• The Empty Men

  • The Stone Man, Book 2
  • By: Luke Smitherd
  • Narrated by: Matt Addis
  • Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (304 ratings)

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The Empty Men  By  cover art

The Empty Men

By: Luke Smitherd
Narrated by: Matt Addis
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Publisher's summary

The long-awaited sequel to the number one Amazon and Audible best seller The Stone Man, shortlisted for Audible Book of the Year 2015.

On a quiet seafront in the middle of the afternoon the sun sets, the clouds part and something like a pale, elongated human figure appears on the horizon.

For Maria, watching from the beach, it’s proof that she should never have dared to return. Five years earlier, her life shattered by the arrival of the Stone Man, she’d fled the country. But now she can’t escape: suddenly, there are news reports of ‘Empty Men’ materialising all around the coast, and the roads are gridlocked. The Empty Men are killers, and they’re heading inland.

A hundred miles from the sea, lonely, grieving Eric obsessively keeps watch in the ruins of Coventry, never straying far from Ground Zero, the site of the Stone Man’s first appearance. For five years, Eric has known there was a massive government cover-up of the circumstances surrounding the Stone Man and its disappearance, and he’s determined to find the truth.

As Maria battles the Empty Men in a desperate chase for survival and Eric is caught in a terrifying transformation of Ground Zero, both find themselves on a path leading straight to the heart of the Stone Man mystery.

Chilling, fast-paced and full of stunning twists, this is the highly anticipated second book in Luke Smitherd’s Stone Man series.

©2017 Luke Smitherd (P)2020 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about The Empty Men

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

The weirdness in Coventry continues...

The Team of Smitherd and Addis continue to spin the tale of the Stone and now Empty men as they march across England. A fascinating, complex, and strange tale that is crisply written and performed. This is a strong sequel to The Stone Man, although it is a solid stand-alone offering as well. One can hope this team will stay together for future offerings, as they complement one another. The actions of the characters are believable for the most part, as is their interactions with one another.

I highly recommend this series.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful

Luke Smitherd is a wonderful story teller. He really nailed bringing the two stories together. I can't wait to start the third book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent sequel

I loved the 1st The Stoneman book so I didn't even read the reviews and I was correct I loved The Empty Men just as much. If you enjoyed the 1st book you will be happy with this one too. The narrator is great, at 1st I was disappointed that it was someone other than the author narrating but I quickly got over it. I just think Mr Smitherd does a fabulous job at narrating his books, which in my humble opinion is a difficult job. I'm so happy I've found this author. I've read my favorite authors books 2+ times and was in a slump to find any books that really stood out to me and than I found "You See the Monster" and it was so amazing that I immediately read the rest of his books, saving The Stone man books for last. Luke Smitherd has quickly ascended my top 5 fav authors list and I can't wait to read more of what he writes. If you haven't read his other books...you should. The other one I mentioned is a good start and A head full of knives is great.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Sequel!

When I had finished The Stone Man, I felt like that was it and we’d never get to know what happened next. I was thrilled to see that the story continues. Such a great sequel and a perfect set up for book 3! I can wait to hear how it continues! Fantastic narration, capturing all of the emotion and horror of the story and drawing us into the characters. This not typically a genre I read, but was encouraged by my son that I’d really enjoy this series. So glad he did! Thanks for sharing your creative storytelling!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome followup to the Stone Man

Another impossibly good science fiction mystery from Luke Smitherd, and a great job reading by Matt Addis. A final book to close out these stories would make a perfect trilogy. I need this NOW!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent book - excellent narration.

Picks up smoothly from Book 1, and finishes in a great position for Book 3 to take over. Great job. :)

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Why do I find this story so engaging?

Incredible story that is a thrill for a Doctor Who fan on both sides of the pond.

I downloaded The Stone Man as the premise was unique, simple and terrifying. A fairly generic looking statue comes to life with no idea of who or what put it here and terrorizes the UK.

The Empty Men though builds out the story to a much greater detail. It switches out the terror for something that is actually worse but at the same time paints a picture that we may have hope. Remember, this is terror on a level quite different from other horror or sci-fi stories and the authors tale is incredibly engaging.

Very much looking forward to Book 3 with absolutely no idea where this will end up.

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An AMAZING sequel!

I was afraid this wouldn’t live up to the first book, but it exceeded all expectations! Can’t wait to read the next Luke Smitherd masterpiece. This is a must read, especially if you’ve read The Stone Man.

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Excellent continuation of the story

another well written well performed book, lots of twists and connections to the first book, I'm very much looking forward to the next books release.
I highly recommend this book if you enjoyed the stone man and like myself have longed for some answers left hanging in the first book.

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love it

Well worth the wait for this, expanding on the ideas of the first book while giving us a creepy new threat to be scared of. Fantastic! Can't wait for the movie.

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