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Night of the Animals: A Novel Audiobook
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Publisher Description
In this imaginative debut, the tale of Noah’s Ark is brilliantly recast as a story of fate and family, set in a near-future London.
Over the course of a single night in 2052, a homeless man named Cuthbert Handley sets out on an astonishing quest: to release the animals of the London Zoo. When he was a young boy, Cuthbert’s grandmother had told him he inherited a magical ability to communicate with the animal world—a gift she called the Wonderments. Ever since his older brother’s death in childhood, Cuthbert has heard voices. These maddening whispers must be the Wonderments, he believes, and recently they have promised to reunite him with his lost brother and bring about the coming of a Lord of Animals . . . if he fulfills this curious request.
Cuthbert flickers in and out of awareness throughout his desperate pursuit. But his grand plan is not the only thing that threatens to disturb the collective unease of the city. Around him is greater turmoil, as the rest of the world anxiously anticipates the rise of a suicide cult set on destroying the world’s animals along with themselves.
Meanwhile, Cuthbert doggedly roams the zoo, cutting open the enclosures, while pressing the animals for information about his brother. Just as this unlikely yet loveable hero begins to release the animals, the cult’s members flood the city’s streets. Has Cuthbert succeeded in harnessing the power of the Wonderments, or has he only added to the chaos—and sealed these innocent animals’ fates?
Night of the Animals is an enchanting and inventive tale that explores the boundaries of reality, the ghosts of love and trauma, and the power of redemption.
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“This is an extraordinary audiobook, and Ralph Lister’s narration is splendid. Lister seamlessly gives talking sand cats and hissing jackals persuasive vocalizations and nuanced speech. He does spot-on British accents in this futuristic reimagining of Noah’s ark…Lister is a vocal chameleon, equally adroit with dozens of voices. His talent is well displayed in this immersive and haunting tale.”
— AudioFile
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“Night of the Animals is by turns visionary, ironic, satirical and deeply remorseful…a rich addition to the literature of lament, viewed with sympathy and longing.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Broun packs his novel with futuristic invention, chablis-dry humor, and a thick, dreamy nostalgia…A story as wildly moving and singular as an animal’s eyes in the dark.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“[A] wildly imagined futuristic dystopia (or is it?).”
— New York magazine -
“Broun’s novel is strange, witty, and engrossing, skipping through madness and into the realm of myth.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“This highly recommended, original tour de force creates a richly imagined realm.”
— Library Journal (starred review) -
“Imaginative, fast-paced, thoughtful, and awash in laser-like imagery.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“The language of the novel crackles with energy, nimbly drawing on Old English, regional dialects and slang, and speculative future language…An impressive, richly imagined, deeply urgent story.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Awards
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A Huffington Post Pick of Summer 2016 Books You Won't Want to Miss
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About Bill Broun
Bill Broun was born in Los Angeles to an English father and an American mother. He has worked as a newspaper and magazine journalist in both America and Britain. In 2002 he was appointed a resident fellow at Yale University, where he lectured in English and journalism. Broun currently serves as associate professor of English at East Stroudsburg University and lives in Hellertown, Pennsylvania.
About Ralph Lister
Ralph Lister is an actor, voice actor, and AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. He spent fifteen years in London theater before moving to the United States to focus on film and television. He has held numerous roles in Shakespeare and modern dramas, as well as starring roles in independent films. His voice and character work can be heard in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearland 13 Going On 30. He lives in Los Angeles.