***** Excellent Entertainment —– Review by Rox Burkey
In ‘Coup De Grâce,’ an inventive amalgamation of fantasy, science fiction, and steampunk by Paul L. Centeno, listeners follow the story of Kaimo de Morte as he undergoes dramatic life changes to his body, mind, and heart. Kaimo is an optometrist with extensive knowledge who wishes to study to become an Ophthalmologist. The loveable hero is filled with determination to reach his goals. He is forced to work in the mines to survive and possesses a robust set of honor-bound values. He ekes out a living working in the mines, yet uncovers a sinister plan and bears witness to multiple horrific crimes he cannot ignore.
Paul Centeno builds an exciting world containing steam-powered cities, automatons, incredible mechanical gadgets like the chainsaw sword, and a shattered gemstone that contains magical powers. When Kaimo discovers an imprisoned girl on a train, he decides to help and sets off on an epic journey that fans of quests won’t want to miss. The travel brings to life the people, creatures, and lives of those inhabiting this fascinating planet with three suns. Our pair of survivors are followed, beaten, betrayed, and presented with obstacles that test their tenacity: Bartholomew, the automaton with fun, unique words and interactions with his human friends.
The vivid world-building is believable as each layer is added to the perfect foundation. It’s a wild, crazy ride across this world by all sorts of means, and our couple is constantly followed, beaten, betrayed, saved, and more. There are many twists as the travelers seek the source of the gemstone. They meet unusual characters. My favorite is the mechanical automaton assistant, Bartholomew, who possesses emotions like a person.
Two outstanding voices, Rob Jones and Courtney Holly, bring this wild world to life in the audio version. Each character matches the images painted by the author. The narration tempo keeps a perfect pace with the temps as the drama escalates. The delightful music and sound effects provide a remarkable experience in this flawless audio rendition.
Fans of science fiction with a side of steampunk will live within this captivating world of a fabulous industrial-age adventure of ‘Coup De Grâce.’ Snappy dialogue with touches of well-timed humor balances the dramatic challenges Kaimo faces in the changes and phases of his life. The believable storyline is structured by descriptive words that build this fascinating tale of adventure and strife to an unexpected, outstanding, nail-biting conclusion. Well done, Paul L Centeno, with the brilliant third dimension of Rob Jones and Courtney Holly.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paul L. Centeno is an award-winning author and finalist for the 2022 Killer Nashville Claymore Award. Born and raised in New York City, he studied at Herbert H. Lehman College. After graduation, Centeno worked with Gabriel Packard, Associate Director of the Creative Writing MFA Program at Hunter College, to improve his craft. He later won awards from Writers of the Future for two short stories. In 2023, he also won a contest from the Writer’s Digest 31st Annual Indie Book Awards. He is currently working on his eleventh novel.
Find and Follow Paul Centeno
Website https://paulcenteno.com/
On Audible
About the Narrators
Rob Jones
High-end, Educated, Standard British Received Pronunciation (BBC), with hints of Welsh, Scottish, Manchester, and West Country. Pleasing, Trustworthy, Informed. Great for educational, soft-sell, infomercials. Character voices. Book narration. Experience in several European Languages, plus Chinese. Projects to date include TV Documentary series, Educational and Business Explainers, Language Teaching materials, and Podcast presentations.
Training
35 years of experience in local, national, and international radio as a researcher, reporter, producer, editor, presenter, and trainer. 20 years’ experience as a voiceover actor.
Experience
Presenter with BBC Hereford and Worcester, BBC Scotland and BBC World Service; 25 Years association with Classic FM in London as a Newsreader, multi-media presenter of a daily arts podcast, and as music show presenter; Journalist Newsreader for British Forces Broadcasting; Anchor for China Radio International’s flagship news and current affairs program, The Beijing Hour; Voice for major documentary series, for example ‘Making a New China,’ on CGTN and People Profiles on YoutTube; The English voice for the Chinese government GaoKao exam in 2016; Presenter and producer of several podcast series for China Media including ‘Why We Love the Song Dynasty,’ and ‘The Sayings of Laozi,’ plus current projects ‘Random News,’ ‘The Minhall and Jones Podcast;’ Narrator for the China Media version of the Penguin Classic ‘Monkey – Journey to the West.’
Courtney Holly
Courtney Holly has been a professional actress for over 10 years. She holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. Thanks to my degree and training, I know how to truly bring a script to life.
Having a pleasant or unique-sounding voice is one thing, but if you lack the skill to tell the truth buried in a script, it will never feel like a living and breathing story.
Courtney’s passion lies in the work it takes to break down a script, find its message, and discover what makes it interesting. This always results in a natural, engaging, honest delivery that won’t sound rehearsed or technical.
From commercials to telephone prompts to your next video game character, her strength lies in bringing life to any role.
Training
In 2015 Courtney received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Only 8 students are accepted into the acting program each year, which allowed me to receive a one-on-one conservatory-style training program taught by well-known professors in the theatre, film, and voiceover world. It is a rigorous program that involves intense training in acting, voice, and movement!
In her training there, Courtney was taught not only how to use my voice in various ways to fit different characters or script styles (e.g., commercial, corporate, cartoon, etc.) but also how to find the truth in the words I was saying.
Having a unique or pleasant-sounding voice can only go so far, but when you can bring the script to life with that voice… it’s a whole new ballgame!
During my training, she learned how to operate sound equipment and the science behind it all. Thanks to this, she can record and edit all of her sessions!
Experience
Courtney’s been acting professionally for well over 10 years now, since graduating college. She’s had many roles on stage, on camera, and behind the mic. The most notable voiceover roles include:
– The recurring supporting lead role of Alison Moretti in the popular audio drama podcast “Boom: A Serial Drama” (4 seasons)
– The recurring supporting lead role of Lieutenant Ava DeWitt in the animated series “Cyberspace Mars”
– Training modules for Hyundai USA
– Commercial spots for the Texas and Colorado Army National Guard
– Commercial spots for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
– Phone system for Hunter Hotels and Conference Headquarters
– Many audiobook titles on Audible.com
