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  • Pandemic

  • The Extinction Files, Book 1
  • By: A. G. Riddle
  • Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
  • Length: 18 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (221 ratings)

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Pandemic

By: A. G. Riddle
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
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Publisher's Summary

A deadly outbreak in Kenya. A conspiracy beyond imagination. And a race to save humanity in its darkest hour.

From A. G. Riddle, the worldwide best-selling author of The Atlantis Gene and Departure, comes a novel that will change everything you think you know about pandemics.

A hundred miles north of Alaska, an American Coast Guard vessel discovers a sunken submarine at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. It has no national identification and doesn't match the records of any known vessel. Deep within, researchers find evidence of a scientific experiment that will alter our very understanding of the human race.

In Atlanta, Dr. Peyton Shaw is awakened by the phone call she has dreaded for years. As the CDC's leading epidemiologist, she's among the first responders to outbreaks around the world. It's a lonely and dangerous job, but it's her life - and she's good at it. This time she may have met her match. In Kenya, an Ebola-like pathogen has infected two Americans. One lies at death's door. With the clock ticking, Peyton assembles her team and joins personnel from the Kenyan Ministry of Health and the WHO. What they find in the remote village is beyond their worst fears. As she traces the origin of the pathogen, Peyton begins to believe that there is more to this outbreak - that it may be merely the opening act in a conspiracy with far-reaching consequences.

In Berlin, Desmond Hughes awakens in a hotel room with no memory of how he got there or who he is. On the floor he finds a dead security guard from an international pharmaceutical company. His only clue leads him to Peyton Shaw - a woman who seems to know him but refuses to tell him how. With the police searching the city for him, Desmond desperately tries to piece together what happened to him. To his shock and horror, he learns that he may be involved in causing the outbreak - and could hold the only key to stopping it.

As the pathogen spreads around the world, Peyton and Desmond race to unravel the conspiracy behind the pandemic - and uncover secrets some want to keep buried.

©2017 A. G. Riddle (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Pandemic

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story! Not so such a great performance

Amazingly detailed, scientific and futuristic as usual from A.G Riddle.
Another original and amazing plot.

The only thing that kinda got me was the performance.
Some of the characters are Australian.
I can appreciate the American narrator trying to get into the characters, but him putting on the accent was sooooo cringeworthy and horrible.
I almost couldn't do it for a while in the beginning.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Looking forward to next audiobook

Intense but enthralling story, South African accent used as an Aussie accent is annoying though.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Engaging story, but the accents are terrible.

Pandemic is an engaging (though slightly formulaic) book. The accents, particularly the Australian ones, are terrible, and detract from the overall experience of the audiobook (I’m Australian).

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Australian accent terrible

The attempt at an Australian accent was not only pathetic, but off putting. It can across as a mix of New Zealand, Cockney and some other accents. A pity as it detracted from the story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Honest opinion from an Australian

Loved the book and having grown up in Adelaide it was pretty surreal to hear our small city referenced. If I had read the book and not listened to it I would be thinking it was all gravy. I listened on Audible (which had a few blatant plugs in the book 🙄) anyway my issue is as an Australian the narrators Australian accent was...distracting to put it politely. There were a few Australian characters & would have been nice to have heard something close to our accent. I do know it is supposed to be a hard one but seriously I feel like Americans just listen to other Americans pretending to be Australian & it comes off as a comical silly thing. Often the accent they do is something like from country Queensland. When we have many accents like the USA. Imagine if every American in our movies sounded like they were from Texas 🤷‍♀️.Why don’t they get a real Aussie to say the lines & listen to them, then try to mimic. The narrator was slipping around into full on English cockney & then back to some crocodile Dundee rubbish & then American. It was very distracting & I actually laughed out loud at many points because it was so ridiculous. A very important note is South Australians from Adelaide sound more like posh English then they do crocodile Dundee. Just a whinge. Anyway going to the 2nd book now because I enjoyed the story. Don’t have time to read so prepared for some more “Australian” accents 😂

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A tiny bit predicable and really bad Aussie accent

I must admit, I don't mind the narrator and have listened to several of his books written by BV Larson. However the Aussie accent was terrible. I know our accent is hard much like South Africa and New Zealand so it is not a deal breaker. I am a huge fan of the classic North American accents and Ed has a very nice musical tone to his narration. The story was a cross between conspiracy theory and end of the world apocalypse stories so it would have been a challenge for him as it did not offer anything outstanding as far as premise goes. My advice is to listen to the first few chapters and return it if you can't handle it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

More than what I was expecting.

Believable premise with great cast of characters. The planned pandemic being one part of the looking glass project that is building on over 2,000 years of conspiracy theory about evolution and man’s place in the universe. The back stories of lead characters, both heroes and villains was of particular interested and really enriched the storytelling.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story, terrible narration

This has me hooked from the start. The story was full of twists and turns, and it wasn't what I thought it was going to be!!
I did feel the storyline with Elliott was completely pointless... there was no benefit to knowing what happened to him or his family at all in my opinion.
I loved the characters, and how you were always second guessing whether they were good or bad.

The narration. My gosh, the narration was terrible. His Australian accent is the WORST. It completely took me out of the story. I am Australian, and can confirm, we don't say "pindimic", or "ipidimic" or "yis". That's New Zealand. Maybe watch some Home & Away and do better for next time!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

All good except for the accents

Currently binging AG Riddle, have listened to this a second time just before purchasing the sequel. As noted by just about everyone, the narrator is wonderful until he does the Australian accent, very much a cut price South African accent instead which grates so much! Such a shame…

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

good story, horrendous Australian accent

imagine a new Zealand accent mixed with a drunk angry constipated south African, and that is their idea of the Aussie accent. I am not usually bothered by bad accents, but this was incredibly bad. The rest of the performance was great, but there were way too many Aussies. I recommend you get the Kindle and read it rather than subject yourself to this accent.
In his defence, the Aussie accent is difficult, but seriously, get an Aussie to verify it before you subject the world to it.

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5 people found this helpful

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