Mass Hysteria

By: Michael Patrick Hicks

Narrated by: Joe Hempel

Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

It came from space....

Something virulent. Something evil. Something new. And it is infecting the town of Falls Breath.

Carried to Earth in a freak meteor shower, an alien virus has infected the animals. Pets and wildlife have turned rabid, attacking without warning. Dogs and cats terrorize their owners, while deer and wolves from the neighboring woods hunt in packs, stalking and killing their human prey without mercy.

As the town comes under siege, Lauren searches for her boyfriend, while her policeman father fights to restore some semblance of order against a threat unlike anything he has seen before. The Natural Order has been upended completely, and nowhere is safe.

....And it is spreading.

Soon, the city will find itself in the grips of mass hysteria.

To survive, humanity will have to fight tooth and nail.

This edition includes a bonus short story, "Consumption"!

Mass Hysteria contains graphic content and is recommended for listeners of extreme horror.

©2017 Michael Patrick Hicks (P)2017 Michael Patrick Hicks

Animals Gone Wild!

Squirrels Gone Wild!

After a freak meteor shower, the world goes to hell in a hand basket as animals run amok and go on a murderous rampage. You know your cute little hamster “Fluffles”, well he ain’t so cute anymore and is now just a mindless killing machine bent on devouring human flesh. "Quick, somebody get me the nail gun!" (Disclaimer: For the record, I love animals and condone zero violence toward them…unless they are trying to chew out your eye balls and feast on your internal organs. Then you have my permission to grab the nail gun.)

This was a wee more splatterpunky than I was expecting from Mr. Hicks, and that was not a bad thing. Starts fast and violent and gets bloodier from there. Good times. I dug it.

*I received a complimentary copy of this work from the author and voluntarily left this honest review.

Horror plus some other stuff

I read the synopsis, I read the reviews, I read the warnings about the graphic violence from the author. I was prepared for the death, violence, and carnage. At first it read like "Zoo" but on steroids. It was intense, jarring, thrilling and fun. However, as they say: "It's all fun and games until someone has anal sex with a dead lion." From that point on in the story, there was no going back. Apparently everyone failed to mention that halfway through the book it turns into some dark twisted erotic fantasy full of murder sex of which nothing is out of bounds. Did i mention the part where a dude shoots a lion and makes very detailed and descriptive passionate love to it?

Two stars for the beginning of the book which was not very original, nor did it contribute much to the literature landscape, but was fun for what it was. I guess the other reviewers are into all the fetish stuff, but i for one would have appreciated if that was included in the warning. If someone had cautioned me about the bestiality, orgies, and murder-sex, I definitely would have passed on this book.

Alien Virus/Cannibalism

This book is a different type of post-apocalyptic/dystopian horror. All animals are affect from alien virus from meteor shower become aggressive eating each other as well as human, the human then are slowly affected by the virus. The book has graphic brutal gore, diverse sexual situations, and shocking ending, the only character I ended up liking was Deputy Scott. It also has another short listen at end, the Consumption also good listen. Recommend to those who enjoy horror but recommend not eating while listening. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you

Brutal and Well Written

4.5 out of 5 stars

Mass Hysteria tells a story of what would happen if the end of the world (for us) started with a seemingly normal meteor shower.  Unfortunately, some of those meteors hit earth (I can't remember if that makes them meteorites, or if it's the other way around), and some of those Earth-bound rocks carried something that would cause animals to become blood-lusting maniacs. This insane lust for flesh and blood causes a mass hysteria that cannot end well for humans.

I will start up front with a warning.  This book is not for the faint of heart.  What Michael Patrick Hicks delivers in Mass Hysteria is a brutal, well thought out depiction of mass hysteria and what it could do to animals and people alike. There are depictions of lust (both sexual and blood), rape (and attempted rape), along with brutal depictions of death from all sorts of blunt (and not blunt) objects.

The opening scenes of this book were great.  Hicks writes a well thought out depiction of what would happen if the animals turned against us, and how we would (or would not) react when this happens.  The scenes with deer, squirrels, and then dogs were detailed and felt like they could happen. The dog scenes messed me up a bit since I have a pup.  But, that's what made it feel so real.

Fast-forward in the story a bit and you get to some of the most brutal fiction I've ever read.  I don't read "splattercore" or books that I would call that, but Hicks was able to write a story that kept me riveted to my seat while simultaneously grossing me out.  It was one of those books that I didn't want to look because it was so brutal, but Hicks' storytelling was so good, I had to stay and like it.

Hicks' told a story that I wanted to hear.  Even with parts of it that I didn't, I still really enjoyed this book.  The first night I listened to it I had to do a few things around the house before going to bed because it shook me up that much. A book that can do that will be memorable, and I don't think I'll forget Mass Hysteria for some time. 

