Revelation

By: Carter Wilson

Narrated by: Timothy McKean

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

When Harden Campbell wakes cold and beaten in a dirt-floor cell, he finds only three other things in the room with him: the mutilated body of his good friend, an ancient typewriter, and a stack of blank paper, the top sheet of which has a single typed sentence: "Tell me a story." He knows the message is from Coyote, his brilliant, megalomaniacal roommate whose lust for power and reverence has recently revealed him for the true sociopath he is. Now, as the founder of a new religion with disturbing roots - Revelation - Coyote's most evil side has emerged.

From the moment Harden sees that stack of paper, he knows his one chance of escape is through his own words, and only his ability to successfully recount the dark story of what happened over the past year at Wyland University will determine whether he lives to see the woman he loves once again - or is silenced forever. This will be the most difficult story Harden has ever written, and each word must be chosen with the utmost care. Because Coyote will be reading each and every one of them.

©2016 Carter Wilson (P)2017 Cherry Hill Publishing, LLC

Critic reviews

"An enthralling thriller...Wilson infuses his terrifying plot with intricate twists and turns, all totally credible." ( Publishers Weekly)

"This is a sledgehammer of a novel, slamming away at the foundations of modern cult religions until nothing is left but rubble to be carted away...a powerful story...an intense experience for those who can take it." ( Booklist)

Amazing thriller

The best thriller I've read in awhile. Wow on the plot twists. Very well written, loved it.

A wonderful job by the narrator. Great performance.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

How to Build a Cult Following 101

Any additional comments?

At a small New York college, two roommates set out to create a religious cult as a social experiment. Soon, however, things take a malevolent turn when the burgeoning Church’s chosen messiah turns out to be a socio-pathological lunatic. Waking to find himself trapped in a sort of dungeon cell like that of John of Patmos, with only a typewriter, a spider, and the rotting corpse of his former roommate for companionship, Harden Campbell sets to work writing his book of Revelation.
Set over a quarter century ago, Carter Wilson’s novel, Revelation, was only published last year, but it could easily have been set in contemporary times. The story toggles between third-person point of view and first as some of the examination of the action puts us in the position of observer, while other chapters are from the perspective of a manuscript being written by the captive, Harden.
There are three main characters, our part-time narrator, Harden; his roommate turned tormenter, Coyote; and Coyote’s girlfriend, Emma. The story takes us from Harden’s first meeting with Coyote all the way to a contrived conclusion in which the triangle of Harden, Coyote, and Emma come together to realize Coyote’s penultimate coup de grace, unless a miracle or Deus ex Machina intervenes.
My review is based on the audio version, which I received in exchange for my honest review, and to be honest, I’m not sure how I felt about the choice of narrator, Timothy McKean. It’s not that he did a bad job. On the contrary, he helped give life to the characters and added a sense of reality to the tension, and in the end that’s really all one can ask of a voice actor. But there is a slight Keanu Reeves-like immaturity to the quality of his tone. Another coming-of-age/college-experience story that wasn’t also about a murderous messianic sadist would probably be right in his wheelhouse.
As for the story, I have to confess, I have a particular fondness for thrillers which twist the conventions of religion into something distorted and horrifying. The best parts of this story for me were, in fact, the aspects showing how a charismatic sociopath could easily convince enough vulnerable and weak-willed neophytes to follow his promises of lasting happiness and self-improvement. From my perspective, Jim Jones, L. Ron Hubbard, Joseph Smith, and Paul of Tarsus are all just variations of a theme representing a template from which Wylie “Coyote” Martin was drawn.
Revelation is a successful thriller the same way that the first season of The Following was a success. We believe that a sociopath with access to vulnerable minds and a fortune in expendable cash could create the illusion that he has a message about the purpose of life. But why wouldn’t we believe that? After all, Joel Osteen and Tony Robbins are real people, and we’ve seen what they have done with the starter recipe. All we have to then do is toss in a little Charles Manson and some Kellyanne Conway. Voila!

Not bad, but not for me.

The premise of the story is intriguing. How would one create a new religion from scratch? What kind of person would be motivated to try it? What kind of people would follow it? How can you write such a story without pissing off Scientologists? Not a bad concept, but
I took a nearly instant dislike to the book's protagonist. And the book's antagonist. I had too many moments where a character made a decision that threw me right out of the story and I found myself questioning why anyone would be. that. dumb. The story had a certain amount of redemption for the protagonist at the end for me, but overall the story was pretty frustrating for me to listen to, and that's not why I like to read.

I received this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

The First Rule of Revelation is...

I have to say I really enjoyed everything about the book. The story, the dialogue, the narration, everything was top notch.
For a thriller I didn't get as anxious as I normally do which was good as I was able to continue to listen without having to take breaks. The psychological in-depth development of the characters, especially Coyote, really helped bring the story to life and add a level of plausibility to the story. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you wanting to listen to more.
The narrator was spot on and have to say he is one I will look for in the future.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Outrageously Good!

