Listen free for 30 days
-
Inspection
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Michael Crouch, Brittany Pressley
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $26.22
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's Summary
Boys are being trained at one school for geniuses, girls at another. Neither knows the other exists - until now. The New York Times best-selling 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 best-selling 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 26 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)
You may also enjoy...
-
Such Sharp Teeth
- Written by: Rachel Harrison
- Narrated by: Kristen Sieh
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rory Morris isn’t thrilled to be moving back to her hometown, even if it is temporary. There are bad memories there. But her twin sister, Scarlett, is pregnant, estranged from the baby’s father, and needs support, so Rory returns to the place she thought she’d put in her rearview. After a night out at a bar where she runs into Ian, an old almost-flame, she hits a large animal with her car. And when she gets out to investigate, she’s attacked.
-
-
this was great!
- By Karen on 2023-10-12
Written by: Rachel Harrison
-
The Drift
- A Novel
- Written by: C. J. Tudor
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage, Nathalie Buscombe, Rachel Handshaw
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hannah awakens to carnage, all mangled metal and shattered glass. After she was evacuated from a secluded boarding school during a snowstorm, her coach careered off the road, trapping her with a handful of survivors. They’ll need to work together to escape—with their sanity and secrets intact. Meg awakens to a gentle rocking. She’s in a cable car stranded high above snowy mountains, with five strangers and no memory of how they got on board.
-
-
Enjoyable!
- By Anonymous User on 2023-11-03
Written by: C. J. Tudor
-
All the Glimmering Stars
- A Novel
- Written by: Mark Sullivan, Anthony and Florence Opoka - afterword
- Narrated by: Junior Nyong'o
- Length: 16 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anthony Opoka and Florence Okori are coming of age in Uganda in the 1990s. Outstanding students, they believe in being good humans before they are kidnapped and forced into the fanatical Lord’s Resistance Army. In a legion of young recruits, no one gets closer than Anthony to powerful messianic warlord Joseph Kony and his darkest secrets. To stay sane as he spirals through chaos, Anthony clings to his childhood lessons about being a good human. Florence’s upbringing grounds her, too, helping her keep her dreams alive even as she’s pulled deeper into the insanity of Kony’s war.
-
-
Very Moving
- By LisaLadyP on 2024-09-18
Written by: Mark Sullivan, and others
-
Dreadful
- Written by: Caitlin Rozakis
- Narrated by: Keval Shah
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gav isn't really sure how he ended up with a castle full of goblins, or why he has a princess locked in a cell. All he can do is play along with his own evil plan in hopes of getting his memories back before he gets himself killed. But as he realizes that nothing—from the incredibly tasteless cloak adorned with flames to the aforementioned princess—is quite what it seems, Gav must face up to all the things the Dread Lord Gavrax has done. And he'll have to answer the hardest question of all—who does he want to be?
-
-
Forgetful Evil Wizard, What’s not to like!
- By DarthGerardius on 2024-09-29
Written by: Caitlin Rozakis
-
The Stepford Wives
- Written by: Ira Levin
- Narrated by: January LaVoy, Grover Gardner
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joanna Eberhart is a creative, self-possessed wife and mother, newly arrived in seemingly idyllic Stepford, Connecticut. But as she and her family begin settling in, she’s jarred by the unaccountable sameness of the local wives: all flawlessly attractive, with perfectly maintained homes—and little seeming interest in anything else. As curiosity turns to concern, Joanna finds herself unraveling a web of malice that threatens her very existence.
-
-
Elegantly Read and Perfectly Unsettling
- By Mara H on 2024-05-10
Written by: Ira Levin
-
The Last Word
- A Novel
- Written by: Taylor Adams
- Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan, Jim Meskimen
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emma Carpenter lives in isolation with her golden retriever Laika, house-sitting an old beachfront home on the rainy Washington coast. Her only human contact is her enigmatic old neighbor, Deek, and (via text) the house’s owner, Jules. One day, she reads a poorly written—but gruesome—horror novel by the author H. G. Kane, and posts a one-star review that drags her into an online argument with none other than the author himself. Soon after, disturbing incidents start to occur at night.
-
-
Loved it!
- By Theo Ferreira on 2023-07-02
Written by: Taylor Adams
-
Such Sharp Teeth
- Written by: Rachel Harrison
- Narrated by: Kristen Sieh
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rory Morris isn’t thrilled to be moving back to her hometown, even if it is temporary. There are bad memories there. But her twin sister, Scarlett, is pregnant, estranged from the baby’s father, and needs support, so Rory returns to the place she thought she’d put in her rearview. After a night out at a bar where she runs into Ian, an old almost-flame, she hits a large animal with her car. And when she gets out to investigate, she’s attacked.