Oh, and throw in narration by Joe Hempel and you've got gold.  I would recommend this book for those who think that normal post-apocalyptic books aren't bloody enough.  Or if you're a horror fan that wants a new take on the end of the world.  And listen to the narration by Joe Hempel.  I'm sure there were times when he was narrating this where he had to take a break and breather for a moment.

I received a free copy of this book which has not affected my review in any way.

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Not an easy read or for the faint of heart

Reminiscent of "Zoo" by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge, meteors hit the earth and bring with them an alien virus that spreads quickly. First to the animals, who become vicious and begin killing humans as well as each other in graphically violent ways. But, as you would think, being attacked by the animals does not transmit the disease, it just takes a few more hours for humans to begin killing and eating each other. Most of the characters get killed off throughout the book, leaving only two women from the beginning of the story to the end. How humans deal with their new world is frightening.

This was a hard story to keep listening to because of the graphic descriptions of the violence. One character in particular has a horrible back story to begin with, but it is told so you will understand why he so easily succumbs to the virus and the horrible things he does as a result. Definitely not for everyone. Many people will find this just to gross and may not be able to finish this book.

Overall, it was well written and there was character development through backstories. I don't know that I could listen to this again, but what kept me going was Joe Hempel's fantastic narration. He is a master in this genre, keeping tension, fear, and even disgust in his voices at times.

A one hour short story follows that is just as graphically creepy.

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

Hitchcock's the birds on a global and multi species scale

Hitchcock's the birds on a global and multi specie scale. The story was wonderfully written and Hempel's narration as always was spot on awesome and engaging. So why a four for story? There are some really odd the wall sexual scenes that didn't need to be so detailed (in my opinion) I like to listen to audiobooks while driving as well as around the house on a Bluetooth speaker while doing chores...this was a headphone only, only when by myself and windows up at the stop lights kind of book. That being said the whole concept of the book itself was awesome and highly entertaining. The last hour is a short story of lovecraftian nature called consumption that by itself would be worth the purchase of the book. That was one hell of an awesome short story! Highly recommend the book as a whole just not for kids to listen to. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Not for the faint of heart or weak stomach!

Mass Hysteria by Micheal Hicks was one of those audiobooks that I did enjoy but I was shocked by the turn of events in the Apocalypse. I really do not like spoiling audiobooks in my reviews but this while being a good and interesting book is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach as my headline reads. The world experienced a rare meteor shower and everything changes. All animals become savage attacking each other and people. And eventually, people change as well. I did enjoy this book and do recommend it.

The narration is done by the always amazing Joe Hempel. What can be said about Mr. Hempel other that he is just one of the best in the business due to the fact he is consistent with his characters and the fact he delivers top-notch performance in all that he does.

This review copy audiobook was provided by the author/narrator/publisher free of charge via Audiobook Boom for an unbiased review.

Loved it

This was pretty gritty and intense. A great fast paced horror. Really graphic so be warned about that.

Joe Hempel as always does an amazing job. He was a perfect choice for this book.

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

Brutal

This book should definitely come with an extreme warning label, lol. No, seriously the story (stories) are extremely brutal, explicit depiction of violence..and violent sex. From the book's description I wasn't completely expecting the level of brutality I found within. Note, I've read plenty of other authors who can be a bit extreme. I don't have a major issue with it, as long as it serves the story. My problem with Mass Hysteria was that by the end there was no 'hero', no character to identify with. The start was great, intriguing premise, gut busting action, really grabs you, but as I said by the end I just didn't like anyone, of course that may have been Mr. Hicks' intention. It just left me unsatisfied. Included in the book is a short an interesting short story, again also brutal, about a dinner party. I must say for some reason it left me with a Lovecraftian feel, not necessarily a bad thing at all, lol, but again I also wasn't completely satisfied with the story. This is the first time I've experienced any of Mr. Hicks work and I'm not sure how I feel. If I read more of his work, at least the next time I'll know what to expect going in.

Narration was done by Joe Hempel, and as always he delivers a solid narration. Joe has kind of a soft spoken/understated delivery which I think actually works tremendously well with this book. That understated delivery somehow makes the story that much more disturbing. Seriously, the combination of Joe's delivery and Hick's descriptions can really creep you out, which is what I think you want in a book like this.


I received a copy of this audio title for free in exchange for an unbiased review

The Zoo but MUCH darker and more visceral

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

This was a lot like The Zoo, by James Patterson except bloodier and WAY more intense. This book paints a dark and horrific picture of humanity in the grips of an apocalypse. It was no surprise that Joe Hempel was a masterful choice as narrator. His dynamic style, coupled with a well written and visceral story make for an easy choice for a credit.