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Underwood and Flinch
Underwood and Flinch
For hundreds of years, the first born son of the Flinch family has grown to become servant and guardian to the vampire, Lord Underwood. Then in 1958, Underwood lay down to rest for fifty years, and the world moved on without him. Now, upon arising, Underwood finds the Flinch family is not what it was, and service is the last thing on the mind of his would-be servant.Underwood and Flinch is a free podcast novel and is available to download from www.UnderwoodandFlinch.com
Audiobook
First published August 2, 2014
34 people are currently reading
399 people want to read
About the author
Mike Bennett
20 books199 followersMike Bennett is the five-time Parsec Award-winning author/podcaster of the Underwood and Flinch saga, Hall of Mirrors, and One Among the Sleepless. He lives in Wexford, Ireland.
Amazon profile (http://www.amazon.com/Mike-Bennett/e/...) and Smashwords profile (https://www.smashwords.com/profile/vi...)
Amazon profile (http://www.amazon.com/Mike-Bennett/e/...) and Smashwords profile (https://www.smashwords.com/profile/vi...)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
July 21, 2023
This was my patreon listening of underground & it did not disappoint! I find this authors work amazing! All the characters are so likeable & the touches of comedy make for *chefs kiss* perfect listening. I CANNOT fault this!
Update 21.07.23. This update is for my next instalment read by the author named The Devil of Claverton. It was brilliant! A deeper look into the history of Lord Underwood whilst he, David Flinch, and clare Redmond are on a private jet on the way to an enemies island. ANYONE out there who loves vampire novels mostly set in contemporary times will love this. Narrated by the author himself, whose voice is amazing, I can't rate this highly enough. ❤️❤️❤️
Update 21.07.23. This update is for my next instalment read by the author named The Devil of Claverton. It was brilliant! A deeper look into the history of Lord Underwood whilst he, David Flinch, and clare Redmond are on a private jet on the way to an enemies island. ANYONE out there who loves vampire novels mostly set in contemporary times will love this. Narrated by the author himself, whose voice is amazing, I can't rate this highly enough. ❤️❤️❤️
August 17, 2011
This is the best vampire story I've ever read/listened to and perhaps the best of any genre. Mike Bennett is in a class all of his own. Brilliant work
July 17, 2022
Underwood and Flinch was way better than I thought it was going to end up being. One never knows what they are walking into when the book is 500+ pages. So, I was a little hesitant to jump into this one. Yet, I saw that it was on KU and decided to take the risk.
Long story short, I was not disappointed by this one bit. Although, I'll admit that it did take me some time to get into everything. I'd like to blame work for constantly distracting me while I was trying to read this.
I also had no idea how I was supposed to feel about Lord Underwood. Definitely balanced between loving and hating the guy. It was just so hard to choose and so easy to flipflop. He was one of those characters that constantly kept me on my toes. I enjoyed the challenge. Maybe the next book will make things a bit easier when it comes to liking or hating him.
Other than that, I will definitely look into another book by this author and be on lookout for the next book in this series.
Long story short, I was not disappointed by this one bit. Although, I'll admit that it did take me some time to get into everything. I'd like to blame work for constantly distracting me while I was trying to read this.
I also had no idea how I was supposed to feel about Lord Underwood. Definitely balanced between loving and hating the guy. It was just so hard to choose and so easy to flipflop. He was one of those characters that constantly kept me on my toes. I enjoyed the challenge. Maybe the next book will make things a bit easier when it comes to liking or hating him.
Other than that, I will definitely look into another book by this author and be on lookout for the next book in this series.
March 5, 2010
This is an absolutely fabulous work, there aren’t words yet to describe its greatness but I will try.
Mike Bennett is a very talented author and a superb story teller, he knows how to bring his characters to life and he does it exceptionally well, you feel that you know them as real people, their joy will make you smile with them and you will feel their fear and be scared with them, each chapter had me begging for more.
As well as being a well written story the book is also well researched, little details that others will fabricate Mike has taken time to ensure that his are real (if they exist in the real world), for me this only added the icing on the cake.
