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The Black

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The Black

By: Paul E. Cooley
Narrated by: Joe Hempel
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About this listen

Under 30,000 feet of water, the experimental exploration rig Leaguer has discovered an oil field larger than Saudi Arabia, with oil so sweet and pure, nations would go to war for the rights to it.

But as the team starts drilling exploration well after exploration well in their race to claim the sweet crude, a deep rumbling beneath the ocean floor shakes them all to their core. Something has been living in the oil, and it's about to give birth to the greatest threat humanity has ever seen.

The first book in Paul E Cooley's Parsec Award-winning series, The Black is a suspenseful thriller that puts the horror and action of movies such as Leviathan and Carpenter's The Thing right into listeners' hands.

This second edition includes a completely revised text.

©2022 Shadowpublications.com; 2nd edition (P)2022 Fireside Audio First Contact Horror Science Fiction Supernatural Thriller & Suspense Scary Paranormal Fiction Exciting

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Listener received this title free

Well, this is definitely what it made it out to be. An ocean rigger who is digging for oil but comes across something else? Yes, deep sea monster horror please! This book was fast paced and heart-pounding. There were a good bit of technical terms but honestly I glossed over them because I didn't technically need to know them to understand what was going on. I appreciate the suspense, and the gore. Paul Cooley definitely did not hold back on this. Honestly, it's one of the best things about horror books like this - who will survive because no one is safe. The monster that was also introduced made complete sense for the environment as well. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book because what happened?!

The characters were okay in this book. As a character driven reader, this one didn't really hit the marks I typically look for. However, the plot and the story made up for that. Usually, if characters don't meet my expectations of engagements, I typically don't go for 5 stars for the book. However, the story was strong and I enjoyed it a lot. Plus, when people are dying and you don't know what characters are going to survive, it's hard to connect with them in case they don't make it. But, the characters were perfect for this story and each brought their own to the story.

Overall, The Black by Paul E. Cooley was a great deep sea monster horror. I really enjoyed reading this book, especially in the fall season. The pacing was great and definitely kept my interest because I needed to know what happened next. The monster was believable and all of the situations the crew found themselves as well. The characters provided only so much but this was a plot driven book. I'm excited to continue this series. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a fast paced, who'll survive, deep sea monster horror book.

AUDIO REVIEW
Joe Hempel proves it again that he is an amazing narrator. I absolutely loved his narration of this book and it definitely kept my focus the entire time.

The Black Review

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Listener received this title free

This book reads like a movie and you can really picture the horror creeping around them all. I mean, when someone comes poking and drilling into YOUR home - you'd have to strike back, right? I for one, am glad I'm not heading out to sea, and definitely will not be looking for a job on a rig after reading this book. Love Joe Hempel's narration, and the multiple POV has you guessing who lives and gets taken down by the Black. *shiver*

Not going swimming anytime soon

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Narrator didn't do such a good job as there was no interest to hold the listeners attention. One of the characters has a nickname that's used all the time and becomes very annoying (catfish). the book also takes on the view of the monster's side losing any sense of mystery. admittedly I only listened for 4 hours couldn't help but feel bored for the whole time. Could have been better.

Slow

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Listener received this title free

Wow, I was expecting a lot from this book after that blurb. I am so happy to report that the book brought it and more. The action and the suspense was amazing and the horror aspect was so well done. There are some parts of this book that were a touch over technical so i did vague out a bit there but the rest of the book was just so well done.

I also want to give a shout out to the narrator they brought out so much more from the story and seriously gave me the creeps in the best way so many times. Amazing work.

Audiobook obsession reviewer, Flock Reviewer

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Love,love LOVED the quick reference to Jake bible after just finishing the Mega series.
This story was cold, creepy and I thought a bit slow-moving but all of a sudden… BOOM! stomach churning tension and more character unalives than GOT. Great book and halfway through the second. Will definitely be downloading the third book.
Great work Mr Cooley :)

Brilliant

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Loved the narration of Joe Hempel

The Leaguer is a new drill site that hits the jackpot of oil. But its not only oil that is found. Lets say it not only sharks you need to worry about in the deep.

The action, once it kicked in, was well-paced, the monster was effectively creepy and the deaths blissfully gory. I could actually see this unfolding scene by scene like a horror/suspense film, Characters are well written, and you get to know them.

deep

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Worthwhile your time. The story is quite interesting and knowledgeable. Paul e Cooley is a heavily underrated author.

A nice story

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This is so distinctly average that I couldn’t tell if I liked it or hated it. The narrator was good though. Only buy if it’s on sale.

Meh.

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Starts off at a slow pace and then ramps up well. Good book if you like a Lovecraftian menace. Which I do!

Decent - Worth a credit.

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Listener received this title free

Exploration rig Leaguer has just discovered oil. But as they prepare to extract it, one of the workers sustains an injury which brings something sinister onboard the rig, and when the scientist tests the oil it causes her to be terrified. What results is sheer chaos, horror and survival tactics.

I listened to the first edition audiobook with the author doing the narration. The original had a lot of overly detailed technical descriptions written into the book, much of which seems to have been edited out of this version to their credit, as I remember getting bored and skipping through it. I prefer this edition as the author concentrates on the horror as opposed to all the other unnecessary technical details, and the audiobook benefits from a trained narrator.

I received this book for free of my choosing and I voluntarily left this review.

Much better edition

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