Void Fate

After a long night of playing cards, five life-long friends: Arthur, Aram, Michael, Daniel and Harris discover that the world as they know it has drastically changed in an ominous way. People have been mysteriously disappearing for some time, but now everyone appears to be gone, including Aram and Daniel’s wives and children, and what remains are fog-like creatures with dark eyes that seem intent on finding any left behind. Furthermore, an unnatural silence and darkness have fallen over things, and mysterious “storms” appear that switch things in the physical environment every time they appear. Is this the work of aliens? Is it a rapture of sorts? Are they in a Matrix-like existence? Are they in a parallel universe? None of them know, but as they try to survive and find their way back to the real world, a different kind of darkness descends on some of these friends, and loyalties are put to the ultimate test. When a mysterious teenage boy named Erik and a young woman named Lydia show up, things are further complicated.

Sci-fi/fantasy and horror are not my usual go-to genres, so I wasn’t sure how I would respond to this. I suspected this might be a story that would lend itself well to being narrated, and I’m so glad I made that choice. This was a compelling story that I’m not sure would have registered as well if I’d just read it on the page. Matthew Raymond was the narrator, and honestly his mellifluous voice could melt butter. He did an amazing job with author Suren G. Hakobyan’s characters and story, and it was almost like listening to a radio drama, since they each had a distinctive voice and personality. Parts that may have dragged a bit for me on paper were fully alive in the listening experience.

I thought this was well-written with fully formed characters that each brought something unique to the story. Because he gave moments of insight into the long history these men have had with each other, I was far more emotionally invested in how their individual stories played out. Hakobyan has a very visual style of writing, so I could see the picture he was painting quite well and feel the bleakness of their experience, which made up for not always understanding the mechanics of their new reality. All-in-all a great listening experience and a good book for those who like the genres I stated above.

***TRIGGER WARNING: There are a couple scenes involving rape. I understand why it was used in the plot, but ultimately I wish the point could have been made differently.

★★★ ½ (rounded up to 4)

Thank you to the author who provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.