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The Cipher

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The Cipher

Written by: Kathe Koja
Narrated by: Joshua Saxon
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Kathe Koja's classic, award-winning horror novel is finally available as an audiobook.

Nicholas, a would-be poet, and Nakota, his feral lover, discover a strange hole in the storage room floor down the hall - "Black. Pure black and the sense of pulsation, especially when you look at it too closely, the sense of something not living but alive." It begins with curiosity, a joke - the Funhole down the hall. But then the experiments begin. "Wouldn't it be wild to go down there?" says Nakota. Nicholas says "We're not." But they're not in control, not from the first moment, as those experiments lead to obsession, violence, and a very final transformation for everyone who gets too close to the Funhole.

THE CIPHER was the winner of the 1991 Bram Stoker Award, and was recently named one of io9.com's Top 10 Debut Science Fiction Novels That Took the World by Storm. Long out-of-print and much sought-after, it is finally available as an audiobook, with a new foreword by the author.

©2012 Kathe Koja (P)2020 David N. Wilson Horror Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary
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What the critics say

"An ethereal rollercoaster ride from start to finish." (The Detroit Free Press)

"Combines intensely poetic language and lavish grotesqueries." (BoingBoing)

"This powerful first novel is as thought-provoking as it is horrifying." (Publishers Weekly)
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The potential for a great story existed, but it instead kept spiraling really slowly and never getting to the true body horror I was promised (or only brushing over the concept).

Kinda felt like a smut at some points. Not a fan of useless sexe scenes that don't serve a narrative purpose but rather only offer choc value.

Redundant spiral

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Wow. This might be one of the most darkest, twisted, and creative stories I have ever experienced. It’s very well written and well narrated and an incredible story. Not for a weak stomach. I wanted weird, creative, and a little creepy and it delivered. Well done. I won’t be forgetting this one.

Incredibly dark

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While there were some turns of phrase that cut like razor wire, I found myself not caring about much of the plot or characters.

Sharp prose

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