The Leviathan Effect

A Thriller

De: James Lilliefors

Narrado por: Rebecca Gibel

Homeland Security Secretary Catherine Blaine receives a frightening communication from a hacker identified only by the pseudonym Janus. The message is the latest in a series correctly predicting natural disasters around the world - disasters that, Janus claims, were manufactured, not natural at all. And, according to the email, unless the United States does as Janus instructs, another disaster is coming - a Category 5 hurricane that will hit the Eastern Seaboard and destroy the lives of tens of millions of people.

Unaware of the crisis in Washington, investigative journalist Jon Mallory stumbles upon a list of seven prominent scientists who have been murdered over the past dozen years. When the person who gave him the list disappears, Jon realizes he has unwittingly become part of a deadly chain of events and contacts his brother, private intelligence contractor Charles, for help. Meanwhile, Catherine Blaine has also come to Charles for help in tracking down Janus and uncovering the frightening new weather technology that threatens the world.

©2013 James Lilliefors (P)2013 AudioGO

Good Book - Terrible performance by narrator

The narration was so bad it was hard to get past that element to enjoy the book. This is one I wish I had read rather than get the audio book. Not only did her voice not fit, she had so many mis-pronunciations and bad accents that is was very distracting. Her butchering of the word archipelago is still stuck in my mind.

Stormy TImes ahead!

Where does The Leviathan Effect rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Right smack dab middle. An interesting concept, relatively well executed but with a number of by now well worn cliches.

Example: ( green eyes??? I can't count how many BOT I have listened to where at least one of the main characters have green eye, and yet the instance of green eyes in the general population is roughly 2 % COME ON!!! )


Example: Main characters having sex in the middle of the a pending disaster. Once again, the classic cliche.

Example: Bad guys turn out to be connected to Russian mafia. Um...OK. Original thought.


In spite of the Cliche Greatest Hit world tour, this one is not bad. mainly for it's deep research into weather and climate modification, and the impact on society.

The performer keeps it all straight and rolling along nicely as well.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

LOSE THE FRICKIN' GREEN EYES WILL YA!

Have you listened to any of Rebecca Gibel’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not that I recall, but I would. She keeps the characters lively and diversified voice wise enough to be compelling.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Never done it, unlikely to in future. Maybe on a slow boat to some distant land. Or prison.

Any additional comments?

Worth running this in the background. Bring your raincoat.

Interesting story but narrator mispronunciations

What made the experience of listening to The Leviathan Effect the most enjoyable?

This was a good story. It had just enough factual information to make it believable and worth the listen.

What did you like best about this story?

Good story.I love a good storm but the idea that they can be manufactured is chilling.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Janus (the Roman god of doorways) was mispronounced throughout the story and it made it annoying each time she said it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to this book on a long drive and I wanted to hear how it ended.

Any additional comments?

Narrator should ask how to pronounce something if she is not sure...she pronounced Janus ya-noose---I wan't even sure what she was saying at first.

Typical mystery

This written like the author just graduated from school. It has all the parts to tie the story together. Being a South Floridan, I found the total lack of hurricane knowledge very frustrating. Category 5 storms are NOT !20 mph. Other parts were also poorly researched, Also,lots of cliches; THE narration was very well done & saved the book fo me..

Interesting, current and a very good thriller

Where does The Leviathan Effect rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 25%

What did you like best about this story?

The discussion of the impact of human intervention on the environment through the lens of a particular 'natural' disaster was very interesting. I appreciated that the author created a 'thriller' to elucidate the many layers of significance. The characters and plot were very entertaining.

Have you listened to any of Rebecca Gibel’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to any of her performances before. I definitely enjoyed this performance: the many characters were distinctively voiced and the dramatic settings were even more vivid in the 'speaking'.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There wasn't a particular moment; however, I continue to think about the hallucinations experienced by several characters at the height of the 'unnatural' natural disaster.

Any additional comments?

I definitely enjoyed this book and recommend it as a fast-paced thriller with a highly charged twist.