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The Listeners
FBI agent David Conner is investigating the Listeners, a channeling group that seems to have access to highly classified information regarding government technology. Though he quickly falls in love with Lucy, one of the twins who are at the heart of the group, David remains skeptical about the Listeners' power - until an astonishing experience convinces him that they really can reach into humanity's past and carry ancient wisdom to the present.
But wisdom is not all that waits in the past, awaiting innocent discovery. The Listeners have tapped into an ancient evil that intends to remake first David and the woman he loves, and then all of mankind, in its own horrifying image.
But wisdom is not all that waits in the past, awaiting innocent discovery. The Listeners have tapped into an ancient evil that intends to remake first David and the woman he loves, and then all of mankind, in its own horrifying image.
328 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
9 people are currently reading
762 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Pike
261 books5,470 followersChristopher Pike is the pseudonym of Kevin McFadden. He is a bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction who specializes in the thriller genre.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 20, 2022
YOU ARE FOOD
May 28, 2021
FBI agent David Conner is on the verge of early retirement when his boss pulls him back into the field to investigate a New Age channeling group called The Listeners. They claim to use group meditation to revisit past lives, but they also have inexplicable access to classified FBI information. Dave is skeptical until a demonstration challenges that perception, and the more he learns about the group’s history, the more he fears for their safety. Wisdom isn’t all that waits for them in the past, and they may be on the verge of unleashing an ancient evil on humanity. Spoilers will be clearly marked. Trigger warnings: death (on page), child/twin death, suicide, cannibalism, implied torture, graphic violence, blood, sexual harassment, fat-shaming. Some NSFW content.
It was extremely fun to read this with Roberta at Offbeat YA, since we’re both diehard Pike fans and it’s one of few neither of us had ever read before. All in all, I enjoyed The Listeners because I like Pike’s writing style. There are a number of cool ideas in this book, many of which will feel familiar to his dedicated readers: The Big Mind sounds like an iteration of The Big Person from Strange Girl, and the Setians make another appearance in the second half of The Last Vampire series. Pike is fond of his evil reptilian races, which makes me wonder if the Setians turn up in any of his other novels by name and also whether he was bitten by an iguana or something as a child.
Despite my enjoyment, which is pretty much always the case with a Pike novel, there’s no denying that objectively this book is a bit of a wreck. The second chapter is a sixty-page history lesson on the main character, which throws off the pace and structure of the whole novel. The main takeaway is that Dirty Dave has some blood on his hands and a lifetime’s worth of guilt over the women he couldn’t save, but this all could have been streamlined in brief flashbacks rather than presented as an awkward, continuous chunk.
The characters are hit and miss. Thanks to all his backstory, we have a strong understanding of Dave and his motivations, and his arc is easily the strongest in the novel. Lucy’s isn’t bad either, although I wish we’d had more page-time with her and her identical twin sister, Vera. (Pike kind of treats them as interchangeable, which isn’t very cool or good for the story.) I’m also fond of Margaret, who fills a familiar role in Pike’s novels, but more on that after the spoilers. Spear turns out to be a rather flat antagonist, and the rest of the characters are basically there for body count for all that we learn of them.
Things are far more interesting when we get into the group’s history and channeling practices. It’s an interesting concept, and the execution there isn’t bad. It’s especially good when we get to meet the novel’s major villains, since the Setians are frankly terrifying. Pike excels at writing nonhuman monsters that are both scary and otherworldly, and I was riveted whenever they were on the page. In terms of tropes, there’s blatant insta-love and an almost literal deus ex machina. While that’s keeping in character and matches similar ideas from other Pike novels, I can see why readers found it frustrating. Still, the novel has some fun ideas and well-drawn monsters in it, and that’s usually enough for me. If I were going to recommend one of Pike’s adult thrillers though, The Blind Mirror is just as bonkers and better executed.
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS. TURN BACK BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.
