Let me say up front that many of us waited eight long years for the sequel to “Zombie Bigfoot” to drop, and I can say that it was well worth the wait and time enjoying every morsel of it. “Zombie Billionaire”, the latest in the series, is just as entertainment as its predecessor, but this story contained more depth, fun, and adventure than the original; just what a sequel should provide. The story is loaded with horror, hijinks, and hysteria. If you are currently a fan of Nick Sullivan’s vast catalogue of adventure novels, you will find “Zombie Billionaire” just what you expected. If you have not listened to any of Mr. Sullivan’s works, shame on you as you are missing out on some of the best writing and narration Audible has to offer in the Adventure genre. I highly recommend you not jump straight into this second audiobook in the series if you have not yet listened to the first. Instead, hop on over to Audible and pick up the original “Zombie Bigfoot” and then give this one a listen. You will not be disappointed.
The story opens with a rather graphic visual description of the process of death, but this understanding is a critical aspect of the story going forward. Yet, as the tale progresses, you come to lean that there is plenty of depth, complexity, and action packed into the over twelve hours of audio. For the older folks, such as myself, you may remember a movie called “Harry and the Hendersons”. I compared this movie with its puns, pokes, and prods of humor to the first audiobook in this series. However, “Zombie Billionaire” is a bit darker and more graphic than its predecessor, but I like the direction the author went with in this audiobook. What seems rather silly and light-hearted when you read the title and begin listening, quickly migrates into a story that is much richer and deeper than you would have expected.
I found the back and forth between the humans and troop of bigfoot (feet?) enjoyable. In each of these segments we were able to better understand each other’s needs. Seeing the different ways they all communicated as a species and how all the individual paths would finally converge into the story’s climax requiring both man and monster to solve. Not only will you be fully entertained with the many Sasquatches in this tale, but Mr. Sullivan additionally brings in a new and more deadly, and hungry, legendary monster. There are plenty of horror tropes (on purpose) such as the bumbling military, crazy bigfoot trackers, and monsters who can evade the proliferation of cameras and smart phone videos. All of this really made the story a fun and entertaining listen. Having the aspect of horror while also playing out like a B-rated monster flick made me smile and laugh out loud many times while listening.
About the audiobook’s narration, Mr. Sullivan is one of the best-of-the-best when it comes to his professional and high-quality narrations. This audiobook is no exception. I have said in many of my audiobook reviews that I rarely find an author who is able to properly narrate their own work. However, Mr. Sullivan always delivers and has set the bar for others when it comes to his ability to being a text to life in audio format. I did not make note of any audio artifacts or issues while listening to “Zombie Billionaire” and Mr. Sullivan’s ability to create fun and unique characters with just as unique voices helped make this audiobook what it is.
For parents and younger listeners, this audiobook does contain some light profanity used as expletives, but this is very few and far between. Secondly, as with any zombie/horror genre, there are some portions of the story that contain gruesome aspects which may not be appropriate for younger listeners. I will also have to include a warning on the number of dad jokes contained within, note you have been warned.
In summary, if you are looking for a very entertaining audiobook with horror, humor and adventurous hijinks, look no farther than “Zombie Billionaire”. The author and narrator (one in the same) did a wonderful job of making the story feel deep and multifaceted while sticking to what made the first in the series well loved. Much like with the cult following of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, I think Mr. Sullivan has started his own cult following of listeners. We all just hope that it does not take eight more years to get the next in the sequel.
