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    Dead Set: A Novel
    Dead Set: A Novel
    Dead Set: A Novel
    Audiobook7 hours

    Dead Set: A Novel

    Written by Richard Kadrey

    Narrated by Kate Rudd

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    The New York Times bestselling author of the Sandman Slim series delivers a wonderful stand-alone dark fantasy in which a young girl is caught between the worlds of the living and the dead.

    After her father's funeral, Zoe moved to the big city with her mother to start over. But change always brings trials, and life in the city is not so easy. Money is tight, and Zoe's only escape, as has always been the case, is in her dreams—a world apart from her troubled real life where she can spend time with her closest companion: her lost brother, Valentine.

    But something or someone has entered their dreamworld uninvited. And a chance encounter at a used record store, where the vinyl holds not music but lost souls, has opened up a portal to the world of the restless dead. It's here that the shop's strange proprietor offers Zoe the chance to commune with her dead father. The price? A lock of hair. Then a tooth. Then . . .

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateOct 29, 2013
    ISBN9780062292391
    Author

    Richard Kadrey

    Richard Kadrey is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sandman Slim supernatural noir books. Sandman Slim was included in Amazon’s “100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime,” and is in development as a feature film. Some of his other books include The Wrong Dead Guy, The Everything Box, Metrophage, and Butcher Bird. He also writes the Vertigo comic Lucifer.

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    Reviews for Dead Set

    3.5/5

    89 ratings16 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I can't decide if him or james crumbley are my favorite writer
    • 1/5
      I love Richard kadrey books. I could not stop screaming at the narrator long enough to like this one. One of the worst narrators I've ever heard. Made the girl in the book sound like she was crying or screaming about everything. Give me chicken nuggets!! (Voice cracks with emotion)
    • 3/5
      This is my least favorite thing Kadrey has written. It's not awful, but I don't like knowing where the story is going to end up when I'm only a third of the way into the book and this one telegraphed all the way.

