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Thirteen Storeys  By  cover art

Thirteen Storeys

By: Jonathan Sims
Narrated by: Ayesha Antoine,Aysha Kala,Ben Elliot,Cloud Quinn,Jonathan Sims,Jot Davies,Katherine Press,Katie Leung,Laurence Dobiesz,Lula Suassuna,Sophie Roberts,Theo Solomon
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Publisher's summary

A chilling thriller that's perfect for fans of Get Out and The Haunting of Hill House.

A dinner party is held in the penthouse of a multimillion-pound development. All the guests are strangers - even to their host, the billionaire owner of the building. 

None of them know why they were selected to receive his invitation. Besides a postcode, they share only one thing in common - they've all experienced an unsettling occurrence within the building's walls. 

By the end of the night, their host is dead, and none of the guests will say what happened. 

His death remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries - until now.

©2020 Jonathan Sims (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group

What listeners say about Thirteen Storeys

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Good story, mostly boring writing

I will start this out by saying I have a bias for Sims' work. I am a major fan of some of his podcasts. The story itself is great. I love the concept and the characters. They've got actual substance to them and there's even trans representation that isn't the focal point of the character. it's just a brief description like with any other character which was a welcomed surprise.

Like I said, the story is great. The book itself tends to be quite boring for most of it. That's an unfortunate pattern with Sims' work, in my opinion. Great concepts but when it's not on the actual plot parts the work is very slow and boring.

The conflict and more supernatural parts of the story are well written and interesting. It's the filler bits that are duller than hell.

The performances by the narrators were amazing. Loved all of them. Although towards the very end there's some overlap with the voices that can be distracting. Still great work from all of them.

I'd still recommend it. Just know that some parts feel like they drag on for ages.

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6 people found this helpful

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A Truly Original Story

I loved the premise and the deliberate pacing of the story. My only quibble is that there were several chapters that were not as compelling to me and could have been omitted but I felt the end brought things together neatly and with a deft touch. Came here due to his work on the Magnus Archives and I look forward to more from Mr. Sims.

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Very disappointed

I bought this book because, I was a fan of the Magnus archives. He is a great storyteller, and it is well performed. The story line is just same old crap about evil rich person. I find these stories incredibly boring, there were only a few chapters that were good. When government has killed hundreds of millions of people, often in the most horrible ways possible, for fiction writers to keep hammering home that it is the rich that are the problem, blows my mind. Don’t get me wrong the villain was a bad guy, just same old story. I really expected something new from Sims.

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2 people found this helpful

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good story bad naration

i realy liked the over all story but i think i would have enjoyed reading it more then listening unfortunatly because some of the narators just couldnt seem to be able to put any emotion into what they were reading making it hard to pay much attention.

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    4 out of 5 stars

get through the beginning it's worth it

note!
majority of the story isn't performed by Jonathan Sims, which is fine. however the first few VAs are a little rough around the edged as are the first few chapters. tho the ending is worth it! just raise the speed for the first few idk

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

Beautifully woven story and a satisfying end

I was already a fan of Jonathan Sims due to The Magnus Archives podcast (go have a listen if you haven’t), so I was already set up to enjoy this work and was not disappointed. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys intricately woven takes and atmospheric tales of the supernatural.

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A Modern Gothic Masterpiece


Thirteen Storeys is an amalgamation of, as the title indicates, thirteen stories (although it is in fact a bon mot regarding the thirteen floors of a building as well) that circle around people who become in various ways roped into the will of something seemingly out of their control.

The reason I find this work to be a modern gothic masterpiece is for the literary purposes through which other gothic/horror writers have exercised the fears prevalent in society at the time of their conceptions (e.g., Frankenstein and the fear of modern science replacing God, Dracula and its overt sexuality and xenophobic tendencies).

Sims’ work excels in this very same vein — although with the “modern twist” — in its exploration of the machinations of a billionaire who is apathetic to the world at large as well as the suffering and deaths of those who he has deemed lesser than himself. The twist to which I refer is how the characters choose to react in opposition to a deal that seemingly no one could refuse.

