Rhinehoth

By: Brian E. Niskala

Narrated by: John Pennington

Rhinehoth - Centuries ago, a great castle was built in the mountains of Germany's Black Forest. Its ancient guardians still thrive in its walls, forever protecting its dark secrets, holding captive an enemy that threatens their very existence. Foretold is a story of an ancient warrior that is to return to the castle to free the captive Vampire Prince.

Simon Roberts was a petty thief who fled England to escape Scotland Yard after a series of unsuccessful jewelry store heists. He was recruited to do a job in Germany where he was to simply drive the getaway car while providing a look out. He thought this was going to be an easy job and a way to break into the German crime scene. But things go terribly wrong, and he ended up being the only survivor of the botched heist. Simon is quickly sentenced to a prison called Rhinehoth. This is where Germany sent the worst of the worst, surely not a place for a petty thief such as himself.

Rhinehoth is a great German castle that was converted in the late 1930s to a Stalag for war criminals of World War II. The converted prison's modern day inhabitants are relentlessly tortured, starved, and sleep deprived. This contributes to the prisoners' delusional visions that help hide the truth and keeps Rhinehoth's secrets. Their captors are the army of Werewolves who have survived the centuries off the very flesh and blood of Germany's worst forgotten criminals.

Simon, imprisoned, becomes plagued with visions from his subconscious ancient past with confusion of his modern day consciousness. He discovers through his visions that he is the ancient warrior Guthrie, who has come to free the Vampire Prince and all the captives, while saving the world from a dark plan of biblical proportions that has been orchestrated over the centuries!

©2009 Brian E. Niskala (P)2016 Brian E. Niskala

Riveting Gothic Fantasy Epic

I can't say enough how much I enjoyed this audio book. The story revolves around Simon Roberts, an unfortunate Brit who finds himself in a German prison, Rhinehoth, for a botched robbery. I thought the story was going a certain way, but it surprised me and ended up being something completely different.

What I loved: The narration. I thought the main narrator's voice was perfect for a book in the gothic genre. I really liked that all of the characters had separate voices so it made the story easy to follow and you really got invested in the characters. The sound effects made you feel like you were actually in the story, living it. It was a nice touch. I liked that the story moved along quickly and that there was plenty of action.

What I didn't like so much: There were a few parts that felt rushed through (like all of a sudden Simon is a weapons expert after only a few days). Also, some things weren't explained (like how Simon survived a fall that should have been fatal...and no one questioned how he was standing there alive afterwards).

Even though I received this audio book at no charge in exchange for an honest review, I would have been more than happy to pay for it. If you like gothic stories, then you will love this book! There's vampires, werewolves, reincarnation, and lots of adventure! Highly recommend!

Brilliantly Produced Audiobook!

This is a very good book in its own right, but the audiobook production was stellar. A great example of how a really well read/produced audiobook can push what would otherwise be a good book to another level. The atmosphere is spooky and eerie throughout, it's a tale of vampires and werewolves and a creepy old castle. The vibe is brooding and the sound effects along with a full cast audio helps bring that sense of danger and dread to the forefront.

I would gladly listen to more such produced audiobooks.


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

Great Effort

I think the story was thin it could have been flushed out a little better.Character development was weak. I think the idea for this book was beyond great. But it fell short. The performances were stellar.

A unique experience

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

What a great Gothic horror book which has both vampires and werewolves in it. I was afraid that there will be many clichés here, but the story is unique in this genre, and very well put together, with decently developed characters. All the narrators were awesome, this was a completely different experience for me than any of the previous horror audiobooks I've listened. I could totally see this audio book as a movie one day!

Spooky and Unique Story that kept me glued

If you could sum up Rhinehoth in three words, what would they be?

Unique Spooky Story

What about John Pennington’s performance did you like?

I loved the performance which included bonus effect sounds which made the listening experience much more exciting.

Any additional comments?

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom."