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Title: The Brief History of the Dead

Author: Kevin Brockmeier

Narrator: Richard Poe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-14-06

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 238 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Brilliant in concept and execution, The Brief History of the Dead is a spectacular achievement that lingers in the mind long after the final word.

Critic Reviews:

"Beautiful, delicate." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Not for everyone...

I can't exactly classify this book for anyone, as it isn't classifiable. It's not sci/fi, it's not really dramatic, it's.. well it just is. it's sort of a slice of life & death.

Don't expect this to be a thrill ride, but if you let it in, this book will have an ongoing place in your memory; little things will suddenly pop into your head, little details you might not of picked up, but all the sudden their they are.

I really enjoyed this book, but as I said its not for everyone. The narration is some of the best I've ever listened to.

Just OK

First off, I love the narrator's voice. Second, I think there's a lot of story potential and the plot idea is clever. However, I kept waiting for something more substantial to occur. It never happened and the ending was a bit of a disappointment.

Deserved a better ending

This book was intriguing and had me thoroughly absorbed in it right up until the very unsatisfying ending. If it could even be said to have one. Still worth the read, as long as you are not waiting with baited breath to see how it all ends.

Where was his editor?

What an interesting concept! What a weak result!

Your questions about the characters and the afterworld(s) are never answered. Loose ends are never tied up. Huge sections are tedious meditations or pointless reminisceses.

Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.

Deathly slow book

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Barely a professional novel, this moves at the pace of a snail crossing a sticky floor. Despite much of the novel being a one character show, there's barely any character development. It's hard to even figure out how the author uses all those time-consuming words while accomplishing so little with them. In theory I love the idea of the novel, but wake me up when it's over.

Would you ever listen to anything by Kevin Brockmeier again?

No.

What does Richard Poe bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Richard Poe is actually a really good reader. You couldn't completely tell it from this, but I've heard him read books before and he was one of the things that recommended this purchase to me. His voice has a lot of gravitas and feeling to it. Everything he reads sounds smarter because he read it, which suggests how braindead this book must actually be.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger that I wasted the time. Sadness that I spent the money.

Any additional comments?

Stay away.