High Moor
Written by: Graeme Reynolds
Narrated by: Chris Barnes
Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date: 10-21-13
Publisher: Dynamic Ram Audio Production
Graeme Reynolds has been writing for a few years now (since 2008 to be exact) and has had more than thirty short stories published in various online magazines and anthologies. In 2011 his first novel, High Moor, was published.
What is High Moor about
If you didn’t guess from the cover, High Moor is a book about werewolves. What you get from the blurb doesn’t do the story justice and makes it look like just another urban fantasy/paranormal mind candy novel. The plot is actually fairly complex for a werewolf story and there are some nice twists and turns. Two of the main characters, John Simpson and Steven Wilkinson have to deal with a dangerous werewolf. That much we get even from the book blurb. There’s much more to it, though. This part of the plot unfolds halfway into the book. Before that there’s some solid character building and we see John as a child living through some horrible events and a little younger version of police officer Steven Wilkinson being hit by the reality that werewolves exist. We get to know them quite well and develop a solid relationship with them which makes the final moments of the book even more exciting.
What I liked
The pacing was good and didn’t feel slow in any part of the story. The action sequences were done very well and kept me on edge. There’s some pretty intense gore too, so the shock factor is definitely there. I’m not the most well versed when it comes to the werewolf mythology but I thought the beasts were well done. There’s your basic werewolf that can turn at will and then there’s the ‘moonstruck’ werewolf that can’t control the urge when there’s a full moon. I thought that was an interesting addition and served very well for the purposes of the story. The ending was satisfying and the little cliffhanger in the last paragraph was brilliant.
What I didn’t like
The narrator. More precisely, his accent made it very hard for me to get into the story probably for the first half of the book. I eventually got used to it but still didn’t enjoy it. He delivered a solid performance for all the characters but the thick accent just ruined it for me.
Who would I recommend this book to
If you’re looking for some action-packed paranormal novel with likable characters, werewolves that eat peoples throats and spill their intestants on the pavement, High Moor is worth getting. If you’re not bothered by the narrator’s accent, that is. I also see how this book may appeal to teenagers, because for a large chunk of the story the main characters are children. Keep in mind there’s some swearing and gory bits but most teenagers love that, so… All in all, a very good book, brought down by a bad narrator.
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