I don’t like reading spoilers in reviews so I don’t put spoilers in mine but I will close with saying that you should listen to this, really, it’s addictive and you won’t regret it.
Mike Bennett is a very talented author and a superb story teller, he knows how to bring his characters to life and he does it exceptionally well, you feel that you know them as real people, their joy will make you smile with them and you will feel their fear and be scared with them, each chapter had me begging for more.
As well as being a well written story the book is also well researched, little details that others will fabricate Mike has taken time to ensure that his are real (if they exist in the real world), for me this only added the icing on the cake.
I don’t like reading spoilers in reviews so I don’t put spoilers in mine but I will close with saying that you should listen to this, really, it’s addictive and you won’t regret it.
September 6, 2016
Lord Underwood is about to rise from his grave in 2008 after a 50-year "sleep" in Spain. David Flinch, a recovering alcoholic and former military paramedic, is dragged (metaphorically) kicking and screaming (not so metaphorically) from his job as an EFL teacher to take up the family tradition as guardian and servant to the vampire. His sister Lydia would rather it be her position, and frankly, David would just as soon it be hers as well. But then...things get complicated.
Sex, violence, murder, Russian mobsters, pirates, wolves, white slavery, incest, evil estate agents, expat pub owners, people in over their heads, a man from the 1950s learning about smartphones and CD players....basically there is nothing in this book that isn't awesome. It's dark humor with a very sharp bite - so to speak. The vampire is very much not a good guy - but he's not really a bad guy, either, and the tension between David's moral and ethical sensibilities, and his new job as the chap who buries the bodies, makes this story compelling.
The story is only enhanced by Bennett's magnificent and very professional production. He's as talented a voice actor as he is a writer, and this along with his droll intro/outro bits for each podcast, as well as the excellent music, make listening to the audio version a real delight. AND IT'S FREE. If you really don't do the podcast/audiobook thing, the ebook is free on Smashwords as well, but the added dimension from the reading is what elevated this book to five stars, for me. For now...until the moon rises, um, never mind.
Sex, violence, murder, Russian mobsters, pirates, wolves, white slavery, incest, evil estate agents, expat pub owners, people in over their heads, a man from the 1950s learning about smartphones and CD players....basically there is nothing in this book that isn't awesome. It's dark humor with a very sharp bite - so to speak. The vampire is very much not a good guy - but he's not really a bad guy, either, and the tension between David's moral and ethical sensibilities, and his new job as the chap who buries the bodies, makes this story compelling.
The story is only enhanced by Bennett's magnificent and very professional production. He's as talented a voice actor as he is a writer, and this along with his droll intro/outro bits for each podcast, as well as the excellent music, make listening to the audio version a real delight. AND IT'S FREE. If you really don't do the podcast/audiobook thing, the ebook is free on Smashwords as well, but the added dimension from the reading is what elevated this book to five stars, for me. For now...until the moon rises, um, never mind.
March 16, 2016
I am almost done with this book/podcast and it is one of my all time favorites and I have listened to tons of podcasts as that's the only way I can get through a day at work with the humans. I don't generally like vampire books as they are all about the same. But this one snagged me at chapter 1 and I have been listening non-stop. I would also like to mention that the author selected the PERFECT music to accompany his story. I actually went to ITUNES and bought the music that was included with this podcast. It doesn't get really loud at the end and beginning of the chapters either which I loved. The narration of this story was really great and the english accent was of course perfect for the story! I highly recommend this book. It's right up there with Ransom Stephens and Scott Sigler as my all time faves!
March 12, 2014
It took me a while to get through all of the podcasts for this, partially because I was occasionally swayed by other podiobooks and music. I have to say that the one thing that was consistent throughout the book was Bennett's narration. It's incredibly professional and polished and I think that people would be hard pressed to find many podiobooks out there that are this well done.