This is the *best* audio book I've listened to in a good, long while! From top to bottom I was kept guessing; the characters are endlessly intriguing and the plot is a twisting narrative of suspense, action and fascination. There is a prominent aspect of exploring human psychology in this tale that ends up sending this story spinning off into the unexpected. I'm not usually drawn to character driven plots, but this one was so well written that I will be seeking out more works by Carter Wilson. Timothy McKean delivers a phenomenal performance, adding thrills and bringing the story to life. I would recommend this book to anyone at all who enjoys the thriller genre! 10/10

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Well-written and twisty

Any additional comments?

Hmmm... what an interesting book! I can certainly understand why other reviewers would give this story a five-star rating. Carter Wilson certainly has a talent for wordcraft, making the story quite enjoyable to read (hear). As someone who lacks the talent for writing descriptively, but who also lacks the patience for reading contemporary literary fiction, I particularly enjoyed Revelation -- which gave me social commentary and an introspective protagonist, wrapped in a suspense/thriller plot.
The only reason why I didn't give this book a full five stars is because I thought the author was a wee bit too crafty with the plot twists. By the time we got to the end of the book, after the final twists had been revealed, I NEEDED the protagonist to explain what the heck happened since page 1 (and I'm glad that he did!). I felt like someone told me a joke and I didn't 'get' the punchline so I needed to have the joke explained to me. While I enjoy thrillers immensely, I don't like feeling stupid. I think that if the author had dropped just a few more breadcrumbs throughout the story regarding the protagonist, I would have enjoyed the crafty twists better. I would have felt like I was in the passenger seat on the same journey as the protagonist, rather than half-dozing in the back seat (thus missing the view/significance of key milestones along the path). A poor analogy - see? I told you that I lacked the talent for wordcraft! - but that's what it felt like to me. The author gave us entry into the protagonist's thoughts and emotions and actions....but held back on some critical stuff until the very end. I'm sure he did this deliberately, though, so I won't say that this is a flaw in the book. I would have liked the book even more if he had given me just a wee bit more in terms of a breadcrumb trail during the story, that's all.
The narration was very well done - great work by Timothy McKean! I think his vocal style was very authentic to the personality and actions of the main character. I'm also glad that he didn't do vocal backflips trying to voice the female characters (which would have disrupted the flow of the narration for me).
I provided my opinion in exchange for a complimentary copy of the audiobook from the author, narrator, or publisher.

Sick and Twisted

This book opens with the main character Hardin waking up in a barren cell. We have no idea how he got there, and he isn't telling us. This book is the journey of how Hardin got there.

This concept of this story is a stark example of what I don't want to happen to my girls while they are currently attending college. Since college-age kids are away from home for the first time in their life for an extended period, they are extremely succeptable to new political and religious views. They easily be assuaged by an smooth-talking snake-oil salesman who whispers sultry promises of a new belief system to those who will listen.

This book really centers around two two people: Coyote and Hardin. Coyote is a true sociopath in my opinion. He gets the brilliant idea of starting a new religion. Because it's all about the power to Coyote. He wants to "consume" people, and starting a religion is the perfect way to satiate his hunger.

The entire book is really one long, drawn out, yet mild torture scene. Hardin must write his way out of his captivity, no matter how long it takes. Malnutrition and torture are a constant danger. It provides a very suspensful ride with a satisfying ending.

Timothy McKean is an great narrator. His voice is perfect for college-age characters. His delivery and technical skills were spot-on, and I would listen to any other book from him.

This audio book was gifted to me by the narrator in exchange for an unbiased review.

An author with potential

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Revelation engages the listener in more than a few thought exercises and keeps the listener guessing at where the next turn in the story is going to come from. While there are some points where the story lulls, Carter Wilson paints an interesting tail with a memorable main character. Overall this was a good listen and poses some interesting questions for the characters and the listener to think about.

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

Timothy McKean does a great job at portraying the tone and tempo of the story. Heightening the dramatic moments, and increasing the enjoyment of this audio tale.

Any additional comments?

I was provided a free copy of this audiobook for an unbiased review.

Interesting perspective on new religions

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This story clearly has some influences from Charles Manson, David Koresh, and the like... with the whole cult lead by a charismatic sociopath with a god complex. The telling the story from a cell in a series of flashbacks... well, that was an interesting way to present the story. During the flashbacks, this book is full of suspense and I found myself with a gruesome fascination, wanting to see where things were going. However, once we get caught up to the current timeline, well, it started to get boring for me. The last part of the book did, at least keep me interested enough to finish it and I was glad I did because there an interesting plot twist. All in all, it wasn't the best book I've ever listened to, but it was FAR from the worst and forces you to think a bit about religions like Scientology...

Revelation

This is a very good book. The story, along with the narration, were extremely good. I highly recommend this book.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.