Readers familiar with Pike’s work will probably see Margaret’s role in the novel coming from a mile away, although after reading The Blind Mirror’s rather grim ending, I had my doubts about things turning out well for these characters. I like the way it ends up though. Whenever Pike introduces his evil reptilian races (Setians or otherwise), there’s usually a race of advanced (“blue”) beings to counter them. Like Mr. Grey of the Thirst series or the man guarding the ice cream truck in Black Blood, the characters have a little bit of divine help when they need it, and Margaret slips easily into that role. She doesn’t defeat the evil or solve every problem; oftentimes, these characters don’t even save lives because there are bigger things at stake. While I don’t appreciate the Lucy/Vera body swap, it was nice to see a relatively happy ending, even if it does feel a bit like Pike backed his characters into such a tight corner that only The Big Mind could get them out.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
It was extremely fun to read this with Roberta at Offbeat YA, since we’re both diehard Pike fans and it’s one of few neither of us had ever read before. All in all, I enjoyed The Listeners because I like Pike’s writing style. There are a number of cool ideas in this book, many of which will feel familiar to his dedicated readers: The Big Mind sounds like an iteration of The Big Person from Strange Girl, and the Setians make another appearance in the second half of The Last Vampire series. Pike is fond of his evil reptilian races, which makes me wonder if the Setians turn up in any of his other novels by name and also whether he was bitten by an iguana or something as a child.
Despite my enjoyment, which is pretty much always the case with a Pike novel, there’s no denying that objectively this book is a bit of a wreck. The second chapter is a sixty-page history lesson on the main character, which throws off the pace and structure of the whole novel. The main takeaway is that Dirty Dave has some blood on his hands and a lifetime’s worth of guilt over the women he couldn’t save, but this all could have been streamlined in brief flashbacks rather than presented as an awkward, continuous chunk.
The characters are hit and miss. Thanks to all his backstory, we have a strong understanding of Dave and his motivations, and his arc is easily the strongest in the novel. Lucy’s isn’t bad either, although I wish we’d had more page-time with her and her identical twin sister, Vera. (Pike kind of treats them as interchangeable, which isn’t very cool or good for the story.) I’m also fond of Margaret, who fills a familiar role in Pike’s novels, but more on that after the spoilers. Spear turns out to be a rather flat antagonist, and the rest of the characters are basically there for body count for all that we learn of them.
Things are far more interesting when we get into the group’s history and channeling practices. It’s an interesting concept, and the execution there isn’t bad. It’s especially good when we get to meet the novel’s major villains, since the Setians are frankly terrifying. Pike excels at writing nonhuman monsters that are both scary and otherworldly, and I was riveted whenever they were on the page. In terms of tropes, there’s blatant insta-love and an almost literal deus ex machina. While that’s keeping in character and matches similar ideas from other Pike novels, I can see why readers found it frustrating. Still, the novel has some fun ideas and well-drawn monsters in it, and that’s usually enough for me. If I were going to recommend one of Pike’s adult thrillers though, The Blind Mirror is just as bonkers and better executed.
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS. TURN BACK BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.
Readers familiar with Pike’s work will probably see Margaret’s role in the novel coming from a mile away, although after reading The Blind Mirror’s rather grim ending, I had my doubts about things turning out well for these characters. I like the way it ends up though. Whenever Pike introduces his evil reptilian races (Setians or otherwise), there’s usually a race of advanced (“blue”) beings to counter them. Like Mr. Grey of the Thirst series or the man guarding the ice cream truck in Black Blood, the characters have a little bit of divine help when they need it, and Margaret slips easily into that role. She doesn’t defeat the evil or solve every problem; oftentimes, these characters don’t even save lives because there are bigger things at stake. While I don’t appreciate the Lucy/Vera body swap, it was nice to see a relatively happy ending, even if it does feel a bit like Pike backed his characters into such a tight corner that only The Big Mind could get them out.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
November 14, 2015
Pike's adult stuff is the same as his young adult stuff, only involving older people and maybe a bit more mature situations. I felt nostalgic while reading. While The Listeners is not the best piece of literature ever written, it is entertaining, even though at times I was thinking, I can't believe I'm reading this. But I suspended disbelief as all good readers do and I delved in and came out a happier reader.
If you have any qualms with reptiles, time travel, mind melding, or twin studies, this is not the book for you. If you like a bit of the sci-fi along with the detective edge, take a peek.
If you have any qualms with reptiles, time travel, mind melding, or twin studies, this is not the book for you. If you like a bit of the sci-fi along with the detective edge, take a peek.
November 16, 2021
As a teeen, I would devour Christopher Pike novels like sweets, but in my infinite wisdom and a fit of Kondo-esque decluttering, I got rid of my entire collection years ago.
I was delighted to discover a copy of The Listeners in a local charity shop, and have just sat down and finished the book in one sitting! I think when re-reading a book (particularly one I have read countless times before) I always read faster because I remember the plot, characters and rhythm of writing so can "skim" through the book, still taking in everything that's going on.
