Impact Winter by Travis Beacham audiobook
I bought the audiobook Impact Winter entirely on a whim and am really happy that I did.
I read a couple of reviews to see what others thought and generally, we are all in agreement – Impact Winter is great. However, the negative reviews tended to be the result of a misunderstanding and I should clear that up straight away.
Impact Winter is not a book that is read out. It is a ‘production’, with actors and sound effects. Some reviewers complained that it was a bit like a TV show that you can’t see, which made me laugh.
Maybe they are more common in the UK, or may it’s a GenX (like myself) and up thing, but this is what is known as a ‘Radio Play’. So, going in, be aware that there are sound effects.
The Blurb
As I said, I bought this on a whim, so rather than have me explain, here’s the blurb that hooked me in:
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.
Impact Winter Review
I won’t go into too much detail, but this is a blend of an apocalypse tale, with zombie-like vampires, full-on vampires that can pass for humans, and ruling vampires that have special powers. It is a great story that explores different angles from what you might expect.
The cast and acting are superb. The writing and difference in the characters is strong enough that it isn’t confusing. The production is generally top-notch.
I have two slight negatives that are ridiculous and should not put you off. The first is that there is unnecessary music at the end of each chapter that goes on for a while. It is oddly long, like 30 seconds, for no reason. Happily, you can skip ahead, so no biggie.
The other negative is that while this is a superb story in its own right, there is a clearly a larger world going on. The story feels very much like a ‘Part One’. So, until Impact Winter Part Two comes out, this will be frustrating.
Apart from those two petty things, I loved Impact Winter. I am not even that into vampires, but this was fun, cool, and really well done. When the next one comes out I will be buying and listening immediately. Highly recommended!
You can check out Impact Winter here.
