Today We Die

The Killing Sands, Book 1

By: Daniel Wilde

Narrated by: Keith Michaelson

Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

The horrors of World War II are widely known. The horrors that have remained unknown - until now - are far worse. In the year 2093, an ancient biological weapon is accidentally unearthed from the sands of the Sahara Desert.

Experts Shift Bader and Anta Chalthoum are called to investigate, but even they cannot fathom the breadth of what has been uncovered. The stakes quickly rise as the peril intensifies. Shift and Anta must set aside their budding feelings for each other as they face a catastrophe the likes of which the world has never known; the effects of which threaten to reach beyond the borders of our own world.

©2017 Daniel P. Wilde (P)2017 Daniel P. Wilde

Not the same stuff

If you think you know this book by the title, it's not what you think. Glad I took a chance on it. Makes you think quite a bit. It says "book 1" so I hope more are coming.
The narrator...duuuuude, as Shift would say (gotta listen to the book). Michaelson rocked it. Gotta one of the better voices out there. Very wide range.

I think I found a winner

Exploring audible can be a little tough. Lots of titles, and they all kind of blend together after a while. I was looking for something dystopian but not yet another mountain man or ex-military guy who turns into an unlikely hero. Shift Bader, the main character, is a sarcastic, unassuming archeologist who specializes in the history of plagues and mass-extinction events. Pretty cool, right? I gave this book 5 stars not because of the quality of writing or the actual storyline, but because it just felt real. Usually the characters are right in the middle of the end of the world happening. While Shift is there at the beginning, much of the doom and gloom happens beyond his sphere. This is a story about the solution, about heroes who largely go unsung, who slave away in crappy working conditions trying to save the human race. The setting and characters are just really true to me.

Narration. Really good. Lots of minor characters that come and go. Over 2 dozen altogether I think, and each had their own unique voice. A good part of the story is told in a female first person perspective, and I forgot the narrator was actually a male in those parts. Wide range, good quality.

Good Twist on an old concept

The story isn’t new. It’s the end of the world through an unexpected threat. The writing was pretty good though so it kept my attention. I liked that was a good balance of explanation with discovery. Shift, the main character, is a well developed character who is kind of a sarcastic dork. It’s refreshing that the fate of the world doesn’t rely on the main character, for once, but on the team of people together.

Another thing, I learned things from this book. History and science. Wasn’t boring though it could get long winded here and there.

Narrator review: I picked up this book because of the Keith Michaelson. I’ve enjoyed many of his other books so took a chance on this. He continues to be top shelf quality.

Engaging set up and story

Story was engaging. Things moved pretty fast in the beginning and then slowed down, setting things up for what I am guessing will be future books. Some of the history was interesting but long, but the narrator was really strong. He made those sections interesting with great performance. Good and consistent voicing. I don't know how someone keeps all those character voices straight.

How the "end" came up was really interesting and well thought out. I'd recommend this book as a solid dystopian drama with well-developed characters. The story opens up with a good promise of more intense action in future books. Fun escape.

You had me at "The End of The World"

This is a great book... I loved it. Well, I am a sucker for end of the World scenarios. The Author did a great job creating a plausible and original storyline along with connecting real historical events. I got my degree in Chemistry and I was very impressed with how accurate the science was. I found myself getting attached to the characters and imagining what life would really be like if something like this actually happened. "This book gets the Zorro Snap In Z formation".

I love this story!

To be fair, I am the author's wife. I love the story, and the next two books in the series. I was hesitant to read them at first because I didn't want to tell my husband the story sucked. Thankfully, the story is fun and amazing! I've read this book now three times and listened to it once on audible.
As for the narration, I am very impressed. Because my husband didn't narrate the story, I can give unbiased feedback. The narration is well-done. Michaelson has a great voice that captures both male and female characters nicely. His accents and emotion are superb. As I listened, I really felt the story come to life, better than when I read it myself.

"BORDERS and WALLS have never worked" LOL

I really should have stopped after, "The bigotry of Nazi Germany" was uttered.

This entire book, what I could get through, was an add against those useless walls and borders that have never worked, don't work and will never work.

We're getting a WALL on the Southern Border, deal with it Sci-Fi Globalists.