The Rains

The Rains Brothers, Book 1

By: Gregg Hurwitz

Narrated by: Todd Haberkorn

In the tradition of Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave, the first YA novel from New York Times bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz. In one terrifying night, the peaceful community of Creek's Cause turns into a war zone. No one under the age of eighteen is safe. Chance Rain and his older brother, Patrick, have already fended off multiple attacks from infected adults by the time they arrive at the school where other young survivors are hiding.

Most of the kids they know have been dragged away by once-trusted adults who are now ferocious, inhuman beings. The parasite that transformed them takes hold after people turn eighteen - and Patrick's birthday is only a few days away.

Determined to save Patrick's life and the lives of the remaining kids, the brothers embark on a mission to uncover the truth about the parasites - and what they find is horrifying. Battling an enemy not of this earth, Chance and Patrick become humanity's only hope for salvation.

©2016 Gregg Hurwitz. (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

Thriller Award Winner, Best Young Adult Novel, 2018

Intense Throughout.

If you could sum up The Rains in three words, what would they be?

Okay, three words... If it's three words about what it is about, I'd say: Aliens, Swarm, and Fight! If it's three words, describing the book and my reaction, I'd say: Intense, Unique, and Great!

What other book might you compare The Rains to and why?

I guess The 5th Wave, because of the aliens; however, I think it was written better than that book. This book is unique and I really couldn't get enough of it. From the start, it was so intense that I couldn't stop listening, but had to in order to keep my sanity.

Have you listened to any of Todd Haberkorn’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, however, I will say this, because I think it's important. When I first started listening (about thirty minutes in), I was annoyed by Haberkorn's teenage boy voice. BUT, please stick with it! I honestly can't imagine Chance being done by anyone else. He's absolutely perfect and it's so silly that I hated it at first.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Well, I have a brother, so basically the whole relationship between Chance and Patrick was very personal for me. You could tell they just cared so much about each other.

Any additional comments?

I can't say: if you like this, you'll like "The Rains." But I will say read it. It's smart, well-written, and the narration is great.

Can't wait for the sequel!

Let me first start by saying that this novel is not for the faint of heart. The subject matter may be offensive to some, particularly as the plot becomes established in the latter chapters. That said, I still loved this book, as I do most Gregg Hurwitz's books. My favorite genre is thriller/mysteries, and he is masterful at it. While there were some wince-inducing moments certainly, I still loved this book, and I can't wait for the sequel. The narration was skillfully done, but I've become spoiled by Scott Brick's performances for this particular author.

Narrator might be the worst

Where did they find this narrator? Hopefully no one uses this guy again. The story might be ok but trying to listen to this clown is almost impossible. I actually wanted to purchase other books by Gregg Hurwitz but checked to be sure this guy wasn’t the narrator.
I hope he wasn’t paid for his performance.

Entertaining

Kept my attention the whole time. Throughly enjoyed the story and performance. I would recommend for as young as teenagers and up.

Great Story

Overall great story and plot.....spent a little too much time in minute details but a great story none the less. The narrators boyish speaking voice bordered on annoying; that was my only complaint. it sounded like an annoying little kid on steroids.