The Head

De: Brian Barr

Narrado por: Rick Gregory

A woman finds a head in her mother's garden.

Things get weirder when the head talks to her....

The head rolled from the weeds to the tip of her worn pink gardening shoes. Her blood rushed and her feet froze in place, her legs locked like statues.

A million questions poured into her brain at once. Where did this head come from? Why was this head in her mother's garden? Who would drop such a thing in the garden?

Who murdered this man, and where was the rest of his body?

She had to call the police.

She turned and started to walk back to her mother's house.

"Where are you going?"

Elizabeth's heart jumped.

"You're not just going to leave me out here, are you?" the head asked.

©2015 Brian Barr (P)2017 Brian Barr

Different!

Crazy story! Part urban legend, part romance, and part horror story. Highly entertaining, and worth every cent. I went into this story expecting a gruesome tale, and wasn't disappointed, but I didn't expect the strange and unusual twists the plot took. The narrator did a great job without detracting from the story, which is great, because it's the first time I've heard from him,but it hopefully won't be the last.

An Odd And Creepy Relationship

“The Head” is the first of three short stories in author, Brian Barr’s, the 3 H’s series. In “The Head,” a woman named Elizabeth discovers a decapitated head of a man in the garden. The man’s body is nowhere to be found. Before Elizabeth can mentally process what she sees, the head speaks to her. His name is Bill and he’d like Elizabeth not to just leave him there. What happens next begins the most bizarre romance I can think of in any book I’ve read/listened to in a very long time.

Author Brian Barr even adds a nice little twist at the end to make the story that much better. Rick Gregory does a good job of narrating this short story, Overall, all I can say is that you must experience the weirdness that is “The Head” for yourself. Finally, this audio book was provided by the narrator at no cost in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Audio Book Boom.

Atmospheric and Creepy

I have to say the audio performer really did a great job of sustaining the off-kilter vibe of the story. A woman finds a head in a garden, and the head starts to speak. She doesn't call 911, despite her initial freakout, and what develops between her and the head (who can talk, and drink, and seems otherwise pretty 'together' for a head without a body) is a relationship that might just spell doom.

The narrative voice of this short piece has a kind of drip-drip-drip of tension to it. It starts off weird, and almost a little silly at first, and the listener has at least a little amusement when considering the heroine (who isn't completely socially adept, and is, frankly, falling for a head). But that amusement fades into something that chills, then darkens and then, so gradually it's almost an unnoticed shock, steps right into a horrifying conclusion. I had no idea which way the tale would turn, and I enjoy that feeling when it doesn't feel like a cheap trick, and at no point did 'The Head' feel like a cheap trick.

So, if you're in the mood for something creepy, and atmospheric, give it a go.

An interesting beginning

'The Head' is the first book in Brian Barr's The Three H's Trilogy. The story follows a young woman, Elizabeth, who discovers a severed head in her mother's garden, which then begins speaking to her. However, despite being part of the larger story that unfolds throughout the trilogy, 'The Head' stands up well on it's own. There are still a lot of unanswered questions by the end, but it is done in such a way that you don't feel cheated. As another reviewer noted, 'The Head' is very odd, yet compelling, which is a balance I've found Barr excels at pulling off.

'The Head' is gory, mysterious, and delightfully outrageous. While not flawless, and not my favorite story from Barr, it manages to keep your attention all the way to the end and leave you wondering just what the heck is going on, but in a good way.

Rick Gregory's narration is solid, but as with much of his work I find dialogue to be his weak spot.


I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Weird But You Can't Stop Listening

The Head was definitely one strange story. A talking head even. I feel for Elizabeth in that she couldn't just walk away from the head. This audiobook was somewhat funny in a weird kinda way. It's not your typical story. I think it's originality and boldness makes it a good listen. I'd be curious to see what else Brian Barr writes.

Rick Gregory's narration was good. He spoke clearly and I think he portrayed the characters the only way possible. Anything else would've been awkward. You could hear the empathy in his voice when Elizabeth spoke. This was a good collaboration.

"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."