Locke & Key Slipcase Set

The Locke & Key graphic novels have been on my to-read list, and sitting among a stack of other shamefully neglected graphic novels and trades, for several years now. You'd have thought that after discovering the pure joy of Joe Hill's NOS4A2 that I would have dived headlong into this comic book series, but alas... (Maybe somebody can loan me a Time Key to free up more reading hours in the day?). When Audible announced its adaptation of Hill's and artist Gabriel Rodriguez's much-acclaimed IDW comic book series, I was thrilled to give it a listen, and also curious as to how the heck one adapts a comic book for an audiobook.

Comics, obviously, are quite a different breed from prose novels, given their reliance on visual imagery to tell a story. Sure, there's narrative boxes (typically) and plenty of dialogue (usually) and thought bubbles, but the nature of a comic book is in its art. Audible Studios has worked around this translation from visual to audio by harkening back to the days of radio productions. Rather than rewriting the Locke & Key comics into a more novelistic approach for narration, the story is told by way of audio drama with a cast of more than 50 voice actors.

For the most part, this approach works quite well, but with a few caveats.

The story itself is largely understandable and very approachable in this re-imagined fashion, and for roughly 13 and a half hours we follow the Locke children, and their mother, Nina, as they relocate to the family estate of Lovecraft Mansion in the wake of the Locke patriarch's murder. While readjusting to their new lives, the children begin finding strange keys scattered and hidden across the house, keys that unlock doors into mysterious and terrifying new realms. Keys that are also being hunted for by an old evil named Dodge.

As the son of Stephen King, it seems clear that Hill has inherited quite a bit of his father's story-telling panache and hits on a few similarities in style. This was most clear in NOS4A2, but Locke & Key also exhibits some of the same themes common in many of King's works (and keep an ear open for a nice little homage to King's Carrie late in the story). First of all, this is an epic work of horror, with smatterings of fantasy thrown in for good measure, and how it affects the everyman. The central characters aren't burdened with super-powers, and most of their daily challenges come from attending school, making friends, dealing with being the outcasts because of the hellacious events in their lives. This is also a story of multi-generational horrors, as the Locke kids discover the secrets of their ancestry and the tribulations their father and his friends experienced upon discovering the keys.

All of this is performed admirably by the large cast, and I felt fully invested in these characters right from the get-go. The acting is pretty superb all-around, as is the sound production and score, with the cast and crew even making use of real-world locations to record, rather than sticking it out in a recording studio for the entire job. My only real issues came in the lack of narrative connective tissue in the big action scenes, which often felt muddled and pulled me out of the drama as I struggled to figure out who stabbed who, whether or not X or Y lived, and what exactly was happening in the aftermath. A few of these issues were mostly resolved in the following minutes, but the initial impact was jarring and confusing. Still, there were a few times where I imagined the narrative must have been clearer in the original comics and that certain scenes would have worked better as a companion piece to the source material. Maybe I missed a few things due to my lack of familiarity with the comic books, particularly in how the characters appear. We usually don't get any kind of character descriptions until much too late, well after I'd already formed a visual of who they are in my head and so I spent much of the narrative not realizing one family was African American, or that another sported plenty of ink across his body, or that one has a particular piercing that becomes quite a distinguishing feature for one of the Locke boys in the aftermath of a brutal murder.

These, mostly little, issues aside, I found Locke & Key to be a completely engrossing audio-drama and an absolutely terrific listen. The acting is strong, and Hill's writing, as expected, is completely top-notch. As an audio-drama, this sucker just works, and it works well. I was scared in all the right places, and my heart was racing during the brutal climax and left feeling exhausted in the wake the Locke family's cataclysmic showdown with Dodge. I might have even, maybe, just a little bit, kind of teared up in the final moments because I was so damn attached to these characters and to this family. And although the graphic novels have been untouched thus far, this audiobook has made me aware of exactly how much greatness I've been missing, so I've ordered the final volume to complete my set of IDW Locke & Key hardcovers and hope to dive into them soon. This is a completely fantastic story, and Joe Hill himself is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorite writers that I can trust to turn out solid, quality work and whose stories I look forward to the most. If Locke & Key becomes one of my latest die-hard obsessions, well, I can blame this recording for it.

