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Impact Winter #1
Impact Winter
"They came after the impact and the firestorms. When the sun went dark. Like they’d been there all along. Just waiting."
From executive producers of The Walking Dead and Travis Beacham, the writer of Pacific Rim, comes a heart-stopping Audible Original featuring a brilliant British cast. It’s the near future and seven years since a comet hit the earth and blotted out the sun. The world is a dark, frozen landscape. And then, beastly creatures emerge and take over. Can they really be vampires?
In the British countryside, a band of survivors forms a resistance in the fallout shelter of a medieval castle. Darcy is a battle-tested vampire hunter who is at the front line leading the charge to save humanity. Meanwhile, her younger sister Hope wants life to return normal so she can go above ground and know what it’s like to live again. And she just might be willing to risk it all.
A story of apocalypse, horror, and adventure, Impact Winter is a wholly original new saga created just for Audible with immersive 3D audio that dares you to pop in your earbuds and listen in the dark. Venture into an eternally sunless world of swords and crossbows; primal hunters and shape-shifters; leaders and lovers. Hear how a brave few fight to survive the impact winter.
From executive producers of The Walking Dead and Travis Beacham, the writer of Pacific Rim, comes a heart-stopping Audible Original featuring a brilliant British cast. It’s the near future and seven years since a comet hit the earth and blotted out the sun. The world is a dark, frozen landscape. And then, beastly creatures emerge and take over. Can they really be vampires?
In the British countryside, a band of survivors forms a resistance in the fallout shelter of a medieval castle. Darcy is a battle-tested vampire hunter who is at the front line leading the charge to save humanity. Meanwhile, her younger sister Hope wants life to return normal so she can go above ground and know what it’s like to live again. And she just might be willing to risk it all.
A story of apocalypse, horror, and adventure, Impact Winter is a wholly original new saga created just for Audible with immersive 3D audio that dares you to pop in your earbuds and listen in the dark. Venture into an eternally sunless world of swords and crossbows; primal hunters and shape-shifters; leaders and lovers. Hear how a brave few fight to survive the impact winter.
190 pages, Unknown Binding
First published February 17, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,499 reviews
May 21, 2022
Dear Impact Winter,
What are you?
You are not a book. You did not give me colorful prose or exposition. Your only words were dialog.
You are not a film. Obviously, because I listened to you.
You're what... an audio drama? It's like I turned on a movie and closed my eyes. Challenging myself to visualize what I'm hearing. To be honest, it wasn't fun. Your sound effects were loud and screechy. One time, I was listening to you while doing yardwork. You had a vampire jump out of nowhere and scared the shit out of me. The neighbors had a good laugh I'm sure. "There's Derek, screaming at his own shadow." I'm just happy my trimmer didn't break from being dropped.
In one scene, you had two characters fighting the bad guy. Do you know how to create a fight scene without words or visuals? YOU CAN'T. That's the answer. It was a jumbled mess of grunts and thumps.
I saw you advertised aggressively all over the internet, and I ignored you. But persistency pays off, you see. I was forced to watch your ad on Hulu (because I'm too cheap to pay for the ad-free version) and, I must admit, you looked mighty good. So I threw in the towel. I opened up my Audible app (at this point, my show had returned and here I am playing on my phone) and downloaded you.
Your take on vampires in the post-apocalyptic setting is quite good. I liked your characters and wish them well. I truly believe this could be a really good series in the right format.
I'll split the difference with you and call it 3 stars.
Cheers!
What are you?
You are not a book. You did not give me colorful prose or exposition. Your only words were dialog.
You are not a film. Obviously, because I listened to you.
You're what... an audio drama? It's like I turned on a movie and closed my eyes. Challenging myself to visualize what I'm hearing. To be honest, it wasn't fun. Your sound effects were loud and screechy. One time, I was listening to you while doing yardwork. You had a vampire jump out of nowhere and scared the shit out of me. The neighbors had a good laugh I'm sure. "There's Derek, screaming at his own shadow." I'm just happy my trimmer didn't break from being dropped.
