My original Scattered, Smothered and Chunked audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
This book was a pleasant surprise. I got out of my comfort zone without thinking to much, and it exceeded my expectations.
Bubba is a red neck monster hunter working for the Roman Catholic Church, along with his techy friend Skeeter and Uncle Father Joe. The book is divided in two parts. The fist part is composed of short stories. I am not usually keen on short stories, but Bubba’s story got me hooked due to his personality and southern ways. The short stories could be read separately but they are like episodes of a series. In each one, Bubba fights against a different monster, be like vampires, zombies or even cupides. The second part is the prequel Family Tradition, and we learn about Bubba’s past and this leads to the cliffhanger on which the story ends.
When I started this audiobook I was not sure if I was going to like it. I was misled by the red neck jokes and excessive mention of titty bars, and thought that Bubba was going to leave me indifferent. But there is more to Bubba than what meets the eye, and the short stories and especially Family Tradition deepen into his character, and I will forgive John G. Hartness for the cliffhanger and listen to the second book as soon as I can. I just need to know Bubba better.
I like fantasy, but I usually do not do vampires or zombies. In this case I did not mind, since Bubba is so charismatic that we mainly focus on how he talks, his attitude and his grit.
The characters’ personalities are well defined, and the dialogs are fluid and realistic. I think one of the more difficult things on a book are dialogs, and Hartnell has created some fresh ones. It was like listening to real conversations.
Andrew McFerrin does an excellent job portraying Bubba and the rest of characters. The book is written in first person, so it is important how well McFerrin impersonates Bubba, and believe me, he becomes the monster hunter, imitating a realistic southern accent and using the right tone for each moment. Skeeter’s voice was also easily recognizable, and I knew who was talking at every moment. I could close my yes and see them all talking with their distinctive voices. McFerrin was ace here.
I think this book will delight not only monsters and fantasy fans. Even if you think that this book is not for you, give it a try, you will fall in love with Buba’s story. I sure did!
My name is Elena. Since I was a little child I loved science fiction and fantasy, and I can’t resist a good novel. In 2015, while wait I started to listen to audiobooks and I discovered the pleasure in being able to read while doing my daily tasks, so there’s always an audiobook playing on my phone. If you see me with my Bluetooth headphones on, please be gentle, I get easily startled.
I live with my boyfriend, which I met during my six-year stay in Belgium, four cockatiels, eight lovebirds, and a hamster in Madrid, Spain; and I like to spend my free time knitting and sewing while listening to audiobooks.