The story here is pretty well done as well. I like that Bennett tried to create a vampire that isn't the broody, emo dark prince looking for his princess, and he succeeded in that. Underwood does have a bit of the broody sense to him, but for the most part he's a selfish bastard that is only out to preserve his own hide. He has his own set of morals and while he does try to be a gentleman, that only extends as far as what he considers to be right or wrong. A great example of this (slight spoiler) would be when Underwood discovers that the strip bar that he and David have entered is full of victims of human trafficking... and he doesn't particularly care. For him it just means that he'd have been able to get an easier meal and he's condescending towards David's outrage over the situation. This makes for a nice change over the usual vampire story, because it makes sense that someone would overlook suffering and condone violence when they've lived that long.
I do have a few quibbles. The first is that at several points we have a bit of an "about-face-turn" on some issues that just doesn't feel quite genuine. You'll likely know what they are when you see them and I don't want to list them here because they're major spoilers. It's not a complete 180, but it's enough of one to where I did raise an eyebrow. The second issue I had is that Bennett packs a lot into the story and while this does lend itself extremely well to an episodic podcast format, I don't know how well this would translate into a written book. I'm aware that the full podcast was split into two books, so I'm sure that this helped that issue for those who read it, but I would definitely recommend that people experience this via podcast as opposed to book only. Purchase the book and give Bennett your money as I do believe that he deserves some financial rewards, but the podiobook version is the way to go.
All in all, this was still an excellent listen. It wasn't perfect-perfect, but it was definitely something I'd recommend to anyone looking for something a bit out of the norm from your typical vampire read. It's good enough that I know I'll check out Bennett's future works, that's for certain.
The story here is pretty well done as well. I like that Bennett tried to create a vampire that isn't the broody, emo dark prince looking for his princess, and he succeeded in that. Underwood does have a bit of the broody sense to him, but for the most part he's a selfish bastard that is only out to preserve his own hide. He has his own set of morals and while he does try to be a gentleman, that only extends as far as what he considers to be right or wrong. A great example of this (slight spoiler) would be when Underwood discovers that the strip bar that he and David have entered is full of victims of human trafficking... and he doesn't particularly care. For him it just means that he'd have been able to get an easier meal and he's condescending towards David's outrage over the situation. This makes for a nice change over the usual vampire story, because it makes sense that someone would overlook suffering and condone violence when they've lived that long.
I do have a few quibbles. The first is that at several points we have a bit of an "about-face-turn" on some issues that just doesn't feel quite genuine. You'll likely know what they are when you see them and I don't want to list them here because they're major spoilers. It's not a complete 180, but it's enough of one to where I did raise an eyebrow. The second issue I had is that Bennett packs a lot into the story and while this does lend itself extremely well to an episodic podcast format, I don't know how well this would translate into a written book. I'm aware that the full podcast was split into two books, so I'm sure that this helped that issue for those who read it, but I would definitely recommend that people experience this via podcast as opposed to book only. Purchase the book and give Bennett your money as I do believe that he deserves some financial rewards, but the podiobook version is the way to go.
All in all, this was still an excellent listen. It wasn't perfect-perfect, but it was definitely something I'd recommend to anyone looking for something a bit out of the norm from your typical vampire read. It's good enough that I know I'll check out Bennett's future works, that's for certain.
August 12, 2014
(Audio review)
Outstanding story, back story, nearly action packed.
All of us have seen or read vampire stories. In most cases they all follow one of two story types. This one is completely different. A story of a honorable yet evil vampire lord rich in culture being lead by his line of blood servants. The characters are all well done with their own goals, desires, and quests. Never a point of confusion and the plot is flat out amazing. Its a great listen and I'm sure an amazing read. If you enjoy vampires, give this one a listen, I promise its really different and will get you excited as you start to love Lord Underwood but hate him just as quickly.
Outstanding story, back story, nearly action packed.
All of us have seen or read vampire stories. In most cases they all follow one of two story types. This one is completely different. A story of a honorable yet evil vampire lord rich in culture being lead by his line of blood servants. The characters are all well done with their own goals, desires, and quests. Never a point of confusion and the plot is flat out amazing. Its a great listen and I'm sure an amazing read. If you enjoy vampires, give this one a listen, I promise its really different and will get you excited as you start to love Lord Underwood but hate him just as quickly.