In one scene, you had two characters fighting the bad guy. Do you know how to create a fight scene without words or visuals? YOU CAN'T. That's the answer. It was a jumbled mess of grunts and thumps.
I saw you advertised aggressively all over the internet, and I ignored you. But persistency pays off, you see. I was forced to watch your ad on Hulu (because I'm too cheap to pay for the ad-free version) and, I must admit, you looked mighty good. So I threw in the towel. I opened up my Audible app (at this point, my show had returned and here I am playing on my phone) and downloaded you.
Your take on vampires in the post-apocalyptic setting is quite good. I liked your characters and wish them well. I truly believe this could be a really good series in the right format.
I'll split the difference with you and call it 3 stars.
Cheers!
November 29, 2022
Thank you, GR friend Margaret who is a passionate advocate of fantasy! She encourages us all to try the genre. The one I chose, to dip my toe into the genre, is the Audible Original, “Impact Winter”. It’s tagged as being in the genres of paranormal, dystopian, post-apocalyptic. Yes, there are vampires…..I never ever thought I’d be interested in a vampire story, other than Anne Rice’s “Interview With a Vampire”. This was a sensational performance with a renown British cast. The sound effects were remarkable. The acting amazing. I found it to be an outstanding listen.
After a comet hits the earth and caused the earth to go dark, survivors find shelter in a castle. They fear leaving the castle, as there are evil vampires who are trying to take over the world. The only way to beat the evil vampires is to find an anointed one, a rare individual who can help in the battle of good versus evil. Only the anointed one can save humanity.
This is a “3D” audio, with full surround sound. I recommend using your ear buds to get the total experience. The surround sound is amazing. The acting is amazing. If I read this, I’m not sure I’d have gotten the enjoyment that I had listening to this short story. It’s just short of 5 hours in listening pleasure.
Thank you Margaret! I am now encouraged to try another fantasy audio, although I’m not sure if it will me a vampire one. I did like the fight of good versus evil. I also enjoyed the audio format. These stories are good ones to listen to. I highly recommend this Audible Original!!
After a comet hits the earth and caused the earth to go dark, survivors find shelter in a castle. They fear leaving the castle, as there are evil vampires who are trying to take over the world. The only way to beat the evil vampires is to find an anointed one, a rare individual who can help in the battle of good versus evil. Only the anointed one can save humanity.
This is a “3D” audio, with full surround sound. I recommend using your ear buds to get the total experience. The surround sound is amazing. The acting is amazing. If I read this, I’m not sure I’d have gotten the enjoyment that I had listening to this short story. It’s just short of 5 hours in listening pleasure.
Thank you Margaret! I am now encouraged to try another fantasy audio, although I’m not sure if it will me a vampire one. I did like the fight of good versus evil. I also enjoyed the audio format. These stories are good ones to listen to. I highly recommend this Audible Original!!
February 24, 2022
Absolutely fantastic listen that kept me wanting more. To be honest I still want more, I need to know what happens to all the characters I fell in love with. Truly superb imagining of the apocalypse with vampire love in there.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
August 23, 2023
Reread via audio, in preparation for Season 2 which just became available.
IMPACT WINTER is free from Audible, if you are a member.
This story is vaguely reminiscent of Brian Lumley's vampire series, because there are several types of vampires in this story.
I'm bummed that we've been left hanging at the end though, so I will look forward to more episodes.
IMPACT WINTER is free from Audible, if you are a member.
This story is vaguely reminiscent of Brian Lumley's vampire series, because there are several types of vampires in this story.
I'm bummed that we've been left hanging at the end though, so I will look forward to more episodes.
February 17, 2022
Notes:
Currently on Audible Plus
I had this one marked to read as soon as it became available on AP. New author, post-apocalyptic setting and vampires. Cool.
I feel the story was told in the wrong format. It would be better as a show short vs audio drama. There's too much noise added as atmospheric sound effects. It's screechy.
The story itself is undeveloped and relies on the reader to go with the flow. Yeah, well. The flow was: I'm bored & stupid. I'm going to go and do dumb things now. *shrug*
Currently on Audible Plus
I had this one marked to read as soon as it became available on AP. New author, post-apocalyptic setting and vampires. Cool.
