• The Breakers Omnibus

  • Books 1-3 and Prequel Novella
  • By: Edward W. Robertson
  • Narrated by: Ray Chase
  • Length: 42 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (4,403 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Breakers Omnibus  By  cover art

The Breakers Omnibus

By: Edward W. Robertson
Narrated by: Ray Chase
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $39.95

Buy for $39.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Books 1-3 and the prequel novella of the Breakers series. In the Breakers series, humanity faces not one apocalypse but two: first a lethal pandemic then a war against those who made the virus.

©2012 Edward W. Robertson (P)2015 Podium Publishing

What listeners say about The Breakers Omnibus

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,382
  • 4 Stars
    1,343
  • 3 Stars
    460
  • 2 Stars
    126
  • 1 Stars
    92
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,475
  • 4 Stars
    1,029
  • 3 Stars
    370
  • 2 Stars
    112
  • 1 Stars
    119
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,183
  • 4 Stars
    1,215
  • 3 Stars
    459
  • 2 Stars
    128
  • 1 Stars
    101

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So glad I downloaded this one.

Where does The Breakers Omnibus rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This series took me completely by surprise. It ranks right near the top of the list of audiobooks I've had the pleasure of listening to.

What other book might you compare The Breakers Omnibus to and why?

The obvious series to compare it to is the Cycle of Arawn, given the same author, however I would put it with the Wool Omnibus, The Mistborn Series and oddly enough Adrians Undead Diary. I have to admit I really enjoyed this book.

What about Ray Chase’s performance did you like?

At first I was really having to work to not focus on the breathy and oddly nonrhythmic way he was performing the prelude (Book 0) but I got in the groove and the story really sucked me in. I was really happy I stuck around, In Books 1, 2 and 3 he doesn't use the same manner of speaking as book 0 and is a wonderful performer. His various characters are really well done, great variety and all very appropriate to how I envisioned the characters. I was completely engaged by both his performance and the story.

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

It was definitely a book I couldn't "put down". Its such a monster of an Omnibus I kept fearing the end of the individual volume was the end of the entire tale and was thankful at the start of each new volume. When I realized I was on volume 3 (the fourth if you count 0) I was relieved to see there are more in the series as stand alone books.

Any additional comments?

I was really feeling stuck in a rut and struggling to find new audio books to listen to. This was a book I only gave a shot because I realized it was by the same author as the Cycle of Arawn and figured I could always return it. I am so glad I gave it a shot. The evolution of the story and the characters is awesome, the way they all split apart, both geographically and chronologically, and tie back together is oddly rewarding, visiting familiar events from various perspectives and via differing roads. As the story progresses there really is an evolution, through the disease and its causes and the aftermath. I have been voraciously listening to audiobooks since first subscribing to Audible in 2004 and I listen to books constantly, both from here and elsewhere, to help with my ADHD and wandering mind. That's meant I have periods of really feeling like there isn't anything I feel like listening to (While I'm waiting for the next Sanderson novel, the years of waiting for each Game of Thrones novel or the next book in one of the many series). This one was one that I am very glad I stumbled upon.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

112 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Apocalypse epic for readers who dislike the genre

Where does The Breakers Omnibus rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 5%, which says a lot given the authors I love.

What did you like best about this story?

Compelling, varied protagonists (who often have very dark sides but retain their humanity, a difficult line to walk) and some plot lines with twists I didn't see coming. Not a spoiler (I hope) but like the best of Joss Whedon's works, no main character is safe or immortal. But that make this series much more authentic, especially given the whole apocalypse theme.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Hard to pick just one, but the outcome of the slow evolution of dependent college girl Tristan turned Sarah Conner, and her unrelenting quest to find her little brother.

Any additional comments?

Edward Robertson is one of my favorite new authors in fantasy and science fiction. He's up there with Joe Abercrombie (First Law Trilogy), Michael J. Sullivan (The Riyria Chronicles), Scott Lynch, Peter F. Hamilton (various space operas), Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire), Matthew Stover (Caine novels), and even George R.R. Martin. So be ready for DARK. He's a fantastic author--engaging story lines, wonderful character development, great dialogue that avoids the cliches so often found in fantasy and science fiction, and near perfect grammar. (Okay, so I'm a geek, but too many works are dreck due to terrible grammar). First I listened almost without break to his epic fantasy the "Cycle of Arawn" and it was so good, I decided to give "Breakers" a try, though I generally dislike the apocalyptic genre. I was hooked after 15 minutes. I bought the Breakers Omnibus, Books 1-3, and now plan to buy Books 4 & 5 individually. It was like reading King's "The Stand" all those years ago, but without the mystical detour. Robertson puts new twists on the catastrophic plague and alien invasion tropes that I haven't experienced since Grant's original, surprisingly moving zombie "Newsflesh Trilogy" (another genre I usually avoid like the, um, plague). Given the two amazing omnibus deals Audible is running (for now!) go for it. If you're more of a fantasy fan, then get "Arawn." If sci-fi/ horror is more your thing, then "Breakers." But like me, be ready to download another 50 or 60 hours of fiction no matter which you pick first.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

90 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I'm glad I didn't listen to the naysayers!

