Play the Monster

Alec wakes up to find he has been abducted. He can't see or move, then hears the announcement that makes his blood run cold.

"Congratulations! You have been chosen to participate in this season of The Deadliest Game of Cat and Mouse. You are lucky. You have been chosen to be the cat! You have been welded into an animatronic cat and must hunt down and eliminate the other twenty four contestants, or mice. You have seven days, or your three kids and wife are eliminated. But don't fret. each kill, injury, and scare earns you Experience Points you can use to upgrade your suit. Become the ultimate hunter, and save your family at the low price of your soul."

©2025 Joshua D. Blechle (P)2026 Joshua D. Blechle

Review

If you’re looking for an audiobook that feels like you’ve stepped into a living nightmare… Play the Monster absolutely delivers.From the very beginning, the story grips you with this chilling premise: waking up trapped inside an animatronic body and forced into a deadly game where survival means becoming the hunter. It’s intense, claustrophobic, and deeply unsettling in the best way.This audiobook works so well because of the constant tension. Every scene feels like you’re walking through a dark, abandoned building with something just out of sight. You can practically hear the mechanical movements, the echoes, the silence between moments it all builds that same dread you get from Five Nights at Freddy’s. What really stood out to me was how immersive the experience felt. This isn’t something you casually listen to in the background. It pulls you in and keeps you on edge the entire time. The emotional stakes hit hard too knowing the main character’s family is on the line adds a desperate urgency that makes every moment feel heavier.
If the narration leans into that eerie tone (which this story demands), it becomes even more powerful like you’re trapped inside the game yourself, counting down the hours.