      I was actually relieved for it to be over.
    • 4/5
      This story is probably more YA than adult. featuring a YA heroine and to be honest I got half way through and kinda lost interest. Then I went back to it and it just flowed. Zoe loses her father and her mother and her move to the big city to live. She finds herself adrift and then she finds a record shop that seems to give her a line to her father but the cost is a bit much. But the temptation is high. It's a different style of storytelling from his usual, there's less sark and more teen angst. I prefer the Sandman Slim stories but this was an interesting read.
    • 4/5
      I pretty good book, that flirts with being a YA novel, but ultimately is mostly intended for adults. In typical Kadrey fashion, it deals with some pretty deep issues in a way that feels real and accessible. It all makes some sort of tenuous coherent sense and is fun and somewhat thought provoking. Well worth the read.
    • 5/5
      Dead Set by Richard Kadrey is set in very crazy world of the dead. The girl in the story finds a record store, the man has a record that lets her hear her deceased father's life. There is more to the bargain. Much more. It is a creepy read and I loved every minute! I don't want to tell more but it is certainly exciting!
    • 4/5
      Zoe’s dad died, she and her mom lost their house, and she tried to kill herself. Now, she’s trying to get back on track, but it’s hard—especially when a strange man offers to let her see, then talk to, her dead father, asking only for some hair, a tooth, a bit of blood. Then he disappears. Nicely creepy YA with a realistically troubled but still loving mother-daughter relationship.
    • 4/5
      When I think of horror, I think of Freddy Krueger or Nightmare on Elm Street or Stephen King, even.If I were to categorize Richard Kadrey’s books, they would be urban fantasy, which also have a dark twisted underbelly to them.But many have categorized Kadrey as horror, and since I’m not big on quibbling about labels, I’ll just say “‘Kay.” Because what it all comes down to is story. What is the story and how is the story told? That’s what makes a great read for me.Dead Set is the story of Zoe and how her teenaged life got derailed after her father dies. The only thing good she can count on is visits with her dream brother, Valentine, when she goes to sleep. But then, (good stories always have a but then) …But then, a black dog starts appearing in her dreams. And she meets a guy at a record shop storing records with souls captured on them. For a seemingly small price, he’ll let Zoe commune with her father.And then, Zoe actually goes to her father and nothing is even close to how she imagined it might be.Kadrey’s stories are creepy, that’s for damned sure. But they’re also interesting, well-thought out and entertaining. In Zoe’s story, he captures that heart-ache of a teenage girl trying to fit into her own life, and make sense of the changes that have happened. It’s the story of a girl longing to re-connect with the love she once felt from both her parents, and to use her teenage rebellion for something other than just being a rebel.I love the Sandman Slim series. Love it. In Dead Set, we have a quieter protagonist whose world is almost as dangerous as Slim’s. And I loved it just as much.
    • 3/5
      Meh. It would have been a much better book if the world was fleshed out a bit more... For example, it doesn't make sense that Zoe keeps dreaming about her brother, Valentine, even before her fathers death, or how the Queen got control of the world. Even the black dog really doesn't play much into this story.As for the characters, they are lacklustre - not particle remarkable. Zoe was too whiny - the only character I really liked was Valentine. I think with a bit of editing, this could have been a very excellent book - but as it stands, its only meh.
    • 3/5
      “Most people, even the ones we hold dear, are seldom what we think.”Zoe is struggling to cope with the recent devastation of her father’s death. He left Zoe and her mother destitute and the two were forced to move into a small, dingy apartment to make ends meet. Zoe and her father both shared a love of music, of punk music, and when she stumbles upon a record store one day to browse the stacks she uncovers far more than she could have ever expected. The old records contain far more than classic music; they contain the contents of a persons very soul including Zoe’s father.The most interesting aspect for me about Dead Set was the Egyptian lore that was incorporated into the story. Zoe travels to the underworld in order to see her father and they have a wonderful time together yet she doesn’t realize until after that she was only shown this peaceful place by her father in hopes that she would leave and never return. When she comes back and witnesses the horror of what truly goes on, Zoe refuses to leave her father in this hellish place. Queen Hecate is the moon-goddess that rules this nightmarish underworld, a place called Iphigene. Her children, enormous black dogs and black cobras, feed on the people forced to reside there. Iphigene is a terrifying and fearsome place when you consider these people are forced to remain there for all eternity.Zoe’s character was troubled yet she remained spirited and was a fantastic main character. Her father’s death left her more devastated than we get to witness first-hand with the only reference being a rubber band she keeps on her wrist that she snaps as a reminder not to cut herself. At this point in the story she’s been able to overcome the damage she inflicts upon herself but while her wounds aren’t as deep they’re still not fully healed. Presented with this situation that her father is in she seeks to help him in anyway she can so as to assuage her own suffering.Dead Set is an extremely violent and horrifying tale but was immensely entertaining. This is Kadrey’s first YA novel and my first read by him. His Sandman Slim series is widely touted and is definitely being added to my to be read pile.
    • 5/5
