Inspection, Josh Malerman
Inspection, Josh Malerman
3 Rating(s)
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Inspection

Author: Josh Malerman

Narrator: Michael Crouch, Brittany Pressley

Unabridged: 13 hr 16 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/19/2019


Synopsis

Boys are being trained at one school for geniuses, girls at another. Neither knows the other exists—until now. The New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box invites you into a world of secrets and chills in a coming-of-age story like no other.

NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER AWARD • “Josh Malerman is a master at unsettling you—and keeping you off-balance until the last page is turned.”—Chuck Wendig, New York Times bestselling author of Blackbirds

J is a student at a school deep in a forest far away from the rest of the world.

J is one of only twenty-six students, all of whom think of the school’s enigmatic founder as their father. J’s peers are the only family he has ever had. The students are being trained to be prodigies of art, science, and athletics, and their life at the school is all they know—and all they are allowed to know.

But J suspects that there is something out there, beyond the pines, that the founder does not want him to see, and he’s beginning to ask questions. What is the real purpose of this place? Why can the students never leave? And what secrets is their father hiding from them?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, in a school very much like J’s, a girl named K is asking the same questions. J has never seen a girl, and K has never seen a boy. As K and J work to investigate the secrets of their two strange schools, they come to discover something even more mysterious: each other.

Praise for Inspection

“Creepy. . . a novel whose premise is also claustrophobic and unsettling, but more ambitious than that of Bird Box . . . Inspection is rich with dread and builds to a dramatic climax.”—The Washington Post

“This unlikely cross between 1984 and Lord of the Flies tantalizes.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Malerman builds a striking world. . . . As he did in Bird Box, Malerman’s crafted an irresistible scenario that’s rich in possibility and thematic fruit. . . . Where [Bird Box] confined us behind a blindfold, Inspection rips it off.”  —The A. V. Club

“A must read . . . It’s a wonderful thing, digging into a new Josh Malerman novel—no idea what to expect, no clue where his twisted mind is going to take you.”—Cemetery Dance

About The Author

Josh Malerman is a New York Times bestselling author and one of two singer/ songwriters for the rock band The High Strung. His debut novel, Bird Box, is the inspiration for the hit Netflix film of the same name. His other novels include Unbury Carol and Inspection. Malerman lives in Michigan with his fiancée, the artist/musician Allison Laakko.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Chris

Josh Malerman is best known for his disturbing, deeply original novel “Bird Box,” about a mother determined to save her two young children, even though it will mean rowing 20 miles down a river, blindfolded. The brilliant elevator pitch behind that book? When you see it, whatever it is, you will kil......more

Goodreads review by Sadie

Right now is a great time to be Josh Malerman. The success of the Netflix Original, BIRD BOX, based on his horror novel of the same title, is staggering. I'm not at all surprised. Great books make great movies. Everything that is excellent about the film, is due to the fact that Malerman's story is a......more

Goodreads review by Chelsea

I think I'll be keeping this one brief, as I don't want to spoil anything and I am a middle of the road reviewer for this book. As others before me have stated, this one is a super slow burn, which isn't bad, but I think keeps the books from feeling as sinister as it could. I completely agree with D......more

Goodreads review by Debra

Best laid plans and all that...... What happens when good old D.A.D and M.O.M keep their "children" in the dark? That really is the question! J is one of the 26 Alphabet boys. They are being raised by D.A.D. and his "staff". The boys are smart, they are being raised to be prodigies. They only know ea......more

Goodreads review by karen

fulfilling my 2019 goal to read (at least) one book each month that i bought in hardcover and put off reading long enough that it is now in paperback. SPOOKY BOOKTOBER CONTINUES!!!!! this. book. is. slow. until it explodes. i love how josh malerman just writes whatever he wants. his breakout debut, Bird......more


Quotes

“A wonderfully mad bit of narrative knotwork, braiding together threads of The Handmaid’s Tale and BioShock with aplomb . . . Josh Malerman is a master at unsettling you—and keeping you off-balance until the last page is turned.”—Chuck Wendig, New York Times bestselling author of Blackbirds and Wanderers

“[Inspection] mashes up gender issues with Frankenstein. . . . Taking a cue from the godmother of horror, Mary Shelley, Malerman’s latest, Inspection, appreciates that the scary part is not the lurking, growling monster, but instead exploring the real-world ramifications of such a seemingly fantastical proposition.”The Oakland Press

“Inspection proves that Josh Malerman is a master magician of narrative form. He’s distilled the zeitgeist of our terrible times into this dazzling chameleon of a story, part Grimm’s fairy tale of innocent youth, part dystopian gender politics and authoritarianism run amok, with a satisfying Tarantino-esque ending.”—Alma Katsu, author of The Hunger

“A twisted fairy tale set in a truly unique world whose secrets should not be spoiled, Josh Malerman’s Inspection reimagines the pillars of childhood in a smart, witty, and compulsively readable story of growth and rebellion. Read it and enjoy the discovery.”—Scott Hawkins, author of The Library at Mount Char 

“Engaging and suspenseful! Malerman creates a fiendish fairy tale of a world where boy was never meant to meet girl and of the hell unleashed when they finally do.”—J. D. Barker, internationally bestselling author of The Fourth Monkey and Dracul

“Fast-paced, tension-filled [and] with lots to think about . . . Malerman’s latest has all of the claustrophobic tension his fans crave, but this time the monsters are 100 percent human. . . . Think Shirley Jackson writing Lord of the Flies. Hand to fans of Margaret Atwood or Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro.”Booklist (starred review)

“Malerman gives a master class in mood-building with this deliciously creepy coming-of-age story. I don’t want to spoil anything because you need to savor every line, but I’d call it Dead Poets Society as directed by Tim Burton. Sounds good, doesn’t it?”—Sylvain Neuvel, author of the Themis Files series

“A disturbing coming-of-age story set in a cruel and unthinkable place. Malerman has built a twisted sanctuary that shows us the horrors of conviction.”—Dathan Auerbach, author of Bad Man and Penpal 

Inspection is Josh Malerman’s best work to date, a riveting, terrifying, and ultimately life-affirming fable. I’d put Inspection on the same tier as other great novels of dictatorial manipulation such as Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go. An experience not to be missed by an author who is firing on all cylinders.”—Philip Fracassi, author of Behold the Void

"Smart, scary, and utterly compelling. Don't let the parents catch you with it." —Matt Ruff, author of Lovecraft Country