This is one of Christopher Pike's books for "adults", although it only really differs from his teen-centric book in the sexual content, swearing and ages of the characters. The same easy flow of writing is there.
It focuses on David Conner, a burnt out FBI agent on the brink of retirement who is asked to do one last job for his boss and friend - investigate the works of a scientist and his 'channeling' group. This premise couldn't be more 90's new age, but it is readable, fun and interesting.
The story is pacy; not particularly deep but a good, frivolous read - a good holiday paperback.
I was delighted to discover a copy of The Listeners in a local charity shop, and have just sat down and finished the book in one sitting! I think when re-reading a book (particularly one I have read countless times before) I always read faster because I remember the plot, characters and rhythm of writing so can "skim" through the book, still taking in everything that's going on.
This is one of Christopher Pike's books for "adults", although it only really differs from his teen-centric book in the sexual content, swearing and ages of the characters. The same easy flow of writing is there.
It focuses on David Conner, a burnt out FBI agent on the brink of retirement who is asked to do one last job for his boss and friend - investigate the works of a scientist and his 'channeling' group. This premise couldn't be more 90's new age, but it is readable, fun and interesting.
The story is pacy; not particularly deep but a good, frivolous read - a good holiday paperback.
July 20, 2014
The Listeners claims an amazing achievement by being easily the most poorly written, horribly crafted book I have ever read. This is no small feat considering some of the drivel I have read in my life, but through continuous innovation in the means of sucking, Pike constructed a masterpiece of sorts.
On to some of the specifics.
We begin our journey into mediocrity with some back story on our protagonist, David the FBI Agent. By "some back story", what I'm trying to say is "nearly a third of the book that does essentially nothing to drive the plot forward nor adequately explain our protagonists motives which aren't all that clear anyway". We get two longish tales of times when "Dirty Dave" failed his mission, leading to the death of innocent women and Dave lashing out (completely illegally) against the perpetrators. If Pike had insisted on including some of this stuff to give us a sense of David's history, one of them would have absolutely sufficed, and even then in a truncated form. This is way too much history on a character that I don't really like anyway.
We then get to the main story which revolves around a group of psychics that are participating in a "scientific" experiment that involves some sort of group hypnosis that allows them to regress along human genetic lines to man's earliest incarnations in an attempt to . . . learn more about our ancestors? Or something like this? These experiments are being carried out by the enigmatic Dr. Spear with some help by a neurologist named Dr. Henry that I'm not sure even needs to be in this book whatsoever. We spend some time getting to know our 5 participants, and while some of these characters have a modicum of potential, it is wasted since most of these characters spend essentially no time involved in the main action. Our players are:
* Tom "The Redneck": He's some kind of big, lovable truck driving type that realized he was a psychic when he listened back to tapes he was making of himself singing while driving (he longs to be a country singer we find out in a solitary scene) and found himself speaking in tongues, etc.
* Jon "The Scandinavian": He wishes he was Arnold Schwarzenegger and so he is very muscular and wants to be an actor. His psychic abilities begin and end with the ability to bend spoons with his mind, which we find out is not that impressive since even the completely-not-psychic Dirty Dave is able to bend spoons with his mind (?)
* Panda "The Indian": I'm not really sure what his psychic ability is supposed to be, though they do mention that he is interested in this work because of . . . something to do with religion? In one scene we are told he is the "leader" of the group, though this is hard to confirm or deny since there is so little time spent with our characters together. This is compounded by the fact that he has less than 20 words of dialogue in the entire book.
* Lucy & Vera "The Twins": Our Damsel(s) in Distress. If all the rest of the characters are thin, L&V are positively see-through. Lucy is "sassy", while Vera is "cautious". And that is about the beginning and end of their depth.
I won't get too deep into the plot specifics here, but suffice to say that it is confusing, insufficiently explained, and horribly paced. After trudging through 300 pages of this drivel, the climax comes and goes and the reader is left standing there with a mountain of unexplained questions including (but certainly not limited to): If Frances didn't die when Penny died, why did Vera just die? Are we really supposed to believe that Ned is just perfectly fine after 20 pages of descriptions of the horrible screams that he was unleashing? What is going to happen to Frances now that the Setian may or may not have passed over into Vera? Why when David asked for Lucy back did Margaret resurrect Vera's body, but when she spoke she insisted she was Lucy? And speaking of Margaret, how little respect do you have for your readers anyway, Pike, to shove a Deus ex Machina of this magnitude down our throats?
