Pandemic

The Retreat, Book 1

By: Craig DiLouie, Stephen Knight, Joe McKinney

Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Length: 4 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's Summary

The first episode in a new novella series by acclaimed horror writers Craig DiLouie, Joe McKinney, and Stephen Knight!

In Boston, a battalion of light infantry struggles to maintain order as a new disease turns people into sadistic, laughing killers. As the numbers of infected grow, the battalion loses control, and the soldiers find themselves fighting for their lives against the very people they once swore an oath to protect.

During the ensuing collapse, the lost battalion learns the Army is still holding out in Florida, which has been cleared of the infected. Harry Lee, its commander, decides the only hope for his men is to get there. But first they must cross more than 1,000 miles of America that has been turned into a war zone, fighting a fearless, implacable, and merciless enemy.

©2013 Craig DiLouie, Stephen Knight, Joe McKinney (P)2016 Blue Heron Audio

A great book helped by the "Bray Effect"

This book would have most likely gotten 5 stars without R.C. Bray, but if I could give it more, I would. Bray is so incredibly talented it's crazy. His narration of The Retreat: Pandemic was just perfect. The voices were perfect and the laughs were so good they gave me chills.

The Retreat: Pandemic was a book I read (what felt) too close to another Bio-Thriller. But, with most Post-Apocalyptic books; this takes place right after the pandemic starts. There wasn't too much in this about the virus (or contagion), but I'm really curious if this will be left to other books and prequels. (Dear Mr. DiLouie, sir. If you can tap Richard Preston for a prequel that shows how this virus started, I would probably faint).

This is definitely a book for those who love military style post-apocalyptic novels. It revolves around a combat ready soldier who is trying to get himself and other soldiers to safety.

The story itself was very well written. I couldn't tell that three authors wrote this together. It definitely felt like one awesome, gory, and scary book. The "clowns" as they are called are creepy-as-f. Honestly, I shouldn't have listened to this at night so close to going to bed. The description and the incredibly gruesome ways that people were killed and tortured at their hands should have given me nightmares.

The Retreat: Pandemic sits somewhere in the nook and crannies of numerous genres including Military Fiction, Bio-Thrillers, Horror, and Post-Apocalyptic.

I really hope that there are more books in this series, and I really hope that Blue Heron Audio continues to tap R.C. Bray to narrate them. I will eat them up... and laugh while doing it.

Question for Audible

Hello, I enjoyed this story and would like to purchase the other 3 current volumes however, it only shows up as Kindle. Will 2, 3 & 4 be available as Audible Audio Book's? Thank you. JL

Interesting

A cool twist on zombies, with Bray narrating it kept me wanting more and this story kept giving it.

Wonderfully written and read

Very nicely done group story telling. Flow was perfect and I loved the characters. RC Bray was a perfect choice to read this story. He gives each character a personality all their own.

KILLER CLOWNS and A BAG OF DICKS

THE GUN CALLED TO BE USED
The crazies in this book are a great idea. I like them better than Zombies. I so wish these three guys would have done more with them. This instead is a Military clichéd book. If you like military talk and action, this is full of it. For those who like unique monsters, this could have been so good, but fell short, as the three amigos decided to make it mostly a military book.

ONCE YOU DIED YOU STAYED DEAD.
Bray ain't dead, he brings life to all he reads.

Great narration couldn't save this story.

RC Bray again gave a great narration but the story was blah at best. Had hopes for it but it never got better.

Its if fun and a hell of a ride

Can you please make next one and book 3 and 4 and 5 it's is fun

a military action filled nightmare

As soon as I heard about this audiobook, I literally stopped everything went to Audible and bought it. I have listened to stories from all three authors, Craig DiLouie, Stephen Knight and Joe McKinney, before and knew that this was going to be good. Then mix in one R. C. Bray to the mix and you would think you would have an audiobook powerhouse of a story.

