I just didn’t like this book. It’s bleak and not funny and just kind of annoying. The main character comes off as self obsessed. I couldn’t get into it.

Although the story did have a few dragging moments, there were also some comical moments. After getting a death threat in the mail, he finally feels like he can start living.

"The Threat" by Nathaniel Stein, narrated by Pete Cross, is a darkly humorous exploration of one man's reaction to a mysterious death threat that shakes up his otherwise dull life. As Melvin Levin becomes increasingly obsessed with the threat and the sense of importance it brings him, he risks losing touch with reality and the true dangers around him.
Listening to this audiobook, I found myself drawn into Melvin's world initially but soon grew weary of his self-indulgence and repetitive actions. The narrative drags on, and while there are moments of humour, they are overshadowed by a sense of monotony. The story would have been better as a short story, as the concept loses its charm over time.
The narration by Pete Cross is well done, but even his performance couldn't salvage the lacklustre content. Melvin's transformation from a mediocre man to a threatened one is intriguing at first but becomes tedious and predictable as the story progresses. The resolution of the threat feels anticlimactic and leaves much to be desired.
In conclusion, "The Threat" has its moments of wit and insight into human behaviour, but its repetitive nature and lack of depth make it a less than engaging listen. It may appeal to those who enjoy dark comedy and absurdist themes, but for me, it fell short of expectations.

I would really like my time back. This book was well written from a writing standpoint, but from a personal enjoyment standpoint, not so much. Perhaps I am too dumb for satire but I thought this book was very boring and I never got into it.

#TheThreat
#NetGalley

Okay, the premise of this one was funny. How does one live when one’s life is threatened? However, it didn’t hold my interest. There just wasn’t enough excitement to keep it going. Pretty funny little ending though.

🌀Synopsis
Melvin receives a threat that says he is going to be killed. It’s the most exciting and terrifying thing that’s ever happened to him. He lives a mediocre life, until now. Everyone at his office is intrigued and worried. Melvin starts to do things he doesn’t normally do. He starts to live better and more carefree.
The threatener isn’t very good at his job though and to keep the excitement going Melvin has to keep pushing him to take the next step. In the end, it turns into a big misunderstanding.

The threat by Nathaniel Stein is light humorous take on a serious situation like a death threat.

I was really enjoying it for sometime in the start when I dismissed it as ramblings of a man who has nothing in life and suddenly was centre of the world. But then that's what the book is about and it just got dull and boring to listen to his self indulgence and importance.

It's quite funny at points but I felt it was dragging as well as repetitive. This rather should have been a short story and it would have a glowing reviews and ratings on my personal opinion.


Narration is good but when the content doesn't catch your attention, audiobook doesn't really matter at that point. I will rate audiobook 3.5 stars and the book itself 2.5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and dreamscape media for audiobook ARC in exchange of an honest review.

The Threat by Nathaniel Stein, Published Jan 16th, '24

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance audio copy in exchange for a review.
I grabbed this one because the premise reminded me of a book I read a few years ago, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, which I adored. As a side note, I also grabbed How Not to Die Alone because it had that same feel by description only, but it fell flat for me. Sadly, I feel the same with this one.

Our protagonist, Melvin, is a quite boring man. He's a yes man, and leads a boring life alone. He's also bored with life, his job - basically everything. The only thing interesting about him is that one random day, he receives a death threat! Suddenly he feels IMPORTANT! Kind of cute in this role alone, I enjoyed this premise -- it could be humorous at times as he got so excited to find out who did this to him - obsessed, even. However, I felt that the actual plot line, and his inner thoughts/TRUE obsession, really dragged out. Sadly, it got to the point of making me just want to skip to the end because I fell off my cheerleader train for him and I just didn't care anymore. Described as "savagely funny", it was not. For this reason, I gave it a 2.75 or 3 stars. It had a lot of promise and maybe the dry humor only lasts for so long with my attention span.

Levin opens his mail as usual. Enclosed is a death threat, who could have sent such a thing? Initially Levin has a calculated and oddly disconnected way of dealing with the threat. But very soon he begins overthinking, his whole life revolves around the event of receiving this letter. Levin is spiralling out of control and jumping to wilder and wilder conclusions, with intense paranoia and yet also a sense of superiority, HE is the one that was chosen, the one who is important enough to receive such a letter. Not these plebeians going about their daily lives who could barely comprehend such a thing, no, Levin is living life under the threat of death.

Having a life empty of meaning, Levin clutches onto the death threat as something to make him special. He tries to use the threats as an example of his importance and his complete misreading of social cues, mixed with dark humour make this funny and somehow also totally believable. Hilarious and wonderful rich descriptions of the characters bring the tale to life. Levin has strong Dwight from the office vibes, weird and awkward whilst simultaneously having a superiority complex.

The narrator is excellent, clear and with good emphasis. Building on the spiralling nature of the story, he has a very natural way of reading the protagonist's thoughts and ideas.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this audiobook.
This is the story about what goes through the head of a weird and insignificant man after he receives a death threat.
The idea and execution are very good, as is the narrator.
The protagonist is not a hero or a lovable character, but witnessing his evolution is like watching a car crash on the side of the road. Weird but almost compulsive.

2⭐️⭐️
.
.
.
The rating is for the audible version.
Thankyou netgallet for the opportunity to get an arc copy of this book for a honest review.


