The Shell Collector Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Hugh Howey (Author), Samara Naeymi (Narrator), Broad Reach Publishing (Publisher)

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The ocean is dying. The sea is growing warmer and is gradually rising. Seashells have become so rare that collecting them is now a national obsession. Flawless specimens sell like priceless works of art. Families hunt the tideline in the dark of night with flashlights. Crowds gather on beaches at the lowest of tides, hoping to get lucky.

Supreme among these collectors is Ness Wilde, CEO of Ocean Oil. Ness owns many of the best beaches, and he keeps them to himself. It's his fault the world turned out this way. And I aim to destroy him.

My name is Maya Walsh. You might be familiar with my shelling column in the Times. I was working on a series of pieces about Mr. Wilde, when out of the blue, he called. He says he wants to talk. But I don't think he's going to like what I have to say.

Listening Length

8 hours and 5 minutes
Author

Hugh Howey
Narrator

Samara Naeymi
Audible release date

January 27, 2015
Language

English
Publisher

Broad Reach Publishing
ASIN

B00S6MFHYS
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	8 hours and 5 minutes
Author	Hugh Howey
Narrator	Samara Naeymi
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	January 27, 2015
Publisher	Broad Reach Publishing
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B00S6MFHYS
Best Sellers Rank	#212,423 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #7,085 in Romantic Suspense (Audible Books & Originals) #7,790 in Women's Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) #44,445 in Romantic Suspense (Books)

Customer reviews

5 star		51%
4 star		25%
3 star		15%
2 star		7%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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CT Griff

Painfully short but exquisite...

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2019

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Okay, so I'm a fool for Hugh Howey. I actually defer jumping into a Howey offering not because I don't like his work, but because I know it'll end all too soon. I felt this way from the first time I stumbled across his WOOL series, so you know a short novel or a short story is just about gonna kill me with longing for more. ~~sigh~~

Great little plot here... Howey easily lays out the basics of the "new world" landscape he's writing against and he engages us quickly with the two primary characters... both of whom you'll love and hate as the story unfolds like a down comforter on a snowy night. Howey doesn't write "perfect" characters; they have their defects and demons and desires just like we do. But making his characters so human is probably why so many like his works... they're about us as much as about the story. ;)

A mere 282-pages, you'll finish it in a single rainy afternoon. Then you can join me for a big ol' mug of coffee as we lament the end that came all too soon.

6 people found this helpful

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long-time SciFi fan

Hugh's Romance

Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2015

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First, I love Howey's writing style. I will read just about anything he writes. It's like a breath of fresh air compared to all the poorly written, poorly edited juvenile drivel that comprises 95% of what is available to us these days.

Did I enjoy reading this book? Yes, definitely. For the destination, or for the reading? For the reading! Isn't that what it's really all about? Do you read your books or just skip to the end to see what happens? For me, the reading is the joy, not (just) the ending. Is plot important? Surely. But, for me, it's words and sentences and connections -- that's it -- the connections, that are important to making the read pleasant and meaningful. All those little "yeah's" and "aha's" along the way.

Did I expect this book to be a romance when I bought it? No. Did I think it was a romance after I had read 30% of it? Not so much. At 50%? Yeah, pretty much. Would I have bought it had I known it was an enviro-romance? Maybe not. Should I have. Yes. Am I glad I did? Yes. Did I want more in terms of action and plot and impact? Yes, hence only 4 stars.

Here's the important one: did I enjoy the act of reading it? YES.
Actually, the last half went pretty quickly, and I was shocked when I hit 97%. I figured I was still probably around 70%. I think that's a recommendation.

OK, Hugh, you did your Romance. Time to move on...
Would I buy another one? No. But I'm glad I bought this one.