A pandemic virus has spread to the United States turning people into creatures. No not zombies, but kind of the same idea. As the disease is spread by body fluids. The diseased are called Klowns because they laugh hysterically when they are inflicting pain on others or experiencing pain themselves. They are not mindless by any means and live to turn you into one of them.

Interestingly the story stars after the initial infection and society has already started to crumble. I am going to assume so that will leave plenty of material for flashbacks and characters remembering thing from the start of the outbreak.

From the beginning we are dropped into a small military unit in Boston. As they try to defend the city from the Klowns. This is where you can tell that the team of authors are experienced and really good at what they do. Because of the characters. Not cookie cutter, black and white, transparent or shallow at all. They are quite dynamic in the sense that their personality continue to change throughout the story. DiLouie, Knight and McKinney were able to pump so much emotion into each and every one of them I could smell the fear they were experiencing.

Pandemic is a military action filled nightmare. With some of the scariest infected that I have come across. I just felt that the story didn't really go anywhere other than to set the story in motion for the rest of the series. It did, however, make me interested, and kept my interest, enough to be on the look out for the next in the series.

R.C. Bray was the narrator. Really I could just stop there. Bray is a narration master. Continuing to develop his skills and adding those special touches that has made most love his style. In this performance he laughed like a mad man and sang a verse from a song. Bray delivers at a solid pace, however I did find this performance to be a bit on the slow side.

Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.

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

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Big Pass

R.C. Bray is an amazing narrator, I finished this first book because of his narration. The concept of this book is good, the storyline however, sucks. Could have been great but was left very disappointed and quite frankly left me scratching my head. Most of the story is telling war stories of the characters and leaving the actual storyline as a forethought.

fun to listen to

first few chapters were slow but great after those . to bad this is the only book of the series on audible.

Excellent introduction to the series

As mentioned in the title, great opening book. I have read and listened to lots of post apocalyptic and zombie books and this first in the series shows very good promise. I only wish the book was longer as it is quite short.
Also why arnt the other books available yet as I know 4 of the written books are already out?

Fear The Klowns!

Yet more post-apocalyptic fiction, not one but three authors supported by probably the world champion narrator of the genre. The closest I can relate to this from my experience to date is the excellent Arisen series. It has a similar pace, levels of action and characters. The style is very much in keeping with it too.

Pandemic, however, differs in that those that get struck down and become “infected” don’t become the trademark mindless zombies of the genre. Instead they are imbued with a maniacal desire for cruelty and inflicting pain in increasingly bizarre ways, they “just want to play”.

This does give us a fresh angle. We still get the brave few fighting endless hordes against impossible odds with impressive hardware but these crazed hordes have significantly more about them. They retain much of their faculties meaning tactics and ganging up together are possible for them.

The narration, I’ve said enough about Master Bray on probably more than enough occasions but I don’t think anyone does this kind of military post-apocalypic tough guys against the world stuff better than him. He imbues a sense of urgency into almost every single word.

This is a novella though and not a full-length book. On a platform like Audible where many people use the credits system that does mean there might be greater value elsewhere. Much like Arisen and Mountain Man have done it would be worth the publishers considering an Omnibus style release to help this one compete when they consider the publication of the rest of the series.

Gripping, gruelling and grave as clowns rule

What made the experience of listening to Pandemic the most enjoyable?

The voice acting is brilliant and paired with a gripping story-line. It was easy to listen to and entertaining to endure. There was a part where one of the characters succumbs to the virus and the laughter which can sometimes be ignored in narration was just brilliant.

What did you like best about this story?

The voice acting. Many parts were performed with a different distinguishable accent.

Which character – as performed by R.C. Bray – was your favourite?

Wade is the leader. Second is Ramos.

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

The shrill laughter and the gruelling action and description made me cringe with nervousness. And it should do.

Any additional comments?

Enjoyed so much that I will get the next in the series. I hope it's done by the same author and narrator.