I really wanted to like this book and was excited to receive an ARC. I enjoyed Nick Cutter's The Troop and thought this would be similar. Instead, what I got was a confusing mess. The inordinate amount of non-American slang peppered into the American's narration can be forgivable under the right circumstances, but I found myself not understanding the descriptions of what was going on and not understanding the motives of the main character. It was a slog to get through and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

How would I describe this book?
Tremors meets Nick Cutter's the Troop

This book wastes no time getting to the action and the adrenalin filled nightmare of a survival story keeps a fast pace until the very end and I loved (almost) every moment of it. The vivid imagery of the worms will haunt me, probably forever- I'm getting heebie jeebies as I sit here writing this. There were plenty of times where I was so stressed out/worried about the characters that I found myself literally on the edge of my seat. I found myself flying through the pages.

There was so much I loved about this book:
- Isolated woods location/ camping combined with a creature horror. Two of my favorite horror genres in one book.
- The pacing was fantastic- there were no lulls or bits that felt padded out
- The main character, Mike. I loved him he was funny and he felt very real. His inner monologue and processing of the trauma and grief of the situation was perfection.
- I liked most of the secondary characters
- The Tremors vibes- one of my all time favorite movies

Things I didn't love:
- Mike kept mentioning how he'd read a phrase/feeling in a book and never understood it until now. That was fun the first time, the third not so much.
- I felt like we didn't get enough character development for Wade who was the MCs friend.
- Mike and Wade were supposed to be American and yet they said some very non-american things. and their lack of knowledge about some of the Brit/Aussie slang was pretty unbelievable.
-There were quite a few bits of repetition of thoughts/facts
-There was a very long and unnecessary poop scene in this book- This was just gross and honestly added NOTHING to the story.

** I tried really hard to listen to the audio of this book, but the narrator was almost impossible to listen to. Their cadence and vocal choices just really did not fit this story, and their story telling was not engaging.

With a few small changes this book would easily be a 4 star read for me- despite my complaints this is probably one of my favorite creature horrors I've ever read.

A camping trip interrupted by a meteorite hit and then takes a horrible, dark turn.

This one starts a bit jarring. It just dumps you right into this camping trip as a group makes their way to the rising smoke and wondering what's happened. But, from there, it turns into a nightmare. The body burrowing worms are the first signs things have gone bad. I did this as an audio and WOW, it was hard to listen at the start.

But the narrator is a bit dry - so that helped with the story as it just turns and turns and gets worse. You'd think worms would be bad but it's not the worst thing out there. I did like the fast pace but also appreciated the down times between the horrors. I did find it. . .horror filled but entertaining. There were quite a few surprising parts and turns in the story I didn't anticipate and kept me wondering what else could possibly happen to this group. And I loved the ending.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thank you net galley for a ALC of this book.

This book had a strong start, and it was quite enjoyable to listen to, as the book went on, I realised that it was more dystopian than I would normally like.

It had a very "Stranger Things" vibe to it. If you like that programme, you would probably enjoy this book.

Decided to give up at 70% as I didn't really feel much for the characters, nor what was chasing them. I wish there was a little bit more character development, but then it could have been the narrator, who I didn't click with.

Nameless Things by Ernest Jensen Narrated By Tim Lounibos is an apocalyptic style science fiction horror novel.

After a breakup, Mike goes on a hiking trip with his friend Wade to get back to nature and reset his mind. What could be better than living in the wild surviving off the land for a few days? But when a meteor shower strikes, leaving damage in its wake, Mike and Wade have no idea what they are truly about to face. When it becomes apparent that these meteors may carry more than just damage from entry, they decide to get out of the mountains and go back to civilization. During their journey they meet many different people, and their peril only increases as they make their track out of the Mountains.

I loved the fast paced adventure, finding myself eagerly awaiting what would happen next. The book was well written and in some parts made my brain go to Dante’s Inferno, probably because the mountain is called Dante and the other part because of how dangerous and deadly the journey becomes. It’s definitely a fast paced horror adventure that fans of Nick Cutter, Stephen King and Dean Coontz will live the dark dangerous horror ride that this book takes you on.