Any additional comments?

After reading several negative reviews about Ray Chase's narration style, I almost skipped on this one. I know what it's like to have an audiobook experience ruined by a grating narration style, so I went in fully prepared to take advantage of Audible's awesome return policy. Ten minutes in, and I was hooked. The narrator's style, while different, was purposeful, and worked very well for a book with so many characters and such a sweeping story arc. I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook (which was actually comprised of three different stories and a prequel). Very well written, great character development, and a story line that caught me completely off guard on more than one occasion! There might have been a chapter or two that a more aggressive editor would have red flagged (where the story seemed to bog down a bit), but to be fair, at least 40 of the more than 42 hours was an absolutely engaging read/listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

52 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Come and get it

I tend to pay for short books (15 hours or less) out of pocket and reserve my credits for longer books. I have to make good choices for the longies as I don't want to have to make returns. I can tell an hour in whether or not I will enjoy a book. I was unsure about Breakers but given the excellent reviews I decided to take a chance.

I'm so glad I did. This was an engaging, fun and rather thought producing story that held up for the entire 40+ hours. That's a feat in and of itself. When a crazy, out of left field element was introduced I rolled my eyes. I though the story would start to downhill from there. The son of a gun (I assume I can't use the B word) writer actually made it work. It's a post-apocalyptic, sci-fi hybrid that manages to blend the two in a way that makes sense. As a fan of both of these genres I was not disappointed. The most memorable moment was that out of left field development.

The story is riddled with one-liners. While they made me laugh despite some tight situations, I think they were overused.

The narrator chose to use gruff voices for all, if not all of the male characters. This is a current trend used by many actors in t.v and movies. The one-liners are deadpanned. Given the many, many uses of one-liners I don't know that he could have done it any other way. The characters by and large are smart alecks (I assume I can't use the other, use of the A word) . Smart alecks don't pause or necessarily inflect one-liners differently than other sentences spoken. As a native New Yorker It is the way I have normally heard smart alecky statements expressed and there was nothing off-putting about it to me. That is the way smart alecks communicate. It is a use of language that is natural to the speaker and does not necessarily produce a change of inflection or tone when used. One liners sometimes cause a change in body language. I don’t know how he could have made that seen in his narration. He was reading the book as the author wrote it. I am satisfied with the choices he made.

I don’t like series more than 3 books long. The filler that goes on after that annoys the hell (I assume I can’t use the F word) out of me. The reviews for the rest of the next books seem to indicate that is not true of this series. If so, I will be sure to post another review.

I enjoyed it and will listen again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good story, bad narrator.

It's an exciting story, but, as a narrator, Ray Chase sounds a bit too much like Ron Burgundy for my taste. R.C. Bray would have made this a fantastic listen. I highly recommend trying the sample before purchasing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Book v Narrator

Enjoyed the storyline but the narrator, eh not so much. The male voices r quite 'wimpy' but his female voices were the worst. Whispering like a 40 year old smoker is not what women on earth sound like. He switches to his own deep voice when not doing a voice and it's much louder in volume so I had to change volume often. Too dramatic. Couldn't listen past 3 hours.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Solid Story but Narration Takes Away

The story is solid, not great but a good "read." It has twists and turns, a good plot, surprises to keep you interested.

The challenge for me is the narration. Chase reads the entire three books in a voice filled with overly dramatic tension. Every single word seems drawn out, emphasized, dramatic; exhausting to listen to. It steals from the passages that may benefit from dramatic influence, it just gets old fast.

If you can get past the overacting, this is an engaging story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

STOP F#@KING WHISPERING !!!!

Just like some movies, there is a constant mixure of LOUD and whispering. The reader sounds very reminiscent of Scott Brick, but he thinks the best way to convey the female lead character is with a husky whisper that, in a vehicle or walking path or any unpristine environment makes half of the book unintelligible unless you increase the volume to the point one person us yelling at you while the other whispers.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • J
  • 10-25-15

Great Storyline - Narration Strange

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I don't believe I could recommend this book to anyone as I am almost at the point of abandoning it for text because the narration is so distracting. I am really enjoying the story; it is well written and the character development is also well done.

How could the performance have been better?

My problem with it is the narration. The narrator has an easy to listen to voice (meaning the sound of his voice) and therefore the two stars, but his habits of repetitive intonation in every sentence are incredibly annoying. I am having to focus on ignoring the lilt of the narrators voice and his habit of giving every character the same exact speech patterns. Females always talk in whispers, males are given whiny feminine qualities that I do not believe the author intended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome story, odd narration

Storyline is amazing, captivating, intelligent.
Narrator way too often uses whispery, throaty narration technique.
Lines that are clearly supposed to be funny are made to sound depressing and ominous.
Women voices are made to sound strong and authoritative while many male voices made to sound whispering lay weak and effeminate.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful