Discover new kitchen selections
Your audiobook is waiting!
Enjoy a free trial on us
$0.00
  • One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection to keep (you’ll use your first credit now).
  • Unlimited listening on select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
  • You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
  • $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.
Learn more about membership
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
List Price: $19.95
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

The Brain Eaters Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

4.1 out of 5 stars 37 ratings

In Milwaukee, a regular at Vic’s Tavern suddenly smashes a beer bottle and carves up the other customers.

In Manhattan, an easygoing cabdriver goes berserk and hurls his cab into a crowd of pedestrians.

In Seattle, a young bride slashes her husband in a busy restaurant, then flings herself through a plate-glass window.

At first, these shocking incidents appear unrelated. Then a disturbing pattern emerges - the agonizing headaches, the violent tantrums, the faces erupting with sickening lesions, then the final, fatal outburst.

The epidemic spreads. The nation panics. The Brain Eaters devour America.

Their hunger can never be satisfied.

Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Listening Length
    8 hours and 41 minutes
  2. Author
    Gary Brandner
  3. Narrator
    Sean Duregger
  4. Audible release date
    January 6, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Encyclopocalypse Publications
  7. ASIN
    B083G73LL8
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
Next slide of product details

Read & Listen

Switch back and forth between reading the Kindle book and listening to Audible audiobook.
Add the audiobook for a reduced price of $7.49 after you get the Kindle book as part of your Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Product details

Listening Length 8 hours and 41 minutes
Author Gary Brandner
Narrator Sean Duregger
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date January 06, 2020
Publisher Encyclopocalypse Publications
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B083G73LL8
Best Sellers Rank #280,092 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#8,311 in Horror Fiction
#20,905 in Horror Literature & Fiction

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
37 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Dave in Philly
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book in the same vein as FLESH and DARKLINGS
    Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    This is a novel by the author of the "Howling" trilogy, Gary Brandner. "The Brain Eaters" was published in 1985. (The Howling was published in 1977.)

    This book was actually published about seven years *after* the original version of Stephen King's "The Stand." The original version of King's book was published in 1978. (The *uncut* version was published in 1990.)

    The book begins with the "accidental" release of a biological weapon into the air. Tiny parasites infect at least one person at ground zero. That person spreads disease to other parts of the country. The parasites damage the brain, making people act like rabid animals. They become savagely violent.

    The disease is fatal, but before the parasites kill you, they make you kill other people.

    Anyone who survives an attack but sustains a cut, contracts the disease. (The parasites enter the bloodstream through broken skin.)

    It's a very good book. (But I rounded up. I would give it four-and-a-half stars if Amazon would let me.) If you liked Brandner's other books you'll probably like it.

    If you liked "Darklings" by Ray Garton, "The Fog" and "The Dark" by James Herbert, or "Flesh" and "One Rainy Night" by Richard Laymon, this book is probably right up your alley.

    The title "The Brain Eaters" is a bit cheesy and pulp-y, but don't let that keep you from reading the book.

    Also recommended: "The Lyssa Syndrome" by Christopher Fahy.
    10 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • K. Jump
    4.0 out of 5 stars A lean, horrific thriller
    Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I didn't expect a lot of subtlety from a book called THE BRAIN EATERS, but author Gary Brandner's plot is rather more literary than I thought it would be. This story of a bizarre health crisis that gradually turns thousands of normal people into maniacal killers is given a feasible backstory and developed with a great deal of veracity, as are the reactions of the American government and the general public as it slowly dawns on them that this unimaginable plague is the real thing and not just a hoax or a case of mass hysteria. Brandner populates his novel with a cast of flesh-and-blood characters that is easy to identify with, and while our main character, a cynical and kind of boorish reporter for a second-rate newspaper in Milwaukee, isn't the most likable of protagonists, he does evolve somewhat as the story progresses. The other characters, including Corey's rather more sympathetic scientist girlfriend, government bureaucrats, secret agents both American and Russian, and crusading hippies, are almost uniformly developed as real human beings with believable motivations and feelings. This means it really counts when one of them dies--and in this tale of a national health crisis caused by brain-eating parasites, a lot of folks do indeed die. Brandner's narrative is lean and focused and races to an exciting conclusion. Will humanity survive, or will everyone succumb to the Brain Eaters? Read the book and find out!
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Cameron Chaney
    3.0 out of 5 stars A pulp classic with a top-notch audiobook performance!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2020
    Thank you to Sean Duregger, the narrator of the audiobook, for sending me a download in exchange for an honest review!

