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Inspection

A Novel

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Inspection

Written by: Josh Malerman
Narrated by: Michael Crouch, Brittany Pressley
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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 Coming of Age Genre Fiction Horror Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary Fiction Student
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The book was very good and I enjoyed the narrators. I feel as though the ending was a little rushed. Another stellar book from Josh Malerman!

Very good!

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I honestly struggled through the first half of this book, but the second half blew me away.

I warred with myself whether to give 4 or 5 stars for story as there are pretty massive plot holes in the set up and world of the book.

In the end, I think I’ve decided that the plot holes don’t matter. The experience of the book - the story telling is so imaginative it makes up for any internal logical problems the plot or setting has.

If you’re about suspense, horror, and mild surrealism, I definitely recommend this listen.

Give it time

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I enjoyed the storyline and some of the details of the towers and interworkings. At times the characters would have internal dialogues that would be kind of wordy and extended. Sometimes this did effectively convey the emotions of characters however it was a bit daunting. In addition I have difficulty imagining that the children had hit puberty yet, based on their age and there was no mention of periods, pimples, etc.

Worth a read

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I really enjoyed the whole book, until the end. Unlike the rest of the book, the end felt wrong for the story and rushed to fit into a time frame or something.

Rushed ending

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this wasn't a read I'm interested in. didnt like the subject. when chosen I wasnt sure what kind of story it was.

my review for inspection

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