I listened to the audiobook only, and have not read the comic. A note about my score. I did not want to give this a 3 since that would lower the score for the book as well, but for the audiobook alone, I would give it a 3. If I had the book, I probably would've given this a 5 to listen to the audio along with reading the book.

So onto the review of the audiobook.

This story was very interesting. It was a story that was both dark and depressing (too depressing at times), and at other times magical and exciting. If you are looking for a cheery fantasy type book, this is not it. There is a lot of heartbreak, and because the voice actors are so good, and it isn't just a reading of a book but actual acting, there is crying as well. A lot. It is easy to feel down at times when listening to this book. But the story is very captivating itself. I don't want to spoil too much, as discovering things is a part of the fun, but the basic plot follows a family that moves into a house in a new town after an unfortunate event, and there are magical and dark forces at work in the house.

The audio itself was great. I had never listened to an audio adventure like this before, just books which someone reads the words, perhaps with different accents or voices for greater effect. This was exciting to listen to, and the voice acting was great. I also liked the musical theme between chapters and the sound effects.

So how did everything come together? Unfortunately, there was almost no narration in the book, just the different characters saying things and sound effects. When characters are just talking, I could usually figure out what was happening and who was talking to who from the voices. But during the many action scenes, it ranged from hard to almost impossible to figure out what was going on. This was crushing since near the end of the book was one long action sequence, or at least, that is what it seemed like. I don't know fully what actually happened. I can kind of guess, but there were some plot elements I just couldn't get with the audio alone. So for those thinking they can fully enjoy this without the hardcopy of the book, think carefully if you want to risk not being able to follow everything that is happening. While I don't have the hardcopy, I am sure that it makes everything 10x better, especially to read along to listening. Hence why I would give this a 3 for audio only, and a 5 with the hardcopy, or even if you had read the hardcopy in the past to know what happened during action sequences.

I didn't have to pay for the audiobook, as they were giving it out free in October 2015. I don't know how much I would pay for it. But it was a good listen, and really kept me hooked. Overall, I wouldn't recommend paying for the audio unless you also have the hardcopy of the book, or you won't get the full experience, so factor that into the price. I am sure together it would be a great experience, but much more expensive.

I also would not recommend letting children listen to this, as this has some violent and sexual topics that come up.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book (because it was either that or read graphic novels, and I'm not fond of graphic novels.)

As a proclaimed fan of Stephen King, I've had several people recommend Joe Hill to me as an author I need to read. I've been meaning to try him out for a while now because of that, so when I got the promotion to download this audiobook for free, I jumped on it.

Locke & Key does not have much narration, and most of the narration it does have is more like stage directions. So I really only got descriptions of things from the characters dialogue, and those descriptions were minimal. Based on reviews that I skimmed after I finished listening, the audiobook is better if you're already familiar with the graphic novels, because you will have seen the people and places that way. I didn't really feel like I was missing out on much though, and I haven't read the graphic novels, I just had a lot more leeway for the pictures in my head. It's possible that what I imagined is nothing like the graphic novels, but I had clear pictures in my head nonetheless.

This book has a full cast for the voices, so they are all different and there are no caricatures (like I often complain about for single narrator audiobooks). There were two secondary characters that I had trouble keeping straight, but their roles in the story were fairly minor in the whole scheme of things (although I likely wouldn't have had that issue if I were familiar with the graphic novels).

Overall I give Locke & Key 5 out of 5 stars.

Have you listened to an audio drama before? I've been caught up in them because they provide the story and sound FX while you just relax and see it all in your mind's eye. They're amazing! I've loved titles like Wormwood, The Leviathan Chronicles, We're Alive and The Heavenfield. They're the best because they bring imagination to life. This audio drama, taken from Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's comic book with the same name has created a story like none I've ever read or listened to!

The story, Locke and Key, is about a mysterious collection of keys that have been entrusted to the Locke family. The only issue is that if you're an unsuspecting adult or simply a non-believer in the magical realm, you can't see the affects of the keys.

