Slaves of the Volcano God

The Cineverse Cycle, Book 1

By: Craig Shaw Gardner

Narrated by: Thomas Machin

Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Roger Gordon's life was dull until a Captain Crusader Decoder Ring unlocked a door to the world of B-movies. Now his life is filled with adventure as he frolics through the silver screen's weirdest westerns, thrillers, and romances.

©1989 Craig Shaw Gardner (P)2018 David N. Wilson

I'm stuck in a buh-buh-B-Movie!

Craig Shaw Gardner has done a ton of books, and I think that the last one I actually purchased was back in 1990 with his Revenge of the Fluffy Bunnies. I went through my library and saw that I had about 15 of his books and adaptations; making me wonder how I had missed this book (series). I'm glad that I got this, as it is a fun campy ride through B-movie land. Although, after listening to it I have to wonder if anyone under 30 will get alot of the references given that I'm a movie buff and MY kids have no idea of some of the parodies that come up. If you know them, it's hilarious. If you don't it makes no sense and is not funny. I loved it, but then, I am a cinephile. Casual movie watchers will not get this, nor will most Millenials.


Machin surprised me with his vocal skills. I have a lot of narrators that I admire, and he could easily hit their ranks. He provided each character a unique and distinctive voice, and added in the proper inflections when hinting at the humor that was on the page. I really enjoyed his work and will keep an eye out for him in the future.


Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.


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An amazingly fun audiobook

Craig Shaw Gardner and Thomas Machin have done it again. I really loved Temporary Monsters and was eager to listen to another installment of the former's excellent parody writing combined with Thomas Machin's gifts for voices. This is really a book that benefits from both and it was gut-bustingly hilarious throughout. Yes, the humor is sometimes a bit dumb but it's just plain fun. You won't regret purchasing this.

A excellent introduction

If you have ever encountered Craig Shaw Gardner's work in the past, then you know what to expect with Slaves of the Volcano God. Craig Shaw Gardner uses a similar formula for most of his works. Its a lighthearted and fun romp that will keep the listener entertained start to finish.
Normally I would recommend this book for the newcomer to Craig, but at the time of this review, only Slaves of the Volcano God has been released in audiobook. Should the remaining two books of The Cineverse Cycle be released then I would strongly suggest this series to all.

Not your average hero

Roger is just an average guy who works in HR. When the love of his life Delores is kidnapped he feels he has to save her. Once he finds his way into the Cinverse his whole world is changed. In order to save Delores, he has to navigate the plot lines of B rated movies. Lucky for him, his would be murderer Big Louie is by his side every step of the way.

Movie magic with Roger

Where does Slaves of the Volcano God rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was better then average for being creative not for its literary value.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Our man of the Movie magic hour Roger.

Which character – as performed by Thomas Machin – was your favorite?

Roger,Roger,Roger,

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes it was fun in a juvenile sort of way.

Any additional comments?

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Pretty entertaining

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I liked this book a lot. It was very fun and humerous. All in all, it was just fun, nothing serious. Definitely worth checking out.

Trip down memory lane.

I have fond memories of Craig Shaw Gardner. I read and enjoyed quite a few of his in middle school and high school. I remembered laughing and enjoying this very series. Now all these years later I got a chance to revisit it. While still enjoyable, it doesn't quite live up to my memories of it. Or perhaps it's just that my tastes have changed/mature a bit. I still love the silliness of the story, but I can't help notice things that things that didn't bother me back then, do bother me now. What sort of things? Not the story, but rather the writing itself. The book suffers from an excess of adverbs and a deluge of diverse dialogue tags. As I said, this wasn't something I noticed when I was in the 8th or 9th grade, but I see (or in this case hear) it all too clearly these days. The story itself is enjoyable. Roger Gordon's girlfriend is kidnapped into the world of B-movies and, using an old Captain Crusader decoder ring, he rushes off to save her. Yes, it is as silly as it sounds, but it's also enjoyable, and it was a fun trip down memory lane for me. Would I listen to the rest of the series if it got recorded? I might, but that would be mainly because of the narration.

The book is narrated by Thomas Machin and he does a fantastic job. The book features a large cast and Thomas makes sure that not only does each character have their own unique voice, but their own unique speech pattern. Will definitely keep my eye out for more work by him in the future.

I received a copy of this audio title for free in exchange for an unbiased review.