A dystopian sci-fi thriller set in a small Sussex village.

On a sweltering summer’s night, teenage siblings Jack and Lily witness a helicopter crash on the main road between Brighton and London. The next morning they wake to find their village has been sealed off from the entire world. A terrorist cell is holed up in Stenhurst – or at least that’s the official story, put out by sinister government agent Wynter and his vicious sidekick, Major Kellett.

But later that day, Lily and Jack stumble on the truth: the authorities are hunting for a mysterious creature, labelled CatX, who escaped during the crash. Together with their friends, Erin and Oliver, Lily and Jack take it upon themselves to defy the lockdown and protect the creature, no matter what the risks.

The stakes are raised still further when a team of American agents arrive with their own unique technologies. Nobody who sees the CatX must be allowed to survive, and yet it soon becomes clear that there is a much bigger secret here…one that threatens the entire world.

With four teenagers pitted against deadly opposition, this is a story of supernatural menace that will appeal to fans of Stephen King and Stranger Things.

I received a review copy from the author in exchange for a fair an honest review.

First review of 2020 and I get to chat about the audiobook which kept me company through what was a challenging festive period. Apologies to Tom Bale for taking slightly longer than anticipated to listen to this Audible Exclusive story – I had to take a few unexpected breaks from bookish things.

Now the New Year is in full flow and I am able to give my focus back on the stories (a very welcome treat) and I can share my thoughts on this delicious science fiction thriller.  Delicious?  A strange choice of words perhaps but I savoured the time I had listening to the plight of an alien creature which escaped captivity and sought safety in a small Sussex village.

I am very much a fan of rooting for the underdog (I think we Scots need to be born with this trait) and from the first chapters I found myself rooting for the CatX as, following the crash of a military helicopter which had been transporting CatX, it fled from the military and tried to escape from the only life it had known.  CatX sought refuge in secure locations but became trapped in the chimney of a large house in the village of Stenhurst. Help would soon appear in the form of 4 teenage kids and a deadly game of hide and seek begins.

The children soon realise that CatX can communicate with them and an alliance is formed.  CatX needs the help of the children to continue to hide from the military forces who are souring Stenhurst to find it. The village is shut down and a total media blackout has been imposed. But tracking an alien life form which is small enough to hide in a rucksack and climb down a chimney is no easy task and the longer the government take to locate their lost asset the more attention they bring to their activities in Stenhurst.  Naturally desperation begins to set in and the arrival of American government agencies the pressure to get a prompt resolution to the situation leads to an overspill of aggression from the soldiers on the ground.

The Stone Song is a David vs Goliath tale which kept me thoroughly entertained.  Tom Bale sets a vivid scene as he depicts the military oppression of a seemingly sleepy English village.  There was a slow reveal throughout the story of what CatX may be, some clever clues passed me by as the story progressed and it was only with the benefit of hindsight I realised I should have been a bit quicker to spot some of the surprises which interweave through the book.

As with every audiobook review I need to comment on the narrator.  In this case we are treated to the skills of Raza Jeffrey and he delivers a great performance. There is quite a large cast for The Stone Song and a range of accents are required – all handled perfectly. Raza is very “listenable” which is a trait you would expect to be found in all audiobook narrators but (sadly) this is not always the case.

The Stone Song is only available in Audiobook format and it clocks in at around 11 hours (slightly vague on the run time as the download includes an interview with Raza Jeffrey as a bonus for the listener). I always assess the success of a story on whether I would pass it to my family to read.  My teenage son is looking for more fantasy type stories to enjoy and I have recommended he tries The Stone Song. The balance of adventure, alien life, military intervention and the conspiracry theories thrown out to deflect the world media tick all his boxes.  First finished book of 2020. A good start!

The Stone Song is and Audible Original and only available as an audiobook.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XVPLLFK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3