The House

The 3 H's, Book 2

By: Brian Barr

Narrated by: Rick Gregory

"Her name is Alexis. She's a punk girl with shabby green-dyed hair. She wears a pink collar around her neck.

Alexis talks about growing up in Lexington, SC. She belongs to some strange cult, in which her family members are the only devotees: her mother, her father, and her brother.

She hates them all.

Whenever she brings up the house they share, I see her contempt. She wants to get away from it.

I want to help her, whether I'm retired or not. I've helped others escape from cults in the past. Why can't I do the same now?

The house. I can't get it out of my mind. The horrors she told me about it. So many details, and yet, so much mystery.

I must see the house for myself. That is the only way that I can save her."

- Daniel Paine, Cult Specialist and Deprogrammer

The House is the sequel to The Head from Brian Barr, and the second book of the 3 H's trilogy.

©2017 Brian Barr (P)2017 Brian Barr

Good Follow Up To The 1st Story In The Trilogy

“The House” is the middle, short story in a three short story collection by author, Brian Barr. One does not need to read the first story, “The Head,” to appreciate “The House.” “The House” does, however, contain a few references to the first story. In this story, author Brian Barr focuses on Daniel Paine. Daniel is retired now, but he specialized in rescuing people from cults. Daniel is asked for help in freeing Alexis Bailey from her family’s cult. Alexis is the sister of Bill, the decapitated, but still animated head from the first story. Daniel comes out of retirement and takes on the job, but Daniel has serious problems of his own. He takes medication that suggests he has schizophrenia. He also regularly hallucinates and talks to his dead wife. A dead wife whose life he failed to save.

“The House” is very different from the first story, “The Head.” There is no humor in this installment of the trilogy. The supernatural aspect of this story is presented much more seriously and gruesomely than in the first story. Overall, “The House is a good second act in Mr. Barr’s trilogy and I look forward to reading/listening to the 3rd act. Finally, this audio book was provided by the author at no cost in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Audio Book Boom.

Creepy yet interesting with great narration

Would you consider the audio edition of The House to be better than the print version?

I can't compare, but the narrator does a great job in activating this story to the listeners.

What about Rick Gregory’s performance did you like?

Strong, and intriguing voice.

Any additional comments?

This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost."

What An Awesome Follow-up to The Head

I loved listening to The House! It was an excellent sequel to The Head. It follows the same trend. The weirdness of this audiobook is what makes it great. It's like that special seasoning that's so yummy but you just can't put your finger on it. From the very first sentence I was hooked. It's deliciously creepy. Brian Barr is quickly becoming one of my new favorites.

Rick gregory did a fantastic job narrating the story. I like his voice for this series. He has a great reading voice anyway. The House and The Head are perfect pairing for author/reader.

I also love the cover art.

"This book was gifted to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

Things are getting better

I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.

Alex, Bill's sister seeks help to escape her family's cult, ands find David Paine, already retired due to schizophrenia and other issues. He still talks with his deceased wife, who passed away thirty years before due to a cult. Alex will try to convince Bill and get her something from her house.

I like the 'The Head', but I think this one is even better. I found the characters better depicted, and their actions match our expectations regarding their personalities. This book is a bit longer than the previous one, just over an hour and a half. The horror here is a bit more psychological and subtle, and in general it is a more polished piece of work. We get some explanations about the house and the family inhabiting it, and I guess we will get the whole picture with the next book.

Rick Gregory's narration was great, impersonating each one of the characters and making them distinguishable to the ear. The audio production was good. I am seriously impressed since Gregory is a quite new narrator but the quality of his work is really good.

I am impatient to listen to the next book 'The Hell'. Let's see what Brian Barr has in stock for us.

The plot thickens

'The House' is book two of The 3 H's Trilogy by Brian Barr. As with Book 1, 'The Head', 'The House' manages to be both a decent stand alone story, as well as furthering and deepening the overall plot of the trilogy. I found that I liked this story better than the first, I think in large part because it did go deeper into the overall story. It really scratched the itch left by the unanswered questions from Book 1, which is always enjoyable. Another improvement over 'The Head' were the characters Daniel and Alexis. The both had more depth than Bill and Elizabeth from Book 1, and their backstories really helped flesh out the plot.

As with Book 1, 'The House' is both gory, weird, and compelling. Rick Gregory delivers his usual solid performance, although his dialogue performance is still not the best.

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.