This is from my Editor's Pick for July: I was already totally set on listening to Hell Divers II before I met author Nicholas Sansbury Smith at the 2017 Book Expo America, but I secretly freaked out when offered the surprising chance to talk to him. Hell Divers is so cool, and this second book absolutely adds to the series. Thrilling, Fast-paced, Horrifying, Awesome! At just over 8 hours, this is a book where you will find yourself wishing it were twice that length. This is an easy 5/5 although I am now saddened about having to leave as I now know that I have to wait for the conclusion. My wife had to set me straight on this one. Bray narrate his purposeful mispronunciations of the names of US cities and America, only to realize that I would have understood had I read the physical book. I was almost taken aback mid-book as I listened to R.C. Bray does an absolutely fantastic job of bringing Nick’s words to life. Go forth and read/listen! If you have read the books, I highly recommend giving the Audible narration a try as R.C. If you have, then what are you reading my review for as you already know the awesomeness that surrounds this series. If you have not listened to or read the first entry in this series yet, please do so you will not regret it. There is a new team bond formed and I can say that I am proudly a member of Team Rodgnolia. And it is all masterfully tied together through Nick’s wordsmithing skills. Relationship building, betrayal, drama, action, horror, suspense, it is all there. This entry in the series is filled with just about every thematic element I could think of. To give you an idea of what I mean, I will give you a simple quote from the book: “There is no room for mercy in the sky”. The challenge, of course, is whether or not the hive will actually make it to the surface given the drama surrounding the new pilot of the Hive. The origins of the creatures on the surface is explained in this chapter of the series and helps paint a new picture on whether or not humanity actually stands a chance on the surface. The new monsters (Vultures, eyeball creatures, and the vines) left me imagining them the story progressed and I listened to Nick’s vivid descriptions. Witnessing the evolution of Michael (Tin) from the timid boy to the commander of a Hell Diver team was like watching the child you once knew grow up into a successful adult. The issues surrounding Janga and her prophecies (I came to refer to her as The Oracle) brought about great anger later in the story. As I said above, there were several key emotional scenes throughout this story that had me angry, upset, and intrigued. Nick uses his masterful writing and descriptive talents to bring us up-to-date, 10 years later, about the status of X, the hell divers, and the other citizens of the Hive. There were times I considered slowing down the narration just to make the story last longer. I couldn’t wait to start the book and watched as I became more and more depressed as the time on the Audible app ticked down to the end of the story. This was a book that I wanted to push through as quickly as possible, but also didn’t want to finish because I know part three is some time off still. What happened to X? Where has he been? Did he even survive? I now know the answer and, to steal a quote from the Starship Troopers movie, “I would like to know more”. The opening to this book picked up right where I am certain every fan of the series wanted it to. Let me start by saying that the transition from the first book to the second was very well done. This was a sequel that was worth the wait and then some. To say that I have been anxious for the first sequel in this trilogy would be the understatement of the century. This is the series that introduced me to, and hooked me on, Nicholas Sansbury Smith’s works late last year. Josh here and oh my, what an emotional roller coaster! My favorite author’s work being read by my favorite narrator, what a ride.
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