Song of Kali

By: Dan Simmons

Narrated by: Mark Boyett

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Blood will curdle in Calcutta. In the most crime-ridden city, nightmares become real and evil is defined by frightening occurrences. When an American family finds themselves encircled by the terrors of this land, lurid events befall them and life takes on a new meaning - death. Winner of the World Fantasy Award, Song of Kali will chill the blood and frighten even the most jaded of horror fans.

©1985 Dan Simmons (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Fantastic, Disturbing, Romantic, Horrifying.

simply one of the most terrifying books ever.
a rollercoaster ride of horror not to be missed.
well done.

The plot completeness let it down

I love Dan Simmons but is not his best work. The characters are amazingly rich and the story is very well told. Calcutta was described in incredible depth. The plot was never finished. A lot of events went unexplained as did the role of at least two main characters. They were crucial to the plot but you never found out who they were or why they did what they did. The story just stopped. It ended up being a series of unexplained events rather than a plot.

very very very disturbing

it was poetic horror, extrely vivid, powerful and sad. a very strong story a very sad tale

Terrific performance, uninteresting story

The story itself is much less a horror narrative than it is a mystery/psychological thriller. There are a few gripping parts in the book, but overall I found the story overall to be somewhat dry and boring. The narrator committed to an excellent performance, with well acted accents for the characters. I'd say if mystery/thriller is your absolute favorite genre, this book is worth checking out. But Dan Simmons certainly has better books to offer such as Summer of Night or the Hyperion Cantos.

Wow

The story grips and keepa your attention the whole time. Dan Simmons is an amazing writer, you can feel yourself in the story its a great book

All Violence is an Exercise in Power

Horror is not my normal territory. It isn't my alternate either. As far as genre fiction goes I probably reach for a horror novel as often as I reach for a fantasy novel. But this is Dan Simmons we are talking about. After reading Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, I was intrigued. How poetic could Simmons make horror? How literate?

I liked the 'Song of Kali'. It was a good story. I'm just not sure I'd count it as great horror. It wasn't that scary. It was definitely more psychological and mental than most. It seemed like a strange mixture of H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King, all with a big glob of Calcutta madness and poetic mysticism.

Anyway, I liked it. I'll keep reading Simmons when I want a vacation from the classics or an escape into literary genre fiction, but I don't think I will need to steel my nerves with any tonics or leave the lights on to go to sleep after I close the book at night. I might, however, rethink vacation plans to Kolkata and West Bengal. Screw THAT.

Creepy but great!

It was much creepier than a lot of Simmon's work, but I personally thought it was excellent. Not for the faint of heart, however.

Intelligent, daring, gruesome

This was a great read. some people will, no doubt in these days of ultra violence in real life and ultra finger pointing in the internet, acuse Simmons of racism, because of the portrayal of Calcutta as a horrible place, but in my opinion he is not xenophobic. The American character is sometimes very dense, and acknowledges it.
It think it's a novel about abysmal evil and choices, for the ones who can choose. It is gory, yes and disturbing, but not too much, and incredibly prescient. It makes you think and scares you at the same time.
Simmons questions the obligation, if you are able to decide about your life, to do it wisely and not bend to evil.

Mark Boyett is great too.

Devastatingly dark, not for the faint of heart

If you are sensitive, don't read this. Gruesome, dark, graphic, but also brilliant. I think reviewers who call it racist and other things are missing the point. It's horror fiction that was written around 80 and takes place in Calcutta in 1977. We have a bit of a jaded character in a horrible place going through horrible things while encountering a lot of horrible people and worse. There is nothing here that's meant to be appropriate and if you want appropriate, look elsewhere. It's amazing in prose and description, It pulls you in emotionally and leaves you unsettled. Parts are so grim that you will want to take a shower. It's brilliant but understand a bit about what you are going to read/listen to before you start.

Truly immersive horror!

Excellent listen! Dan Simmons captures the essence and atmosphere of Calcutta expertly. A truly horrific story that seems more truth than fiction. The fate of a particular character seems pre-ordained simply that that character's inclusion into the story which is my only criticism of the plot.
The narrator is absolutely superb going from American Mid-West, American-New York, to Indian accents with ease.
A definite recommended listen.