What I want is a sequel to Sand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9 people found this helpful

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Avid Reader

Good writing spoiled by much ado about nothing

Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2015

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This is a beautifully-written book, literary, almost poetic. Characters are well-developed and evolve with the situations and dazzling settings. So why 3 out of 5 stars? One word: Weak plot. It's the future but nothing's changed but the climate. Folks still drive cars, use tablets, watch television, travel to their jobs, etc like 1980. Apparently all research into robots, nanotech, space, AI and biotech has ceased. This would be acceptable if the story was not flawed.

Our heroine, a reporter, writes a four-part expose of an oil family she blames for the world's ills. Like the awful "Day After Tomorrow", temperatures instantly soared, seas rose - all because of those oil barons. ****** Warning - Plot reveal ******* The oil company bad guy wants to meet our heroine and explain his side. She arrives, snarky and dismissive of his wealth but guess what? He's a shell collector like her, handsome, witty and sympathetic and she falls hard. Did I mention she's wearing a wire?

The FBI is spending lots of time and effort to prove our villain is....creating fake seashells. Just what every multi-billionaire would do for a little cash. I'd at least hoped for alien communication, selling secrets to China or building an army of androids. Anyhoo, he makes a deal: If she stays one week he'll tell all on the condition the story about his grandfather (a convert to saving the planet) does not run. She agrees and it's James Bondian ventures of magnificent planes, resorts, food and two new members of the Mile Below club. Along the way she befriends the bad guy's daughter who's mad at him. (ho hum) Alas, the piece runs, he gets mad, runs away and she follows to an underground laboratory (smile) where he and a team are genetically modifying ancient DNA to withstand the increased acidity of the oceans. For some reason this is illegal so they devise a plan. It works and everyone lives happily ever after.

7 people found this helpful

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Jen Greyson

A poignant love letter to the sea.

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2015

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This book toes the line of fine literature. On the surface, it's a love letter, but not between two people, it's an homage to the sea, to her timelessness, her bounty; an apology for the endless rape she endures at the hands of mankind, and yet with an impeccable subtlety that becomes merely the aftertaste of a beautifully crafted story.

For all that Ness is heir to a fortune, he's a broken man, desperate for someone to love his darkness. And that's where this reads with an undercurrent of depth far beyond most romances (which I love and read a ton of!). Again and again there are vulnerabilities revealed in these characters that took my breath away and I had to stop and weigh the words, often rereading passages so I could taste them again. For a first attempt at a romanceish futuristic tale, Hugh knocks it out of the park, leaving his characters to carry the burden effortlessly for him, like he does time and again so brilliantly.

The story was woven with a sparkling craftsmanship, both in the characters with their depth and flaws, and settings so real and true I could taste the salt water. I loved everything about this book. Hugh Howey's years at sea color every page like a masterful artist with a canvas.

This is another fantastic tale from Hugh. I do hope to see more love stories from him, especially set in/at/around the sea. And without giving anything away, I do so adore his surprising twist of which hero saved the day. 6+ stars and a story that won't leave me anytime soon.

A must read for anyone who's a sucker for a love story, who's ever basked in the perfect moment when the surf first crashes up over your toes, or who wants to get carried away in a surprisingly deep tale of love and wonder.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Rebecca Carter

A dystopian book with a heart

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2017

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I read Hugh Howey's Wool trilogy a few years ago, and loved it so much I felt too much trepidation to read another of his books, incase it didn't live up to the same expectations. After a few lackluster reads I decided it was time to read more by an author I find intriguing. The Shell Collector is an ecological dystopian novel with a difference. I wasn't sure what to expect when I began reading it, it's different to the style of Wool in many ways (it's minus the Wool similarity to Game of Thrones of characters suddenly falling off this mortal coil), but it's excellent in its own way.

This is only my fourth Howey book (if you count the Wool trilogy individually), therefore I don't have many comparisons as to how this measures up to his usual style. I did read other reviews online before I bought this, with some commentators not impressed that this had a romance storyline running through it and romance is their least favourite genre. I read most genres, so this didn't worry me, and in comparison to other books the romance is negligible for the first 50% of the book. However, I can understand how some of the fans of Wool who avoid the romance genre may feel luke warm towards this book, and that if you don't particularly enjoy romance storylines and are only a die hard dystopian fan, then this book may not be your cup of tea.