I feel the story was told in the wrong format. It would be better as a show short vs audio drama. There's too much noise added as atmospheric sound effects. It's screechy.
The story itself is undeveloped and relies on the reader to go with the flow. Yeah, well. The flow was: I'm bored & stupid. I'm going to go and do dumb things now. *shrug*
March 20, 2022
This audiobook will damage your brain cells and lower your IQ. If, in order to be entertained, you really need to hear screaming, vampires crunching bones and slurping blood, and non-stop sound effects then this is the audiobook for you. Incredibly noisy and annoying, and the plot and characters weren’t interesting enough to make up for the clatter. The Anointed One - how unoriginal can you get? And, there is a cliffhanger. Fortunately, the book is free in Audible Plus.
March 3, 2022
This was pretty good. All the narrators did a great job. The story was good. It ended on a cliff hanger so I hope we get a part 2.
September 14, 2022
Top marks for voice acting and audio production. The story was fine, but nothing special. It's too short to get all that attached to any of the characters. A good listen in the car if you want something you don't have to pay too close attention to.
September 12, 2023
This is a first for me – an audio drama. The dramatization is outstanding, though the story is very atypical for me.
This is a post-apocalyptic scenario where Earth is hit by a comet and is a cold frozen place which no longer receives adequate sunlight. The central characters are two sisters – Darcy and Hope. Darcy is a vampire hunter, while Hope just wishes things would get better. The survivors face great challenges including from vampires. I am not used to vampire storylines which is quite prominent, other than the survival adventure.
The immersive audio & sound effects are amazing and the best I have heard in an audiobook. The sound effects conjure good imagery, and the actors are all very good. Though the story is not one I typically read/hear, I still largely enjoyed this audio drama.
My rating: 3.75 / 5.
The second season is also out – I am in two minds but will probably take it up in a few months.
This is a post-apocalyptic scenario where Earth is hit by a comet and is a cold frozen place which no longer receives adequate sunlight. The central characters are two sisters – Darcy and Hope. Darcy is a vampire hunter, while Hope just wishes things would get better. The survivors face great challenges including from vampires. I am not used to vampire storylines which is quite prominent, other than the survival adventure.
The immersive audio & sound effects are amazing and the best I have heard in an audiobook. The sound effects conjure good imagery, and the actors are all very good. Though the story is not one I typically read/hear, I still largely enjoyed this audio drama.
My rating: 3.75 / 5.
The second season is also out – I am in two minds but will probably take it up in a few months.
January 16, 2023
Absolutely loved this book all the characters, the urgency,danger around every corner I can't wait to see where this story is going to go completely hooked.
loved every page.
Happy Reading 📗📓📚📒📘📚📓📗📕📙📓📓📒📘📙📙🏮📘📔📒📓📚📙📖
loved every page.
Happy Reading 📗📓📚📒📘📚📓📗📕📙📓📓📒📘📙📙🏮📘📔📒📓📚📙📖
November 1, 2024
From the word go, I was gripped!
Broadcasting out from Dartmoor Inn, Devon!!! Where I LIVE!!! Made me all a giddy 😄 then the whole scenery is my home... Dartmoor.
The whole series was set on Dartmoor, Devon, and Cornwall, and I bloody loved it. Made it so easy to imagine and fun hearing names I know well.
Anyway, enough of that... audio drama is so easy to get wrong, yet this was phenomenal, in my opinion. The sound was top-notch and actually pretty gruesome at times... adding to the drama and violence. Great recognisable actors/voices. It was amazing. And just so nice to hear British accents, I've nothing against US actors/voices, but most of what I listen to is from the US, so it's nice to come home.
The story hits every possible mark for me, vampires, realistic characters, great writing, and drama. I really didn't expect much... and what I got was the audio equivalent of walking dead (but vampires).
Definitely recommended by me.
How are you going to do it?
What, save the world?
Yeah!
Easy...I'm going to kill the Queen.
Broadcasting out from Dartmoor Inn, Devon!!! Where I LIVE!!! Made me all a giddy 😄 then the whole scenery is my home... Dartmoor.
