14

By: Peter Clines

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Science Fiction, 2013

Padlocked doors. Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches.

There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment. Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much. At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s. Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends. Or the end of everything....

©2012 Peter Clines and Permuted Press (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A riveting apocalyptic mystery in the style of LOST." (Craig DiLouie, author of The Infection and The Killing Floor)

"A wholly original story that weaves together mystery and the apocalypse like a finely tuned band." (Evan Roy, Bricks of the Dead)

Must read!!

When Nate moves into his new apartment and sees apartment 14 with padlocks outside the door, he thinks it's strange, but the rent is low and it seems like a nice place so he thinks nothing of it. But with mutant cockroaches, his kitchen light only emitting glowing black light no matter what bulb he puts in, and his neighbours apartments all totally different than what they should be, He starts to realise that there is something strange about this place. But the more he digs, the more questions are raised and Nate needs help to get to the bottom of it. With the help of Xela, Veek, Tim and some more of his neighbours, they soon find out that a locked door is locked for a reason!!

This book totally exceeded my expectations! I thought that it was a horror, and while it is, it's also a mystery. an adventure and a sci fi book all rolled into one incredible read.

The plot was slow to start and took a while to fully get going, but the build up was much needed and the suspense of what the building was just made it all the more exciting. When we find out the answers to some of the questions I actually gasped out loud because it was amazingly done!!! You think you know where it's going, but believe me when I say that you have no idea! The first half of the book is setting the scene for the twists and turns of the second half!! It was expertly done.

There are quite a few characters, but all play a part and all are well written and developed. I loved Nate, he is an ordinary guy who hates his job and is just trying to save money by moving into the apartment. The little things about the place start to niggle at him and he has t get to the bottom of the mystery. He was tenacious! Veek was a mystery because of all her computer equipment and I loved finding out what she did. Tim was another mystery because of his knowledge and the way he "read that in a book"!! I became invested in each of them and their story.

In all, this book was amazing. It had so many elements that I love in a book and I devoured it. There are times where you might have to suspend disbelief but it just makes it more enjoyable to read!! A truly unique, imaginative and surprising read and one I highly recommend.

Ray Porter was phenomenal in this. His range of tones and voices brought each character to life and made it incredibly easy to follow who was talking at any given time. He also captured the atmosphere of the story perfectly. I was hooked right from the start!!

meh

too fantastical. far fetched. characters are pretty dumb. Not in the fold's league at all

Boring

I found this book boring - it moved slowly and I didn't care about what went on. I am not a reader who needs constant action to find a book interesting but this one I just didn't get. The "action" dragged and dragged. About halfway through the book I turned the narration speed up to get it over with. I didn't quit in the middle but it was a close thing.

I didn't find the characters' actions believable based on their situation. They were all blandly likable but none of them struck a chord with me and made me care.

The narration was pretty enjoyable. I would listen to another book with Ray Porter as a narrator.

This was my first Peter Clines, I won't bother to read anything else by him.

This is the reason I keep taking chances

Books like this one are the reason I keep taking chances on unknown (to me) authors and books. I really enjoyed the building of the mystery and the mystery of the building and the references to pop culture. It really helped pass the workday and held my attention throughout. I really enjoyed the performance and had fun listening.

After reading all the reviews I was disappointed.

Would you try another book from Peter Clines and/or Ray Porter?

probably not

Would you ever listen to anything by Peter Clines again?

no

Which scene was your favorite?

I did not have one, For some reason I never really related to any of the characters or the plot.

Could you see 14 being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

no

Any additional comments?

Too wordy.

Good build up but a bit too far-fetched conclusion

Would you try another book from Peter Clines and/or Ray Porter?

This was an engaging read, with likable and interesting characters. The beginning and middle of the book kept you reading and guessing all the way, but as the reveal began to take shape I was a bit disappointed, a little too out there and not quite in context with the timbre of the rest of the story. Overall entertaining though, the narrator was a bit wooden but I've heard worse.

Interesting story very good narrator, with irritating repetition by author

Nice inventive story. However the author continually uses the word ‘shrugged’ in nearly every sentence gets to the point of irritating annoyance. Each character shrugs a heck of lot.

Out there

It starts as a super captivating mystery and takes a turn towards gruesome fantasy. Not what I was wanting.

A fun soft sci-fi mash up

14 is an exciting search into strange occurrences at a California apartment building. I looked forward to each chapter and was genuinely interested in finding out exactly what was going on and how the story would progress and conclude. Plenty of humor and a little romantic spiciness rounds out an enjoyable sci-fi mystery. While not particularly thought provoking or emotionally engaging, 14 is full of trivia that kept my ears open and my brain working.

It was however, a bit disappointing as a mystery. You know that famous Sherlock Holmes line about eliminating impossibilities? 14 takes that line, rolls it up, smokes it, and flies off laughing, leaving me far below, scratching my head wondering what happened. It’s probably an unfair comparison…nobody ever said 14 was a whodunit. But when a significant part of a work is people sitting around trying to figure out what’s happening, it’s maybe too easy to expect a little nod to convention.

Fans of David Wong or listeners looking for something bizarre will find things to like in 14. Complete strangers to the genre will find this a more than sufficient introduction.

A fun story

Any additional comments?

The story wasn't perfect and the premise was a bit odd (but original), but it was a fun story. Probably the best part for me was just the characters. They reminded me of my friends back in college. Friends that you can tease and be total ass clowns with... but it's all good and fun. Ray Porter did a GREAT job with the narration and his character voices totally added another dimension to the story and the characters.

The story got a bit wacky in the end and some things were not really explained (like why Nate's kitchen light was always black). But the story kept you guessing all the time and all-in-all was a fun read/listen.

I highly recommend this audio version because Ray Porter did such a great job!!