The Annihilation of Foreverland

By: Tony Bertauski

Narrated by: Paul Licameli

Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

When kids awake on an island, they're told there was an accident. Before they can go home, they will visit Foreverland, an alternate reality that will heal their minds.

Reed dreams of a girl that tells him to resist Foreverland. He doesn't remember her name, but knows he once loved her. He'll have to endure great suffering and trust his dream. And trust he's not insane. Danny Boy, the new arrival, meets Reed's dream girl inside Foreverland. She's stuck in the fantasy land that no kid can resist. Where every heart's desire is satisfied. Why should anyone care how Foreverland works?

©2011 Tony Bertauski (P)2013 Tony Bertauski

Insanely overdramatic reading

I'm enjoying this book now that I'm reading it rather than listening to it. This narrator is the worst I've ever heard. He is so overdramatic that he literally screams some of the sentences in the first chapter. Whoever directed this should be fired. I only hung on through the first chapter to see if it got better. It didn't. Don't waste your money or credits on this audiobook; buy the print or ebook version instead.

Good book. A little predictable but a fun read .

the narration was great. story suited for a teenager but adults will enjoy it too. Some nice plot twists.

SciFi

Any additional comments?

This book is really great.. I love the out of this world post apocalyptic boo and this is definitely a good one The characters are so intriguing that I couldn't put it down. It is hard to find a book that has a new take on this genre.

Really creative twists

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Definitely! I am a big fan of Mr Bertauski's work. He always crafts a creative tale with brilliant twists and turns the reader does not expect.

What did you like best about this story?

I love the world building, Foreverland is fleshed out beautifully. There is real skill in making a story pop while surprising and delighting the reader.

What about Paul Licameli’s performance did you like?

I love his flow and the action he was able to create with his voice. He really connected with the story and added energy with his read. His voices were consistent and distinct. I will definitely look for more of his reads, he gives happy ears!

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

This is more of a long listen than one sitting. I am not always thrilled with sci-fi/fantasy type reads like this. I need to break them up into several listens to really appreciate what they are giving me.

Any additional comments?

When you are looking for a story that has detailed worlds, with flowing descriptions and a rich textured plot, you can not go wrong with Tony Bertauski.

Review: The Annihilation of Foreverland, by Tony B

The Annihilation of Foreverland is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read this year. It’s entertaining, a little out there, and makes you think.

While I found this book to be different and new in many ways, I can also find similarities with many other popular (more mature) YA books/series. Ender’s Game was one that came to mind right away. The Hunger Games, and some other dystopian titles can also be grouped with Bertauski’s novel. I think fans of either of those books, dystopian, and books with an alternate or cyber reality might like to check this one out.

I think my favorite part of this book was Foreverland. It’s concept and the virtual world itself, made me wonder about the real-life possibilities of the human mind and our computer technology. This is often the case when it comes to science fiction and I think the author set it up effectively. I also thought the characters were great. Danny Boy, one of the main characters, was my favorite. All of the characters were well-developed and played a big role in the story. There were even a few times when I sympathized for the “bad guys.” With a story like this one, it’s not easy to do (but you’ll have to read it to know what that’s all about. can’t reveal too much without spoiling this one.)

This is the first book of a series, and if this is any indication of what to expect in future books, I think it has a chance of becoming one of my favorite series.

Horrendous narration makes bad story vile.

The narrator drove a badly written story directly into the sewer. Overacting is Paul Licamelli's forte. He's more suited to voicing third rate cartoon villains than narrating books. As for Tony Bertauski, someone please, please take his crayons away!

Good YA story, narrator too dramatic.

This is a very good story for young teens. I recommend the written version.

Horrific Science Fiction

I don’t think this book would normally be my type of book. It is a horror of sorts but it’s the Sci Fi aspect that really threw me off. It was hard to get into and since I was listening I noticed that if I missed ANY thing I would have to go backwards to figure out what was going on with the story.

Needless to say, this slowed me down quite a bit.

But it was Paul Licameli’s performance that kept me hanging in there. At times he sounded a bit like Mr. Smith from The Matrix. The ebb and flow of his voice was mesmerizing and quite interesting. What I absolutely loved was when something dire was happening and Paul Licameli’s voice would get all riled up as if he were in that situation. I loved it. Even the female roles were perfect. The entire audio feel of it was great. I loved the production and all of the extra sounds that were added in.

Going back to the story there are some parts that I did think were horrific (which I love!!). The whole going into the haystack thing was incredibly horrific. Like I said above though, there was a lot and a lot of people so keeping up with what was going on was lost on me. It was hard to decipher which character was who, although, they do talk to Danny Boy quite a lot so I was able to understand his character easily. The rest though? They swooshed through my brain.

There was also a whole lot at the end all smooshed into a small bit. It was a lot! Again, if you miss any of this while listening you will get lost. So many times I had to rewind!

Honestly, it was an interesting story but with all the Sci Fi I just couldn’t adjust my thinking nor my appreciation of Sci Fi. Not my favorite read but I bet the Sci Fi lovers will die over this one.

Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.

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Wow!

What an incredible story! Full of twists and turns o never saw coming. Great characters and very well written. Narrator was perfect for the book. Highly recommended.

Bizarre narration, with a story that started well.

Bizarre narration with a story that started well, but petered off to nothing. The premise of stealing children to steal their minds and swap their bodies for the old men was different and intriguing.

However, the way it was written meant the reader found out what was going on quite a way before the characters did, ruining all the suspense in the later parts.

The narration was bizarre, the voices given to the characters seemed to be kermit the frog and fat tony from the Simpsons! Paired with some uncomfortable throaty whispers...

All in all, I didn't hate the book but I wouldn't recommend it, and I'd definitely suggest reading over listening!