The Ripper: Earth's Aberrant Torchbearer

Written by James G. Robertson

Narrated by Nick Russ and Full Cast

John Pepo, an Irishman who emigrated with his family into England, lived an ordinary life with ordinary dreams; but then, everything changed. Shortly before the tragic death of his family, John began having other dreams. He dreamed of a young man covered in lightning, a girl with tattoos, and of a man marked with VI from another world. However, what John dreamed about most of all was of fire, and of laughter.

After being summoned to London, John finds himself in Whitechapel. There, in the impoverished district known for its whores and beggars, he's met by a strange being in a dark alley who declares himself to be Jack the Ripper. Jack tells him he's been watching him; that he's been waiting for this day, a day foretold by the gods so that together they can fix a great aberration blighting the city.

Thus begins the riveting quest of the infamous Jack the Ripper and his most beloved friend John. As the devilish Jack haunts the streets like a spectre while mutilating his victims, the tales of those they damned and those they saved come to light. This is a story of loss, demons, witches, and the torment of one man by the puppeteering hands of a very stingy individual named Old Nick.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Next Life Publishing LLC
• Release date: Oct 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781954638013

James G. Robertson

James G. Robertson was born in a small town in Kansas. He’s also lived in Texas, Missouri, and in New York, where he graduated college from SUNY Oswego in 2019 with a bachelor’s in political science and a theatre minor. He has also received an associate’s degree in information network technology, which he obtained in 2012 from Pratt Community College. His first book in the Next Life series, Afterworld, was first published May 1st, 2020. If you wish to know anything else, feel free to contact him using the contact page on his website or via social media.

Reviews for The Ripper

[thehappylittlelady · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story starts at a quick pace and keeps going without any slow spots. I enjoyed the theatrical scenes and back ground sounds. It is very easy to listen to the character voices, accents and narration. That is my favorite part. Some audio books can be almost painful to get through, not this one. This one is very easy on the ears, even pleasant. They could do their own audio book business reading others stories for them. It's that enjoyable. This is a very creative spin on jack the ripper. At first it feels kind of out there, then the world the author created starts to become more understandable. Like Abraham Lincoln the vampire slayer, or Pride, Prejudice and Vampires. It is not really related to the real life story. It's a whole new thing, like a comic book anti hero, bad guy horror, sci-fi fantasy story all mixed up together. The main character seems like a regular journalist at first. But, he has the bad guy jack inside of him. Reminds me of venom but, it is easier to hate the bad guy part of the main character. The internal dialog is a nice addition, to me it's one of the best parts of reading a book over a movie. More insight into characters minds. The way he rhymes and sounds as Jack reminds me of the Leprechaun movies. I both hate and love to hate his voice, so I am torn. I also have mixed feelings about putting a spin on someone who was a real life serial killer. Some parts are graphic, but the author didn't drag them out or make them more uncomfortable than they have to be. I was confused at first since I hadn't read the other stories. But, there is a short recap early on in the story that sorts everything out. I do wish it had a recap before the story gets going. I don't like that he is being "punished" for suicide. In the real world the stigma around suicide is very real and makes it harder for people actually suffering with those dark thoughts to reach out for help and talk to others. Because, they feel ashamed, abnormal, like something is wrong with them and think they will be judged and misunderstood. I just have a hard time with things that add to that stigma. I hate to sound dramatic but, the fact is it is the 11th leading cause of death in the US. One every 11 min. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in the world for those aged 15-24. Okay, I am off my soap box now. ( I am a crisis counselor so, I am biased and passionate about this). I could have given a higher rating but for this main pet peeve.

[sleepygirl2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I chose to listen to this book after receiving a free audio copy through LibraryThing. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.There are many fictional and speculative stories about Jack the Ripper, but this is the strangest one I have read. It definitely is in a category all its own when it comes to the serial killer. The author is very creative!I was a little confused at the beginning of the story until chapter 3 when everything was explained. From there, it was a story of Jack the Ripper, witches, demons, and John, a tormented man who seems to be at the center of it all. It is good vs. evil in a strange way. That’s all I can say…no spoilers.I have listened to several full cast audiobooks, and most of them didn’t work for me. I remember the first one I listened to, which was amazing, and I’ve been hoping to come across more like it. Finally, I have found one! The sounds (although graphic at times) and the different voices are great. It’s not for the squeamish though. Jack’s voice can be a little annoying at times, but it adds to the tale.If you’re looking for something different and enjoy graphic horror, this is a good listen!

[disco_grinch · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The Ripper: The First Next Life Prequel

I listened to the audiobook version. I like reading about Jack the Ripper but this story did not interest me. The author tried to take a new approach to the Ripper story and it just was NOT for me. Some stories just don’t work (IMO) with a supernatural theme. I think the history of Jack The Ripper is much more interesting/scary in it’s original form.

The way "Jack the Ripper" spoke, with constant rhyming, was extremely annoying...sometimes reusing the exact same words to make the rhyme work.

In addition, the "full cast" audiobook was way too distracting and cluttered, making it hard to hear what was being said. Most of the narrators were either way "over the top" or sounded like they were reading rather than acting. I actually may have liked the book more if I read it rather than listened to it…