INFESTED

I’ll be honest: *Infested* is the kind of audiobook that sticks with you less for its polish and more for its *punches*. The second story, about a trapped miner hearing *scuttling* in the dark, had me pausing to check my own shadows—King’s strength is making the impossible feel inevitable. The Virtual Voice narrator, though, is a wild card. In ‘Quarantine,’ their monotone somehow amplifies the sterility of the setting, like a hospital PA system announcing doom. But in ‘The Last Broadcast,’ where a radio host’s voice should crack with desperation, the delivery falls flat. It’s a shame, because the writing *demands* more vocal texture. Pacing is another mixed bag. The first and third stories barrel forward with relentless tension, but ‘Hive’ (the finale) drags in its middle, repeating beats about paranoia that the other tales already nailed. Still, there’s something refreshing about horror this *lean*—no bloated backstories, just people (and one very unlucky dog) facing the unfaceable. If you’re craving atmospheric dread with a side of existential grit, this delivers—but bring your own suspense in the narration department.