When the Sky Falls

A Sky Fall Event Series, Book 1

By: Joseph Bendoski

Narrated by: Bill Nevitt

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

What makes you believe a lie? I'm not asking how you know someone is lying. What makes you believe? Because if you don't understand how that works, then you won't know when you're being manipulated.

In 1938 the War of the Worlds hoax panicked millions of Americans, then in 1988 another fictional media broadcast convinced nearly half of Portugal that sea monsters had risen from the ocean to destroy their cities. A team of CIA agents was sent to study the aftermath of this 6th Skyfall Event in the hope that they could turn it into a weapon of war. When the team consultant turns up dead, everyone scrambles to be the last man standing: the one who will decide if or when the sky falls.

©2017 Joseph Bendoski (P)2017 Joseph Bendoski

The "what if" of this novel is a scary one

When the Sky Falls is an action novel by Joseph Bendoski that keeps a fast pace while delivering the alarming message of the atrocities that can result from the intentional and malevolent perpetration of Skyfall events.

While the novel delivers relevant eye-openers and plenty of other food for thought with regard to manipulation of the public, is it a compelling story in itself? I'm still on the fence about this. It could happen, and apparently has happened, but was this story one that will resonate? Time will tell.

I guess my disappointment lies in the fact that this novel delivers non-stop dialogue and break neck action, but it offers practically no character development, unless you consider the concept of Skyfall to be its main character. We are given little to no background on, or reason to care about, any of the agents, consultants or bad guys as they are introduced into the narrative. For the first half of the book, they all seemed almost interchangeable as they explained the concepts and pitfalls surrounding Skyfall events. I could barely tell them apart while I listened to the predominance of dialogue over characterization. They seemed to serve the sole purpose of providing information about Skyfall events and the massacre the carefully orchestrated events can inflict upon a community or nation.

As for the narration, Bill Nevitt did a fine job but I believe he would be better suited for newscasts or military non-fiction. His declarative voice is too dispassionate and matter-of-fact to effectively deliver a thriller. The narrator here should be bringing the urgency and characters to life, but this comes across more like a business report.

Start of a fascinating new series

This is a well-performed, well researched and rather compelling introduction to what I hope is a solid series. Interesting idea, well performed with enough twists and plot devices to keep the listener engaged. At times it was a bit of a reach, but with well-developed characters and a strong performance by Nevitt, it stayed the course. Highly recommended!

Gripping thriller

Would you consider the audio edition of When the Sky Falls to be better than the print version?

Oh yeah. Listening to the story being narrated was so much better than reading the book on its own. The narrator's voice worked fantastically for this book. It created the proper ambiance and took me inside the story. The base in his voice and the clear and powerful delivery made it one of the best narrated books I've listened to in a while.

What did you like best about this story?

The premise of the book is so awesome that I couldn't wait to start listening to it right after I got it. And the book didn't disappoint. It starts strong and keeps picking up pace from there, never losing momentum. There were no dull moments. Keeping me interested throughout the length of the book is fabulous achievement for the book.

Any additional comments?

I received this book free of charge from the author / narrator / publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

When the sky falls

It was a good story,but just did not hold my interest.The characters were stereotypical.The premise was scarey,yet there was no real build up. It felt like a big you tube prank. .Bill Nevitt was a fine narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.' 

Reminds me of a Dan Brown novel.

Love the high concept of a Sky Fall event. This is strengthened by the chapter epigraphs. It reads a bit like a serial, somewhat episodic in its plot. Also, the idea of the Nephilim is cool (though I didn't love that the little girl joined in). A few memorable characters too, primarily Alice. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

I enjoyed the story a lot

Would you try another book from Joseph Bendoski and/or Bill Nevitt?

Yes, both. Just not in a joint collaboration most likely.

What three words best describe Bill Nevitt’s voice?

teacher-esque
linear
invariable

Do you think When the Sky Falls needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

yes, it is a series... and I need answers

Any additional comments?

