The Boy on the Bridge

By: M. R. Carey

Narrated by: Finty Williams

Length: 13 hrs

Publisher's Summary

Once upon a time, in a land blighted by terror, there was a very clever boy.

The people thought the boy could save them, so they opened their gates and sent him out into the world.

To where the monsters lived.

In The Boy on the Bridge, M. R. Carey returns to the world of his phenomenal word-of-mouth best seller, The Girl With All the Gifts, for the very first time.

©2017 M. R. Carey (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Not as good as Girl With All The Gifts, but still great

M. R. Carey continues to add a fresh take on a genre that became stale somewhere around Walking Dead Season 6.

Absolutely Gorgeous. Perfect.

This, and it’s predecessor “The Girl With All the Gifts” are my favorite books of them all. Of them ALL. I’ve actually listened to them both 3 times over the past couple years, and each time is as rewarding and special as the first. MR Carey is a master storyteller and poet, literally as good as it gets. And Finty is just beautiful too. I dearly wish he would write another few books for this series. And either way, thank you so much for these. There just aren’t enough words to express how wonderful these books are.

As good if not better than “The Girl…”

Will not disappoint …..Audible please remove minimum word count on for the review…really not necessary

Most of the book was painful to sit through

I really appreciate the ending, the beginning was also fine, but most of the book was not pleasant.
The characters were not sharing vital info with each other - it is kinda explained but no less frustrating.
Additionally, some tropes from the first book are basically copied verbatim (gifted child and their special grown-up) - that's not a big problem in itself, but together with the first one it makes it even less enticing to listen to.

A different version of a girl with all the gifts

this is a well written book. I wish I didnt read the other book before, this put me off as it seemed like it was a copy of that one.
but this one was better than the last.

A worthy second in series

Loved it. Both the story and the narrator. Gripping, exciting, surprising, edge-of-my-seat suspense. I loved the different views of a situation.
Kept me wondering the whole book how in the world Rosy ended up abandoned in London, where they found it in book 1.
It’s not hard to imagine this scenario happening to our world.

Immersive

Any additional comments?

Beautifully written. Pulls on the heartstrings in so many ways because of the inevitability of the outcome. Just like The Girl with all the Gifts, extrapolates logically from the initial premise. Totally satisfying book.

Excellent Follow-up for the Girl with all the gift

Absolutely loved the first book in the series and this second book didn't disappoint. I found this hard to put down, I couldn't wait to hear what was happening next. I love the pictures painted by the words. Highly recommend.

Boy Meets Girl!

The "Boy on the Bridge" sees MR Carey return to the world of his simply stunning debut "The Girl With All The Gifts".  It is reasonably described as a prequel but it most certainly should not be read first!  Part of the sheer joy of reading "The Girl" was an extremely cleverly-written voyage of discovery to the very nature of its lead character and her story.  Even the genre of the book takes some time to reveal itself.  So, while this could be read as a standalone it will take a lot away from any subsequent reading of the original volume.  Likewise of course reviews of this one such as this are bound to contain spoilers, read on at your peril! 

This book follows a crew of soldiers and scientists sent out from Beacon to see if they can discover ways to combat the cordyceps infestation that has devastated mankind.  They are an interesting mix and there are things to recommend this over the original book.  The research that has gone into it is naturally deeper and the characters felt more rounded to me.  Finty Williams does her usual fine job of narration and the world does maintain consistency and fit well.  The epilogue really ties it all together and removed a huge doubt from my mind.

So, I really enjoyed this and would very happily recommend it to anyone who read and enjoyed the first book.  I personally don't think that it quite hits the same dizzy heights though. "The Girl With All The Gifts" was extremely original and clever in that it delivered a genuine voyage of discovery.  I think this one is very enjoyable but I wasn't left with quite the same sense of wonder and it didn't have the same page-turning qualities.  Still, "The Boy" is a very worthy companion to "The Girl" as the epilogue proves.

So clever. Tension all the way...

The Girl with All the Gifts was always going to be a hard act to follow, and I was therefore a little underwhelmed by Fellside, but The Boy on the Bridge is easily another 5 star listen

The Boy is the second book in this series, and although it is set in a time which precedes the events of The Girl, it should definitely only be read second - otherwise you will spoil the surprise of The Girl! Arguably, The Boy was more of a challenge for the author to keep the reader gripped because, given the events of the Girl, you know where it's all headed, so no real opportunities for the author to give too many twists to the plot - instead, M.R. Carey keeps the engagement up through tension - from start to finish. Indeed, it's one of those tales where you know it's going to go wrong.....and then it doesn't....and it doesn't.....and then it does! and then it doesn't , doesn't, doesn't, and then it does....... a tension roller coaster, and the fact that you know the inevitable path they're all on only adds to the suspense. Cleverly done.

And what an ending! The Girl's final scene has stayed with me long after the detail of the story itself has faded. With The Boy, Carey delivers another blinder.

Excellent listen. 5/5.

Better then the first

Stunning. I drive a lot-so I listen to audiobooks .. this one had me sitting in car parks not wanting to get out of the car.

Good but not as good as the girl with all the gifts

I was blown away by the girl with all the gifts. M.R.Cary is a fantastic writer.

This book is still good but doesn't have the same wow factor / emotional buy in. You come to love and root for Melanie in the first book and this book, although good and worth a listen isn't quite as good.

If you enjoyed the girl with all the gifts this is worth persevering with and the epilogue is my favourite part!

From the end new beginnings

An apocalyptic book with hope is a rare thing, this one is also very good.

Good characters, excellent plot and building on the previous book but very much a standalone that adds a more technical look at the cordyceps that is not too hardcore but an explanation of how the infection works, making the story more acceptable and not just a tale of zombie attacks, but an evolutionary tale.

A very satisfying read.

A fantastic sequel

What made the experience of listening to The Boy on the Bridge the most enjoyable?

The first book and the narration was still by a long way superior and excellent in all ways. However, this book still stands up well - even in isolation aside from the epilogue which requires the first book to make sense of.
Good narration, fun characters - a lot of thought went into this.

Adored it!

Absolutely adore The Girl with all The Gifts. And this was just a brilliant. I always love the characters and how differed they are from one another.
Certainly not your usual post-apocolphtic story!

The prefect follow up

A great prequel to The Girl With All The Gifts. Definitely worth a listen and the epilogue is worth the price of admission alone.

Wonderful story- highly recommended

Like all good books, I was so disappointed when this book came to an end. I recommend this book in conjunction with 'The Girl with all the Gifts, that should be read first. Both are wonderful stories. I enjoyed them so much. M. R. Carey you are a master story teller and Finty Williams is a brilliant narrator. Thank you both for providing me with an engrossing listen.

Excellent audio book

Both an excellent prequel and sequel. Read beautifully by Finty Williams.
Entirely satisfying in every way.