The Shimmer [Audiobook, CD, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

David Morrell (Author), Phil Gigante (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2009

Creator of Rambo and co-founder of the Inter-national Thriller Writers organization, David Morrell has been called “the father of the modern action novel.” Now this award-winning, New York Times bestselling author delivers The Shimmer, a novel of chilling impact. When police officer Dan Page’s wife disappears, her trail leads to Rostov, a remote Texas town where unexplained phenomena attract hundreds of spectators each night. Not merely curious, these onlookers are compelled to reach this tiny community and gaze at the mysterious Rostov Lights. But more than the faithful are drawn there. A gunman begins shooting at the lights, screaming “Go back to hell where you came from!” then turns his rifle on the innocent bystanders. As more and more people are drawn to the scene of the massacre, the stage is set for even greater bloodshed. To save his wife, Page must solve the mystery of the Rostov Lights. In the process, he uncovers a deadly government secret dating back to the First World War. The lights are more dangerous than anyone ever imagined, but even more deadly are those who try to exploit forces beyond their control. With The Shimmer, David Morrell takes readers on a brilliant, terrifying journey. Suspenseful, yet thought-provoking, it is the master at his very best.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The unexplained real-life phenomenon of the Marfa, Tex., lights in the sky provides the inspiration for this patchwork thriller from bestseller Morrell (First Blood), who plays with possible theories to account for the mysterious lights—the shimmer of the title—as well as the various reactions people have had to them since as far back as WWI. When Tori Page, wife of Santa Fe cop Dan Page, unexpectedly turns up in the small west Texas town of Rostov, the book's stand-in for Marfa, Dan flies to Rostov, where he winds up trying to understand the lights' powerful effects. Some can't see the lights, some feel they can produce miracles and some viewers turn homicidal. Still others hope to harness the power of the lights for military uses. A massacre, secret government installations and experiments and Page's investigative efforts fail to coalesce into the kind of riveting suspense that has been Morrell's hallmark. 10-city author tour. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

David Morrell is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-eight books, including his award-winning Creepers. Co-founder of the International Thrillers Writers Organization, he is considered by many to be the father of the modern action novel. To learn more, go to www.davidmorrell.net.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged; Unabridged edition (July 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423397193
• ISBN-13: 978-1423397199
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,136,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Creepy and thrilling, June 21, 2009

By 

Tina "Tina" (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Shimmer (Hardcover)

I have read some of David's Morrell's previous books and I have to say that The Shimmer is quite different from what he has written previously.

In The Shimmer, we meet our main character Dan Page - as the storyline opens, he is in a high-speed car chase that goes very wrong and he ends up witnessing the car he was chasing colliding with a gas tanker - which, in turn, explodes killing the people involved. Fraught with guilt Page goes home, only to discover that his wife is no longer there. Finally, he tracks her to Rostov, Texas which is a bit of an odd tourist attraction - all UFO and flashy lights like Rostov - except that there are really odd lights in the night sky and his wife seems mesmerized (zombie-like) attracted to these lights.

As all the gaping tourists stare at the night lights, some crazed man starts shooting at the lights and Page ends up finding himself right into another horror story.

Yep, The Shimmer, although a thriller at its core, is also much more than its usual components of murder and good/bad guys. This time, Morrell has chosen to write a novel that incorporates many varying genres into one majorly scary and suspensful storylines. The Shimmer is a combination of techno/murder thriller as well as part sci-fi and horror. I was not sure what to make of all of this - I am use to a much more direct type of "thriller" writing from this author. But I have to say that Morrell actually pulled it off.

As Page digs deeper and deeper into these mysterious lights - it turns out that the governement (US) may very well be alot more involved and may be hidding some very scary secrets.

The plotline holds up beautifully and Morrell pretty much managed to loop everything and every character together beautifully. I had absolutely no idea where he was heading with this storyline which kept me guessing from the first sentence to the last.

