Thunder, AZ

By: Ari Loeb

Narrated by: Matt Caplan

A bloodstained love letter to the American Southwest.

When college student Jimmy Johannsen returns to his small hometown to mourn the death of his sister, the last thing he expects to find is a nuclear holocaust. This colorful strip of Navajo desert, once his humble home, has erupted in chaos, and strange rumors shudder through what remains of the town.

Now, with his shocked, hayseed mother under his arm, Jimmy must defend himself against a storm of horrors, as well as the wrath of the town's dwindling survivors, whose history adds up to a deadly sum of guns, conspiracy, and bad blood. Will Jimmy and his mother escape the harrowing desert and find safety?

Welcome to Thunder, Arizona - a small town with a big secret. Beneath its blackening skies, evil lies in wait.

Ari Loeb is a Los Angeles-based writer and stuntman, specializing in creature horror such as Zombieland: Double Tap, Fear the Walking Dead, and the Resident Evil video games.

©2021 Ari Loeb (P)2021 Ari Loeb

Gripping story fantastically read

So many twists and turns in this apocalyptic thriller. Every time I thought I knew where it was going, I was surprised to find out how deliciously wrong I was. Matt Caplan’s narration perfectly captured the spirit of this gritty action film of a book.

Fun and Well-Written Pop Horror - Great For Audio

A fun and twisted horror romp, perfect for audio consumption. Like so much of Stephen King’s work, Loeb’s story and characters here seem to lend themselves to dramatization, and the narrator is truly excellent at making it come to life. His performance is energetic and nuanced but never over-the-top. Easy and fun listening. I really enjoyed it. If you’re in the mood for some pulpy and well-written pop horror, I’d recommend this one.

Fantastic First Novel- I look forward to more!

Ari Loeb's story is captivating and kept me engaged in both the written and audio formats. The novel is creative and original, and definitely pulls the reader in. The twists and turns kept me engrossed, but although he did bring a natural conclusion to the story, it definitely left me wanting more. This is good in that I look forward to reading his future works, as he's already such a talented author, but it is a bit frustrating for the reader as there are several extremely intriguing story points that are never concluded or explained. Perhaps we'll see spin offs or a sequel in the years to come!

I hope there will be a 2nd Book!!!

I really like this book I really hope there is a second book maybe a third book even but it's 2023 and it's been a while since the book was released in 2021. every 6 months that goes by I get a little more discouraged. I finally finally finally found a book that I absolutely adore and I think it's not going to have a second book I'm going to keep listening to the first book over and over again I love that Arizona is the backdrop I live here in Arizona and it feels arizona-esque that's why I love the story so much it just shows that the author has his fingers on the pulse of Arizona he made a great new Name for a new Town in Arizona.

Enagaging and excellent narration

For fans of Steven King, this was a new voice in horror novels. The story line was engaging, never dull, and kept you on your toes. I loved the author’s writing style - brutally raw and real but with overlays of beautifully written prose. It was a writing style I thoroughly enjoyed and was made even better by the narrator. He was a pleasure to listen to. All in all, this was a great read and a must-read for horror fiction fans!