"No One Goes Alone"

Picture Dan Brown meets M. Night Shyamalan in a historic and chilling new type of science-fiction/horror story.

Summary:

At the turn of the 19-20th century, a team of researchers journeys to a mysterious island to investigate the truth behind spiritualism and the supernatural. Unlike other "haunted" areas, the island and cottage seem the ideal paradise, drawing the visitors in for what they think will be a lovely weekend. But when their boat goes missing at the same time a body turns up on the shoreline, their excursion takes a much darker turn.

Verdict: 8.5/10

What a trip! From the author that brought you Devil in the White City comes his first fiction. But it's written so skillfully that I had to wonder if it was based on a real research trip at the beginning. Obviously it gets more fictitious and wild the longer they're on the island, but still there was that tone of realism throughout.

I wasn't sure I would enjoy an audiobook with this many characters (and I did have to take notes to keep track of all the names). However as Larson pointed out, ghost stories are best told aloud. I got goosebumps listening to this, despite it being sunny spring day in Texas. The world crafted seemed so lifelike and all encompassing so that everything around the reader disappears. Even though he's describing a paradise, you know something else is lurking. As an audio-exclusive, I've never listened or read anything like it!

It was a completely new take on horror. The events weren't attributed to monsters or spirits because the group examined everything through the lens of a science expedition. Yet something is studying them back.

My only complaint would be the ending. Not that it was a bad ending... it just left me with more questions than answers. Were they dealing with a different dimension? Demonology? Or something else entirely unknown? I'd like to learn more about where Larson drew his inspiration from as there were some elements that seemed science-fictional, others that could draw from fantasy, and still others that sounded biblical.

There are some readers that may enjoy theorizing and open-ended conclusions, but it's not my personal preference. I'm dying for answers I may never get. Well played, Larson. Regardless, I would gladly listen to this again.