I'm pretty confident that this novel was written over one drunken weekend by Pike and his publisher didn't even bother reading the manuscript and rather just sent it off to be printed off. That's the only possible explanation I can come up with for this monstrosity and it's gaping plot holes and lop-sided direction.
On to some of the specifics.
We begin our journey into mediocrity with some back story on our protagonist, David the FBI Agent. By "some back story", what I'm trying to say is "nearly a third of the book that does essentially nothing to drive the plot forward nor adequately explain our protagonists motives which aren't all that clear anyway". We get two longish tales of times when "Dirty Dave" failed his mission, leading to the death of innocent women and Dave lashing out (completely illegally) against the perpetrators. If Pike had insisted on including some of this stuff to give us a sense of David's history, one of them would have absolutely sufficed, and even then in a truncated form. This is way too much history on a character that I don't really like anyway.
We then get to the main story which revolves around a group of psychics that are participating in a "scientific" experiment that involves some sort of group hypnosis that allows them to regress along human genetic lines to man's earliest incarnations in an attempt to . . . learn more about our ancestors? Or something like this? These experiments are being carried out by the enigmatic Dr. Spear with some help by a neurologist named Dr. Henry that I'm not sure even needs to be in this book whatsoever. We spend some time getting to know our 5 participants, and while some of these characters have a modicum of potential, it is wasted since most of these characters spend essentially no time involved in the main action. Our players are:
* Tom "The Redneck": He's some kind of big, lovable truck driving type that realized he was a psychic when he listened back to tapes he was making of himself singing while driving (he longs to be a country singer we find out in a solitary scene) and found himself speaking in tongues, etc.
* Jon "The Scandinavian": He wishes he was Arnold Schwarzenegger and so he is very muscular and wants to be an actor. His psychic abilities begin and end with the ability to bend spoons with his mind, which we find out is not that impressive since even the completely-not-psychic Dirty Dave is able to bend spoons with his mind (?)
* Panda "The Indian": I'm not really sure what his psychic ability is supposed to be, though they do mention that he is interested in this work because of . . . something to do with religion? In one scene we are told he is the "leader" of the group, though this is hard to confirm or deny since there is so little time spent with our characters together. This is compounded by the fact that he has less than 20 words of dialogue in the entire book.
* Lucy & Vera "The Twins": Our Damsel(s) in Distress. If all the rest of the characters are thin, L&V are positively see-through. Lucy is "sassy", while Vera is "cautious". And that is about the beginning and end of their depth.
I won't get too deep into the plot specifics here, but suffice to say that it is confusing, insufficiently explained, and horribly paced. After trudging through 300 pages of this drivel, the climax comes and goes and the reader is left standing there with a mountain of unexplained questions including (but certainly not limited to): If Frances didn't die when Penny died, why did Vera just die? Are we really supposed to believe that Ned is just perfectly fine after 20 pages of descriptions of the horrible screams that he was unleashing? What is going to happen to Frances now that the Setian may or may not have passed over into Vera? Why when David asked for Lucy back did Margaret resurrect Vera's body, but when she spoke she insisted she was Lucy? And speaking of Margaret, how little respect do you have for your readers anyway, Pike, to shove a Deus ex Machina of this magnitude down our throats?
I'm pretty confident that this novel was written over one drunken weekend by Pike and his publisher didn't even bother reading the manuscript and rather just sent it off to be printed off. That's the only possible explanation I can come up with for this monstrosity and it's gaping plot holes and lop-sided direction.
September 13, 2019
So we already know Mr. Pike has a fetish for girls with green eyes. I've noticed that many of his heroines have such a trait. Also, we learn that things don't usually turn out well for our green-eyed ladies (example: Shari from Remember Me, Julia from Witch... need I go on?). Pretty much, any girl with green eyes in a Pike story is going to bite it in the end...or be transformed into a beast or worse.
I'm glad I'M not a Pike character (although mine are more olive than emerald)!
Anyway, the same trend continues with The Listeners. Only here we have not one, but two green-eyed girls. Lucy and Vera. Identical twins, but as different in personality as Jessica and Elizabeth of Sweet Valley fame. These two are part of a experimental study group, led by Dr. Spear, researching whether or not psychic powers are encoded into our DNA. The group is camped out in a literal camp, far away from prying eyes and, we hope, far enough away from society should things go awry. And things DO go awry. Very, very much awry. But more on that later...