The narrator, Tim Lounibos was great. He easily kept me engaged and entertained. I had a hard time stopping to do other things because I found myself so engrossed in the story that I wanted to see what would happen next.

Nameless Things was a tense and eerie ride that I enjoyed. The pacing and balance between terror, body horror and humour in the narration flowed well. It was hard to put down - I listened to the entire book in two days! It was an immersive experience, and I was worried about what would happen to the characters next and kept my feet off the floor the whole time I was listening. I was gritting my teeth, hoping that no one wouldn't fall or get pierced by anything, wondering who would survive, if anyone. I was especially concerned about the dog, who added an extra layer of anxiety (especially near the end). This debut horror was fast-paced, stress-filled, stomach-churning at times and highly consumable, making me extremely thirsty throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and the author of Nameless Things for the Advanced Listening Copy!

This is one of the first horror books im reading, and to find out its the authors debut? Im impressed. I was really invested in this read, and a little freaked out i must say. It was so suspenseful, emotional and scary. I really enjoyed this read!
And the narrator did a great job of capturing the main characters feelings.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

Could have been so much better. I think this book could have done with a little bit more editing and cutting things here and adding things there.

I landed on a 2.5⭐

This is due to how the characters react to most situations. It's also very light on the disgusting factor, in my opinion. The writing at points is not my favorite either. It also felt like a prologue to a more significant series at hand. I personally would have a hard time recommending. The audiobook was okay.

Happy Publication Day to this brutal survival horror read!

Thank you Dreamscape Media & Ernest Jensen for this audiobook.

Packed with plenty of action, gore and gross moments, the characters endure a whole lot of nightmarish hurdles. As a group of people begin to find eachother, the question becomes who will survive on the path to safety?! Each death that happens is graphic and although I didn't feel myself connected emotionally to any character (but the dog), each is developed vividly that I felt I could imagine exactly who they were.

I felt some areas lacked pace but in general there was alot that happened in such a short time, that those areas may be exactly what others crave.

The narration was excellent and the narrator really brought the characters and story to life.

Overall this book was a really good read. Perfect for those that are craving a unqiue blend of cosmic and survival horror that promises plenty of unsettling moments!

The premise of this book was so good. I was thoroughly creeped out several times, and the body horror was nasty (in the best way) but it felt a bit anticlimactic, to me. The ending was totally not what I expected but I'm not mad about it. Overall, this was a pretty good read.

This was a ride from start to finish. I couldn't stop the "WHAT" that came out of my mouth when I realized the audiobook was over.

This book had the makings of something great but unfortunately, I don't think it really clicked in the way the author intended. The premise had so much promise but the characters were insufferable, made choices that didn't seem to make sense given their circumstances and I was kind of rooting for the worms to get them all- except the dog.

I don't think the narrator did the book any favors, as his cadence felt off but maybe it wouldn't have mattered since I couldn't connect with the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC audio.

I went into this thinking it was a thriller and quickly found out it is a full blown horror novel which was a pleasant surprise! I enjoyed this for the most part, I liked how we jumped right into the action with minimal buildup - I am not a slow burn person so I really liked that it got started right away. There is some really well-written body horror in here right from the start and I was really excited to see where it would go.

Unfortunately, I didn't love the rest of the book as much as I did the first 25%-ish. It felt like this could have used one more round of edits as the writing was a bit repetitive at times. There were also a lot of different characters to keep track of and I had some trouble remembering everyone. Most of all, I think this suffers from the fact that I've already read The Troop by Nick Cutter, a book that is both very similar to this one and, imo, a better-developed version of the same concept. However, I did like the ending - I thought it was a bit predictable by that point but I still thought it was appropriate and satisfying.

