The Head

By: Brian Barr

Narrated by: Rick Gregory

Length: 48 mins

Publisher's summary

A woman finds a head in her mother's garden.

Things get weirder when the head talks to her....

The head rolled from the weeds to the tip of her worn pink gardening shoes. Her blood rushed and her feet froze in place, her legs locked like statues.

A million questions poured into her brain at once. Where did this head come from? Why was this head in her mother's garden? Who would drop such a thing in the garden?

Who murdered this man, and where was the rest of his body?

She had to call the police.

She turned and started to walk back to her mother's house.

"Where are you going?"

Elizabeth's heart jumped.

"You're not just going to leave me out here, are you?" the head asked.

©2015 Brian Barr (P)2017 Brian Barr

An Odd And Creepy Relationship

“The Head” is the first of three short stories in author, Brian Barr’s, the 3 H’s series. In “The Head,” a woman named Elizabeth discovers a decapitated head of a man in the garden. The man’s body is nowhere to be found. Before Elizabeth can mentally process what she sees, the head speaks to her. His name is Bill and he’d like Elizabeth not to just leave him there. What happens next begins the most bizarre romance I can think of in any book I’ve read/listened to in a very long time.

Author Brian Barr even adds a nice little twist at the end to make the story that much better. Rick Gregory does a good job of narrating this short story, Overall, all I can say is that you must experience the weirdness that is “The Head” for yourself. Finally, this audio book was provided by the narrator at no cost in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Audio Book Boom.

Different!

Crazy story! Part urban legend, part romance, and part horror story. Highly entertaining, and worth every cent. I went into this story expecting a gruesome tale, and wasn't disappointed, but I didn't expect the strange and unusual twists the plot took. The narrator did a great job without detracting from the story, which is great, because it's the first time I've heard from him,but it hopefully won't be the last.

Loose heads shouldn't be so funny!

What would you do if you found a lone human head in the yard? You’d probably do something practical, like dial 911 or bury it. What if that head started talking to you and begged not to be left alone? Yep. That’s the situation our heroine Elizabeth finds herself in.

This tale is equal parts horror, suspension, love story, and humor. First, it’s a decapitated head named Bill complaining about a headache. Ha! Poor Bill doesn’t have many memories but he does enjoy Elizabeth’s company. As time goes by, Elizabeth comes to care for Bill as well despite Bill’s off-putting odor.

Things move along as Bill insists they go in search of his body. More memories come back and Elizabeth is drawn into a twisted paranormal situation. Let’s just say that Bill comes from a messed up family.

It was fun and I wasn’t expecting so much humor nor the love story. Also, on a personal note, my husband’s name is Bill and I couldn’t help but picture his head as The Head in this tale. That just added to the enjoyment of this story, not that I want to decapitate the man. Just if he ever ends up in that situation, I’d like to think I would love him all the same. For such a short story, it was full of entertaining surprises.

I received a free copy of this book.

The Narration: Rick Gregory did a great job as Bill the detached head. He fluctuated between serious and caring, pleading and decisive, with ease. His character voices were distinct though I felt that Elizabeth could sound a bit more feminine without sounding slightly cartoony.

Weird But You Can't Stop Listening

The Head was definitely one strange story. A talking head even. I feel for Elizabeth in that she couldn't just walk away from the head. This audiobook was somewhat funny in a weird kinda way. It's not your typical story. I think it's originality and boldness makes it a good listen. I'd be curious to see what else Brian Barr writes.

Rick Gregory's narration was good. He spoke clearly and I think he portrayed the characters the only way possible. Anything else would've been awkward. You could hear the empathy in his voice when Elizabeth spoke. This was a good collaboration.

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

Atmospheric and Creepy

I have to say the audio performer really did a great job of sustaining the off-kilter vibe of the story. A woman finds a head in a garden, and the head starts to speak. She doesn't call 911, despite her initial freakout, and what develops between her and the head (who can talk, and drink, and seems otherwise pretty 'together' for a head without a body) is a relationship that might just spell doom.

The narrative voice of this short piece has a kind of drip-drip-drip of tension to it. It starts off weird, and almost a little silly at first, and the listener has at least a little amusement when considering the heroine (who isn't completely socially adept, and is, frankly, falling for a head). But that amusement fades into something that chills, then darkens and then, so gradually it's almost an unnoticed shock, steps right into a horrifying conclusion. I had no idea which way the tale would turn, and I enjoy that feeling when it doesn't feel like a cheap trick, and at no point did 'The Head' feel like a cheap trick.

So, if you're in the mood for something creepy, and atmospheric, give it a go.

An interesting beginning

'The Head' is the first book in Brian Barr's The Three H's Trilogy. The story follows a young woman, Elizabeth, who discovers a severed head in her mother's garden, which then begins speaking to her. However, despite being part of the larger story that unfolds throughout the trilogy, 'The Head' stands up well on it's own. There are still a lot of unanswered questions by the end, but it is done in such a way that you don't feel cheated. As another reviewer noted, 'The Head' is very odd, yet compelling, which is a balance I've found Barr excels at pulling off.

'The Head' is gory, mysterious, and delightfully outrageous. While not flawless, and not my favorite story from Barr, it manages to keep your attention all the way to the end and leave you wondering just what the heck is going on, but in a good way.

Rick Gregory's narration is solid, but as with much of his work I find dialogue to be his weak spot.


I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

To Be(Headed)

Definitely a spooky creepy twisted hor/romcom.

He's not a zombie (obviously- he's alive via his head).
And we learn some people can fall in love with what's in your head; a person's body doesn't count. ( So why go to the gym?! Lolz)
And we learn some people would do anything a give their left (or right?) arm - to be with the one they love.

Rick Gregory was FABULOUS as a narrator for this book/series.

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

What would you do if you found a talking head?

The Head
By: Brian Barr
Narrated by: Rick Gregory
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
This is a fun and crazy 'horror' story about a girl that finds a head in her deceased mother's garden and it talks! She doesn't know what to do with it and decides to take him home. She is lonely and he is abviously in trouble, they spend a great deal of time together and she falls in love with this head, err man. Like this wasn't weird enough, he then says he know where his body is....the horror part starts there. A short story but pretty darn good. Not scary but very clever.
The narrator is great, does the voices and feelings wonderfully. Great job!

Amazingly strange

Any additional comments?

The head! What a crazy story . Funny and a little bit horrific , but in the best possible way. I can't give away anything , it being a short story . I will only say that it was an enjoyable read , that also made me laugh . Well worth the time spent listening. Now I have to get the next book. “I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

Delightfully Weird

Any additional comments?

This short story about a talking, dismembered head found in a garden is delightfully weird. It is bizarre and entrapping in a way that I found quite unique. At first, just super odd, this story takes a delicious deep dive into the truly peculiar. I can't say more without giving away some juicy spoilers (like a romance between a human woman and a dead head?!? woops I've gone and said it). I would recommend this short book to anyone who enjoys something totally off, bizarre and strange.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.