The whole series was set on Dartmoor, Devon, and Cornwall, and I bloody loved it. Made it so easy to imagine and fun hearing names I know well.
Anyway, enough of that... audio drama is so easy to get wrong, yet this was phenomenal, in my opinion. The sound was top-notch and actually pretty gruesome at times... adding to the drama and violence. Great recognisable actors/voices. It was amazing. And just so nice to hear British accents, I've nothing against US actors/voices, but most of what I listen to is from the US, so it's nice to come home.
The story hits every possible mark for me, vampires, realistic characters, great writing, and drama. I really didn't expect much... and what I got was the audio equivalent of walking dead (but vampires).
Definitely recommended by me.
How are you going to do it?
What, save the world?
Yeah!
Easy...I'm going to kill the Queen.
February 23, 2022
As one of my first full cast audiobooks Impact Winter was insane. Full sound effects it was basically a movie without the visual. The characters were on point the story was phenomenal and I found myself with goosebumps quite often. It was creepy and exciting and I cannot recommend this book enough. I am so excited to see what the sequel brings.
September 26, 2022
I thought this was awesome! Loved the whole presentation of it, the creepy sounds and special effects and whatnot. It was super fun to listen to, and I really hope there will be more to come! :)
February 17, 2022
The apocalypse has occurred by way of a comet crashing into earth. As ash rains from the sky, people rush to bunkers seeking safety. Earth freezes..
7 years later, Darcy and her sister, Hope, are some of the survivors, living in an old castle in the British countryside. Not only are they living through the apocalypse, but now they must also survive the creatures that have risen from the darkness when earth met its end.
Darcy is battle-ready. She has trained for years, and is considered one of the best hunters. Hope is waiting for normalcy to return, feeling like she has nothing to live for.
When all hell breaks loose, can the sisters still trust each other? How far will Darcy go to protect her little sister? And her community? Is there such a thing as happy endings when vampires roam the world and the earth is frozen over?
Holy shit! I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! It was intense and kept me at the edge of my seat. We do what we think is best to protect those we love that sometimes it blinds us to their feelings and their hurt. I loved how these sisters each fought for what they believed in, even if it meant they were at odds.
I hope this isn’t the only book. I hope there is more to come. It’s like listening to a movie.. the slashes of swords, the whistle of arrows, the screeching of things not human. I was fully engrossed in this book.
7 years later, Darcy and her sister, Hope, are some of the survivors, living in an old castle in the British countryside. Not only are they living through the apocalypse, but now they must also survive the creatures that have risen from the darkness when earth met its end.
Darcy is battle-ready. She has trained for years, and is considered one of the best hunters. Hope is waiting for normalcy to return, feeling like she has nothing to live for.
When all hell breaks loose, can the sisters still trust each other? How far will Darcy go to protect her little sister? And her community? Is there such a thing as happy endings when vampires roam the world and the earth is frozen over?
Holy shit! I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! It was intense and kept me at the edge of my seat. We do what we think is best to protect those we love that sometimes it blinds us to their feelings and their hurt. I loved how these sisters each fought for what they believed in, even if it meant they were at odds.
I hope this isn’t the only book. I hope there is more to come. It’s like listening to a movie.. the slashes of swords, the whistle of arrows, the screeching of things not human. I was fully engrossed in this book.
December 29, 2022
Audiobook Experience
This audiobook is a full cast book, most of the voice actors are famous actors from game of thrones and that got me really excited to read it. It's also fully engineered with footsteps, animal sounds, breathing, glass breaking and environmental sounds. It's only five hours long so it's pretty easy to get through.
This is an apocalyptic survival horror book, where vampires and humans are at war. The overall plot is fantastic, and the originality of it all really got to me. They really do portray vampires in a new way, it doesn't feel like a copy and paste of everything that has already been done. Also the fact that the entire story happens in a very desolate snowy place adds a lot to the atmosphere.
The characters are all very compelling and lovely, but the overall execution of the plot is not the greatest. If this wasn't the most over-produced audiobook in the history of mankind, I believe reading it on paper would be a little boring.