Enter Body, Kenzie and Tyler: their father's been killed by a crazed teen (Sam) who'd been instructed by an evil entity trapped in a well on the Locke property. when Tyler, Kenzie and Body are moved to Locke House by their mother, who's alcoholic and distraught at the loss of her spouse (and killed Sam's accomplice). All around the house are these keys that unlock magical doors. One can open a closet that repairs anything that's been broken. Another can open a closet that takes you into a ghostly realm, where you can se any and everyone, but they can not see you. Then there's the ever favorite, the Head Key. It unlocks your head, allowing you to stuff the cavity with anything you want. If you wish to become a master of fencing, stuff a book on fencing in there. If you want to know anything about history, stuff a history book in there- it;s okay! Yeah, it's cool, but someone's looking for a special key and is willing to kill for it. Even if it means killing the Locke's to get it.

Do they have enough keys to unlock a clue as to who is after them and if so, will they be able to lock the villain away forever?
I was very appreciative when I received the email stating this story was FREE. You know that's my middle name! Well, I immediately downloaded it to my Audible.com account and finished my, at the time, audiobook. I only listen to them while walking and soaking in my awesome, 90-minute bubble baths! When I finally gave it a listen, I was impressed with the cast! Tatiana Mislay, Haley Joel Osment, Kate Mulgrew and even Joe Hill's dad, freaking Stephen King! Yes- The Stephen King! I didn't even know because he's not using the King name, making his own way. And he sure does it with this and so many other stories!

Okay, so seriously, I'm not going to say anything else. Check the slideshow. If you're in to comics, check out IDW to get the comics or go open a free Audible account and download this into your collection. You will not regret it- unless you have no imagination. On to the next read!

Exactly as I expected. It should be noted that this item is the taller paperback version, depending on the entry on the store, this isn't always clear from the picture. This series is one of the best I have come across. I'm not really into comics or graphic novels, but man, Joe Hill inherited his father's gift for story telling, for those who don't know Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King. Let's not forget Rodriguez's (sorry if I misspelt that) amazing artwork which tells more than half the story. Ordinarily I would say that a graphic novel can't be scary, but to be honest there are some pretty creepy sections, which surprised me. Now I should say it gets a little gory at times, a little bloody, and might make the reader a little uncomfortable. So if that bothers you, you might not want to read these. if you have the stomach for it however, Locke & Key promises unlock your anticipation, and leave you clamoring for more!

I really enjoyed listening to this series. I know it's unusual to listen to a graphic novel, but the audio drama was so good and so well produced. The characters were interesting and the plot was so cool. Plenty of gore, even for an audio version. I'm planning on asking for this set for Christmas so I can fully enjoy the color and art that went into it. I already love the story, so I'm looking forward to reading it, too.

Reminiscent of listening to old radio shows! This audio novel is rich with engaging dialogue, sound effects, mystical music and sheer audio atmosphere! A beautiful piece of work! Imaginative, and innovative! Do you love a combination of horror, mystery and fantasy? This story is definitely worth a listen. Have a fascination with old keys, and ever dream of where those keys could take you? Imagine over a hundred ways to use them? The town of Lovecraft has the exact place you'd both love and dread to be. Take a chance. Go there. Open your mind, but don't open it too wide or something could fall in or perhaps fall out! Either way, you'll discover that by the end you'll be dancing to the tune of a song that you can't help but obey, and the twists and turns you'll take will land you with thump that will shake you out of breath forever! ~Dr. Q

The production value of this audio is superior to many others I've listened to. My congratulations to the producers. I'm amazed they got the talent the did. I've always loved the smokey voice of Kate Mulgrew. With the exception of the initial predictable teenage angst, the story gets really good very fast and around the 10-minute mark I was absorbed. The plot is unique and very suspenseful. The voices are distinctive, very rarely did I not know who a character was. The acting was superb and often times I forgot it was acting. You certainly get your money's worth with over 13 hours of audio. A great story well told.

How awesome was this audio book of the graphic novel series of Locke & Key? It was SO awesome, I'm almost rendered wordless.

This was a full cast production and it brought these characters to life. This cast were so skilled at their work; these characters seemed real to me and I even shed a few tears at the end, something I rarely do when reading anything.

All I can say is BRAVO! Bravo to the cast! Bravo to Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez for writing and illustrating the graphic novels in the first place, and BRAVO to whomever decided to give this away for free! Thank you so much, I had a blast!