We also have Dave (a.k.a. "Dirty Dave"), a somewhat rebellious FBI agent who is going through a personal crisis after the last couple cases ended very badly. This backstory, covering the first chapter, is a HUGE info dump and is long enough to be a separate novella. Not kidding. Seriously, it's like 1/3 of the book and one feels a sense of accomplishment having slogged through it. And one MUST slog through. Or at least skim...because you don't need all the details to get what's happening in the rest of the story.
Anyway, Dave is sent to investigate the goings-on of this group and, probably, make sure they aren't channeling any deep government secrets like who shot JFK or the truth about Area 51. Right away he hits it off with Lucy, the more extroverted of the twins. This is bad news bears for Lucy because the last time dave got romantically involved with a case subject, said case subject ended up six feet under. Or, in this case, six storied down...the hard way (but I suppose when you betray The Family, that's what you get...or so this particular story goes). Not that this stops him. Cute green-eyed redhead in short shorts... what red-blooded guy could resist?
The rest of the cast isn't really worth mentioning. Look up your Standard B-Horror Movie Stereotypes, and there you go. There's some decidedly racist and sexist shit going on, but take into account that this was the 90s and awareness wasn't what it is today.
So then. Dave's research leads him to discover that this group is not Dr. Spear's first go at this experiment. And the last one, which also contained identical twins (important plot point!), ended very badly. One of the twins channeled the Beast and went insane. And, like an idiot, Dave tells the current twins about this...and warns them not to repeat the experiment. So of course they do and of course the Beast comes out again and goes on a killing spree. But which is the good twin and which is the evil twin? Even Dave, with his now-intimate knowledge of Lucy (wink wink nudge nudge), can't tell. He could ask, but the beast is a tricksy little bugger, so who knows if he'd get an honest answer. Also, Lucy (or is it Vera) is unconscious, so who the hell knows. Who cares.
Eventually Dave stops the reign of terror by killing Lucy (or was it Vera?) and puts an end to Dr. Spear's experiments... we hope. And Dave and Lucy (or was it Vera?) live happily ever after. Or as much as they can having witnessed what they witnessed. My guess is they'll both be scarred for life and maybe do some time in a padded cell. Would. Not. Be. Surprised.
The Listeners read like a discarded script of an X-Files episode that was too awful to air. Monster of the Week rather than Mythology. And I kept waiting for Mulder and Scully to show up (and for Scully to roll her eyes). It was cheesy, it was loaded with plot holes, but it was actually one of the better Pike books I've recently re-read. Not saying much with that. Really, though, what did I see in this guy's writing? I mean, true, I was only a teenager and, true, YA lit of the 1990s wasn't what it is today. And it was either Pike or Stine or one of the many imitations. But STILL!
I'm glad I'M not a Pike character (although mine are more olive than emerald)!
Anyway, the same trend continues with The Listeners. Only here we have not one, but two green-eyed girls. Lucy and Vera. Identical twins, but as different in personality as Jessica and Elizabeth of Sweet Valley fame. These two are part of a experimental study group, led by Dr. Spear, researching whether or not psychic powers are encoded into our DNA. The group is camped out in a literal camp, far away from prying eyes and, we hope, far enough away from society should things go awry. And things DO go awry. Very, very much awry. But more on that later...
We also have Dave (a.k.a. "Dirty Dave"), a somewhat rebellious FBI agent who is going through a personal crisis after the last couple cases ended very badly. This backstory, covering the first chapter, is a HUGE info dump and is long enough to be a separate novella. Not kidding. Seriously, it's like 1/3 of the book and one feels a sense of accomplishment having slogged through it. And one MUST slog through. Or at least skim...because you don't need all the details to get what's happening in the rest of the story.
Anyway, Dave is sent to investigate the goings-on of this group and, probably, make sure they aren't channeling any deep government secrets like who shot JFK or the truth about Area 51. Right away he hits it off with Lucy, the more extroverted of the twins. This is bad news bears for Lucy because the last time dave got romantically involved with a case subject, said case subject ended up six feet under. Or, in this case, six storied down...the hard way (but I suppose when you betray The Family, that's what you get...or so this particular story goes). Not that this stops him. Cute green-eyed redhead in short shorts... what red-blooded guy could resist?
The rest of the cast isn't really worth mentioning. Look up your Standard B-Horror Movie Stereotypes, and there you go. There's some decidedly racist and sexist shit going on, but take into account that this was the 90s and awareness wasn't what it is today.
