The Electric

De: Andrew David Barker

Narrado por: Nigel Peever

In the summer of 1985, 15-year-old Sam Crowhurst discovers an old, abandoned cinema that screens movies made by ghosts, for ghosts.

Sam and his friends Emma and David find themselves drawn into a world where the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Lon Chaney, and Theda Bara are still making pictures, where Harold Lloyd and John Belushi team up for roustabout comedies, and Karloff and Lugosi appear in films scripted by Edgar Allan Poe. Sam comes to learn the mysteries of the Electric cinema and his part to play in its long and strange history.

The Electric is about movies, ghosts, and that ephemeral moment in all of our lives: childhood.

©2013 Andrew David Barker (P)2019 Andrew David Barker

Brilliant!

The concept of the story is brilliantly conceived and executed! A story of mystery, loss, love and the dreaded growing up. The story flows wonderfully from start to finish. The narration and production are excellent, adding even more depth to the story. I would recommend this story to anyone teen and up.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

just wow

I really loved this audiobook. I had to stay up all night to finish this that's how good it was. This is a reading with sound effects and atmospheric music and it really drew me in. At four am, I was making coffee so I could continue to stay up.

Writing: You may think Andrew Davide Barker's writing style is a bit meandering but this book is a reminiscence and memories are rarely a straight timeline. When we think back, we remember odd bits that may not have much to do with the main plot of our life. Stick with it if you are finding it a bit slow at first.

In this book, there is a lot of history dealing with films but it's not dry, it's woven very well into the story. Barker writes about the feelings that movies can create in us. Those feelings that make you believe in magic, make you believe in that world that exists in imaginations but is often more real than what goes on around us. It's such an indescribable feeling but Barker catches that feeling with this book.

Narration: I can't imagine the work that must go into a production such as this. That being said, wow. This performance was amazing. Nigel Peever has SUCH a wonderful voice for narration, especially for nostalgic pieces. His voice captures bygone eras brilliantly. His accents and voices for Bogart, Chaney and others were done really well. I've heard so many Bogart impressions over the years and some of them are really over the top.

Production: Very, very well done. The sound effects really drew on my memories of going to the movies. The sound the projector makes, how the film sounds as it's going through the projector, the music from the era's the movies were set in. But it also captured that idea that these were movies made by ghosts, for ghosts.

I found myself wishing I had someone to talk to after this book was done. It's going to stick with me for awhile.

Brilliant writer, narrator and production.

The narrator

This was an interesting book. Very intense. The narrator was perfect and so great with voices plus sound effects. He made the story come to life.

The Electric

The story is about the ghosts but the story is carried by the children, especially the protagonist, Sam. The tale weaves and dances around and fits the autumn backdrop perfectly; the fading sun proving a great metaphor for how childhood slips away.

An awesome book on teenagers and ghosts

Sam has a great love of old black and white movies. a love that his father cultivate in him. When Sam happenes upon a dilapidated old movie theater strange things started to happen. He starts seeing actors like Bograt and Greta Gable in movie that had never been seen by anyone else.Sam got his friends to go with him to the old theater, they started seeing these same ghosts. the ending had me getting goose bumps. Nigel Peever was awesome in his narration of the story. I liked the plot that the author wrote. great book

Fantastic Story!

This horror tale is superbly written and the fact that it's narrated by the very talented Nigel Peever makes it even more enjoyable. If you like horror and suspense tales, then you'll love this one.

Phenomenal Story!

The theater style Narration of the story is incredible. Typically I listen to audiobook while I work or commute, but this one caused me to simply sit and listen. Reminiscent of the radio shows in the day befor television, the reader is left hanging in every word. The feeling of suspense is palpable and one hears the sound effects and music notes. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a story about an other world theater caught between the past and present! Bravo! I am a new fan!

Absolutely Fantastic - Highly Recommend!

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.

Wow! Just wow is this a great relatable story with incredible narration.

The Electric is about a moment in time in your childhood which changes your outlook on the rest of your life. While the main characters are teenagers - please do not think that this would only appeal to a YA audience or that as an adult there is nothing to see here. The story deals with the death of the main protagonist Sam's father and the impact that had on him one summer. But beyond that, the story is about relationships - parental, friends, first love, and growing up - and how those relationships impact your life. The relationships that the main characters have with each other and Sam, our main protagonist, has with his parents are realistic, tender, and, at times, very unrefined - meaning the inability to truly express your thoughts and feelings at a time when you really should be sharing more of yourself [something even adults are incapable of doing]. I truly enjoyed how Sam one day realized how alienated his relationship had become with his Mom, who is equally grief stricken, and thought to make her breakfast to spend a little time together as they were eating - an absolutely captivating moment.