However the biggest thing that kept me from fully enjoying this was the audiobook narrator. I do not think this narrator was well-suited to this book. He had this lighthearted, almost sardonic tone for most of it that really just did not suit the main character for me. Moments that were supposed to be tense ended up just feeling unserious? It took me out of it a lot. And the accents and voices for other characters were really poorly done. I'm not normally put off by a narrator like this but in this case I'd really wished I had been reading it instead of listening.

Thanks NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ARC!

The narration wasn’t really for me., it sort of conflicted with the tone of the book. There were also some editing issues and parts of it seemed rushed while others lagged behind.

Nameless Things by Earnest Jensen is a relentless, grotesque ride into apocalyptic horror that grips the reader from the very first page and never lets go. If you’ve ever wondered what it might feel like to be trapped in a world where the very fabric of reality itself unravels, this book will show you, in agonizing detail. As if the worms weren’t enough—yes, worms—this 5-star apocalyptic package delivers on its promise of skin-crawling terror and more.

I have decided to not finish this book at roughly 50% through. I was truly captivated when it began and was super intrigued to see where it would go, but I kept losing interest as the story went on and found myself forgetting to pay attention, which caused me to have to keep rewinding. The character development was not there enough for me to care about the characters fate, and the story itself got a big repetitive. I think it’s an extremely interesting concept for a book, but I just couldn’t get into it.

Though it wasn’t for me, I do absolutely think there are many readers who would love this one!!

"A Chilling and Atmospheric Horror Novel"

Ernest Jensen’s "Nameless Things" is a haunting and deeply unsettling horror novel that grips you from the first page. With an eerie, almost surreal atmosphere, the book weaves a tale that is as psychological as it is supernatural. Jensen’s prose is sharp and evocative, drawing readers into a world where reality twists and nightmares feel just a breath away.

Mike's long time friend invites him on a hiking trip, Mike agrees as he has just come out of a long term relationship and needs to take his mind off his painful brakup. The trip becomes a living nightmare with the landing of a meteor not far away.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its slow-burning dread. Rather than relying on cheap jump scares, Nameless Things builds tension through unsettling imagery, creeping paranoia, and a growing sense of isolation. Set in Devil's Cup state park, Colorado. Mike's journey feels raw and real, making his descent into terror all the more impactful.

That said, the book’s ambiguity might not be for everyone. Some plot points remain deliberately vague, and certain moments leave more questions than answers. While this adds to the book’s eerie charm, readers who prefer neatly wrapped-up narratives may find it frustrating.

"Nameless Things" is a must-read for fans of cerebral horror—dark and deeply unnerving.

4/5✨ First of all I want to say thank you to NetGalley, Ernest Jensen and Dreamscape Media for providing me with an advanced audiobook copy of “Nameless things”. I think the premise of this book had a lot of potential with both cosmic horror and body horror elements regarding “worms”. The beginning of the book started really strong with the main characters trying to survive and unknown danger, but throughout the book the plot became weaker. I found myself wanting more horror scenes and I think the book was mainly based on the relationships between the survivors. The development of the main characters personalities is important but it became the main plot, putting the horror plot in second place. Nonetheless i found the story interesting but i would’ve like to find it scarier too.

I was very intrigued by the summary but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.
The first thing I noticed was the writing style. The writing style was very modern, often referencing real life, I don't see this style often and it was a interesting choice.
The story itself was a easy read but it had its issues to me personally. I noticed a repetitive pattern throughout the story and a lot of missed opportunities for added fear. In the beginning Particularly, I found some moments where it was supposed to be shocking, but it seemed to be glossed over and the lack of emotions from the characters really threw it off. I feel if more time was given to the character depth alone it would have been a huge difference. I do think this got better towards the end and I would be interested in trying a future book from this author.
I listened to this as audio and the narrator did a fantastic job! I really think he helped this book a lot for me personally as his voice is very well suited to this story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for this book!

Sadly, the story didn’t click for me, and I couldn’t stay engaged. The narrator, Tim Lounibos, has a deep voice that really draws you in.

A very special thanks to Dreamscape Media for the ALC.