So then. Dave's research leads him to discover that this group is not Dr. Spear's first go at this experiment. And the last one, which also contained identical twins (important plot point!), ended very badly. One of the twins channeled the Beast and went insane. And, like an idiot, Dave tells the current twins about this...and warns them not to repeat the experiment. So of course they do and of course the Beast comes out again and goes on a killing spree. But which is the good twin and which is the evil twin? Even Dave, with his now-intimate knowledge of Lucy (wink wink nudge nudge), can't tell. He could ask, but the beast is a tricksy little bugger, so who knows if he'd get an honest answer. Also, Lucy (or is it Vera) is unconscious, so who the hell knows. Who cares.
Eventually Dave stops the reign of terror by killing Lucy (or was it Vera?) and puts an end to Dr. Spear's experiments... we hope. And Dave and Lucy (or was it Vera?) live happily ever after. Or as much as they can having witnessed what they witnessed. My guess is they'll both be scarred for life and maybe do some time in a padded cell. Would. Not. Be. Surprised.
The Listeners read like a discarded script of an X-Files episode that was too awful to air. Monster of the Week rather than Mythology. And I kept waiting for Mulder and Scully to show up (and for Scully to roll her eyes). It was cheesy, it was loaded with plot holes, but it was actually one of the better Pike books I've recently re-read. Not saying much with that. Really, though, what did I see in this guy's writing? I mean, true, I was only a teenager and, true, YA lit of the 1990s wasn't what it is today. And it was either Pike or Stine or one of the many imitations. But STILL!
July 4, 2023
Did you ever read a book where the main character did something so stupid that it made you lose interest immediately? This is that book.
Otherwise, some nice suspense scenes and scary Lizards
Otherwise, some nice suspense scenes and scary Lizards
October 19, 2012
Wow, this is bad. Dirty Dave Connell is an ex-FBI agent who is recruited by his old boss to check up on a cult that is guessing all the government's secret research, like cold fusion. He finds a pair of attractive twins that might serve as a gateway to dark powers.
It's just a mess. No build up to horror, a kooky plot, and character backstory that makes no sense. The ending is pure deus ex machina with no foreshadowing. If you liked Pike's young adult horror, don't be tempted by this.
It's just a mess. No build up to horror, a kooky plot, and character backstory that makes no sense. The ending is pure deus ex machina with no foreshadowing. If you liked Pike's young adult horror, don't be tempted by this.
July 23, 2008
Oh, campy goodness!
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December 27, 2011I love love love Christopher Pike... I've never read a bad book by him. He always finds some way to twist the plot to pull you in! Love this book
October 26, 2021
Like with most Christopher Pike books, he didn't let me down! He is a fantastic autho
July 15, 2023
First I thought this would be an urban fantasy novel; then it turned out to be horror with a very loose sci-fi tinge.
Our protagonist, an FBI agent, is sent to investigate a small cult whose published pronouncements of the "Big Mind" include uncomfortable amounts of classified secrets. It turns out that their hypnotic techniques are uncomfortably real. What's more, the leader isn't content with evoking the "Big Mind" (a sort of collective unconsciousness) but is also trying (with some success) to regress back through people's genetic memory further and further into the past - even the pre-human past.
Unfortunately, this turns out to evoke monstrous murderous intelligent dinosaurs from the distant prehuman past, who must be stopped before they hypnotize more people into being dinosaurs and rule bloodily over all humanity.
The cult leader learned these techniques, apparently, from the Dogon people of Africa, who apparently descended from Egypt and got their alleged advanced astronomical knowledge from there. Apparently the Egyptian priests were controlled by these dinosaur imprints and learned their astronomical knowledge from them. I wish someone else wrote this wild backstory as less of a horror story.
Our protagonist, an FBI agent, is sent to investigate a small cult whose published pronouncements of the "Big Mind" include uncomfortable amounts of classified secrets. It turns out that their hypnotic techniques are uncomfortably real. What's more, the leader isn't content with evoking the "Big Mind" (a sort of collective unconsciousness) but is also trying (with some success) to regress back through people's genetic memory further and further into the past - even the pre-human past.
Unfortunately, this turns out to evoke monstrous murderous intelligent dinosaurs from the distant prehuman past, who must be stopped before they hypnotize more people into being dinosaurs and rule bloodily over all humanity.
