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Audie Award Nominee, Science Fiction, 2013Padlocked doors. Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches. There are some odd things about Nate's new apartment. Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn't perfect, it's livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don't nag at him too much. At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela's apartment. And Tim's. And Veek's. Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends. Or the end of everything....
Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length: 12 hours and 38 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Audible Studios
Audible.com Release Date: June 19, 2012
Whispersync for Voice: Ready
Language: English
ASIN: B008CLT0QO
Best Sellers Rank: #20 in Books > Audible Audiobooks > Science Fiction > Adventure #66 in Books > Audible Audiobooks > Mysteries & Thrillers #91 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > Science Fiction
With 14, author Peter Clines (of Ex-Heroes and Ex-Patriots (Ex-Heroes Book 2) fame) steps away from the zombie/post-apocalyptic genre and explores the roots of classic horror and mystery stories. The story starts when Nate, a guy with no girl, a lousy job and not much ambition gets a tip on an apartment that seems too good to be true. Before the ink on the lease is dry, Nate starts to notice some strange things about his new home. His new neighbors clue him in to additional oddities, from doors that are permanently locked to hidden messages in the walls to rooms whose tenants all commit suicide. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Nate and his new friends attempt to unlock the deeper secrets of the Kavach building, not knowing that the consequences of their actions could be catastrophic.14 reads like a modern appreciation of several classic themes and writers, from Stephen King to Richard Matheson to H.P. Lovecraft to, well, Scooby Doo (hey, it works). It starts out like a haunted house/whodunit type story, where you're suspicious of every tenant Nate encounters, but soon takes a turn that brings to mind King's From a Buick 8. After that, things get really interesting! It's a completely captivating story, and not just because of the underlying mystery.
I thought this was going to be a great book when I started reading it. I enjoyed the eclectic group of tenants, getting together slowly as the mystery of their building showed itself a little at a time. But by the halfway mark I was becoming frustrated by passages that were full of holes, even when I suspended my disbelief, it's always irritating when an author makes a character too stupid to be believed in an attempt to make the reader believe something unbelievable just happened. But still, good action sci-fi is hard to come by,and he's a fairly new writer, be patient, be kind. So onward I went, trying not to mind that there were red shirts in the group. And by the last quarter of the book I couldn't wait to find out how all the strange and unexpected events were going to come together, what was happening, why, how... That was where he lost me. It was just this sudden hop into a non-reality that made no sense whatsoever. And maybe I could have forgiven the strange and forbidding scenerios if the characters hadn't suddenly turned into idiots. I absolutely despised the last quarter and the ending to this book. It left me feeling cheated and upset that I had invested so much time and caring on the characters and plot. And I was angry that the author expected me to believe any people or characters would be dumb enough to do the things they did. While I felt bad, I also felt, hey, that's what they get,what did they expect, the idiots?So while the book, much too long for such a small storyline, seems to read quickly at first, it quickly becomes tedious, more so when the plot let's you down in the end. But that's just my opinion, and obviously, from the reviews, a whole lot of people disagree with me. So I guess this is one that everyone has to read to find out for themselves.