      * spoilers *Zoe's life is in turmoil. Her father just died and her mother dragged her to a big city to start a new life. Unfortunately, their place is small and in a much poorer area than she lived before. Money is tight due to her father's life insurance paperwork being lost or filed wrong. Her mother struggles to find a job and isn't home much, leaving Zoe alone to dwell on the past and escape in her dreams to spend time with her brother Valentine. Coincidentally, something sinister invades her dreams at the same time as she finds a strange record shop with a hidden room featuring souls for sale rather than records. The proprietor isn't interested in money for her father's soul and asks for a lock of hair, then a tooth, then some blood. Her father's soul leads her into Iphigene, a world where souls stagnate and are stuck for eternity. Can Zoe help the souls of Iphigene or are they doomed to stay there forever?Richard Kadrey writes wonderful dark fantasy novels with a healthy does of horror and I couldn't wait to read his first young adult novel. Dead Set tells the transitive story of Zoe. When we first meet her, she's stuck in many ways. Her mother is struggling to get a job and her father's insurance is in limbo due to misfiled paperwork, so she's stuck financially and with her relationship with her mother. They don't have time to have a real relationship because they only see each other in passing if at all. School passes by in an unmemorable blur. The only two small shining moments are Zoe's biology class with a fun, enthusiastic teacher and a tentative friendship. All of these things are overshadowed by Zoe's father's death. Her entire life stands still and she's close to being overwhelmed by feelings of helplessness, depression, and sadness. Her whole life has been turned upside down and she's lost interest in living and moving forward. Her only solace and voice of reason is Valentine, her brother who visits her in her dreams.Then Zoe turns self destructive. She finds the record store with her father's soul and barters to see through her father's eyes in the past and then meet him. Consumed with the need to see her father, Zoe ditches school many times, blows off her new friend, and doesn't think about Amut the proprietor's motives or the effects of her behavior. She's so desperate to see her father that she doesn't stop to think about anything else. After stumbling into Iphigene, the city where the dead should be moving on, Zoe finds it dilapidated and broken down. The inhabitants are as stuck as her because of Hecate, the terrible ruler who took away the sun and prevents the souls from moving on. Iphigene is a frightening place in constant darkness, filled with desperate, broken souls, hungry creatures, and refuse.Iphigene acts as the liminal stage for Zoe and embodies of her mental state. It also allows her find out who she really is, overcome her obstacles, and move forward with her life. She consistently does what she thinks is right, even if it isn't the easiest thing. Her resourcefulness and fighting spirit allow her to be independent and she doesn't wait around for someone else to save her. Her kindness and compassion also guide her and lead her to help those who would otherwise be cast aside. Her decisions lead her to release the sun, defeat Hecate, and restore Iphigene to its former state as a passing point for souls rather than an eternal purgatory. Her trial doesn't come without sacrifice as she was bitten, attacked, and shot in the chest with an arrow along the way, as is typical for rites of passage. She also restores her own life by ensuring her father's and brother's future so she can move on and make her own future. When she returns to the real world, things get back to normal. Her two week disappearance starts a dialog and she's finally honest and open with her mother. Her mother gets a job and the insurance finally goes through. She looks at the world through different eyes, understands her peers better, and stands more confident and self aware.I love this story. It's a dark, twisted hero's journey with a dash of Egyptian mythology, magic, and horror. Iphigene is a singular place that Kadrey filled with glorious details that set it apart. I was surprised and pleased by how much horror was in the novel. The flying snake creatures and wolves that serve Hecate were particularly disturbing. The journey is exciting and kept me interested throughout. I also like that Dead Set is a complete story in itself, unlike so very many young adult books. I highly recommend Dead Set and all of Kadrey's other works.
    • 5/5
      Kadrey is very good at writing creepy and dark--that comes across quite well in his very-adult Sandman Slim series. It turns out, he's also very good at writing creepy and dark young adult books. This really struck me as a cross between Neil Gaiman and Charles de Lint's Newford books, and I could completely see this as a Miyazaki film. Kadrey also wrote Zoe as one of the most realistic, gritty teens I've encountered in a book recently (another fantastic example of literary teenagers being Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, though that's not so gritty). There's profanity. There are teens drinking and talk of cutting. None of it is glorified, though. It is what it is.
    • 2/5
      I really like his Sandman Slim books, but this one just felt flat and disjointed. Actions and reactions did not make sense. A disappointment :(
    • 3/5
      Dead Set by Richard Kadrey is marketed as a teen paranormal novel. Which is something of a departure for Kadrey since he is best known for his Sandman Slim novels. After the death of her father, Zoe and her mother relocate to San Francisco to try to start their life anew. With the lack of jobs and trying to fit in at a new school, life is hard. Add on to it an insurance company that refuses to pay out, and Zoe and her mom are struggling to just get by. The only time Zoe finds any release is in her dreams where she shares time with her truest friend Valentine. Her parents have always believed that Valentine was just Zoe imaginary friend but to Zoe he is much more. He is her friend, her confidant, her only stable pillar in a world that has left her behind with the loss of her father. After school one day Zoe wanders into an old record store and there, with the mysterious proprietor Emmett, she stumbles upon a machine that plays the recorded lives of the dead. In her hands she holds the vinyl memory of her father and for a price, she can reach out to him. With the help of Emmett, Zoe visits a place called Iphigene, a way station for the dead. There she finds her father. But all is not as it seems and despite the