Lucky for us, the overproduction worked.
It is totally worth a listen.
This stands out so much not only because of the great voice acting and sound engineering, but I really love the way they brought something new to the vampires we are used to. All of these vampire hunters were forced to face their own hatred when one of their own gets turned, and I love how human the whole thing felt.
"There isn't a violent thought in our heads that wasn't already there before the change."
"Your heart may not beat, but it still breaks, like everyone else's."
So yeah, surprisingly romantic, filled with tons of character development and a very scientific/interesting way to look at our own human condition when facing the unknown.
It does end on a cliffhanger, it seems to be a little collection of novellas. So if you end up reading it, you might need to pick up the next physical books that are not produced in audio yet.
April 1, 2022
Fun vampire audio book. I enjoyed the full cast presentation.
February 22, 2022
1 it could’ve been great stars
I was a fan of the post apocalyptic setting & thought the story had potential. Sadly it was a rather shallow story with underdeveloped characters. The dramatizations turned out overly used making it unnecessarily noisy. I especially hated the screechy background noises. It was a disappointment all around.
I was a fan of the post apocalyptic setting & thought the story had potential. Sadly it was a rather shallow story with underdeveloped characters. The dramatizations turned out overly used making it unnecessarily noisy. I especially hated the screechy background noises. It was a disappointment all around.
October 22, 2024
This audiobook was EPIC
October 16, 2023
After seeing the Audible as available on Amazon Prime to watch/listen to for a couple weeks I thought I'd throw it on while going through some emails and other online stuff.
But I was not expecting to enjoy it so much or even continue past a few minutes of listening. However , I got caught up in it and had a good time with the characters, world-building, and storyline.
I'm bat-crazy about film and tv shows, being a lifetime Horror and Fantasy fan since I first popped into existence...hundreds of years ago my Children of the Night as you all very well know by now, blah-ha-ha! 🧛🏻♂️ 🌀 🦇
...so I knew just about every actor performing and was impressed with the collective effort.
This has a fun vampiric lore story mixed with a post-apocalyptic thriller, all set in a cold, wintery setting that somehow captures both the atmospheric elements I crave in vampire fiction + a whole edgy modern action-oriented thriller thing going on that keeps the story moving, exciting and interesting.
Think Walking Dead meets 30 Days of Night + occasional swords minus characters baking food in the kitchen (see TWD Carol), planting vegetables in the garden (see all TWD), and though there are deer there are NO appearances made by CGI deer (see deer here):
Darcy is the main character. Her sister, former commander, former crew, semi-love-interest, + vampire friends and foes make up the rest of the characters.
Darcy - Vampire Hunter(?)
There were some tense moments and even a few where I held my breath worried for a sec about a character's mortality.The few visuals added to the overall experience and think I will continue on to part 2 if it gets released on Prime.
A couple reviewers complained with "What is this?" "A book? audiobook? radio theater?" etc.,
And I can see what they're saying. This isn't really an audible or audiobook like any I've experienced reading before. It's more like radio theater but it's not exactly that either. My thoughts?: It's something new and instead of fighting that idea I just went with it.
One or more people thought a couple of characters were annoying. My thoughts?: I think at least one of them was kinda supposed to be, being young and inexperienced as they were. Plus, I didn't find the character all that annoying, myself.
*I guess this is also a video game and a comic but don't know anything about either.
August 4, 2023
I listened to this when I first got my audible and did I enjoy this! I absolutely loved it !! The accents and the acting bought this book and cast to life!
There are two strangers that enter a compound but they have a hidden agenda! When people think they are coming in peace they really aren’t. This is where the action starts I was anticipating what was going to happen next. The cliffhanger at the end of book 1 had me ready for part 2.
If you like entertainment, vampires and a twist of mythical this is the book for you !!
There are two strangers that enter a compound but they have a hidden agenda! When people think they are coming in peace they really aren’t. This is where the action starts I was anticipating what was going to happen next. The cliffhanger at the end of book 1 had me ready for part 2.
If you like entertainment, vampires and a twist of mythical this is the book for you !!
