Reviews

Arkham County by A.K. Benedict, Guy Adams

Only show reviews with written explanations

This story, like many of the Audible originals suffers from over enthusiastic Foley work. At several points I was unable to understand the dialogue because the Foley work was just too loud.

I am by no means an authority on H.P. Lovecraft but I was able to recognize "The Dunwich Horror," "The Dreams in the Witch House," "Dagon," and "Herbert West–Reanimator." There were probably others, but those are the ones I recognized. I liked the story overall and wish that it had been produced as a traditional audiobook, but oh, well.

thepattyshack's review

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I know I wasn't a massive fan of this.

Lovecraftian horror is done best when it's mystery, slowly being uncovered, questioning if the strange happenings is the decent into madness of the characters or the world or both?

This was not that.

An in your face frankly gross at times attempt at horror this book just did not have what anything considering to be lovecraftian should aspire to.

Voice acting was fine, I don't know if I loved Stanley Tucci's rendition of a lofty above it all character or if it was just phoned in that worked somewhat?

thegoldenlady's review

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

malakmoon's review

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4.0

Despite it having several flaws, I couldn't help falling in love with the madness of the story.

stephanieanneauthor's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As a fan of the works of H.P. Lovecraft, I had so much fun listening to this audiobook. The story melds together some of the classic stories, characters, and Lovecraftian horrors - but if my tattoos are any indication, then I think you know the scenes featuring Herbert West are my favourites. And the cherry on top was that the actor (Blake Ritson) performed the role in such a way that he sounded just like Jeffrey Combs in the Re-Animator movie.

That being said, Stanley Tucci and Alex Kingston stole the show for me. Not only am I a fan of their work, but their performances were delightful. And as a horror author and avid reader, many of their lines might have been directed right at me. I felt seen.

My only complaint was that sometimes the sound effects - although well done - overpowered the dialogue. In a couple of scenes, it was hard for me to hear everything the characters were saying. And sometimes, the overabundance of sound effects meant it took me a little longer to figure out exactly who was speaking.

I would love for Audible to come out with a sequel.

shelbyboots's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

nidhogg's review

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2.0

The power of friendship in my Lovecraftian horror? It's more likely than you think! The conversations are stilted and full of exposition. Which is a problem because this is all conversation backed up only with half hearted sound effects. Also they're... explaining Lovecraft. For some reason. Maybe if this was trying to be a romantic comedy with an absurd premise it could have worked but it falls entirely flat as horror.

Has some half decent seeds of ideas for a table top campaign, but Lovecraft it is not.