The Trip Audiobook Review

Posted by Leah on 5/22/2016 12:39:31 PM

Prefer to listen rather than read? Listen Here!

        As I touched on in my review of the film Life After Beth, there is no shortage of zombie related materials out there right now. There are countless films, TV shows and books, among other things, that have flooded the market with all things zombie apocalypse. With an overcrowded sub-genre such as this, how is an artist to stand out from the others and have their work be seen and appreciated?

        Although each and every artist, of any kind, has their own personal methods of putting a unique touch on their work in order to stand out from the crowd, there do seem to be some general themes when contemplating the differences in all things zombie. For one thing, while the actual effects of the given zombie diseases seem to be different in every piece of work, (Does their skin change color? Do their eyes change color? Do they vomit blood, etc.), the overall consequences of the given disease are the same; people catch it, appear dead, come back to life and gain extreme aggressiveness towards people. Another example would be how the zombies act when they come back to life. In some cases it comes on gradually and they don’t know they’re dead for a while. In others the people almost instantly become terrifying monsters. But in both cases the results of the disease are the same.

        Personally I’ve become rather bored and indifferent to anything having to do with zombies. It’s not that I don’t still enjoy zombie films and the like, it’s just that there’s such an inundation of all things zombie that a given work had better be really different for me to pay any attention to it now.

        Which is why, when author and filmmaker Tim Morgan approached me to listen to the audio version of his zombie apocalypse book The Trip, I was hesitant, but said yes.  According to the website, The Trip is “Not Your Typical Zombie Apocalypse” and according to Morgan, “I set out to tell a zombie story in a way that hadn't been done before.” That was enough enticement for me. I knew I had to listen and figure out what it is that makes The Trip different than anything else out there.

        Within the first few minutes of listening to the audiobook one difference was very clear; rather than Morgan reading the book himself, there were three narrators to bring it to life. Sophia Cacciola played The Newscaster, reading any of the news headlines and broadcasts that were portrayed in the book. Felicia Flanagan read the blogposts that the main character, Meghan, wrote while on The Trip. And Kimberley Miller was the main narrator, reading the traditional narration in the book. The threesome read the book in such a way that it feels as though you’re listening to a play, rather than a book. This was certainly a welcome change since, in some cases, audiobooks become dry and emotionless when the authors read them themselves.

Meghan, Dave and Chris outrun zombies in The Trip (Photo courtesy Tim Morgan)

        The Trip follows the stories of three teens, Meghan, Dave and Chris, as they attempt to make their way home to Massachusetts from Minnesota on bikes during the zombie apocalypse. Really, it’s two stories in one, as it jumps between the present and the kids attempt to make it home, and the past during the kids senior year in high school as they plan a bike trip from Massachusetts to Seattle. There is, of course, plenty of tension, action and drama as Dave, Chris and Meghan attempt to survive, both in high school and out in the world, dodging zombies.

        After listening to the book I asked author, Tim Morgan how he came up with the idea for The Trip. He told me, “I knew I wanted to tell a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse. I don’t really consider myself a horror writer.  I get it, when you write about vampires and zombies and you land on the shelf with the horror titles…. I guess it’s because at the core I’m coming at it from hope, not the horror angle, which makes me think about possibilities. I [knew I] needed to give these people something crazy and memorable for their senior summer. Buses aren’t that exotic, neither are cars, and these days nobody in their right mind is going to hitchhike…so bikes were the last logical option. When I thought about the world [during the zombie apocalypse] – which would leave stretches of highways jammed with cars and gas stations sucked dry – bikes upped the drama. Sure, they’re vulnerable, but they can outrun the zombies, and they don’t need gas.”

        I knew there was something special that I couldn’t quite wrap my fingers around while listening to the book, but Morgan was able to clarify it for me in the answer he gave. Yes, The Trip is a zombie apocalypse book, but it’s different in that the zombies aren’t the point. The book is a coming of age tale about three kids who have just made it through high school, and because Morgan wrote it with hope in mind instead of horror, the struggles of the characters are all the more captivating.

        The audiobook version of The Trip is a delightfully gripping tale that will hold your attention as well as any of the best TV shows. You’ll find yourself wishing your commute to work was a little longer just so you can find out what happens to Meghan, Dave and Chris next. The three narrators bring the book to life in a way that is not often done, yet should be the norm. So shut off that TV and gather round the portable speakers. It’s time to go on The Trip.

        The Trip was written by Tim Morgan and the audiobook was read by Sophia Cacciola, Felicia Flanagan and Kimberley Miller. An animated version of The Trip and a sequel to the book are currently being created and will be out sometime in the future.

More information about the book and Tim Morgan can be found here:

·  Tim Morgan Website

·  Tim Morgan Twitter

·  The Trip Website

·  The Trip on Amazon

·  The Trip Audiobook Website

·  The Trip Audiobook on Amazon