There is a paranormal element to this story, which occurs when Sam and his friends enter The Electric cinema. The paranormal element is not creepy or frightening nor is this a horror story. The paranormal element is used in an extraordinary manner to get Sam to realize the impact his father had on his life, even though his father was only present for a very short period of time. And, in Sam, it sparks the joy of using his talents, as his father had encouraged him but he had abandoned. Further, the love of cinema, is readily apparent - how original to pair John Belushi with Fatty Arbuckle or Lon Chaney with Boris Karloff or Humphrey Bogart with Jean Harlow.

This novel draws you in, and expertly, without be overly sentimental, keeps you tuned in as three teenagers try to navigate one summer, which changes their lives. This story is worth your time and it is highly recommended!

The narrator, Nigel Peever, is absolutely fantastic. He has a very nice clear baritone voice with a slight British accent. He does voices for all of the characters - including the celebrities. In addition, there are some sound effects and music which are added - nothing too obtrusive and it really enhanced the narration - reminiscent of the radio dramas of days past. The narration and the story were just the perfect marriage.

Great writer, strong narration

I didn’t know what to expect when I started listening to this audio. What I got was a mixture of goosebumps and a sense of being drawn into the scene. Outstanding job on behalf of the author for writing a ghost story unique from any other I’ve read before. The book has awesome sound effects, expertly applied to add intrigue to the scenes: Doors creaking, sinister laughing, movie projectors rolling, even the creek of swings as the children in the story converse while swinging on the playground. I’m a lover of ghost stories, and all things haunted, and this one had me stopping what I was doing and just listening. Nigel Peever has the perfect voice for a ghost story. Kudos to both the author and narrator.

A treasure of a novel, subtle and beautiful

I got this book at the suggestion of the narrator, Nigel Peever. I've heard him doing some Sherlock Holmes books and think he does an amazing version of the character. In fact, he's my #2 Holmes, just after Jeremy Brett. He gave me the code after I had asked for another book. He felt it was some of his best work, and I cannot disagree.

The writing in this book is hyper-detailed. It is so descriptive and has such a unique style that it draws your ear in instantly; there is a scene when Barker is describing the old projectionist's face that just captivated me. The details of the Technicolor Tramp likewise was so vivid that I could see him in my mind's eye.

This is coming of age story told via a love of cinema, loss, first love, friendship, grief, and family. Barker weaves so many themes into this story, which is a flashback told by the Main Character of a time in the eighties before he became a man. The protagonist has lost his father and is still trying to come to grips with it, as he finds an old cinema in the woods with posters for movies that were never made.

Barker has a clear love for the silver screen and stars of yesteryear, plus John Belushi, and his made-up movies have the thumbprint of films from that long-forgotten era. I really want to see the one with Karloff, Lugosi, and Lorre. The tone of this book is subtle, tender, heartwarming, and heart-wrenching. Poor Em. What I really enjoyed was that the novel failed to fall into the easy tropes, i.e., the last third of the book didn't have the trio getting "mandraked" as one might expect. For me, it was the slow unspooling of the events centered at the Electric that made the book special. One might think that a novel about ghosts making movies would need a lot of jump scares or horrifying backstories, but the truth is the story is quiet, soft, and perfectly paced. I could not have asked for more. Thank you Mr. Peever!

Speaking of Nigel Peever, I have to say that he was at his most chameleon-like on this book. His renditions of Lorre, Bogey, and Karloff were pure perfection. The way he made the voices sound as if they were coming from a movie reel was so well done that I would have believed that he was playing old movies in the background as he narrated. The music, sound effects, special effects, etc all came together so that the book could be categorized as an old-time radio show, and I mean that in the best of ways. It only added to the story's mystique.

I went into this novel with no expectations and came out deeply moved. I identified with the main character and his summer escapades so much. It really hit home. I used to watch old movies like that with my grandmother and grandfather, and so grew up watching Bogey. Hell, I even have a replica of that great Mcguffin, the Maltese Falcon. Maybe that's why this book moved me so much.

Regardless, I cannot recommend this book MORE than I am now. This is the most honest review I've ever done, and it's not because I've lied about other books. No. I am more open about how this book affected me than any other time I've stepped up to suggest a book or warn others of mediocrity. So, I guess the Electric got to me as much as it got to the characters who sat in its seats and watched those old movies. Very few things have ever done that to me. I am thinking of my grandparents and how I fell in love with Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep. Funny, I haven't thought of that in a long time, and this book awakened that memory.

So, thank you, Mr. Peever, for letting me listen to one of your best works and a novel that has stirred ancient and untouched memories that have lain forgotten in the recesses of my mind.

If you take anything away from this review let it be this, not all ghost stories are scary; sometimes they can touch your soul.