The Adversary

By: Patrick Harnish

Narrated by: Patrick Harnish

Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

John Robinson seemed to have it all. A loving wife, two beautiful daughters, and a growing fortune in the 1800s banking industry. That was until a phantom killer slaughtered his family and escaped into the night. Before escaping, John faced his family's killer, but was left with only a distorted memory of who, or what, he saw.

Plagued by nightmares of that horrific night, John abandons everything and embarks on a journey into the American West. He is chasing a mysterious and unknown killer on a quest for revenge. But after a decade of coming up empty, a brain tumor is cutting John's life short. It seems his family's killer may never be brought to justice.

Years before the murder of John Robinson's family, a legendary bounty hunter, known only as The Vaquero, pursued another monster. The infamous wild west serial killer, Wesley Nelson. Though presumed dead in a wild confrontation, Wesley Nelson's trail of mayhem would echo in the Vaquero's life for years to come.

Aided by the ghost (or hallucination) of John's younger brother Jerry, John Robinson and The Vaquero find themselves destined to cross paths and unravel the mystery of a shapeshifting adversary who is stalking the Midwest.

Set in an alternate American history, this fast-paced and brutal novel, The Adversary, blends together genres of horror, science fiction, and the great American Western. It is likely to appeal to fans of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and fans of true crime.

©2022 Patrick Harnish (P)2022 Patrick Harnish

Unique story crosses various genres

This is a unique book in that it crosses over various genres—western, horror, mystery/crime, and some sci-fi elements. The plot is engaging and so are the characters, though the story is a tad disjointed and potentially confusing until all the elements come together. In a few instances, I started to wonder if I was listening to an anthology of short stories because nothing was connecting for me. It did all come together very nicely in the end. Not sure I liked some of the more dramatic audio elements (e.g., the supernatural “voice” was a little corny for me), which is why I gave the performance only 4 stars. It was definitely a fun listen if you stick around through the disjointed moments. I recommend it to readers of true crime and horror.

Great twists!

I was pleasantly surprised at the storyline. I fully expected basic tropes and common themes, but was delighted at every turn with unexpected events.

The author is an excellent narrator and his voice was an easy listen. He should voice other books as well!

The writing style is unique and is reminiscent of siting around the campfire fully enthralled in a harrowing tale. I loved the character John Robinson.

Thanks for the entertainment!

Excellent book from an author I will be following

the story was great and it kept me interested in the entire book. It was very easy to continue listening even beyond my normal listening window during my commute. The narrator was also the author and you could feel the passion behind each character. This is the start of a wonderful universe which multiple books will surely follow and I look forward to enjoying them.

Awesome story

I'm always a bit leery to use my credit on a book that hasn't been reviewed yet, but the description of this book and the sample caught my interest and I'm happy to say it was a credit very well spent. I loved the main characters, especially The Vaquero and his back story was amazing, it gave me goosebumps. I loved that he was a badass but not an over the top unbelievable type of badass. He was very much human in his choices and thoughts (if you get what i mean). I wish we could've followed John a bit during his early years of travel, this is not a complaint, but just a wish for more of the story. I'm always greedy for more when it's a great story and this was great. I don't want to give away anything but I'd call this a horror western with a dash of another genre in it. I wish there were more books in this category but this is one of those rare mixes of genre's that makes you want more but theres nothing else quite like it. Maybe ill get lucky and Mr Harnish will revisit this world one day. If you've read Little heaven by Nick Cutter and enjoyed it, you will like this book. This story was unique and i didnt feel like i was reading a rehashed version of another book. The author also narrated this book and he did an amazing job. Seriously, your narration rocked Mr Harnish and if you publish more books i hope you narrate them also. I will be eagerly watching for any other books this author puts out.

Beautifully Dark

I enjoyed The Adversary a great deal, really great ideas told in a way that made you feel like you were sitting around a campfire. This style helped the story be honest and clear without losing subtly which is hard to do. I’d be amazed if someone was able to predict the outcome of the story before the author intended for it to be known.

I particularly loved John Robinson as well as the more disturbing moments. Robinson feels like a real person despite his peculiar circumstances. And the disturbing parts are told in such a visceral way. I know that some may not enjoy that aspect but I did, made me very much feel the horror that was displayed.

If I had to have a gripe it would be that the story at times seems to veer off into different directions that in themselves are good little stories but don’t seem to do much for the overall story. I guess you could say at points it felt like a series of short stories. However with those segments were still enjoyable.

The narrator being the Author is always great, since we can really hear what the author is trying to convey. I must say Patrick Harnish is better than many of narrators who do it full time. The special voice effects in the book were a great touch, although only a little was added it was a nice flavor to add to the mix. Honestly I hope he gets to narrate other things in the future as well.

In conclusion, The Adversary is honest poetic story, that doesn’t lose its subtly or grit. And while messy at times. The story is truly told in a beautifully dark way.