March 5, 2022
'Impact Winter' was a wonderful surprise. I'm not normally a fan of 'full cast' productions. I realise now that that's because the ones I've listened to have been adaptations of novels and I've usually preferred the original. 'Impact Winter' is different. It was conceived as a 'full cast' sound performance and it was executed with great skill.
The first thing that hit me was the quality of the sound. I felt as if I was seeing with my ears. The sound effects created not just a mood but a strong sense of place. The actors, who were all superb, sounded as if they were moving around and interacting with each other and the environment, not just standing around saying their lines into individual microphones. Then there was the music for each episode. I'm not a fan of music in audiobooks but this wasn't an audiobook, this was a play with its own soundtrack. The songs fitted the action. I love the idea of a couple of people, trapped in an eternal winter created by the dust cloud from a meteor impact, playing 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More' as part of their first attempt at a radio broadcast to the rest of the world.
The next thing that caught and kept my attention was the acting. The parts are played by people I've seen in many other things and the acting is of the same quality as a high production value television series.
At the start, I thought I knew where the story was going. I mean, it's a post-apocalypse story with an isolated set of survivors surrounded by dangerous creatures. OK, it was a vampire apocalypse and not a zombie apocalypse but I was fairly sure I knew how the tropes would play out. I was completely wrong about that. By an hour or so in, the story twisted in ways I'd never have predicted. The world kept getting more complex. The characters developed. Each episode left me surprised, satisfied and eager to know what would happen next.
I had a lot of fun with this.
The ending wasn't a cliff-hanger, the story works as a standalone, but there's ought potential for a sequel or several sequels. I hope they happen and I hope they happen soon.
Oh, and one other thing, did I mention that Audible is giving 'Impact Winter' to members for free?
I recommend you get your copy as soon as you can.
March 28, 2022
BEST AUDIO EVER! Amazing! This really scared the sh*t out of me, so I'm giving you a fair WARNING: You are risking a heart attack if you listen to it in the dark... alone... on your headphones... 😱😱😱
Can't wait for more episodes to come!
Can't wait for more episodes to come!
February 17, 2023
Final thoughts:
3 for the story, 4 for the performance
3.5 total and rounded down because this really was more like an audio drama than an audiobook, and some things just didn't work as you'd hear what was happening but not really get a clear explanation at times.
Initial thoughts:
One of the few times a Reddit ad worked on me.
Kinda disappointed it's only an audiobook, but there were a couple of audiobooks I enjoyed listening to in the past so maybe this will work for me too.
3 for the story, 4 for the performance
3.5 total and rounded down because this really was more like an audio drama than an audiobook, and some things just didn't work as you'd hear what was happening but not really get a clear explanation at times.
Initial thoughts:
One of the few times a Reddit ad worked on me.
Kinda disappointed it's only an audiobook, but there were a couple of audiobooks I enjoyed listening to in the past so maybe this will work for me too.
February 22, 2022
I give it 2.5 stars. I thought it was a real dystopian post apocalyptic world but ended up being a typical vampire story. It was done well although the sound effects were a bit screechy! The acting was quite good but the story was not up to expectations.
January 12, 2025
This was excellent. It’s the first Audible original I’ve listened to, and I really enjoyed the full cast and sounds. It brought the story to life. Wasn’t a huge fan of the fact that this ended on a massive cliffhanger, so I’m hoping that there will be a part 2.
May 27, 2022
Fantastic audible original!! They put a lot of care into this one. It’s a graphic audio/radio show about vampires taking over the world after an asteroid strike. Can’t wait for the next season! Great for a quick listen.
Oh and make sure to listen with headphones.
Oh and make sure to listen with headphones.
July 25, 2022
This is probably one of my favorite audiobooks! I loved the full cast and all of the sounds and music in the background. It really added to the overall experience.
June 20, 2022
Wow.
