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3rd out of 5 books
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4 voters
The Quiet: A Novella
by
Robert S. Wilson (Goodreads Author)
James Benton might be the last man on earth. Racing to get to work, he finds random abandoned cars, smoldering pile-ups, and something even stranger. Everywhere he goes there's no grass, no people, not even a bird in the sky. Alone in a barren world, James travels west in search of someone, anyone who might have survived The Quiet.
Paperback, Chapbook Edition, 60 pages
Published
August 18th 2011
by Empire of Blood Books
(first published July 26th 2011)
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Feb 03, 2013
Richard IV
added it
There are lots of ways you can spend a dollar. However, one of the best ways you can do it is by purchasing this Novella. The Quiet is a great story that could easily sell for far more. Wilson tells the tale of an ordinary man who wakes up in a world where seemingly all life as vanished literally over night.
This is a well written story with great voice, gritty detail, and raw emotions. Purchase this story for a great read for a great price.
This is a well written story with great voice, gritty detail, and raw emotions. Purchase this story for a great read for a great price.
I'm not exactly 100% sure how I feel about this book, so for the time being I'm going to give it a 3/5.
The story, itself, was interesting; a man struggling to perceive what happened to his world and trying to discover if he is or is not alone among living things. I think the problem for me is simply a problem I have with a lot of short fiction--something about it feels superficial or incomplete. I have a hard time truly enjoying short works because I'm used to reading large novels by authors who...more
The story, itself, was interesting; a man struggling to perceive what happened to his world and trying to discover if he is or is not alone among living things. I think the problem for me is simply a problem I have with a lot of short fiction--something about it feels superficial or incomplete. I have a hard time truly enjoying short works because I'm used to reading large novels by authors who...more
I enjoyed the beginning of The Quiet and was fondly reminded of Rod Serling's pilot for The Twilight Zone called "Where is Everybody?" I was hopeful that this might go somewhere as unique and interesting. Once I learned what happened, however, my interest in the story waned.
Formatting? There was an extra space between paragraphs on the Kindle that threw me out of the story a few times. I kept thinking this was a scene break. I got used to the format as time went on, but this is different than ma...more
Formatting? There was an extra space between paragraphs on the Kindle that threw me out of the story a few times. I kept thinking this was a scene break. I got used to the format as time went on, but this is different than ma...more
This is the second piece of fiction I have read from Robert S. Wilson. Overall I gave it 3 stars. I absolutely loved the set up and was wondering where it was going...then he brought the main character's ride to a halt. That's where a lot of the reviewers at Amazon started crying. I believe this is one of Wilson's earlier works and so he is entitled to a few skid marks. The big complaint I see from others is that he leaves you with too many questions. For me, that's not a problem. I like my fict...more
I would've probably actually gone with a 3.5 out of 5 if given the opportunity.
I did enjoy the story. It started out with a little bit of the feel of King's Langoliers, but as it progressed, the author certainly made it his own. I like how he jumped right into the action with the main character waking up in a changed world (and I like that it took him a little bit to figure out that things had changed, something the reader suspects from page one), and while many might complain at the lack of an...more
I did enjoy the story. It started out with a little bit of the feel of King's Langoliers, but as it progressed, the author certainly made it his own. I like how he jumped right into the action with the main character waking up in a changed world (and I like that it took him a little bit to figure out that things had changed, something the reader suspects from page one), and while many might complain at the lack of an...more
The Quiet by Robert S. Wilson has one of those opening scenes that draws you in and has you reading so fast that your eyes get whiplash. It had me on the edge of my seat and anxious. The mood was set and well maintained. I cared about the central character and felt his anxiety and trepidation. You are just as confused as the narrator (in a good way) as he tries to understand.
Unfortunately, I felt that the intensity waned and it just seemed to fade into a so-so offering. Perhaps the author was ma...more
Unfortunately, I felt that the intensity waned and it just seemed to fade into a so-so offering. Perhaps the author was ma...more
The Quiet is a short novella (about sixty pages) about a man named James who wakes up one morning to find that he's the only living thing left on the planet. The story follows him as he searches for his brother, or for anyone that might still be alive, while being stalked by something black in the sky, twisted dreams, and the inexplicable knowledge that something bad has happened and that he might just be next.
