Stay Away

By: Ike Hamill

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Stay Away - An amazingly original horror novel from Ike Hamill Every small town has secrets. Some secrets can kill.

He’s always been there, the old gentleman in the funeral suit, hanging around the big oak tree. Even before the cemetery was dug, the natives knew about him. He was just as much a part of the landscape as the rocks or the river. If you ever needed anything, especially if it was a matter of life and death, you could find him and make a trade.

He always trades fair. Everybody says so.

Eric is about to trade without even realizing it. He isn’t tricked. It’s only a mistake. “Caveat emptor,” some might say. Uncle Reynold would say, “Watch your butt, lest somebody kicks a new hole in it.”

Readers are saying: "Runs from downright creepy to terrifying." "…suffused with implacable horror, the kind that never stops giving…" "This is a must read for Ike Hamill fans and for lovers of original horror." Opportunity awaits. He’s always there, ready with a bargain. But maybe you should listen to the ghosts of those who have traded before, and Stay Away.

This really deserves a real narrator!

The story was great. Crazy, weird, and the ending. Uh. That was sure an entire thing, that ending. The book, as a book, five stars, top notch spooky story. Felt like 80s horror, like old Stephen King vibes. It would be a GREAT mini series done retro style. It's good enough I put up with a robot reading it.

But I just wish it had been read by a human. It was not the worst robot voice, but it didn't do it any favors. It had mispronounced words, weird pauses, etc like robot voices do. I just wish I could have heard this read properly. The story deserved better.

audio

computer generated audio does not do justice to the story. Does not emphasize the intended excitement of certain words or phrases. monotone

Virtual voice ruined it!!

It would be nice if they did away with virtual voice. There was so much “lost in translation” and no genuine feel for the characters was made. There was nothing to make me root for them. Only real narrators can provide this! VV is just robotic reading. If you want to connect with the characters, skip this and all VV stories.

In addition, I believe there was too much fluff, esp the beginning. I almost gave up when about 1/2 thru it started getting interesting. Then it became overwhelming with a minute of detail and constant back and forth by characters.

And lastly, there were more than a few plot holes left - too many to list here. A good copy editor should have picked these things up.

What's with the AI voice?!?

I get it... let's use this new tech. However, just like turning actual book pages, some experiences can't be replaced by tech. Nevertheless, great story, I still have some questions but they'll hold. I agree with the other reviews, the virtual narration did nothing for the story and did not communicate any of the feelings or stress needed to cover the levity of what was happening.

Twists and turns

I absolutely never saw the ending happening. It keeps you listening and thinking about each character