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Double Review: The Usurpers and The Unnamed

Updated: Oct 25, 2020


Synopisis:

Science fiction often speculated about whether aliens might walk the Earth masquerading as human beings. Jerry Wolfe discovered it was true. He had seen the aliens in their actual form. He must be high, you say. Don't laugh! Your best friend is one of them. Discover what happens when a handful of brave men and women decide to pit their puny forces against the might of Earth's secret masters and the governments they control! You will find romance, action, and daring speculation in this lost classic, in its first ever audiobook publication.


Review: The Usurpers by Geoff St. Reynard 29/8/20


Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.


As someone who grew up reading the works of John Wyndham, the synopsis of this book really appealed to me as it reminded me strongly of such tales as Day of the Triffids and Chocky.


The story is very clever as we experience the story of several different people all learning of the existence of alien or interdimensional beings 'riding' human puppets and living amongst us and how they start to work against them while avoiding discovery and capture.


While quite short at only 4 hours or so, the story runs its course smoothly with many tense moments and there is little more to say about the book itself and would add that the narrator David Bufton does a wonderful job of giving each character a personality and style of their own, be them male or female.


All in all it is a great little story with some brilliant imagery and a story that made me think of the 80s classic They Live.





Synopsis:

Victorian London night: A lamplighter discovers the body of a very old man lying dead in an alley. Scotland Yard calls in the eminent physician Dr. Conan to determine the cause of death. The brilliant and opinionated Conan is often consulted by Scotland Yard. But his sometimes unorthodox solutions frequently have him butting heads with incredulous Yard officials. Despite the man's apparent age, Dr. Conan determines that the victim is no older than 30 and died as the result of rapid aging.


Together with his younger assistant Dr. Archibald “Archie” Hastings and Hastings' woman friend, the enigmatic, independent Gwyneth Rogers, the three begin an investigation that will carry them from the glittering mansions of the wealthy to the squalid hovels of the poor to the darkest heart of Victorian England. What they find will lie far beyond the boundaries of science and medicine and bring them face-to-face with terrors believed by the average Victorian to belong exclusively to the realms of myth and fiction.


Review: The Usurpers by Stephen Brooks 29/8/20


Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.


Living in the UK I have grown up with period crime dramas and have enjoyed everything from Sherlock Holmes to Ripper Street and this book sounded right up my (dark) alley.


I begins with a foreward by the author announcing his having never been to England and how his knowledge of London (Victorian or otherwise) being derived from literature. Given how he has successfully nailed it I admit I am pleasantly surprised by this fact!

While Arthur Conan Doyle's stories all have an underlying mystery of the paranormal but never take a step over the line, this story leaps over the line right from the onset with the death of a man via rapid ageing.


The story is well paced with interesting characters, many of whom have their own vices which is a staple of many such Victorian-era novelisations and this helped to add a great sense of excitement to the tale.


About a third of the way through the 6 hour book, the name of a possible suspect is given and the choice of name was, in my opinion, bad. It's akin to calling a Vampire Dracula or a Scientist Dr Jekyll and totally destroyed any sense of building tension or mystery and, from that moment onwards, it became a matter of waiting for the inevitable end as all perceived suspense was lost.


This decision was a real shame as until that moment I was really enjoying the story and was very interested in the interaction between the characters but I believe that for some who may not recognise historical names it could still be a fantastic read.


For me, I won't be revisiting this book but I will certainly be watching for another book in the same vein by Stephen L Brooks and equally will be checking our more of Alex Lancer's narration as he does a fantastic job of narrating all roles in the story, both male and female.


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