"This book was given to me for free from the author at my request for my voluntary and unbiased review."
First things first, I love audio books and tend to purchase them based on both genre and reader.
Let me start with the book itself:
I liked the story a lot. It was interesting and well written. There are concepts that are broached that need to be fleshed out in the next book(s), so I am really looking forward to finishing the series if it keeps pace with this first installment. There were parts that I thought could have been explained at greater length, but that is why it is a series and not a stand alone novel. I have read a lot of books though nothing quite like this yet so I want more.
That is the good.
Now for the audio book piece:
Let me begin by saying that I am not a voice actor and can only imagine how difficult it must be to get the feel of a book, the cadence of the story/writing, and get inside the soul of the characters of a story. Not to mention understanding the writer's motivation and end game.
I will follow books read by Scott Brick, Jim Dale, and the late Frank Muller. I have an affinity for the way they capture a story and draw me in it as if I were part of it. I like Bill Nevitt in history reads such as "Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns", but I didn't think he fit with this narrative. Just like I will not belittle a writer whose style I don't fully appreciate, I won't belittle a voice actor for the work they do. This just wasn't for me. It detracted from the flow of the story and certain characters could have been more likable had they been performed differently.

Overall I give this version a 3.5 - Story was strong, voice acting wasn't to my liking

No Tension In Plot

Interesting ideas with a large cast of characters. The problem for me is that there is no tension. The event has already happened, and they are merely investigating it – and not very well at that. I found all of the characters dislikeable. The author also has a bewildering way of describing every meal in a gross fashion. It’s strange and stands out. I could not get into this story. Talented voice actor.

Not Book 1 in the series

Before I get into reviewing the actual book I first need to note that the title for the book is mislabeled as Book 1 in the series. It's actually the third book in the series. Checking Amazon the 1st book is "The Sky Fall Conspiracy" and Book 2 is "Broken Protocol Conspiracy". I didn't realize this until I had already finished listening to the entire book, and wondered why the main characters were lacking more depth, and why the end of the book didn't have a good cliffhanger for what I thought would be the next book in the series.

That being said, this story is built around a great concept and I found it to be very intriguing. My favorite parts of this book were the psychological analysis, so I always enjoyed hearing the snippets from the book that the character "William Stevenson"' wrote. I really look forward to going back and reading the first two book in the series as I feel that will give a lot more background to the characters motives and ambitions.

The story was well written and gave me a lot to ponder about, which is something that I really look forward to.

The only thing I disliked about this book was a minor issue I had with narration for the character "Alice". This is the third time that I've listened to Bill Nevitt as a narrator and he has a really good range, especially for characters with heavy accents. However, it felt like there was something off with the reading for the character "Alice", With her character saying crazy things one line, and serious next, this would have been tricky and difficult to pull off. In general Bill Nevitt has a great range for male characters but I feel like this female character was a bit out of his depth. Because he did such a great job with the other characters it made her lines stick out too much. That being said, this was only a minor issue and didn't really detract from the rest of the story.

Disclaimer - Per my request I received a copy of this audiobook for free and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

Scary in it’s possible reality

This is the first book I have read/listened to by this author and I would listen to another. It is an intriguing bit of fiction wrapped around a very real phenomenon and interesting/ scary if the wrong person instigates it deliberately. Another reviewer commented ‘it is hard to tell apart the good and bad guys’. I would have to agree.

This is the tenth book I have listened to by this narrator ( Bill Nevitt ) and I would definitely listen to another. I never fully forget I’m being read to, but I like the sound of his voice and his narration style. He uses accents (not truly authentic, but way better than I could ever do) and various voices to differentiate the characters.

There are no explicit sex scenes, or excessively gory violence. There is some swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

Book 1 in the series

The story is fast paced. The suspense, intrigue and darkness builds as I continue listening to the audio. The author takes the reader right to the terrifying core of the story With a great narration, this is totally worth to listen to.