Hike up Devil's Mountain Author: Penny Estelle Narrator: Wayne Farrell

Hike up Devil's Mountain
Author: Penny Estelle
Narrator: Wayne Farrell
1 hour 28 mins
Publisher: Solstice Publishing
Young Adult

Hike Up Devil's Mountain
Author: Penny Estelle

Narrator: Wayne Farrell

                                                                   

Narrator, Wayne Farrell, exceeds himself in reading Hike Up Devil's Mountain. Mr. Farrell does some  outstanding variations of voices and convincingly represents the different boys personalities and ages. I laughed when I heard him croak out words in his frog voice, it truly was sensational. Farrell manages to capture the creepy mood and skillfully negotiates between anticipation and fear. It was wonderful the way he steps up the pace to maintain the tension and excitement as the boys face terrifying events on their trek up the spooky mountain. He makes you hold your breath in fearful excitement, and exhale in relief. Words can not describe what a fantastic job Farrell does to increase the fear factor, entice out every nuance and notch it up to and exciting pitch. Hike Up Devil's Mountain, showcases how very talented a narrator Wayne Farrell is.

Hike Up Devil's Mountain, is a short story, only an hour and twenty eight minutes, but every
minute of the story is action packed and full of adventures, mystery, magic, and excitement, all things we know ten year old boys are searching for and thinking about. Andy a typical ten year old does what we expect a boy will do, disobey his parents. The temptation of a neighboring abandoned house is more than Andy can resist. Entering the eerie dank basement, shaking with fear he cautiously explores and finds a small box with a shinning stick inside, he is surprised it glows but it doesn't burn or feel threatening

Unexpectedly, the bully Jason and his brother Danny, show up and Jason taunts him. Andy tries to spoof Jason and tells him the building is being turned down because the witch that lived there was banished to Devil's Mountain. Jason isn't buying it and notices the glowing stick in Andy's hand and tries to wrestle it away from him. Andy is not going to let his new found treasure go easily and is going to fight hard to keep it. A bit of name calling causes some unexpected events and suddenly the tables are turned and a now transformed Jason is no longer a threat to Andy but a problem. Harmless, as a toad now, Andy and Danny try to figure out how to turn Jason back into a boy. They have decided the glowing stick is what turned Jason into an ugly toad, but it's not glowing any longer and try as they might they can't make it glow or turn Jason back into himself.

Getting panicky and very scared they settle on having to go up Devil's Mountain and find the witch. They are convinced she is the only one that can take the spell off of Jason and turn him back into a boy. With a complaining Jason in Danny's pocket they set out on the scariest journey of their lives.
I highly recommend this audio book to anyone age 8 and up. A wonderful listen for a parent(s) to enjoy with their youngster. It might be a bit too scary for under the age of 8 but thoroughly enjoyable up to grandma's age. I loved this book, it was fast moving, well written and Wayne Farrell added a lot of flavor to it.

You can listen here https://soundcloud.com/wayne-farrell-narrator to some of Wayne Farrell's other audio book clips. I bet you can't listen to just one.

And They Called Her Spider, Michael Coorlim Narrator: Wayne Farrell

And They Called Her Spider
Michael Coorlim
Narrator: Wayne Farrell
56 minutes

And They Called Her Spider

Narrator: Wayne Farrell

Wayne Farrell is a master at sounding incredibly spooky, you just know from the get go that this is going to be a spooky, weird, and spine chilling story. I love his accent and the timbre of his voice. He truly has a voice and talent you will never get tired of hearing. Each book he narrates is singular and exceptional. I always look forward to a book he is narrating whether its my favored genre or not. I especially love the twisted or creepy ones as no one except perhaps Vincent Price is competition for Wayne Farrell.

