Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

From Vulture's “master of horror” Clay McLeod Chapman, a relentless and emotionally charged social horror novel about a family on the run from a demonic possession epidemic that spreads through media, for fans of The Last of Us and Where Evil Lurks

Noah Fairchild has been losing his formerly polite Southern parents to far-right cable news for years, so when his mother leaves him a voicemail warning him that the “Great Reckoning” is here, he assumes it's related to one of the many conspiracy theories she believes in. But when his own phone calls go unanswered, Noah makes the long drive from Brooklyn to Richmond, Virginia. There, he discovers his childhood home in shambles, a fridge full of spoiled food, and his parents locked in a terrifying trance-like state in front of the TV. Panicked, Noah attempts to snap them out of it and get medical help.

Then Noah's mother brutally attacks him.

But Noah isn't the only person to be attacked by a loved one. Families across the country are tearing each other apart-literally-as people succumb to a form of possession that gets worse the more time they spend watching particular channels, using certain apps, or visiting certain websites. In Noah's Richmond-based family, only he and his young nephew Marcus are unaffected. Together, they must race back to the safe haven of Brooklyn-but can they make it before they fall prey to the violent hordes?

This ambitious, searing novel from “one of horror's modern masters” holds a mirror to our divided nation, and will shake listeners to the core.

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Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

From Vulture's “master of horror” Clay McLeod Chapman, a relentless and emotionally charged social horror novel about a family on the run from a demonic possession epidemic that spreads through media, for fans of The Last of Us and Where Evil Lurks

Noah Fairchild has been losing his formerly polite Southern parents to far-right cable news for years, so when his mother leaves him a voicemail warning him that the “Great Reckoning” is here, he assumes it's related to one of the many conspiracy theories she believes in. But when his own phone calls go unanswered, Noah makes the long drive from Brooklyn to Richmond, Virginia. There, he discovers his childhood home in shambles, a fridge full of spoiled food, and his parents locked in a terrifying trance-like state in front of the TV. Panicked, Noah attempts to snap them out of it and get medical help.

Then Noah's mother brutally attacks him.

But Noah isn't the only person to be attacked by a loved one. Families across the country are tearing each other apart-literally-as people succumb to a form of possession that gets worse the more time they spend watching particular channels, using certain apps, or visiting certain websites. In Noah's Richmond-based family, only he and his young nephew Marcus are unaffected. Together, they must race back to the safe haven of Brooklyn-but can they make it before they fall prey to the violent hordes?

This ambitious, searing novel from “one of horror's modern masters” holds a mirror to our divided nation, and will shake listeners to the core.

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Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

Audiobook (Digital)

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Overview

From Vulture's “master of horror” Clay McLeod Chapman, a relentless and emotionally charged social horror novel about a family on the run from a demonic possession epidemic that spreads through media, for fans of The Last of Us and Where Evil Lurks

Noah Fairchild has been losing his formerly polite Southern parents to far-right cable news for years, so when his mother leaves him a voicemail warning him that the “Great Reckoning” is here, he assumes it's related to one of the many conspiracy theories she believes in. But when his own phone calls go unanswered, Noah makes the long drive from Brooklyn to Richmond, Virginia. There, he discovers his childhood home in shambles, a fridge full of spoiled food, and his parents locked in a terrifying trance-like state in front of the TV. Panicked, Noah attempts to snap them out of it and get medical help.

Then Noah's mother brutally attacks him.

But Noah isn't the only person to be attacked by a loved one. Families across the country are tearing each other apart-literally-as people succumb to a form of possession that gets worse the more time they spend watching particular channels, using certain apps, or visiting certain websites. In Noah's Richmond-based family, only he and his young nephew Marcus are unaffected. Together, they must race back to the safe haven of Brooklyn-but can they make it before they fall prey to the violent hordes?

This ambitious, searing novel from “one of horror's modern masters” holds a mirror to our divided nation, and will shake listeners to the core.


Editorial Reviews

author of Lone Women Victor LaValle

[A] roller coaster of a novel, the kind that leaves you shaking and shrieking and smiling. [Chapman] takes all that’s troubling our nation in the current day and, somehow, makes it all the more frightening.”

author of So Thirsty Rachel Harrison

A profoundly terrifying, riveting, intense, nerve-shredding modern horror epic.”

Booklist (starred review)

Chapman spins established possession and zombie tropes into an original tale that will hijack readers’ nervous systems…A compelling, cinematic, visceral, and disturbing tale.”

New York Times bestselling author Josh Malerman

The proximity of Chapman’s demons is enough to make one lock the doors, turn off the television, [and] curl into a ball in the dark… A sparkling variety of narration, mad vivid energy, and even brilliantly funny bits.”

author of Maeve Fly C. J. Leede

Supercharged, gloriously maximalist, terrifying, and disgusting. But mostly it’s tragic, and hits much closer to home than any of us want it to.”

FEBRUARY 2025 - AudioFile

Joe Hempel is the primary narrator of this apocalyptic horror story. Noah has distanced himself from his conspiracy-minded Fax-News- obsessed family, but his mother's recent voicemail about the "Great Reawakening" worries him. When his calls go unanswered, he travels to his childhood home to find it ruined and his parents catatonic. Hempel's narration captures Noah's increasing anxiety, which transforms into childlike horror when his parents suddenly attack him. Interspersed throughout the audiobook are news stories voiced by a full cast showing how the chaos quickly accelerates. P.J. Ochlan neutrally introduces each news story and provides stage directions. Ochlan's calm juxtaposed with the cast's panicked voices creates an unsettling experience that is perfect for horror. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID: 2940191752402
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date: 01/07/2025
Edition description: Unabridged
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