The Weller

By: Adam J. Whitlatch

Narrated by: A.W. Miller

Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Matt Freeborn is a weller, one whose job is to seek out the most valuable commodity in the wastes: clean, potable water. The weller's precious cargo makes him a prime target for attack from savage road pirates, grotesque mutants, ravenous cannibals, and ruthless private armies. Armed with his trusty sidearm, the Well Digger, Freeborn is fully prepared to handle any of these terrors, but there are still things even the weller fears: the bogeymen of the wastes...distillers.

©2013 Adam J. Whitlatch (P)2015 Adam J. Whitlatch

Better than “The Gunslinger”

I didn’t listen to this audiobook: I consumed it voraciously, having sat on it for far longer than was appropriate for how good it was. Matt Freeborn, in many instances, reminded me of Roland from Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” — the principle difference being that I actually really liked Matt. The environmental and political messages were well done, even if they traded subtlety for the no-nonsense bluntness of an apocalyptic novel, and the banter between Matt and the people he encountered in the wastes was perfect, parched snark in the desert. If you’re a fan of science fiction, post-apocalyptic settings, or body horror of any kind, then “The Weller” is the book for you. My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer.

Hoping for Book 2....

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, much of the land is a waste. Food, water, shelter, and decent people are in short supply. Matt Freeborn lost his parents young and his granpa raised him to be a Weller, one who can find clean water. While his existence with his granpa is tough, there is also joy satisfaction in it. Sadly, that won’t last because this is a book about how Matt gets scammed and beat up and shot and left for dead. He’s in for a tough time of it.

There’s lots that I really liked about this book, and one thing I didn’t care for. So, let’s get that out of the way – Dude! Where are all the women? You can’t repopulate the world without women! There’s several no-name ladies scattered throughout the book and one (count her exactly – 1) woman named Phoenix who has a plot relevant role. I want more women in this gritty, harsh world. The author can write female characters, as he proves with our lone female character or note.

This book was a joy to read. It had that mix of action, and desperate every day fight to live, and the nostalgia of better days lost. Our hero, Matt, is quite a mess. He’s decent enough, given the circumstances, but he’s going to make some bad decisions that give him a world of hurt. I really enjoyed that not all went his way all the time. I like to watch the heroes suffer and fight for what they want, and of course, overcome and be victorious. However, in this water barren world, ‘victorious’ might only get you a tiny tub bath of cold, undrinkable water.

I’m really hoping the author returns to this world and gives us another book. He’s created this rich backdrop in which we could have more adventures, with or without Matt. I’m sure the Distillers (folks who aren’t above stealing water out of people) have an interesting story or two to tell. They were quite chilling and ruthless in this book.

I received a copy of this audiobook at no cost from the author (via the Audiobooks GoodReads Group) in exchange for an honest review.



The Narration: A. W. Miller was a good choice for this book. He had this kind of old cowboy voice that was full of gravel for Granpa. I also liked his younger voice for Matt. He did a great job of getting Matt’s emotions across.

Like Reading an Action Movie!

The storyline was engaging and exciting, pulling me along effortlessly. I kept thinking through the whole thing that this would make one heck of a Mad Max movie - plenty of excitement and car chases and close calls and daring rescues.

The audio did start out a bit quieter than expected, but evened out after a little while.
Narration was smooth and pleasant, with just the right skin-crawliness for the mutants. Ugh! Only a few oddly pronounced words, easily forgotten.

Looking forward to the next one!

Even better!

I have to say, this still isn't my favorite genre of story, but I really did enjoy listening to it more than reading it! I had fun with this!

A Unique Post Apocalyptic/Dystopian Read!

The cover initially drew me in for this book, but it was the description that hooked me. The idea that water is a thing that isn't freely available was fascinating.

Matt Freeborn is a Wellar. It's his job to find clean water in a world devastated after a nuclear war. It's a thankless and deadly job. He is constantly on alert for road pirates, cannibals, mutants and even private armies, but the one thing he dreads above all are the distillers. These "people" literally drain whatever water a body holds and uses that as their water. Matt has never encountered these but on his current journey, he not only faces them, but he has to escape from them.

This. Was. Freaking. Awesome!!!! Not at all what I was expecting but absolutely brilliant. I love anything post apocalyptic or dystopian and this has a bit of both in it. It's also a really unique and entertaining story. I loved the overall Mad Max feel of the desert chases with the pirates, they were action packed and engrossing!

The plot was interesting and gripping. I absolutely hated the distillers yet they sent a shiver down my spine every time they were mentioned. They are a terrifying and quite disgusting thought but it added to the overall feel of the book.

The characters are all well written and developed and I loved each one. Matt is a no nonsense, kick ass man with a very cool weapon! He doesn't take any prisoners and isn't afraid to do what's needed!!

Everything about this entertained me and I really really hope we see more set in this world and these characters. It's a fast paced and delightful read and one I'd recommend highly!!

A.W. Miller did a great job with the narration. He had the right tone at the right time and was able to ramp up the tension when needed. I will have to check out more by this narrator!

*I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review, via Audio Book Blast. This in no way affects my thoughts."

A W Miller - narration

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

The only other audio book I have ever listened to has been the Narnia series. This reading ranks up there for me. It was very well done.

What other book might you compare The Weller to and why?

I haven't listened to or read enough to adequately compare this book to others. My life has been so focused on school, reading technical journals, etc.

What does A.W. Miller bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A W Miller's voice was smooth and calming. Yet, he gave life to the characters. Although within his characters, at no time did I think, "I can't wait for you to finish this character's dialogue and move on." I would look for other books narrated by Mr. Miller simply because I'm familiar with his reading style, tone, and delivery.

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

I wanted to, but time constraints prohibited it.

Any additional comments?

Great job.

worth reading

A well written post-apocalyptic story that leaves me wanting to read more about the characters.

If it wasn't for the engaging story, I might not have finished listening. The quality of the narration is not up to most of the books on audiobook. There is an obvious switch between equipment at points all through the fist half of the book. I understand the recording process is not exactly a walk in the park...but the edits are obvious. There's a different timbre from one sentence to the next at some points.

In addition the way the characters are voiced becomes muddled at times, certain secondary characters voice quality shifts. It became distracting to listen to.

what in the post-apocalyptic world...?!

welcome to the future, where water is more precious than life itself. phenomenal, exhilarating, raw!

A Fast-paced, Action-filled Dystopian Western

One of the few audio books I struggled to hit pause on in awhile. I just wanted to keep listening! This book reminded a bit of the Mad Maxx movies, but with a lot more humor and just as much action. Whitlach has a great knack for imagery and Miller does different voices for each character. Between the writing and performance, the characters come to life.

Looking for book 2

What made the experience of listening to The Weller the most enjoyable?

I really liked the story line. I thought it was interesting to listen to. Mark is a Weller. A Weller finds clean water for people after a nuclear war. It's a dangerous life for the Weller's on the road always looking for clean water and trading with the people that are left from the war. Mark has many run ins with the people he comes across. So the book never seems to really slow down.
This is a great book. I recommend listening to the Weller. Hopefully the author makes this in a series.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Weller?

When Mark had seen his friend in trouble and decided to enter into the fight to one save his friend. Than after to help his friend. Things got very crazy for a while. I was on edge when they were captured by the distillers.

What about A.W. Miller’s performance did you like?

Great voice for The Weller. I don't think I've heard another of A W Miller's performance's before. So this was new and different to me.

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

When Mark runs into cannibals with his grandfather. I was sad that he was losing his grandfather but I felt his need to fight and take care of business when he got away from the cannibals.

Any additional comments?

I was provided this audio book at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com