This was REALLY FREAKING GOOD and totally unexpected, probably my favorite thing I listened to all spring. I picked this up because Amazon advertised it to me and the little commercial snippet they made for it looked really cool, also, it was free (lol). Now that I have read it I can easily say even if this isn't the free Audible book for the month it's definitely still worth the use of a credit. Part of the appeal for this book is that it is more of an audio drama meaning that it has a full cast as well as sound effects and music for the interludes. I have listened to books like this before but they are few and far between, this one is probably the best full production that I have ever listened to.
Okay, so I have went on about the production aspect of the book but that wasn't what made the whole thing awesome, the story itself was also really cool. As an epic fantasy first and foremost reader, I tend to be let down more often than not by novellas. This book, however, was the perfect length for everything that happened. The use of the auditory queues mixed in made this short, short book extremely rich and full. By the time I was done reading everything I thought I knew was turned on its head. There was so much depth and nuance in this one little short book. It is very clear from the start that this is a vampire story so kudos to Beacham for making the vampires out to be really scary terrible predators as well.
I just finished this the other day and I have already convinced two of my "real life" friends to give this a try and both are loving it, I hope this review convinces you to pick it up as well (it's also free on Audible right now).
This was REALLY FREAKING GOOD and totally unexpected, probably my favorite thing I listened to all spring. I picked this up because Amazon advertised it to me and the little commercial snippet they made for it looked really cool, also, it was free (lol). Now that I have read it I can easily say even if this isn't the free Audible book for the month it's definitely still worth the use of a credit. Part of the appeal for this book is that it is more of an audio drama meaning that it has a full cast as well as sound effects and music for the interludes. I have listened to books like this before but they are few and far between, this one is probably the best full production that I have ever listened to.
Okay, so I have went on about the production aspect of the book but that wasn't what made the whole thing awesome, the story itself was also really cool. As an epic fantasy first and foremost reader, I tend to be let down more often than not by novellas. This book, however, was the perfect length for everything that happened. The use of the auditory queues mixed in made this short, short book extremely rich and full. By the time I was done reading everything I thought I knew was turned on its head. There was so much depth and nuance in this one little short book. It is very clear from the start that this is a vampire story so kudos to Beacham for making the vampires out to be really scary terrible predators as well.
I just finished this the other day and I have already convinced two of my "real life" friends to give this a try and both are loving it, I hope this review convinces you to pick it up as well (it's also free on Audible right now).
September 8, 2022
If its outsized promotional campaign, impressive variety of recognizable actors, and movie-level sound and audio effects demonstrate anything, it’s that when it comes to “Impact Winter” – Audible’s latest (and arguably highest profile) audio drama, the audiobook platform CLEARLY has high hopes for the long term viability of what they most certainly aim to be an ongoing franchise (to point: only earlier this summer, they also partnered with Skybound to release a tie-in comic book.). Of course, none of these grand plans will matter if either a.) reader interest isn’t there, or b.) the end product isn’t particularly good. While time will ultimately tell on the first point and whether the drama’s total “views” justify further extension of this universe, Audible likely need not worry about point #2…because “Impact Winter” – to put it bluntly – kind of rocks.
Credit mostly goes to writer Travis Beacham, of “Pacific Rim” and “Carnival Row” fame, who delivers a deft blend of post-apocalyptic mania with a cast of characters that we instantly feel invested in – all in a tidy 5 hours. It also doesn’t hurt that the production values here are through the roof – beat for beat, minute for minute, “Impact Winter” sounds and feels like a big-budget Hollywood production. It may not reinvent the wheel when it comes to vampire stories…but as a potent representation of what the sub-genre can deliver when given the resources, “Impact Winter” delivers, and then some.
Credit mostly goes to writer Travis Beacham, of “Pacific Rim” and “Carnival Row” fame, who delivers a deft blend of post-apocalyptic mania with a cast of characters that we instantly feel invested in – all in a tidy 5 hours. It also doesn’t hurt that the production values here are through the roof – beat for beat, minute for minute, “Impact Winter” sounds and feels like a big-budget Hollywood production. It may not reinvent the wheel when it comes to vampire stories…but as a potent representation of what the sub-genre can deliver when given the resources, “Impact Winter” delivers, and then some.
February 23, 2022
5 amazing stars audio
4 stars story
4 stars story
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