When the Sky Falls

By: Joseph Bendoski

Narrated by: Bill Nevitt

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's Summary

What makes you believe a lie? I'm not asking how you know someone is lying. What makes you believe? Because if you don't understand how that works, then you won't know when you're being manipulated.

In 1938 the War of the Worlds hoax panicked millions of Americans, then in 1988 another fictional media broadcast convinced nearly half of Portugal that sea monsters had risen from the ocean to destroy their cities. A team of CIA agents was sent to study the aftermath of this 6th Skyfall Event in the hope that they could turn it into a weapon of war. When the team consultant turns up dead, everyone scrambles to be the last man standing: the one who will decide if or when the sky falls.

©2017 Joseph Bendoski (P)2017 Joseph Bendoski

Book 1 in the series

The story is fast paced. The suspense, intrigue and darkness builds as I continue listening to the audio. The author takes the reader right to the terrifying core of the story With a great narration, this is totally worth to listen to.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Excellent story

This is an excellent CIA/spy novel with lots of intrigue and action. Excellent character development with just enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes without getting lost. The factual events in the story are just enough to make it real. The title makes it obvious there is more to come but the ending of the story does not seem so obvious for continuation. I can see it continuing but not real sure exactly which way it should go.

Bill Nevitt does an excellent job narrating this story. His voices work well and provide distinct character differentiation. He even has one character that sounds whiny when needed but not all the time. Unlike another story I recently read where several characters were whiny all the time, even when they shouldn’t be.


I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audio book by the author, narrator, or publisher.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amazing..

This is my first intro to this author. I knew in the first few pages that this book had my undivided attention. I never reveal details in a review....just read this book and be riveted page after page.
"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Reminds me of a Dan Brown novel.

Love the high concept of a Sky Fall event. This is strengthened by the chapter epigraphs. It reads a bit like a serial, somewhat episodic in its plot. Also, the idea of the Nephilim is cool (though I didn't love that the little girl joined in). A few memorable characters too, primarily Alice. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fantastic psychological thriller

I refused to pay attention to mass media after reading this book! It totally messed with my head...lol. The premise of this book is that media can get people to do just about anything...eerily close to reality. There is a bit if dry humor and lots of action...you won’t be bored. I kept thinking of the War of the Worlds...read-listen...you will not regret it.
I accepted a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The "what if" of this novel is a scary one

When the Sky Falls is an action novel by Joseph Bendoski that keeps a fast pace while delivering the alarming message of the atrocities that can result from the intentional and malevolent perpetration of Skyfall events.

While the novel delivers relevant eye-openers and plenty of other food for thought with regard to manipulation of the public, is it a compelling story in itself? I'm still on the fence about this. It could happen, and apparently has happened, but was this story one that will resonate? Time will tell.

I guess my disappointment lies in the fact that this novel delivers non-stop dialogue and break neck action, but it offers practically no character development, unless you consider the concept of Skyfall to be its main character. We are given little to no background on, or reason to care about, any of the agents, consultants or bad guys as they are introduced into the narrative. For the first half of the book, they all seemed almost interchangeable as they explained the concepts and pitfalls surrounding Skyfall events. I could barely tell them apart while I listened to the predominance of dialogue over characterization. They seemed to serve the sole purpose of providing information about Skyfall events and the massacre the carefully orchestrated events can inflict upon a community or nation.

As for the narration, Bill Nevitt did a fine job but I believe he would be better suited for newscasts or military non-fiction. His declarative voice is too dispassionate and matter-of-fact to effectively deliver a thriller. The narrator here should be bringing the urgency and characters to life, but this comes across more like a business report.

Truth?

When The Sky Falls is very good. A lot of bouncing back and forth in time and, because I listened to this on audiobook, there were times I had a tough time keeping up. That did NOT take away from the enjoyment of the book for me. I just know that had I 'read' the book, I would have flipped back and forth to make sure I knew what time I was in. And, yes, the author gives us the dates with every time change. I enjoyed the idea of skyfall events very much. Are they real? Are they events manipulating the population? Can they be real? I don't know, but in today's world of social media and fake news, I fear this would be easier now than ever before...sheep following sheep.
This is a 'book 1', so I will be looking for 'book 2'.
Bill Nevitt is the narrator. I think he does a really good job...except on the women. To be honest, the voices he uses for the women just didn't fit the character, in my opinion. Work on the 'sexy voice' and you will have it!
If you are looking for a thought provoking book, this is the one for you!

Exciting action adventure

This book was provided free of charge in exchange for a review.

This book was the story of several groups of people who were studying events know as skyfalls. This is the large scale hysterics shown by groups of people who think something has occurred. Much like Chicken Little.

The groups were working at the effort for very different reasons and the story revolved around their interactions and the results.

It was non stop adventure filled with moments of introspection and violence. A truly exciting book that was hard to put on pause.

The narrator was very good. Very good at the various voices so they were distinguishable from each other with full understanding.

I look forward to listening to the follow on books.

Let The Mind Games Begin

Would you consider the audio edition of When the Sky Falls to be better than the print version?

No. I enjoy audio books but the print version would be just as good or better.

What was one of the most memorable moments of When the Sky Falls?

Spoiler: When Alice is torturing Miguel. It made me physically cringe. Great characters. Alice is a psycho but she's a very likable one.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Really loved the way it made you think about everything you've been taught and what you believe. It makes you evaluate yourself and the world you think you live in.

Any additional comments?

This was a great book. Very psychological and analytical so it makes you think, but the characters and the stakes keep the pace up so you want to keep reading.

Gripping thriller

Would you consider the audio edition of When the Sky Falls to be better than the print version?

Oh yeah. Listening to the story being narrated was so much better than reading the book on its own. The narrator's voice worked fantastically for this book. It created the proper ambiance and took me inside the story. The base in his voice and the clear and powerful delivery made it one of the best narrated books I've listened to in a while.

What did you like best about this story?

The premise of the book is so awesome that I couldn't wait to start listening to it right after I got it. And the book didn't disappoint. It starts strong and keeps picking up pace from there, never losing momentum. There were no dull moments. Keeping me interested throughout the length of the book is fabulous achievement for the book.

Any additional comments?

I received this book free of charge from the author / narrator / publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.