Contents
Review & thoughts on Shingles Audio Collection Volume 1
Narrated by: Cassandra Myles, Cal Wembly
Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
Release date: 10-23-18
This book is like a batshit crazy version of The Twilight Zone
Initial thoughts
It’s pretty damn weird to be honest, I wasn’t really expecting that.
I’ve listened to all the authors’ books before except John G Hartness (which I’ll now be checking out) They all have their own style, yet… this was something a little different.
Style of writing
The stories were like The Twilight Zone, not really horror but had twists kind of thing. Like anthology stories, which were incredibly unapologetic and didn’t really care if you wanted it to end on a ‘happy note’.
They all had 1 thing in common, and that was a sex shop called ‘Hello Titty’. Other than that, yes, they were all classic anthology stories with a common motif of being weirdly messed up than the original stories.
‘The Ghost of Hooker Alley’ by Robert Bevan, wow…the very 1st story. Was not expecting that.. the characters.. well, it was quite a journey. And that kind of set the tone for the others. At the same time, if you’ve read Robert Bevan’s Critical Failures books…I guess you should be expecting it.
Narration/ Performance
The narrators are great, the male narrator really sounded like Kirby Heyborne from Fred The Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes.
I even thought I heard the characters of Fred & Albert.
I was really surprised to hear that it wasn’t.
Cassandra Myles who does the narration for the 1st book is great however only seems to narrate that book.
The stories that you get
The Ghost of Hooker Alley by Robert Bevan
A naïve brother & sister set out to get rid of their mums boyfriend only to find a dead hooker in the alley, whose ghost comes back to help them….sort of… in their quest.
Where would you know Robert Bevan from?
He wrote the Critical Failures series. A group of young adults that are absorbed into a board game with hilarious & often disgusting results.
The Monkey’s Penis by Steve Weatherall
A weird & over the top retelling of ‘The Monkeys fist/ paw’ story. Of course everything goes wrong, what to what extent.
Very funny in the fact that it’s incredibly disgusting.
“Because at that moment, I knew I was winning like a pervert at a Japanese comic convention”
Where would you know Steve Weatherall from?
He wrote The Totally Legend of Brandon Thighmaster
Gary’s Children by Rick Gualtieri
The story seems to be about masturbation addiction. It’s pretty detailed.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this story is hailed & showcased by some kind of Catholic anti-abortion foundation as a horror story to ‘scare people straight’.
Where would you know Rick Gualtieri from?
Rick Gualtieri wrote the highly recommended series Bill the Vampire.
Aliens Wrecked Our Kegger by Drew Hayes
Some college kids preparing for a Kegger (drinking party) has a few of their kegs stolen by aliens, for which they must challenge them to a series of drinking games if they want their property back …and escape with their lives.
This was probably the most tame of all the stories. Drew Hayes is one of my favourite authors, however I almost felt disappointed with this story.
Spells, swords and stealth t-shirt referenced.
Where would you know Drew Hayes from?
Drew Hayes books
So many things, but most notably the Super Powereds series & the Fred the Vampire Accountant series. He’s also written many spin-off books, stand-alone books and basically whatever he publishes next, I will get.
One of my favourite authors.
Zombies Ate My Homework by John G Hartness
A group of kids combat zombies with sex toys.
Where would you know John G Hartness from?
I’ve personally never listened to any of his books, but I will be starting the Bubba the Monster Hunter series fairly soon. This author has a load of books, just check out the link. Nothing I can recommend, only because I haven’t yet started listening.
The Legend of Jimmy Head Shot by Rick Gualtieri
A guy that’s been prepared for the zombie apocalypse for a while and cares only about survival, even before his family.
Including smothering his mum and dad in their sleep in case they don’t improve their zombie killing skills.
It sounds like the author has thought about a zombie apocalypse a lot and how he’d deal with it realistically.
Seems like trying to do as many one liners as possible.
Rick Gualtieri is the only author here that wrote 2 stories for the same Shingles volume.
They’re all part of the Author & Dragons group. A group of guys (who are all science fiction/ fantasy writers) who get together and play Dungeons & Dragons.
https://www.authorsanddragons.com/ (this is a fan made website, but its very comprehensive & I’m pretty sure has the support of the authors themselves)
They have their own podcast where they get into character, and in character talk absolute shit and get themselves into horrific sequences of events due to how they choose to react to things.
I myself haven’t listened to the podcast because I haven’t played Dungeons & Dragons, but with all these books that I’ve listened to about similar topics… I’m definitely more interested to have a go at this. I feel like this might have been something I missed out on in my childhood. It sounds fantastic.
Oh and there’s plenty of drinking involved.
Here’s the link to the podcast too. https://www.authorsanddragons.com/podcast
Recommendation
The stories are kind of funny, but in a nervous… ‘Should I be laughing at this?’ kind of way. Overall pretty decent, although not as good as the author’s individual books.
Yet if you’re a fan of this group, then it’s definitely worth a listen.
Recent Comments