November 12, 2012
There is little I can add to what others have already said. This is simply a great book. I don't usually like horror stories, but the quality of the narration, the marvelous accents and voices that Mr. Bennett uses for his characters, and the outstanding audio production of this podcast completely captured me.
The plot and character development is rich and interesting. Just a quick warning: the language is rough in many places and there are sceans of great violence. There are also a few sceans that are explicitly sexual.
The plot and character development is rich and interesting. Just a quick warning: the language is rough in many places and there are sceans of great violence. There are also a few sceans that are explicitly sexual.
February 5, 2025
I have so much respect for these writers who work hard on their novels and then publish and podcast them for free!
It took me a bit if time to get into this one, but because of Mr Bennett's great voice work and writing, I did get attached to the story and the characters, and I was not quite ready for the story to come to an even after 45 episodes!
I did give some $$ to Mike's IndieGoGo campaign in hopes it will help him gain more time to put out more wonderful books.
It took me a bit if time to get into this one, but because of Mr Bennett's great voice work and writing, I did get attached to the story and the characters, and I was not quite ready for the story to come to an even after 45 episodes!
I did give some $$ to Mike's IndieGoGo campaign in hopes it will help him gain more time to put out more wonderful books.
June 15, 2017
Without a doubt the most enjoyable vampire story I have ever read/listened to. I'd go so far as to say that it is one of my all time favourite books of any genre. A wonderful mix of old school scares, humour, and great characterisation makes for the perfect antidote to the twinkling romantic teeny vampire stories that have raised to prominence in recent years.
I first stumbled upon the U&F universe by trying out the audio podcast version and was instantly hooked. The story is brilliantly narrated by the author himself and in my opinion he does a far better job than many professionals I've listened to on Audible.
I think I'm now up to my 5th copy of the printed version as I keep gifting them to friends in my eagerness to introduce them to this world.
I can't recommend U&F highly enough and am sure anybody would enjoy it even if it is not your usual genre of choice.
I gave U&F 5 stars because it wouldn't let me give 10!
I first stumbled upon the U&F universe by trying out the audio podcast version and was instantly hooked. The story is brilliantly narrated by the author himself and in my opinion he does a far better job than many professionals I've listened to on Audible.
I think I'm now up to my 5th copy of the printed version as I keep gifting them to friends in my eagerness to introduce them to this world.
I can't recommend U&F highly enough and am sure anybody would enjoy it even if it is not your usual genre of choice.
I gave U&F 5 stars because it wouldn't let me give 10!
December 7, 2017
This I "consumed" as an audiobook. And the reading was incredible. The author takes you into a good and fresh vampire story. The main character is that "Igor", the human that protects the vampire during the day hours. But he is human so...? What needs to happen is that it is a dynasty that looks over the master. But what happens when the latest of the Flinch sons do not want the responsibility and hates the idea of being the vampire custodian?
Great read
Great read
November 9, 2021
TLDR: Underwood and Flinch is absolutely incredible. I spent the entire time enjoying the book but always thinking I knew what would happen next, and constantly being surprised. Very original and worth anyone and everyone’s time who likes the genre. For a longer explanation and review… The absolute best book I have read/listened to lately. The audiobook is spectacular, especially since the author himself reads it and, of course, gets all the characters spot on because he created them. I have shared this series with so many friends and family members because I KNOW they’re going to like it. A few of them took a bit of time to get into it, since it’s a little bit slow at the beginning. Not slow in the sense of boring, but not heart pounding, edge of your seat exciting the first few chapters/episodes. Once you give it enough time to get to know the characters you are so hooked, there’s no way to go back. We are all now obsessed with a movie or TV series of it being made and have spent the afternoon looking up actors who we think would be a good fit for the characters. Personally, I’d love to see Tom Ellis playing lord Underwood. Not particularly the way Ellis looks, but his role in “Lucifer” gives some definitive “underwod” vibes in several episodes. *****SPOILER ALERT!!!*****
The “most people think he’s a bad guy… but really he’s a better guy than most” part of Lucifer’s character makes me think he’d be able to play Underwood quite well. Plus it helps that he’s attractive and is about the right age as well.