I’ve followed Sims’s work since The Magnus Archives and find his work to be extremely interesting and compelling. I was curious to see how well executed his writing would be on his own without the production team of TMA, but found myself loving every second. I fully recommend to any horror fan. Remember patience is a virtue, give the book its due and wait for the end. You won’t be disappointed.

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highly enjoyable, well planned out,would recommend

Each time I thought I knew where the story was headed it took a turn. When it came time for the ending I was still baffled how things could end up how we knew it ultimately would, only to discover every piece of the ending had already been set up. It brought to mind dominoes where just a single motion collapses everything at once and makes you realize how connected it all had really been. Performances were incredibly solid as well and I found it very easy to keep track of the diverse cast.

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Creepy and satisfying!!

I cannot say enough good things. It was a brilliant orchestra with each character an instrument and they all got solos, but came together in the end for something truly astounding. Loved it.

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Amazing story telling!

I loved Jonny Sims'work in the Magnus Archives, and got his book going for a similar weave of complex, interlocking storytelling with memorable characters and amazing voice acting, and was certainly not disappointed! I'll be keeping an eye out for future work by this incredible author

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  • mollyeyre
  • 11-10-21

Three hours in!

I am losing the will to live! I have absolutely no idea what is going on, and even less understanding of the reviews expressed!

I find the characters so far completely unlikeable. The writing is stodgy and somehow disjointed! Time to give up I think!

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  • Maria Lund
  • 03-29-21

Perfect horror and a proper F you to capitalism

Can't recommend this book enough, if you love horror and hate capitalism! A wonderful mix between genres and it kept me on the edge of my seat, the whole way through! Perfectly splendid ending, that cured my depression! Hehe.

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  • M
  • 11-28-20

Jonathan Sims, master of fear

Excellently written, Jonathan Sims has distilled his mastery of fear and dread into thirteen short stories that, like The Magnus Archives, flow effortlessly into a cohesive whole, culminating in a ritual of pure dream logic. I adore his writing style, the performance of each narrator and the ease in which Jonathan weaves a multitude of characters into his tangled web of fears.

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  • V. O'Regan
  • 11-30-20

Atmospheric urban horror

My first experience of Sims and was impressed by how well he wove the thirteen narratives together. It worked well as a full cast audio experience

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  • Jess
  • 11-06-21

spookah

Really enjoyed this. I'm a big fan of this author already. All the narrators were great and the story telling was great. Some chapters really stuck with me and were quite creepy. Great listen.

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  • Marion G.
  • 07-22-21

Far fetched but most enjoyable

Just why would the millionaire owner of a huge apartment block, invite tenants to dinner? You will wait a very long time to find out but the narrators will take you through the maze with their own stories and it is an interesting ride. Take it all with a good pinch of salt and don't even hazard a guess at the denouement 'cos you won't get the right answer - and if you do, then your mind is way further out than mine! Loved it. Thank you Audible 'cos this is a keeper for as long as dementia is kept at bay

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  • Natalia
  • 12-22-20

An excellent and disturbing horror

Best known for the Magnus Archives podcast, Sims manages to pull together a gripping collection of tales that weave together into a greater narrative. Like a Robert Altman of terror, there are interlinked and suggested connections throughout.
As with The Magnus Archives, there's a a host of symbolism and irony within the manifestations of each narrators 'haunting'.
The ultimate story is one of accountability. It certainly is very prescient in our current climate.

The performance throughout is very high, Sims himself being a high point. the intelligent use of multiple narrators helps to round the concept out even further, and is used to great success. There is some stilted delivery here and there by one or two actors, but my enjoyment was never compromised.

Highly recommended!
I look forward to reading more of his work.

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  • Barney Slater
  • 10-11-21

Great stories told by a great cast of narrators.

The voice actors were perfectly chosen to represent the different narrators in each section, each bringing their own unique character wile maintaining an overall consistency of style. I particularly liked the Brazilian artist character, who seemed realistic while also wryly humorous. I was surprised by the amount of dark humour that came across in this skilful horror anthology with a wider social message. The sound production was also very consistent, meaning you didn't have to adjust volume between people.