And They Called Her Spider a Steampunk short story by Michael Coorlim, will please any steampunk fan. Set in an alternate Victorian Age, detectives Bartleby the savant and the inventor, Wainwright, are hired to find and destroy or at least capture the mad serial killer that seems to appear and vanish in the blink of an eye. The Spider manages to kill people with the highest of security and the most visibility. How does she do it? Can Bartleby and Wainwright catch the Spider before the Queen's Jubilee?
This is a rather short story full of intrigue, excitement and above all the strange and quirky. Wayne Farrell does this story justice in a big way, making every nuance sparkle. Look at that sweet and kind face of Wayne Farrell, who would suspect him of having such a voice.

Deborah Goes to Dover by Marion Chesney, Narrator: Helen Lisanti

Deborah Goes to Dover
M. C. Beaton writing as Marion Chesney
Narrator: Helen Lisanti
5 hours 30 minutes
AudioGo producer

M. C. Beaton Writing as Marion Chesney

Helen Lisanti, Narrator

Narrator Helen Lisanti once again does a credible and outstanding narration of Marion Chesney's The Traveling Matchmaker Series. Ms. Lisanti expresses the characters just as I imagine they might sound and does the changes of gender and age so well that you will never lose track of plot or the personalities. I give double applause for her correct pronunciation of wifery. Helen Lisanti has a lovely soft and rolling voice that is still capable of producing the voice of a shrill, impudent miss, or the affectionate tones of a lover. All in all, Ms. Lisanti gives an enjoyable listen and is a hit in my book. You can rest assured that any audio book she is narrating, will be an excellent listen. I have enjoyed the four books from Marion Chesney, in the Matchmaker series, and my pleasure has been enhanced immensely by a fine narration.

Matchmaker Miss Hannah Pym, had a close call in losing her beloved to a Miss Sparecroft. When that fell through, instead of sighing with relief she is fretting about Sir George being vulnerable to any pretty face that sets her cap on him. Finally in love at last, it isn't bringing her the joy she might have hoped for. Sir George is above her station in life, making a match with him nearly unreachable  she having been his deceased  brothers housekeeper.

Miss Pym, has hopes and one can't dictate the vagaries of the heart. It does seem clear from the previous books that Sir George, is rather smitten with Miss Pym, and enjoys her tales of adventure when she travels on the flying machine. The flying machine being the stage coach in 1800. So off on a new adventure to Dover she goes, although with a heavy heart, she knows her adventures amuse Sir George, and it is her link to maintaining a relationship with him.

The passengers on the Tally Ho coach are a bit of a disappointment to Miss Pym, they appear a drab lot, not promising much in the way of interest or adventures. When the Tally Ho, left for Dover the weather was sunny and fine, but once on the road a day or two it turned chilly and rainy. not a good time to travel in a stagecoach when the rain turns the meager roads into muck.

When the coachman has a burst of recklessness, he fans his team of horses and urges them to racing speed, when a return coach from Dover looms before him. Collision is unavoidable and the Tally Ho, topples over into a ditch. After rescue they are taken to the Crown Inn, where Hannah falls sick with a fever and her footman Benjamin takes care of her, then disappears. Frantic to locate him and worried some evil befell him, she learns that Benjamin has run up a higher gambling debt than any previous ones.

Benjamin is more resourceful that she gave him credit for, when she locates him in a neighboring town just about ready to fight the unbeatable Randal. The purse is big, the town is full, and excitement is high in anticipation of the prize fight. Hannah Pym meets Lord William Weston and his twin sister Lady Deborah at the fight and although there seemed to be slim pickings for a matchmaking event with her fellow travelers, the chance meeting with the twins proves to be more fruitful with Lady Deborah.

Deborah a hoydenish tomboy is promised to marry an older man and of course she has no desire to marry anyone, let alone an old man. She's happy with hunting and fishing with her twin brother and dreads giving up her idyllic life in exchange for babies and diapers.

Hannah Pym is challenged with finding a way to match her with someone more to Deborah's liking.
Fate has thrown Miss Pym some obstacles to waylay the best of her plans, nonetheless luck intervenes and she attains her goals, but not so well with her own object of desire. Progress is slow with Sir George but encouraging.