-
-
this was great!
- By Karen on 2023-10-12
Written by: Rachel Harrison
-
The Drift
- A Novel
- Written by: C. J. Tudor
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage, Nathalie Buscombe, Rachel Handshaw
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hannah awakens to carnage, all mangled metal and shattered glass. After she was evacuated from a secluded boarding school during a snowstorm, her coach careered off the road, trapping her with a handful of survivors. They’ll need to work together to escape—with their sanity and secrets intact. Meg awakens to a gentle rocking. She’s in a cable car stranded high above snowy mountains, with five strangers and no memory of how they got on board.
-
-
Enjoyable!
- By Anonymous User on 2023-11-03
Written by: C. J. Tudor
-
All the Glimmering Stars
- A Novel
- Written by: Mark Sullivan, Anthony and Florence Opoka - afterword
- Narrated by: Junior Nyong'o
- Length: 16 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anthony Opoka and Florence Okori are coming of age in Uganda in the 1990s. Outstanding students, they believe in being good humans before they are kidnapped and forced into the fanatical Lord’s Resistance Army. In a legion of young recruits, no one gets closer than Anthony to powerful messianic warlord Joseph Kony and his darkest secrets. To stay sane as he spirals through chaos, Anthony clings to his childhood lessons about being a good human. Florence’s upbringing grounds her, too, helping her keep her dreams alive even as she’s pulled deeper into the insanity of Kony’s war.
-
-
Very Moving
- By LisaLadyP on 2024-09-18
Written by: Mark Sullivan, and others
-
Dreadful
- Written by: Caitlin Rozakis
- Narrated by: Keval Shah
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gav isn't really sure how he ended up with a castle full of goblins, or why he has a princess locked in a cell. All he can do is play along with his own evil plan in hopes of getting his memories back before he gets himself killed. But as he realizes that nothing—from the incredibly tasteless cloak adorned with flames to the aforementioned princess—is quite what it seems, Gav must face up to all the things the Dread Lord Gavrax has done. And he'll have to answer the hardest question of all—who does he want to be?
-
-
Forgetful Evil Wizard, What’s not to like!
- By DarthGerardius on 2024-09-29
Written by: Caitlin Rozakis
-
The Stepford Wives
- Written by: Ira Levin
- Narrated by: January LaVoy, Grover Gardner
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joanna Eberhart is a creative, self-possessed wife and mother, newly arrived in seemingly idyllic Stepford, Connecticut. But as she and her family begin settling in, she’s jarred by the unaccountable sameness of the local wives: all flawlessly attractive, with perfectly maintained homes—and little seeming interest in anything else. As curiosity turns to concern, Joanna finds herself unraveling a web of malice that threatens her very existence.
-
-
Elegantly Read and Perfectly Unsettling
- By Mara H on 2024-05-10
Written by: Ira Levin
-
The Last Word
- A Novel
- Written by: Taylor Adams
- Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan, Jim Meskimen
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emma Carpenter lives in isolation with her golden retriever Laika, house-sitting an old beachfront home on the rainy Washington coast. Her only human contact is her enigmatic old neighbor, Deek, and (via text) the house’s owner, Jules. One day, she reads a poorly written—but gruesome—horror novel by the author H. G. Kane, and posts a one-star review that drags her into an online argument with none other than the author himself. Soon after, disturbing incidents start to occur at night.
-
-
Loved it!
- By Theo Ferreira on 2023-07-02
Written by: Taylor Adams
What the critics say
“A wonderfully mad bit of narrative knotwork, braiding together threads of The Handmaid’s Tale and BioShock with aplomb. Malerman is a master at unsettling you - and keeping you off-balance until the last page is turned.” (Chuck Wendig, New York Times best-selling author of Blackbirds and Wanderers)
“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 that 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)
What listeners say about Inspection
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Aurora
- 2020-01-17
Give it time
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- mackenzie
- 2020-07-07
Very good!
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!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2021-06-13
Worth a read
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Maggie Reid
- 2021-08-25
Rushed ending
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- GH
- 2019-10-09
my review for inspection
this wasn't a read I'm interested in. didnt like the subject. when chosen I wasnt sure what kind of story it was.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!