The concept of the story is set at some undetermined (the year is revealed at one later on point in the book, but not the century) point in the future, where the oceans are dying, marine and bird life bordering on extinction and sea levels rising at rapid rates. Seashells have become rare and invaluable collectors items, with most of the worlds beaches pillaged clean of them.
He doesn't go into too much detail about how this is affecting human life and people still seem to be living relatively normal existences, just with the threat of a world heading into a climate meltdown with the sea levels rising and mass extinction of animals/mammals/sea life. Given what is happening today, this is a believable and scary storyline which grips the reader and makes you wonder if the damage our own planet is undergoing is reversible. It's not set so far into the future and is not so much dystopian fiction, as this could actually be us in another 50-100 years non fiction unless something changes.

I won't say too much more about the premise of the book - that is easily read on the description - apart from the story revolves around a female reporter who finds herself investigating and interviewing the rich, powerful, yet elusive man (the heir of a huge oil drilling corporation) whose family she deems responsible for much of the damage caused to the oceans.
The plot is simple, yet riveting. Probably because it is easy to imagine this world actually occurring in not so many years in the future. It would be a perfect beach read for the northern hemisphere summer (it's winter here in the southern half), with vivid descriptions of beaches, crashing waves and sea shells.

I give this book 4.5 stars, although because of the ratings system, I'll round it up to 5 rather than down to 4. Hugh's shown he can be an author with diversity in his writing style by trying out new genres and has produced another super interesting book touching on topical matters.

5 people found this helpful

ValleK

Falls Flat...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2015

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I've read everything by Hugh Howey, and I love his style so much he's in my top 10 (something he should be proud of imo if he could see the rest of it).

However, I can't believe this is by the same guy. I knew I wouldn't be blown away, as it's a romance, and that's a genre I dislike on the whole; but I can't get over how disappointed and underwhelmed I was. Perhaps it was unfair to read it directly after The Martian by Andy Weir.

I could have gotten past the romantic aspect if the rest of the story had a good premise, but it didn't.

I still rate Howey quite highly, and i'm really hoping this wet-end of a novel is merely a blip. Or a joke. Or written by an imposter.

7 people found this helpful

Jemma R

Different genre, same amazing characterisation and style

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2016

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Someone else's review said this was essentially a romance genre novel, but that doesn't do it justice or describe it accurately. If you're a true Hugh Howey fan (by which I mean you love the way in which he tells his stories and not just the plot or idea), you'll appreciate this just as much as the more surreal and innovative sci-fi and dystopian stuff he's blessed the world with. This is all about the characters, with a hint of moralistic environmentalism, and boy are they great characters. Howey has a way of making the reader BE his main character... I felt like I was Maya (or she was me) throughout the book, and it was an incredible journey. I'm glad I didn't let a different genre stop me from experiencing that. Thanks again, Hugh, can't wait for your next one!!

One person found this helpful

Ninaminacat

Thought-provoking and moving

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 21, 2016

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A beautifully written book with credible characters - which didn't go where I expected either from the advertising blurb or the section of the sample which I read. This is not a criticism - surprises can be good - and in this instance I enjoyed the ride. I don't like spoilers, so I won't reveal too much. I will simply comment that the book may challenge your perceptions of people, events and the power of the individual. If you like the sample, buy the book.

Robert STRINGER

Highly Enjoyable Read from a Great Storyteller!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2016

Verified Purchase

I liked this book. Another good story by Hugh Howey, well written, lifelike characters, and an interesting subject. Difficult to find any bad points - maybe the value of shells didn't link with what would still have been objects of extreme quantity, nor would a journalist, at the end of the story, need to tell the "collector" what would have been an obvious solution. But these are small points - a very enjoyable read and well worth recommending.

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