I really enjoyed this one and I think Morrell should write more of these books.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Impressive as Anything Morrell has Ever Written, July 13, 2009

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shimmer (Hardcover)

David Morrell is regarded as the father of the modern action novel. As lofty a title as that is, he is much more than that. Well into his fourth decade as an author, Morrell could be resting on his mountain of accolades while occasionally sending a communiqué of some value down from the mountain. Instead he seems to be working harder than ever, with even greater results. One could argue that he is entering a higher stage of his career, with some of his best work having been written during the course of the last several years. If, for example, you bypassed THE SPY WHO CAME FOR CHRISTMAS because you suspected it was a heartwarming seasonal tale with thriller highlights, you need to read it from cover to cover right now. What is most noteworthy about the book is that it demonstrates Morrell's willingness to take chances, as well as his ability to meet and exceed all expectations.

This brings us to THE SHIMMER, Morrell's latest effort, as impressive as anything he has ever written and as challenging an endeavor as he has attempted to date. It would be easy to classify it as a work of speculative fiction, and while the book does have some touches of that genre, it would be an oversimplification to do so, one that would not do justice to either the tale or its author. The focal point of the story is a nocturnal phenomenon consisting of a display of lights occurring over the city of Rostov, Texas. Rostov is a creation of Morrell's imagination, but along with the light display, it is based upon a similar town and phenomenon in the real-world locale of Marfa, Texas.

Three significant elements converge upon Rostov in THE SHIMMER. One is a colonel named Warren Raleigh, the latest member of a family of military men whose lives have been connected with the lights for generations. Another is Brent Loft, who regards the lights, and a disaster that occurs during one of their sightings, as elements to be exploited on his way to prominence as a television anchorman with a national audience, a position that he sees as his inevitable and rightful due. The most interesting element of the book, even beyond the light display that gives the tale its name, is the relationship between Dan and Tori Page. Dan is a pilot with the Santa Fe Police Department; he returns home after a particularly harrowing day to find his wife unexpectedly gone, with only a terse note to him heralding her absence. In due course he discovers that she has gone to Rostov, a town of which he has never heard. Her absence functions as a wake-up call to him concerning their relationship, so he drops everything and journeys to the city to bring her home. What he finds is not what he expects, at least not initially.

Tori has come to Rostov to watch the lights, a phenomenon that first captivated her as a child. When he locates her, she appears to be in a trance; there is more going on here as well, and the manner in which they resolve their problems and breach the quiet distance between them transforms THE SHIMMER into a work that reads like an unlikely but highly readable collaboration between Frank Edwards and John Barth. Morrell is never gratuitously violent, but he does not shirk from it nor does he give short shrift to its aftermath. The result is a tale of redemption and transformation, obtained not without cost but all the dearer for the experience.

It is noteworthy that very few authors would attempt a work of this difficulty, and even fewer would succeed to the extent that Morrell has with THE SHIMMER. Put this one on your must-read list for this year.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A super-charged thriller containing science and mystery, July 6, 2009

By 

Robert Tucker - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Shimmer (Hardcover)

The Shimmer begins with a well-written description of violence and destruction, setting the stage for a super-charged thriller with plenty of action and thoughtful mystery. The subsequent energy of the story is filled with historical references, scientific hypotheses, personal reflection, and geographical descriptions. The book zips along at a furious pace, working hard to provide a scientific or perhaps supernatural explanation for a phenomenon.

Using fictitious names and novel ideas, Morrell demonstrates the complexity and confusion of what is known as the Marfa lights, an odd event that occurs in the Southwest region of Texas outside of the town of Marfa. Having experienced the Marfa lights as a youth, I was able to relate to the story as it progressed. Morrell's use of strong character building, knowledge of weaponry, and ability to write a page-turning novel finds fruition in this book, proving that he is once again the master of the genre.

Unfortunately the violence seemed excessive at times, resulting in an almost cavalier attitude toward the constant killings that occurred. While two or three murders can set the tone for the perpetual violence, twenty or more at one time seems excessively tragic and unrealistic. The constant deaths and mayhem did not match the thoughtful explanations of the lights nor the development of the history of the people. Morrell's normally rich prose that balances action with psychological insights and characterizations is not as enlightening nor as captivating in this book.

What began as an excellent story seemed to fizzle into disturbing, dark violence that did not serve the overall plot. Some of the confusion of the overriding goals of the antagonists were solved, but the solutions were predictable and rather pointless. While not his best effort, it is still an entertaining book that is worth reading as another interpretation of the famous lights. Master writer David Morrell remains an outstanding and thoughtful writer of the genre. Each book is unique and special.