The “most people think he’s a bad guy… but really he’s a better guy than most” part of Lucifer’s character makes me think he’d be able to play Underwood quite well. Plus it helps that he’s attractive and is about the right age as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2022
Some say the vampire genre is played out —and maybe it is. But it’s impossible not to love “Underwood & flinch.” It’s hard for me to understand how the Twilight series rose to the stratosphere—When a magician of a wordsmith like Mike Bennett languishes, all but unknown ( at least, here in the United States. I think he might be more well-known in his native England ) I don’t know what alchemy of publishing occurs that shoots one vampire novel to the top —and leaves another only selling a few thousand. But the fact that this isn’t the vampire novel of our generation tells me that it must be kind of a crapshoot and chance has a great deal to do with it.
*** fun fact: Bennett released this book and the follow up for FREE on apple podcasts! I can’t recommend it enough it’s totally addictive.
*** fun fact: Bennett released this book and the follow up for FREE on apple podcasts! I can’t recommend it enough it’s totally addictive.
December 24, 2022
I absolutely love this story!! Unlike many other vampire novels, this one manages to bring the historical feel to it yet still keep it modern. I’m always on the hunt for good vampire novels but a lot of them fall into cringe vampire Romance or try to embody the feeling of the gothic classics but fall short. But this book does just that! It brings the historical feel that I love to see in vampire stories yet brings it into the modern day. There are just so many things to love. I love the writing style, I love how the pacing and conflicts make sense for the book, and I love Underwood! Mike Bennett really outdid himself with this story. He is such an amazing performer and makes each character have their own distinct personality and I love that. I will most definitely be sticking around for mike’s future projects!
August 22, 2022
Mike Bennett is an incredible voice narrator, listing to the audiobook was a great experience (except for the stereotype of giving Russians and Serbians same accent).
However as for the story I felt the pace going down on more than few occasions, and Flinch was annoying in sence of repeating his mistakes and being a constant nomatter the changes he was affected by.
This the 4 stars.
However as for the story I felt the pace going down on more than few occasions, and Flinch was annoying in sence of repeating his mistakes and being a constant nomatter the changes he was affected by.
This the 4 stars.
April 20, 2023
I'm a harsh critic and never give anything 5 stars, but this story is INCREDIBLE. It absolutely goes in my top 5 favorite books ever. I adore Mike Bennett and everything be does, so I'm really not surprised at how great this was.
August 17, 2023
I lesion to this as an audio podcast on Spotify and got hooked to the story instantly. Love the characters in the story. I have so far gone back and lesion to it twice now, and I am sure I will even go back and lesion to it again. Thank you, Mike, for a fantastic vampire story.
October 9, 2023
kind of good
it was good, but not enough.
I guess I didn't like underwood's tolerance about David's behavior, too much details in some parts (unnecessary) but little details in the Essential.
it was good, but not enough.
I guess I didn't like underwood's tolerance about David's behavior, too much details in some parts (unnecessary) but little details in the Essential.
August 6, 2025
This was as much about the humans surrounding Lord Underwood as it was about the vampire himself, and the character development was very well done.
Mike Bennett is an exceptionally talented voice actor!
Mike Bennett is an exceptionally talented voice actor!
July 29, 2017
I never like giving books five stars, but listening to the podiobook has left me in awe. Mike Bennett really brings his characters to life.
February 17, 2018
Fantastic audiobook ... a must.
November 20, 2019
So good! Captivating and exciting but also doesn't take itself too seriously. The characters are what really pull the story through, particularly Underwood himself.
Want to read
April 19, 2020
April 13, 2022
Amazing novel, refreshing Taste to the vampire genre. Loved it
June 25, 2022
Hazzar
July 12, 2022
Cracking good read! Or listen. I listened to the audio podcast read by the author.
September 24, 2022
Love this entire series! I cannot wait for more.
July 7, 2023
Came to this via the podcast, and loved it. An excellent modern twist on vampires.
April 22, 2024
Took me a while but I finished it.
Great vampire story.
Great vampire story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews