Audiobook Review – Godfall by Van Jensen (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: 11 hours and 22 minutes
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Release Date: May 31, 2024
ASIN: B0CVSDTF6J
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audiobook from NetGalley for Review
Rating: 4/5 stars
“When a massive asteroid hurtles toward Earth, humanity braces for annihilation—but the end doesn’t come. In fact, it isn’t an asteroid but a three-mile-tall alien that drops down, seemingly dead, outside Little Springs, Nebraska. Dubbed “the giant,” its arrival transforms the red-state farm town into a top-secret government research site and major metropolitan area, flooded with soldiers, scientists, bureaucrats, spies, criminals, conspiracy theorists—and a murderer.
As the sheriff of Little Springs, David Blunt thought he’d be keeping the peace among the same people he’d known all his life, not breaking up chanting crowds of conspiracy theorists in tiger masks or struggling to control a town hall meeting about the construction of a mosque. As a series of brutal, bizarre murders strikes close to home, Blunt throws himself into the hunt for a killer who seems connected to the Giant. With bodies piling up and tensions in Little Springs mounting, he realizes that in order to find the answers he needs, he must first reconcile his old worldview with the town he now lives in—before it’s too late.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got this on audiobook from NetGalley for review.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this. It ended up being less science fiction and more thriller/mystery in theme than I expected. It is well written and moves at a good pace. I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was well done and pleasant to listen to.
Little Springs, Nebraska is a boring small town, and sheriff David Blunt likes it that way. Then, a three mile tall alien body crashes down outside of Little Springs and everything changes. While it isn’t the life-ending event the world thought it would be originally, Little Springs is no longer a small town…but now a home to tourists, cultists, and townies alike. When a strange series of murders starts, Blunt is originally okay with letting the feds handle it However, when part of his family gets involved and he decides he needs to take an active roll. Blunt is let in on some of the secrets surrounding the alien object, and things get pretty weird.
I enjoyed a lot of the characters here. Sheriff Blunt loves his town and is struggling to cope with what it’s become, but he IS coping even with limited staff and funding. Watching him struggle to unravel a serial killer mystery that is originally blamed on the “outsiders” but circles back to the townies is intriguing.
There is a decent amount of action and I really enjoyed the pace of the story. At its heart this is a “who dun it” mystery with some unique sci-fi twists. The science fiction elements are definitely more subtle than I was expecting, but I enjoyed them all the same.
The story does feel a bit unfinished. The serial killer mystery is dealt with but the larger mystery around the fallen alien is largely left that, just a mystery. I was curious to learn more about that object. However, in a way it felt right to leave the story where it ended.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this story, it’s a fast-paced thriller with a who-dun-it mystery type feel to it and some intriguing subtle sci-fi elements. I enjoyed the main characters here and enjoyed the premise. The audiobook was well done, so I would recommend listening to this on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks. I will definitely keep an eye out for future books by Jensen.
