The Book of Accidents

A Novel

By: Chuck Wendig

Narrated by: Xe Sands, George Newbern

Length: 16 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A family returns to their hometown—and to the dark past that haunts them still—in this masterpiece of literary horror by the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderers

LOCUS AWARD FINALIST • “The dread, the scope, the pacing, the turns—I haven’t felt all this so intensely since The Shining.”—Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians 

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Public Library, Library Journal 

Long ago, Nathan lived in a house in the country with his abusive father—and has never told his family what happened there. 

Long ago, Maddie was a little girl making dolls in her bedroom when she saw something she shouldn’t have—and is trying to remember that lost trauma by making haunting sculptures. 

Long ago, something sinister, something hungry, walked in the tunnels and the mountains and the coal mines of their hometown in rural Pennsylvania. 

Now, Nate and Maddie Graves are married, and they have moved back to their hometown with their son, Oliver.

And now what happened long ago is happening again . . . and it is happening to Oliver. He meets a strange boy who becomes his best friend, a boy with secrets of his own and a taste for dark magic. 

This dark magic puts them at the heart of a battle of good versus evil and a fight for the soul of the family—and perhaps for all of the world. But the Graves family has a secret weapon in this battle: their love for one another.

©2021 Chuck Wendig (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

“[The Book of Accidents] is Chuck Wendig’s magnum opus, blazing with imagination, humanity, and a tiny glimmer of hope for a world drowning in cruelty. It’s horror for right now, and it’s Wendig’s best so far.” (Christopher Golden, New York Times best-selling author of Road of Bones)

“Only Chuck Wendig can blend horror, fantasy, and science fiction into a propulsive thriller that is as funny as it is frightening, clever as it is uncanny, tender as it is terrifying. A magical ride.” (Alma Katsu, author of Red Widow and The Deep) 

“Chuck Wendig’s The Book of Accidents transported me to the golden age of sprawling horror novels that I loved so much as a kid. Sweeping yet intimate, multilayered and bighearted, this is a novel to sink deeply into.” (Dan Chaon, New York Times best-selling author of Ill Will) 

not worth my time.

couldn't finish when they made the little boy eat a human leg. was interesting at first but became gruesome, which I dont usually mind but with children

George Newborn was the only good thing about this

I thought about returning this but then decided to finish it so I could give it a crappy rating so no one else would make the same mistake

Consider yourself warned

Not enough words to describe how bad this writing is. Every gratuitous obscenity you can think of, annoyingly poor and unlikable
characters, and useless contrived situations. Wish I could get my audible credit back on this one.

Don’t waste your credit

One of the worst I’ve TRIED to listen to!! The mother/wife character is beyond annoying-I mean made me stop listening annoying!

Xe Sands’ Vocal Fry

I am totally enjoying the story but Xe Sands’ vocal fry in this book, which is supposed to translate to “intimate”, is so off-putting, I’m going to just get this as an iBook, rather than Audible. She’s obviously very talented but just not for me.

Decent story….. dry one sided political

This started ok but then it went full left, I was hoping it was just a way of writing other characters but it wasn’t. It’s not worth it if unless you love politics and find yourself on the far left.

Holy clunky exposition batman!

Clunky exposition, blatent falsehoods, terrible unnatural dialogue. I honestly don't think this author has ever heard an actual person speak.

if you love Stephen King you'll love this author

this author has gained a new fan in me. the book grabbed me from the first chapter. great listen. not a huge fan of the female narrator but the male narator was great.

Down to earth horrific fantasy horror dark comedy

Some genre spanning greatness written here. Xe sands and George Newbern did some stellar narration as well.

absolutely great

I loved it! Two hinges, one nob. Will you enter? amazing twist and turns.