warnings from Valentine, Zoe fights to save her father. But she cannot revive the dead and Iphigene is not what it seems. Emmett is not what he seems. And all dreams come with a price. Dead Set is a fast moving novel of despair and the hopelessness of a young girl's loss. Zoe sets out on an impossible quest to help her father but we know through it all it really just about her own pain that she is easing. Kadrey infuses the novel with enough light to give substance to belief that Zoe must go forward but the overwhelming feel to the book is one of loss and despair. Dead Set lacks the grittiness and visceral violence of the Sandman Slim series and it is evident that Kadrey reigned himself in on Dead Set to make it fit the genre. But what separates Dead Set most from the Sandman Slim novels is the missing humor. The witticism and snarky remarks from Sandman Slim are absent from the main character Zoe in Dead Set. From her they come of as bitter and self-pitying. Kadrey creates a real world in Iphigene and its inhabitants. Egyptian mysticism and supernatural creatures fill its streets. There is danger all around and Zoe must summon all her strength and courage to fight through it. It is Dorothy and Oz but set in the dark and mean streets of the inner city. Zoe does well and she grows through the story as she must fight for her father and in the end for herself just to survive. Another good read from Richard Kadrey.
    • 4/5
      I picked up this book being how different the plot seemed. It certainly drew my attention.Plot: What if you lost a loved one and was able to see their life through a record that held their soul? What would you give to have one more chance to talk to them? This plot is really good and holds the reader well. I enjoyed getting caught in able to see the loved one once more. Of course in a world where this is able to happen, there is a price. A price that could cost Zoe her life.Friendship/Family: This story captures a lot about family and friends. The grieving process is hard for Zoe and her mother. Zoe is mostly confined to herself. She does have a few friends who really get to know her. These characters play important parts in Zoe's life in learning important life lessons and learning to let go. They also help her in her time of need and helps Zoe understand her mother. I adore that Zoe is very involved with her mother. Though it may not seem like it at first, but they hold on to each other for comfort.Ending: I felt like the ending was very fitting and well executed. I really enjoyed the story till the last page. The fighting for life at the end made my heart race!!This is a great story of sacrificing anything to have that one last chance. Delivering a heart-racing story that is enticing, Dead Set is great.
    • 4/5
      I got a copy of this book through Netgalley(dot)com to review. I have really enjoyed Kadrey’s Sandman Slim series, so I was excited to read a young adult book by him. This was an excellent and creepy read and I really enjoyed it.Zoe and her mother have moved to the Big City after her father’s death. Things are tough, her mother can’t find work and Zoe is having trouble fitting in at school. Zoe’s only escape are her dreams, where she travels to a different place and visits with her lost brother Valentine. Then Zoe discovers a strange record shop. There the store keeper shows her a record of her father’s soul and allows her to watch it for the price of a lock of hair. Then for the price of a tooth she can actually visit her father in the realm of Iphigene. But as the price gets steeper and Zoe get more and more drawn into Iphigene, the question becomes will she ever escape this dark and deadly alternate world?This is a very creepy book. The whole idea of a person’s soul being trapped on a record and of the creepy shop keeper asking for parts of Zoe for payment is eerie. The land of Iphigene is even more so. Iphigene is haunted by hungry trapped souls and ruled by Hecate, an evil witch of a character.Zoe is an interesting character. She has a history of self-inflicted wounds (she was a cutter and struggles with this still) and misses her dad horribly. She is driven by the idea that finding her dad will somehow fix everything even though he is dead. She is also haunted by the dreams of Valentine, a brother she never actually knew. At times in the book Zoe is teetering on the edge of insanity and becomes extremely desperate and reckless.Zoe’s mother and father are intriguing. They are both very sad characters, but you can tell they love each other and Zoe a lot. They are the epitome of a lot of adults out there. They made decisions in life that they thought were the best decisions to make at the time, but ultimately those decisions made them leave some dream behind and made them very unhappy.Valentine is fascinating. He is the unborn brother of Zoe and really never got a chance to live in the real world. However, he’s been in Iphigene for a large portion of his life. He has served as a companion and confidant for Zoe throughout her life and now as she journeys to Iphigene he serves as a guide.The story is fast-paced but not as gritty as the Sandman Slim series, it is definitely more of a young adult novel. That’s not to say there isn’t a lot of edginess here and some disturbing stuff. The way Hecate’s children feed on the lost souls is extremely disturbing. The way Zoe is hunted down by the evil shopkeeper and Hecate is also very creepy. So this is a very darkly creative and intriguing story, just not as violent as the Sandman Slim series.There is an interesting mystery to be solved here. Zoe has to figure out what Iphigene is and escape it before Hecate can capture Zoe and take over her body. It is definitely a fast-paced and engaging read and I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed that there is a lot of mythology, especially Egyptian mythology, woven into the story. Overall I liked this book a lot. It was interesting to read a young adult book by Kadrey, he did a good job of making a darkly creative story that was edgy and creepy but still young adult. I enjoyed the complex characters, the absolutely wonderfully dark and creative world of Iphigene, and the fast pace of the story. If you are a fan of Kadrey I definitely recommend you check this book out. If you are a fan of dark and creepy supernatural stories I think you would like this as well.