The cult leader learned these techniques, apparently, from the Dogon people of Africa, who apparently descended from Egypt and got their alleged advanced astronomical knowledge from there. Apparently the Egyptian priests were controlled by these dinosaur imprints and learned their astronomical knowledge from them. I wish someone else wrote this wild backstory as less of a horror story.
October 7, 2024
I don’t usually struggle to like Pike’s protagonists, but I hated David’s character initially because of his glamorization of brutal violence, specifically gun violence, in the name of FBI justice. I only softened later when he reveals that he also hates himself for that dark hypocrisy and much of it was fueled by rage at criminals that abused or harmed women. Past that, this book seemed like more of an excuse to explore the idea of the potential limits of genetic memory and past life regression hypnosis and how a combination of the two might impact evolution of the human race, than to execute an immersive story. A good portion of the book is devoted to meeting the characters and breaking down the parapsychology theories taking center stage. Once the exposition was over it was all insta-love, rushed climactic confrontations with lizard people and an abrupt ending where the “good” guy gets the girl and his boss mostly unharmed. But, hey, it’s Christopher Pike so even an unevenly paced book of his is still a hell of a page turner.
December 31, 2017
One of the last books I read in 2017 is probably a book that I've had sitting on my shelf for the longest time, but never had bothered to read until I was stuck at home as contractors installed new windows in my house. This is one of Pike's adult novels, and as an avid Pike reader during my teenage years I know they are pretty different from his YA novels, in that they tend to be more sci-fi thrillers or philosophical/spiritual-themed. In THE LISTENERS, the main hero of the story is an FBI agent tasked to investigate a channeling group who have supposedly been able to channel an entity that is aware of classified information. However, as the agent investigates the group, he learns that there is some ancient evil that is lurking deeper, waiting to be released. This is a quick entertaining read, more of a movie-of-the-week plot, but with some fascinating tidbits of brain evolutionary science, astronomy, and Egyptology. Classic Pike.
August 17, 2019
I'd not heard of Christopher Pike (Sorry Chris) but I came upon a few of his books at a local thrift store and as I'm a big fan of these 1980's mass market paperback horrors so I decided to grab them.
Along with this book I got The Seasons of Passage and The Cold One which are his first three novels aimed at an adult audience as he previously wrote for the YA selective and, although elements of YA still existed in this book (I've not yet read the other two) it was still an enjoyable read though I've only given it two stars because there were a few times that I was losing interest and had to put it down before resuming a day or so later.
Although I'm in no hurry to read the other two books of his that I've got, I do still want to read them as (In my opinion) they can only get better.
Along with this book I got The Seasons of Passage and The Cold One which are his first three novels aimed at an adult audience as he previously wrote for the YA selective and, although elements of YA still existed in this book (I've not yet read the other two) it was still an enjoyable read though I've only given it two stars because there were a few times that I was losing interest and had to put it down before resuming a day or so later.
Although I'm in no hurry to read the other two books of his that I've got, I do still want to read them as (In my opinion) they can only get better.
April 30, 2021
One of his worst books. The pacing is shocking. All the action happens off screen. Even the final confrontation is a dude screaming from another room that the main character cannot witness from their location. It's like it's a script for a thrifty tv series that cannot afford the special effects. 300 pages of build up for a very simple yet some how poorly explained reveal that still makes little sense. Why was Doctor Henry in this book? What did he do? It's almost amusing to think about. Still I finished it so it has to at least get 2 stars.
And ancient reptiles that feed off negative energy? Did David Ike co write this thing?
And ancient reptiles that feed off negative energy? Did David Ike co write this thing?
February 21, 2021
Kinda dull but overall pretty good
December 16, 2024
Unfortunately my least favourite of Pike’s lizard people.
December 25, 2024
Bonkers in the most wonderful way.
December 30, 2024
The flashbacks are the best part of the story, NGL.
March 21, 2016
I'm not fully sure how this book came into my possession, but for better or for worse it did and I read it over a couple of days the other week.
It reminded me of those enjoyable, kooky cult sci-fi/horror movies that you'll occasionally catch on late night TV - the kind of flicks that spur up age old memories of when you maybe watched the same thing as a child.
While it was, at times a gripping read, and certainly contained some good imagery, I'm struggling to rate it anything more than a teeny bit above average. Maybe I'm a little harsher than most as I'm such a veteran when it comes to reading the particular genre.
The plot centres around a struggling, slightly psychotic FBI agent who infiltrates a cult who may (or may not) be interacting with an ancient race. It's a story we've heard time and time again, in many different forms and, taking away some of the aforementioned imagery, I'm not convinced that The Listeners offers anything new.