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  • Neil Stewart
  • 12-24-20

A Great Listen

Great plot! really well done with a diverse and interesting cast of characters a great listen all round!

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  • Kyle
  • 03-14-23

Exactly what I hoped for

This was a great story. Creepy, complex and well acted

As a first full novel it was impressive

There were a few bits that maybe didn't work as well as they could have and the ambitious scope of so many stories and characters led to some arcs feeling unfinished but these were minor faults in an altogether enjoyable work.

Really hoping to read more work from this author in the future.

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  • Daniel Elliott
  • 12-02-20

Slow-boil Anticapitalist Horror

The book is a haunted house anthology meditating on the horrors of 21st century life, of the horrors that we don't want to see we are surrounded by and subject to and complicit in every day.

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  • Hannah
  • 11-30-20

Wildly satisfying, beautifully performed

There is a certain kind of story that fills a hole in the world, just waiting for it to come along. When you first understand its premise, you find yourself thinking, “Oh, oh yes. Of course.” It is a thing that inherently ought to exist. This horror novel is one such story. Jonathan Sims has done a tremendous job with themes that ache and pull at us all in the 21st century, whether we want them to or not, and done something with the “haunted house” genre and the horror anthology that deeply satisfies. The performances of each speaker are deeply well suited and I don’t think there’s a single actor who lets it all down; together they spin a story of complex complicity and the question of whether certain forces are or are not truly inescapable. Fans of Sims’ podcast The Magnus Archives and new readers/listeners will be equally satisfied, and audio is a particularly grand format for this writer’s particular command of writing meant for audio performance. It is BLOODY weird reviewing this on a Bezos-owned app, by the way, but I sure would enjoy it if someone happened to slip him a copy.

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  • Ming
  • 07-30-23

Jet

This story was absolutely amazing, I enjoyed every second of this wild ride. Johnathan sims is an amazing writer and it really shows here, if your looking for amazing horror then here’s the place to go!

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  • Anonymous User
  • 06-29-23

Hooked every second

I’ve read this book before and it’s just wonderful, Jonathan Sims’ work is phenomenal and his writing really pulls you into the story and keeps you wondering what happens next. I’ve listened to Magnus Archives and read Family Business and have always thought that his writing is just outstanding and I can’t wait to see more from him.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 06-27-22

creepy, sad and raw

Each new chapter reveals a new character, fully rounded with their own views of the halls and rooms of the apartment block that they call home.

interesting, visceral and occasionally physically uncomfortable.

definitely worth your time.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 04-25-22

More excellent writing

I will admit, the ending of The Magnus Archives left me adrift, in need of something new and spooky to fill that void. So when I found out that Sims had a book, I knew I had to read it. I was even more excited when I found out that the audiobook version had a full cast with him included. Sims is masterful at horror storytelling, and it is a delight to see the hidden links all come into focus as the story progresses. Highly recommend this book!

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  • Anonymous User
  • 06-04-21

Horrifically Cathartic

I usually struggle to get through books, but Jonathan Sim's engrossing writing style had me hooked. The chapters, which followed a different perspective through each one, were not as engagingly horrific as I'm used to from Jonathan Sims' previous work, but the sense of it all leading somewhere and piecing the puzzle together kept me intrigued, and it was all worth it for that climactic ending. Jonathan Sims' ability to write satisfying, lingering conclusions that feel at once electrifying and emotional is only rivalled in my mind by Damien Chazelle.

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  • Jellyhead
  • 04-04-21

a fantastic story & performance

lived up to all my MA expectations, I'll listen to this again & again because it's that good

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  • Benjamin Bradford
  • 01-07-21

Amazing

A masterpiece that is possibly Jonathan Sims' best work. a must listen if you liked magnus archives.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 12-09-20

Johnathan Sims does it again!!!!!

The magnus archives Jonathan Sims other writing brought me here, and as a huge fan of that I have to say I loved this as well.
Creepy, scary, mysterious and deeply, deeply unsettling!!!! exactly what I wanted. To top it off the story is also real real cool.
I dont know if your read your reviews Sims, if you do your a legend, and me and my mates will pretty much buy anything you make.

keep up the great work.

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