    It's late at night (or early in the morning depending on how you look at it) and you can't sleep, so you're scrolling through Amazon Video for a scary movie to sink your teeth into. That's when you see it: some '80s horror film you've never heard of. It's 2 AM and the movie is free. Why not? So you press play. Eighty minutes later, the credits are rolling and you’re asking yourself the same question you asked yourself the last time you chose a random '80s horror film on Amazon Video: "What did I just watch?" You're sleep-deprived so you're having trouble remembering. That, and the movie has literally caused your brain to melt and dribble out your ears and into your midnight snack, so that might have something to do with your memory loss as well. There was something about a scientist with a Russian accent. . .and then there was some generic reporter hunting down a big story that will finally launch his career. . . Also, a female scientist who was actually really pretty for being so smart and all, and. . . ah yes! Zombie-like people with melting faces! There was probably more to the movie, but in the morning it'll all seem like some bizarre dream which is probably the desired effect anyhow.

    If you have ever found yourself in that situation, congratulations! You are a horror fan that will watch literally anything. I know I have been in that exact situation dozens of times and I have zero regrets about it. I also have zero regrets about listening to the audiobook of The Brain Eaters by Gary Brandner, whose formula is exactly what you would find in one of those Amazon bargain bin B-movies, from the Russian scientists to the melting people.

    Like those cheesy 80s horror flicks, there is a lot in The Brain Eaters to keep you entertained; hammy dialogue, over-the-top characters, graphic gore and violence, a highly contagious parasitic virus that turns people into angry monsters with bad acne, and the mass hysteria that stems from said virus. . . which is all too timely. On the other hand, there are a couple other pulpy tropes that plague The Brain Eaters for the worst, such as dry monologues and long explanations of the “science” behind the virus. These scenes do lend some charm to the book, however, as it is hard for a story like this to exist without them.

    The only thing more enjoyable than reading The Brain Eaters is listening to the audiobook, narrated by Sean Duregger. Sean is just such a nice guy, and you can hear that in his voice. This can sometimes hurt a horror audiobook, but The Brain Eaters isn’t all that scary or meant to be taken seriously. Therefore, Sean’s gleeful energy only serves to enhance the craziness of the story. He is also a pro at acting out the characters and can do a mean Russian accent. Just such a fun time!

    Overall, I recommend The Brain Eaters if you are a fan of vintage horror books or if you read Brandner’s classic The Howling and want to read more of his work. This is a bonkers one, and the audiobook is also top notch!

    A solid 3.5 stars.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Mad Max Reviews
    5.0 out of 5 stars Like reading an 80s VHS horror movie!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2020
    Gary Brandner may be known for The Howling, but his other 80s horror novels are just as good! I could literally see the VHS static in my head as I read this book. Great premise, engaging characters and some shocks as well. A Paperback From Hell worth grabbing!
    Helpful
     Report
  • Homer
    5.0 out of 5 stars brain eaters--all the rage
    Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2007
    I picked this book up in an airport years ago and was surprised by how good it was (hadn't read any Brandner at that point). Would recommend it to anyone.
    Think The Stand came first, but never really thought about any similarities. I do remember thinking The Stand was pretty bloated, so never read the re-edit. I like the lean efficiency of the Brain Eaters, and I just enjoy the title. Bold and to the point.
    I do have to say that the movies '28 Days Later' and its sequel pretty much seem inspired by this book.
    Variations on a theme.
    Anyway, haven't read a Brandner book I didn't like.
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Mr. Shaun Gregory
    5.0 out of 5 stars Terrifying Prophecy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    In my opinion Gary Brandner is the most underrated American Author of Horror. Like the Howling before it, this novel is absolutely amazing. Some of the scenes are mirrored by real events surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak. I don’t mean the horror of parasites, I mean the way the outbreak is dealt with. I could not put it this Kindle book down. Highly recommend reading. I gave five stars because “The Brain Eaters “ deserves it. If you love horror then check the late Mr. Brandner out, you’ll not be disappointed.
    Report
  • Box of Possums
    4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, trashy, horror with brain eating parasites
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 4, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    They eat your brain and turn you into a murderous maniac! Nope, it’s not the combo of beer and kebab so often seen outside of British nightclubs but rather a funky parasite with a taste for the grey matter.
    I read this when I was young, I was a sucker for trash horror from the local book stand - couldn’t go wrong for 50p a paperback or whatever it was back then - and wanted a rerun. It’s still trashy horror at it’s finest. Greatly enjoyable, every horror fan should read.
    Report
  • kev taylor
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the horror buff.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Read this book years ago then loaned it to someone and never got it back. Bought it again and read it still a great read and highly recommend to any horror fan.
    One person found this helpful
     Report