On the reviewers block this time: Disordered Minds written by Paul S. Huggins and narrated by David Ayers.
Synopsis: (From audible.com listing) The blurred lines between reality, imagination and the ethereal can be very fine. These six short stories test the limits. A disturbing letter, an extreme phobia, a calculating psychopath, a woodland hunt, a lonely hotel, and a search for family all feature in this dark compilation.
Thoughts - Story: Six short stories in the spirit of The Twilight Zone, or maybe The Outer Limits. The stories are most assuredly not main-stream tales, but more like the twisted rantings of a madman. And I mean that in a good way really. Somewhere between Poe, King and a bit of Rod Serling tossed in for good measure. Certainly creative and entertaining, but nothing overly horrifying. I enjoyed the stories. Author Paul S. Huggins has a true talent for this genre of storytelling, and seems to have a good grasp on writing calculating psychopaths and twisted, disturbing plot lines. And I mean that in the best possible way!
Thoughts - Performance: Not bad at all. David Ayers has talent, his delivery however, was a bit uneven. At times he was spot on, at others, seemed like he was unsure of what he was reading. He also rushed the pace in places that, in my opinion, shouldn't have been rushed, creating a bit of a disjointed feel to the reading. With is natural British accent, he lends an air of sophistication to the narration. With some coaching and practice, I can see Mr. Ayers excelling in audiobooks.
Thoughts - Technical Production: Well, now for the part of the review that most people won't even pick up on. Mr. Ayers, while possessing talent as an actor, has some problems with the technical side of audiobooks. An problem that plagues many narrators (myself included) who have gone to great lengths to overcome is the dreaded mouth noises. Pops, clicks, lip smacks, all the obscene noises that, when noticed, can really eat your brain away! Unfortunately, Disordered Minds has a plethora of these little devils. Also, I heard, not just once, but on several occasions, external noises, like a slight hum from time to time, loud rumbles (as if a vehicle was passing by, or perhaps the narrator bumped the mic stand creating the noise) and once, I'm not 100% positive, but I could have sworn I heard either voices or very low music playing (keep in mind I listen with studio headphones). Also, the audio seems overly processed. That is, perhaps too much compression, filters or maybe even gating is used to process the final audio, which can leave it sounding very mechanical and unnatural. The volume levels seem a bit off as well. One section is perfect, then the next is really loud. The peaks (the sections of audio that are louder then others, like when someone says a word that may have a tad more power to it) were off as well. In fact, almost to clipping levels (where the audio tends to distort). Now, it may sound like I'm nit-picking, but as a narrator I pick up on this stuff, and it does tend to take one out of the narrative. All things that are easily overcome with some training, or perhaps by outsourcing the editing/mastering to a qualified audio engineer.
Final Thoughts: All in all Disordered Minds is an enjoyable listen with the exceptions I listed above. For most people, those technical issues won't be an...well, an issue, but I'd love to see Mr. Ayers correct these things so he can excel in the business as I'm sure he can. As for the stories themselves, yep, I envision a great future for Mr. Huggins. He's a talented and creative writer.
Disordered Minds is now available on audible.com and iTunes.
Rating:
(Rating Scale is 1/2 to 5 stars)
