Song of Kali

By: Dan Simmons

Narrated by: Mark Boyett

Blood will curdle in Calcutta. In the most crime-ridden city, nightmares become real and evil is defined by frightening occurrences. When an American family finds themselves encircled by the terrors of this land, lurid events befall them and life takes on a new meaning - death. Winner of the World Fantasy Award, Song of Kali will chill the blood and frighten even the most jaded of horror fans.

©1985 Dan Simmons (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Fantastic, Disturbing, Romantic, Horrifying.

simply one of the most terrifying books ever.
a rollercoaster ride of horror not to be missed.
well done.

The plot completeness let it down

I love Dan Simmons but is not his best work. The characters are amazingly rich and the story is very well told. Calcutta was described in incredible depth. The plot was never finished. A lot of events went unexplained as did the role of at least two main characters. They were crucial to the plot but you never found out who they were or why they did what they did. The story just stopped. It ended up being a series of unexplained events rather than a plot.

very very very disturbing

it was poetic horror, extrely vivid, powerful and sad. a very strong story a very sad tale

Terrific performance, uninteresting story

The story itself is much less a horror narrative than it is a mystery/psychological thriller. There are a few gripping parts in the book, but overall I found the story overall to be somewhat dry and boring. The narrator committed to an excellent performance, with well acted accents for the characters. I'd say if mystery/thriller is your absolute favorite genre, this book is worth checking out. But Dan Simmons certainly has better books to offer such as Summer of Night or the Hyperion Cantos.

Wow

The story grips and keepa your attention the whole time. Dan Simmons is an amazing writer, you can feel yourself in the story its a great book

A lasting impression

Wow. This book was chilling, eerie and mysterious. I found myself wanting to scream at the main character to stop and think about what danger he was walking into and taking his young family into. But also, deeply wanting to keep going on the journey with him. Reading this book was like reading his personal journal about his time in Calcutta. It felt so real. I would recommend this book only to those who truly want a good scare. For the horrors in this one leave a lasting impression.

Troubling depiction, but well written

Would you listen to another book narrated by Mark Boyett?

The author did a good job with the material provided and gave many of the characters a unique voice. As such, I would be willing to listen to another book Boyett narrated

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

This book could have been adapted to a film in the 80s when the book was written, but I don't know if it stands up well enough to gain a contemporary adaptation

Any additional comments?

One of my biggest issues with the book is how the author reduced a complex figure like the Goddess Kali to a two dimensional Evil B**ch essentially. Also, the differences between Robert's wife (Indian born, but educated in Europe) and some of the Indian characters who had remained in India can be interpreted as favoring colonialism. If neither of these are potentially worrying for you, then you might enjoy this story. There are some genuine moments of terror, and some poignant descriptions of Kolkata in the 1980s. I don't know if I would personally recommend the listen, but with the narrator did a solid job and there are some truly chilling passages. As such, listen if you choose to.

gut wrenching ending

Would you listen to Song of Kali again? Why?

definitely I'd listen to this again. I'm sure there were little details that I may have missed and those really count in this story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Song of Kali?

the end of the book (which I will not give away!). Really was not what I was expecting, those poor people and what they had to endure...I'd probably be committed to a facility if I had to face what they did.

What about Mark Boyett’s performance did you like?

the pacing of the story, the different voices were all done very well. In fact, just by listening I felt like I was right there in sweaty Calcutta with them.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

After the story got rolling, yes, I was really dreading having to stop driving because that meant I wouldn't be listening to this awesome story until my next driving shift.

Any additional comments?

This story might drag a bit in the beginning, and the couple might seem a little self absorbed, but give it a chance. You'll be hooked and you'll be mad when someone tries to get your attention on something else. Or at least that's how it was with me haha.

Great and tragic story

This was a short read by Dan Simmons, I’m so used to his works being long and often bloated - this one wasn’t at all. It kept a steady pace throughout and was well written. Admittedly, I wasn’t a huge fan of the main character (who calls their wife “kiddo”?). I don’t know if Dan Simmons intentionally made the character unlikable or not, but despite that, I did enjoy this tragic and emotional story.

Awesome book!! True horror at it's very best!!

If you have never read Dan Simmons then I highly recommend that you start! This early work is one of my favorites and true horror at it's very best; very original and one of those rare stories you "can't put down". Incredible skill by the author to immerse you in a distant, frantic, dangerous and exotic culture. This book and "The Terror" are my two favorites, put them at the top of your list!