Black Rain
Failed to add items
Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.
Add to basket failed.
Please try again later
Add to wishlist failed.
Please try again later
Remove from wishlist failed.
Please try again later
Adding to library failed
Please try again
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Black Rain
Narrated by:
Ann Richardson
Buy Now for £11.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
-
Narrated by:
-
Ann Richardson
-
By:
-
Gene Penny
About this listen
Arlene is running from her old life. While driving a desert road in the middle of nowhere, her car breaks down, forcing her to seek refuge in a small diner. Diner owner Joe strikes a tentative deal with Arlene: in exchange for waitressing one night, he will cover the repairs to her car. On the surface things appear legitimate, but Arlene can't shake the feeling there's something off about Joe and his cliché diner.
©2012 Eugene Penny (P)2016 Eugene PennyListeners also enjoyed...
Accepting the offer of help to repair her car in exchange for a night's help in the diner, Arlene finds herself fighting for her life when the Black Rain starts to fall. As someone who loves gore in books I was more than satisfied by what I found here and the things that came in the rain and brilliantly realised & described.
My one complaint is that in such a limited environment as this is set, you have to ensure that each of the very limited characters has a real sense of being but they did seem a little generic and forgettable but, given the running-time of about 3 hours all in, this can be forgiven somewhat but if not for a wonderful narration by Ann Richardson (who gives one of my favourite female performances to date) it could be a bigger issue.
In the end though we find ourselves with, what appears initially to be, a short and very straightforward creature feature until the end when it provides a little extra twist at the end.
A short but enjoyable gore-fest.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Joe is as crusty as his surroundings and twice as harsh, but he makes a deal with Arlene; an evening serving in his diner for the money to fix her car and move on. Arlene accepts gratefully, not believing her luck but before the night is over she will see things she would not think possible and as the black rain begins to fall life as she knows it will be over.
Gene Penny writes a short tale narrated ably by Ann Richardson which includes the same Twilight Zone atmosphere present in the previous work I had encountered of his (The Larry Dilemma) but with less effect.
Black Rain builds decently as the evening wears on and strays find their way to the diner, Arlene becomes a silent critic and through her we begin to see the potential flaws in the visitors as well as those who might be searching for their own ways out of dark circumstances.
The story builds well over its first half, the atmosphere steadily drifting from dark comedy to something more sinister; but it was when the black rain of the title presents itself that I began to see issues with the story.
The transition between the eerie first half and the out-and-out blood-splattered second is not a smooth one, and some of the discussion between the group as they watch the black rain fall was strained and draw me out of the story as I saw the necessary plot elements be laid down.
There moments were noticeable for me and all the more jarring because it had been such a smooth ride up until this point.
Quickly the blood began to flow and all thoughts of structure went out of my head as I listened.
The second half ran like a freight train which, in spite of being very enjoyable, seemed oddly out of touch with what came before it as a certain deus ex machina comes into play to push the story to a not entirely unpredictable end. Well, that's not entirely true; it pushes the story to several ends.
Gene Penny is a fine writer with an excellent ability to build a palpable atmosphere with believable characters, and coupled with Ann Richardson's southern drawl and knowing rendition of Arlene's dialogue we have a tale that transcends its issues and becomes a tale still well worth three hours of any horror fans time anyway.
Black Rain isn't as enjoyable as The Larry Dilemma, but it is far more involved and sophisticated in its construction, and though I feel the construction is lacking in places I still enjoyed it and found it to be a good three hours of my time fairly well spent.
Black Rain... No not THAT one!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.