Overall, this seemed like such an interesting concept. I heard good things about it,...more
Overall, this seemed like such an interesting concept. I heard good things about it,...more
All of my titles are on sale for the holidays:
In Dark Reaches: Kindle $.99 Smashwords: $.99 1-year subscription: $5.99 on my website
Shining in Crimson: Kindle: $2.99 Trade Paperback: $9.99
The Quiet: A Novella: Kindle: $.99 Trade Paperback: $5.99
Forcipules: FREE on Smashwords!
Born to Kill: FREE on Smashwords!
In Dark Reaches: Kindle $.99 Smashwords: $.99 1-year subscription: $5.99 on my website
Shining in Crimson: Kindle: $2.99 Trade Paperback: $9.99
The Quiet: A Novella: Kindle: $.99 Trade Paperback: $5.99
Forcipules: FREE on Smashwords!
Born to Kill: FREE on Smashwords!
Another end of the world novella. Fortunately there are no zombies but there is something just as bad. James Benton wakes up to find he may be the last human on earth. In fact, considering birds, trees, and even grass has disappeared, he may be the last living thing on earth.
End of the world tales are a dime a dozen any more. This one starts out differently and holds the promise of adding something new to the genre. Unfortunately that is not to be the case. The plot becomes fairly predictable qu...more
End of the world tales are a dime a dozen any more. This one starts out differently and holds the promise of adding something new to the genre. Unfortunately that is not to be the case. The plot becomes fairly predictable qu...more
An interesting little novella, felt just like a Twilight Zone episode. It does a good job of ramping up quickly and giving you what you need to get into the story. It left me wondering how the hell everyone died; I mean not even a drop of blood or speck of dust?? I don't think I liked the ending; the end of humanity was certain, it was just a matter how long it would take. It doesn't leave you with a warm and fuzzy, just like the Twilight Zone.
This started off as a great book. I fell in love with his apocolyptic premise right away. He got sloppy about half way through and lost me from there. A small community of people that figured everything out in a few short hours and knew instantly how to tell real from false. The beginning was great. The end needed lots of work.
This was a decent novella. The idea was interesting but I never felt completely absorbed in the story. I feel like there needed to be something else that really helps the reader connect with the main character (but I'm not sure what that something else is necessarily).
The premise of this novella was really great! The first 2/3rds of the story were interesting and had me wanting to read more. But the end was fairly lackluster and had me thinking to myself, "the author decided to do that...?" The setting, premise, and action were all well done, but the execution at the end left me wondering. It's short, so I'd say try it!
I read the first few chapters on Goodreads and I like it enough to want to continue reading. I love this sort of suspense thriller where everyone's gone and you have to figure out why. I really do hope I win the giveaway!
This is an interesting story that poses the question of, "What would happen if you woke up one morning and virtually everyone else on the face of the planet was gone?" definitely worth the read!!
Just a quick review: the booked started with such excitement and wanting for my attention, but the ending unfortunately wasn't for me. A sighful moment.
I could not warm up to this story no matter how hard I tried. I frequently found my mind wandering. It just couldn't keep my interest.I agree with the reviewer who stated that this book was most like the Twilight Zone.
I was totally disappointed with the lack of character development and even the basic story. Entirely too farfetched to be remotely possible.
A fun little tale, although it seems to be just starting when it ends.
Creepy short that was really enjoyable
Interesting story.
It's an interesting idea that is incomplete feeling and the characters are one dimentional. But it was worth reading.
Pretty good.
A good the aliens are here, end-of-the-world as we know it read. The main character survives to fight another day.
The Kindle version of The Quiet: A Novella is free from today on through December 28th on Amazon.com! Be sure and snag a copy before it goes back to the regular price! http://www.amazon.com/The-Quiet-A-Nov...
perhaps a 1 is unfair.. I liked the concept, liked the story, but found the writing to be terribly inadequate... to the point that it spoiled my enjoyment of the story.
A very short novella. Interesting premise, but the science behind it was flawed, which irritated me. Too short for me to feel anything about the main character.
Quick read. Smooth simple writing. Creepy story. Welcome to the end of the world.
A quick read that gives you the "Twilight Zone" feeling....
The ending was a let down....
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Robert S. Wilson was born in Bloomington, Indiana during the blizzard of '78. His first taste for horror came from watching episodes of The Twilight Zone and the stories his mother told him of a supposedly haunted house his family once lived in. He is the author of Shining in Crimson, book one of his dystopian vampire series: Empire of Blood. His novella, The Quiet, appeared in the anthology Not i...more
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