything I've ever read before. I was so entertained the entire time. Amazing narration by Todd McLaren. I really enjoyed this.

As Others Have Said... Wow!

What did you love best about Mr. Mann?

I love books like this, that make you think. This book throws a lot of curves, but is just a real winner, it had me surprised up until the very end.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mr. Mann?

Mr. Mann's turmoil when dealing with Sister Han, it was visceral and you could feel his distress.

What about Todd McLaren’s performance did you like?

Well, it was excellent, really, I enjoyed his voice for Abby and the emotion he could put into spoken word.

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

Not extreme in the the external outpouring of emotion sense, but more in that I know this book will stay with me, that I won't forget about it and will still think about it long after the writing of this review.

Any additional comments?

Read it, and have an open mind.