I received this for Christmas. Two days later, I'm done with Book 2 and having to seriously pace myself as what I really want to do is consume it all as fast as I can! And then read all 6 books a couple more times to savor them. The writing is so good--just as I would expect from Joe Hill whose other work I love to pieces. The story, while deliciously dark and scary, is compelling and the pacing is exquisite. The art by Gabriel Rodriguez is...well, I'm not sure I have enough words to convey how much I love it. So beautifully drawn and inked, not mention the stunning composition frame to frame. Also much credit to the colorist and letterer as well. I read a lot of graphic novels; these books are simply masterful for the genre. Would give them 10 stars if I could.

Enjoyable, but I so could have done without all of the excessive entry and exit music between scenes and books. I listen to Audible while I drive in traffic. I want to hear story, not :30 sec to 5 min of music. Maybe some of the shorter snippets were to cover the action cells in the graphic novel, but how is a listener to know that?

Since I didn't read the comic series before hand and there were not many descriptions of each cell's actions, certain events and actions of characters were missed. I didn't realize Drunk Mom lived until after they got to Key House. I'm not a completely ignorant person and consider myself perceptive enough, but not everyone new to the series will appreciate it. You may as well put a disclaimer on the beginning to use the recording as a read-a-long guide like the old school books on tape for a fuller experience.

I did enjoy the voice talents though.

Since I got to listen to it for free, so I cannot truly complain about the overall recording. The positives make up for the negatives with this twisted, dark story.

This audio book was FANTASTIC! I have never read the books before so this was all brand new to me. I have listened to many audio books and much prefer the full cast audio dramatization. The voice acting is spot on. I found myself rooting against the bad guy through out the entire series. The music through out was very fitting. I even found myself humming it while at work! I highly recommend this audio book to any one.

Absolutely a page turner, but with listening, and no risk of paper cuts. The story is so real, the voice actors so talented, and the universe this is set in is so exciting and interesting. I could totally imagine what I would do in this world! Highly recommneded!!!

The story is pretty good with a few weird political statements that feel really out of place.

Also the only black character in the series is a hilarious stereotype that makes me think that the writer of this series has never met a black person in their life. Unintentionally racist and counter productive to the politics Mr. Hill seems to be pushing.

With that aside this is what i would call a gateway horror. It isn't scary, the imagery isn't disturbing, and the scariest part of the whole series happens in the first issue(home invasion scenario). Nothing really new here, nothing horrible either.

Absolutely the best graphic novel I've read in years. I love Saga, Chew, Invincible, Hawkeye, Sex Criminals, and I redeemable. If you appreciate any of those innovative titles and don't mind some "Lovecraftian" horror, this is the series for you.

The comics themselves would get five stars. The audiobook gets two stars just for having Tatiana Maslany. It seems like if you haven't read the books then the audiobook won't make sense. It's like listening to a movie without watching it. You can hear dialogue and sounds but don't know where the location is or what's really happening. I thought they would have added more narration. You could follow along in the comic while listening, though.

In todays world of children shooting their parents and the violence in the teenage years I think this book is in poor taste as it glorifies the violence and gives the teenager status in his shooting. This sound like a drug induced trip story to no where. The book is very violent, very abusive and in poor taste. Very DISAPPOINTING, I used to like Joe Hill's books but no more.
You are what you think and read pay attention to what you put in your mind.

Exactly as I expected. It should be noted that this item is the taller paperback version, depending on the entry on the store, this isn't always clear from the picture. This series is one of the best I have come across. I'm not really into comics or graphic novels, but man, Joe Hill inherited his father's gift for story telling, for those who don't know Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King. Let's not forget Rodriguez's (sorry if I misspelt that) amazing artwork which tells more than half the story. Ordinarily I would say that a graphic novel can't be scary, but to be honest there are some pretty creepy sections, which surprised me. Now I should say it gets a little gory at times, a little bloody, and might make the reader a little uncomfortable. So if that bothers you, you might not want to read these. if you have the stomach for it however, Locke & Key promises unlock your anticipation, and leave you clamoring for more!

Started off pretty good then came the annoying music that lasted way too long...Choppy intervals of narration. I totally lost interest. I didn't choose to waste my time finishing the book. Returned to Audible.