While it did keep my attention the whole way through, I'm afraid that the ending - something of a Deus Ex Machina - was a bit of an anti climax for me.
There was some nice tense build-up and suddenly BOOM - everything gets wrapped up for a finish within ten or so pages. I won't give away too many spoilers, but the main characters find themselves locked in a cupboard for most of the final showdown...
There was definitely scope here for a longer book and what could have been a very nicely creepy story, and while there were some good points, I was definitely left feeling a little unfulfilled by the time I closed the final pages.
It reminded me of those enjoyable, kooky cult sci-fi/horror movies that you'll occasionally catch on late night TV - the kind of flicks that spur up age old memories of when you maybe watched the same thing as a child.
While it was, at times a gripping read, and certainly contained some good imagery, I'm struggling to rate it anything more than a teeny bit above average. Maybe I'm a little harsher than most as I'm such a veteran when it comes to reading the particular genre.
The plot centres around a struggling, slightly psychotic FBI agent who infiltrates a cult who may (or may not) be interacting with an ancient race. It's a story we've heard time and time again, in many different forms and, taking away some of the aforementioned imagery, I'm not convinced that The Listeners offers anything new.
While it did keep my attention the whole way through, I'm afraid that the ending - something of a Deus Ex Machina - was a bit of an anti climax for me.
There was some nice tense build-up and suddenly BOOM - everything gets wrapped up for a finish within ten or so pages. I won't give away too many spoilers, but the main characters find themselves locked in a cupboard for most of the final showdown...
There was definitely scope here for a longer book and what could have been a very nicely creepy story, and while there were some good points, I was definitely left feeling a little unfulfilled by the time I closed the final pages.
December 22, 2008
The Listeners was basicly about a group of psychics. I am intrigued by the idea of both psychic powers and the idea of an entire group of people possesing these powers finding each other and combining their abilities. What I didn't like about this book was the overly romantic aspect of the relationship between the agent and one of the twins (who is also one of the psychics. I use the word romantic because it reminded me of a romance novel I read on accident once. Aside from that, the book was great, but I could've done without the mellow dramatic relationship thrown in.
May 2, 2016
As my star rating says, "It was ok." Look, it really wasn't great, for Pike, YA, or... you know, literature. It was decent though and I don't wish I had brain bleach or something to remove the memory of reading it from my grey matter.
Seriously though, those Setians, am I right? Along with the power of chakras and a few other possibly new age riffs, this is a common thread in what can probably be called Pike's "more adulty" books.
Even if "more adulty" isn't ... well, very adulty sounding.
Seriously though, those Setians, am I right? Along with the power of chakras and a few other possibly new age riffs, this is a common thread in what can probably be called Pike's "more adulty" books.
Even if "more adulty" isn't ... well, very adulty sounding.
August 24, 2016
This was something totally new and out of my usual realm of reading and because of that, this book felt unique to me. I really liked the main character. Although he was an FBI agent with many years of experience under his belt, he was very human in letting his emotions cloud his judgements.
The whole thing felt like watching one of those very old and wacky science fiction / horror movies. Although the writing wasn't amazing and the story could have been more flushed out, this left me turning the pages and actually enjoying this story.
The whole thing felt like watching one of those very old and wacky science fiction / horror movies. Although the writing wasn't amazing and the story could have been more flushed out, this left me turning the pages and actually enjoying this story.
August 12, 2019
Jeez, I remember eating up every Christopher Pike book I could find when I was in Jr. High. Freaking loved them. But I couldn't even finish this book, what crap. I guess either my 13-year-old mind just hadn't developed enough to recognize Pike's writing as sub-par, or Pike didn't put as much effort into his adult books as he did to his YAs.
February 27, 2013
yet again, i have fallen in love with another amazing christopher pike novel. The book is suspensful and kept me reading. I absoloutly loved the ending so much!! by far the sweetest happiest ending ever. the two main characters live happily ever after and are expecting. So sweet, i loved this book <3
June 4, 2011
This book was alright. I thought I would enjoy it since I really love his adult novels but it didn't keep my attention for too long. I finished it but I found it a little too dull. His sci-fi work doesn't really capture my attention much.
September 8, 2007
I enjoyed this book the first time I read it in high school. I've tried twice to go back and re-read it, but haven't been able to get into it. May be one of those single reads.
March 3, 2008
agnostic... hehe
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