D. E. S. Maxwell

My original The Black Goat audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Depressed and angry at himself for a messy divorce, Jan van Hunks is drinking himself into oblivion. The only problem is that it was alcohol that caused the problem in the first place. Desperate to get out of his own head and away from his familiar apartment, Jan takes a walk to an unknown part of town. He discovers a bar called the Black Goat and that’s when the battle with the Devil begins.

This is a simple tale of redemption and forgiveness, of finding the bottom and deciding to stay there or make the hard trip back to life. Jan is forced to face his guilt and make that decision all while facing an adversary who would love for him to fail and gives him every chance.

We are in Jan’s mind throughout this short story, the memories coming and going as they would in our own heads. The listener immediately empathizes with Jan. He isn’t a bad person, he just can’t break through his self-doubt and see his own potential. It is universally human and something we have all faced, perhaps all too often. The difference for Jan is that he gets warned and gets a chance to choose consciously, forward or back.

The story is performed by Bart Fouche. He has a beautiful deep voice and reads the story as the author intended, moody and dark. His character voices are easily differentiated and fit the story beautifully. An excellent performance that matched the story perfectly.

If you enjoy moody stories of good and evil, this is a good one for you. The idea of fighting, or outsmarting the Devil is not new, of course, just a different approach. The Black Goat is all about mood, dark and foreboding. Sometimes short stories are just the thing. This one is well worth a listen.

Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.… (plus d'informations)