Bird Box

A Novel

By: Josh Malerman

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

“A book that demands to be read in a single sitting, and through the cracks between one’s fingers. There has never been a horror story quite like this. Josh Malerman truly delivers.” — Hugh Howey, New York Times bestselling author of Wool

Written with the narrative tension of The Road and the exquisite terror of classic Stephen King, Bird Box is a propulsive, edge-of-your-seat horror thriller, set in an apocalyptic near-future world—a masterpiece of suspense from the brilliantly imaginative Josh Malerman.

Something is out there . . .

Something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remain, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now, that the boy and girl are four, it is time to go. But the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. And something is following them. But is it man, animal, or monster?

Engulfed in darkness, surrounded by sounds both familiar and frightening, Malorie embarks on a harrowing odyssey—a trip that takes her into an unseen world and back into the past, to the companions who once saved her. Under the guidance of the stalwart Tom, a motely group of strangers banded together against the unseen terror, creating order from the chaos. But when supplies ran low, they were forced to venture outside—and confront the ultimate question: in a world gone mad, who can really be trusted?

Interweaving past and present, Malerman’s breathtaking debut is a horrific and gripping snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to the final page.

It was going somewhere, in the dark as I was

What did you love best about Bird Box?

Overall storyline was ok, for awhile.

Would you recommend Bird Box to your friends? Why or why not?

Not unless they had nothing else to read

What does Cassandra Campbell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Not much, sorry. I think the voice in my head would've sounded better

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Don't look now, okay don't look....now, I mean now...oh who cares.

Any additional comments?

tI was mildly interesting but I did find myself at time drifting off in thought while listening, it held my attention at first because I was curious how it all came to be, toward the end I just didn't care anymore.

A Well-Crafted Suspense

Bird Box generates fear without ever revealing the source of the fear. And through flashbacks you know greater terror is coming at the end but you can't know how-- just as the the characters cannot know what the madness will be like. And the characters have depth and arc throughout. Campbell's narration suits the main character well. All around a satisfying, skin-crawling horror story with a glimmer of hope and a lot of personality.

Creepy scenario that'll make your ears perk up!

Chilling story that made me take pause several times and grip the steering wheel. I enjoyed the back-and-forth style of storytelling, with the chapters jumping from present to past and vice versa. The story reminds me of a Shirley Jackson scenario, but I won't say more so as not to give anything away. Overall I enjoyed this.

Exactly what I was looking for

Last summer I read the book "the girl with all the gifts". I really liked it and wanted to find something similar. This book, dystopian, dark, and intriguing in its premise of experiencing the world without sight, was very enjoyable.

At times I was annoyed with the characters and occasionally Cassondra Campbell's tones, but nothing that prevented me from enjoying the book.

Not what I expected

The concept was definitely original, though I found the story line slightly garbled and the flashbacks we're at odd moments.