4.5 out of 5 stars
I love getting to know a character and a backstory before jumping into a world. That’s exactly what I got to do with Deadly Silence.
I was quickly introduced to Silence Jones, who appears to be sort of a guardian angel or an advocate for the… voiceless (see what I did there?). And he has that sort of superhero mystique. People aren’t even sure if he’s real. And sadly it seems that the only way to find out is to either be taken advantage of or to be a bad guy trying to fleece over people. I would want to be one of the victims not one of Silence’s victims.
I find it interesting to follow the main character who only speaks in short clips – only a few words at a time. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a story where the MC doesn’t talk much. Thankfully, since this is a book, we still get a glimpse inside of Silence’s head and we’re able to hear the inner monologue there so we can tell what he’s thinking and feeling, but they barely say one hundred words or so throughout this novella was new and different for me.
Overall, I thought the story was interesting and definitely one that I want to continue. I want to find out more about him and figure out exactly what makes him tick. All the while tagging along as he’s able to stop, presumably, a bunch of bad guys along the way.
Now, I’ve talked about how interesting Silence is – that couldn’t be done without the performance by Gary Bennett – who I think crushes this one. He is able to perform that gravelly almost broken voice in bits and clips and really helps turn Silence from someone you don’t understand to someone you do. I think Bennett really brought the author’s creative vision to life.