One Arm of the Octopus

By: Michael Bunker

Narrated by: Chase Bradley

Length: 1 hr and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

When Matthew Luedecke leaves his small town for the university, he's hoping for a new start and a more exciting life. He'll get more than he bargained for. Recruited by a shadowy group of Nicaraguan ex-pats, Matt soon discovers how sheltered and blinded most Americans are when it comes to the covert machinations of world powers and the intricacies and danger of international intrigue. From an innocent pool party to a bloody firefight along the Coco River in Nicaragua's dense jungles, Matt is about to find out that an "exciting" may not be all it's cracked up to be.

One Arm of the Octopus is a novelette, originally published in Tales of Tinfoil: Stories of Paranoia and Conspiracy.

©2016 Michael Bunker (P)2017 Todd Barselow / Auspicious Apparatus Press

A Great description of that time!

What did you love best about One Arm of the Octopus?

I was a young mother during this time in history and I remember it. I knew people who were approached by groups like the main character. I also remember that those who spoke out were called loons and laugh at. Then I remember when the info that came out was exactly what those loons said it was and it was not surprising there was many with egg on their faces. This audio book was a great description of what some people really went through and I truly enjoyed listen to it.

Which scene was your favorite?

I like it when Matthew back out of the whole thing. It showed real character.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES!!!

Any additional comments?

I remember that time very well wish history was not repeating itself but I thank the author for writing this story.

insightful story

I loved this little story. It was very entertaining as well as extremely thought provoking.

Awesome!

Great story heard bits and pieces of these stories. Over the years nice to be put in a side of someone who was part of it.
Thanks,

In the coils of the octopus!

A quick but enlightening and somewhat chilling read about the goings on in the big, scary world outside the US. Drawing on real political dirty tricks and US covert involvement in the drug trade and revolutionary business in South America, Bunker tells the story of a college kid looking for finds himself a foot soldier in the schemes – or an arm of the Octopus, as Bunker puts it.

“The cephalopod mollusc is one of the most fantastically designed killers in the ocean. We know it at “the octopus.”

“The prey of the octopus usually stumbles into danger completely unaware. That’s because the octopus can make itself look like just about anything in the sea. Coral? Yep. Sand? Yes, that too. The octopus blends in perfectly with its backdrop; even when in plain sight, it disappears. Flexible and dangerous, the octopus is one of the most intelligent creatures in existence, and unless you are hunting on (or watching TV or hanging around at Sea World), you’ve probably never seen one.

“Other than a small hard beak that the octopus uses to break through the hard shells of its prey in order to consume them, the creature has no internal or external skeleton. Think about that. This best, however large it gets, can crawl through any hole that is larger than its tiny beak.

“In addition to its ability to change colors to match its hiding place, it can use its muscles to mimic things like seaweed and rocks.

“It uses tools. Just like a man does.

“When the octopus fees threatened, it ejects a cloud of blackish “ink” that confuses and blinds its enemy while the creature disappears. And get this: if you were to get hold of one arm – and if you could hold it tight – the animal could sever that arm and swim away. You might get part of it, but you probably wouldn’t get the whole thing.

“While all this may seem like science, in your case (and in mine) it is all just opinion and hearsay. Conjecture. For all we know, the octopus made all this up in order to confuse us.”

Not every conspiracy theory is true, or even partially true, but that doesn’t mean you should automatically dismiss either.

Great Performance and Story

I read this story in an anthology a while back, and enjoyed it just as much the second time around via Audible. It was a great story-telling experience and I recommend this to anyone who loves a great tale!

good

Chillingly believable.
I've listened to several of Bunker's stories now and been pleased with all of them.

Everything happens for a reason

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Definitely. This was a spider web of deceit and a young man who gets caught up in something bigger than life.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved how the author showed events that happened a decade prior were the seeds of headlining news later, The characters were individually developed and eventually, their true colors were revealed.

Have you listened to any of Chase Bradley’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to Chase Bradley before, but he was the perfect narrator for this book.

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

Probably close to my headline for this review - There's a reason why things happen. Look closely.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book and look forward to listening to or reading more from this author. I hope he teams up with Chase Bradley if he writes more like this!

"Maybe in another life .."

Would you consider the audio edition of One Arm of the Octopus to be better than the print version?

Yes. I had read and enjoyed the story in Tales of Tinfoil, and it impressed me then. However, listening to it read so excellently by narrator, Chase Bradley, was like having the story recounted personally by the speaker, bringing it all very personally to life. It made a greater impact.
The story is written in the first person so Mr.Bradley becomes the man looking back to 1985, the time in his life when, arriving fresh at university and knowing no one, met a lovely young woman who attracted and intrigued him before finding a new friend, Paul. The meetings change the course of his life and, belatedly, his understanding of what really lies behind society. Mr.Bradley's pleasantly modulated voice is perfectly paced and makes the whole experience very intimate.

An informative, fascinating and very believable book : beautifully written, good story, perfectly narrated. Highly recommended.