. I don’t normally give out pretty nasty stars but this audible version kind of giving it.
The novel did not been produce nicely hence it’s quite boring . I always did not finish it and carry on to read the actual book instead


❤️shaye.reads

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that you may need a threat on your life if you choose to read this one!
Yes…my opinion only…

So, let me start by saying that I received this audiobook as an ARC from #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia. I saw it was only 5 hours, so I
delved into it today.

It’s basically the story of a guy named Melvin who receives A Threat on his life, and as absurd as it seems, this is the HIGHLIGHT of his entire life!

He tells the entire story thru his POV, and, to me, it was absurd from start to finish. Although the plot sounded interesting, it totally fell flat for me!

The Threat by Nathaniel Stein.
It’s already been released.

2 ⭐️⭐️ for me.

Let me know your thoughts!

i was drawn to this novel by the cover and the intriguing description, but quickly realised it wasn‘t for me. i get what the author wants to achieve with creating such a fundamentally annoying and self-absorbed protagonist, but the result was honestly quite frustrating to listen to. though the dreary writing style seems to be intentional and is used to effectively characterise the protagonist, the prose was too long-winded and wordy for me. nothing wrong with the book per se, but just really not my taste, so i didn’t finish it.

This humorously dark novel kept me chuckling out loud. Melvin Levin is living a boring, lonely life until he is sent a death threat which not only intrigues Melvin but excites him. Now Melvin feels that since he is important enough to receive a death threat, that everyone around him should see his importance. The dialogue between Melvin and the “Threatener” was hilarious and made this short story worth the read.

Thank you Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for the Advanced Reader Copy. I enjoyed this quirky little book. #NetGalley #TheThreat @Dreamscape_Media

3.5⭐️ This book was unlike anything I have read before. I laughing almost immediately, as the MC described the inconvenience of the timing of receiving his a death threat. I loved his journey through finding his identity as a "a man under the threat of death" all while critiquing the techniques of his threatener.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Levin has received a death threat in the mail. It is very inconvenient timing since he’s up for a promotion at work and needs to work on his presentation. He is a man of routine and crippled by doing the right thing the right way. This death threat gives him a new purpose, a new countenance and a new reason for living and effectively changes his life. However, there is a twist. His nemesis often bumbles things. This is smart, witty, zany and sarcastic. Get your dictionary out because this is very literary with a robust vocabulary. This requires the right reader. It’s not for everyone but I found it entertaining, funny and intelligent.

Marvin Leven is in his late middle-age and lives a basic life where everything is scheduled and the only thing he hopes for is a promotion at his job that is why on this night we find him going through his emails due to having done his exercise faster than normal he has a few minutes to dally when he comes across an email that says he is going to die and someone wants to kill him… This is not verbatim essentially he gets a threat. At first needless to say he is shocked but once Marvin thinks about it it bolsters his self worth. He even treats himself out to a fancy dinner. Where he even believes he has a witty exchange with the coat check attendant which was so funny and throughout the book he will think about the coach at girl time and time again. However when he shares the threat with others he realizes it isn’t the most legitimate threat and almost seems like it was sent by an amateur. This really bothers Marvin but no worries because eventually he will find out the truth about the threat and then learn there’s something even better than being threatened. Although this book is funny and so entertaining beware they do talk about suicide so if you have a trigger then maybe give this one a pass but if not you should definitely read it! I found this book funny smartly done the narrator was just awesome he did such a great job with this character Marvin Levin and brought such a precise tone to the short read this was just an all-around really clever and humorous listen. Due to the clever narration and witty narrative I can only give this book 5 stars I truly truly enjoyed it. Marvins train of thought is just hilarious and that really was captured in Pete crosses performance this is a great book and if you love humorous commentary and laugh out loud books you definitely will enjoy The Threat by Nathaniel Stein it’s a quick entertaining listen. I want to thank dreamscape media and net galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook ARC!

The Threat was a delightfully ridiculous read. I found myself laughing out loud several times. I also found myself going through a range of emotions regarding the protagonist. Sometimes I couldn't stand him, sometimes I pitied him, sometimes I just rolled my eyes... And it scared me to think of all the people I know who are just like him.

The Threat does a lot with a little, both in terms of length and plot complexity. It should be an interesting read for anyone who works in an office, anyone who has ceramic figurines, and anyone who knows 'that one guy.'

Can an actual main character suffer from Main Character Syndrome? This guy does. He is mostly annoying as he tries his best to captialize on the death threat he gets. This is the best thing to ever happen to him. And as you read more and more about his life, you wonder why anyone would bother threatening him. The worst that could happen is he is forced to live his mediocre life imagining that everyone in the room is overly invested in his actions. Occasionally I found him amusing, but he just goes on and on.

Immediately this book gives the sensation of the movie "Dinner with Schmucks". The main character receives a death threat letter right when he is preparing for a promotion. In a way the new excitement that has entered his life helps him change some behaviors he now realizes kept him below people, but mostly he becomes obssessive over his new enemy and the new danger it has brought to his usually mundane life. This book was entertaining and ridiculous all in the same breath.

I dont know if it’s because I just read A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, but this short story gave the same vibe. I enjoyed this book. I think it’s marketed exactly for what it is. My only complaint is that it could have been shorter. Overall, I thought it captured the humorous and quirky part of being a human. This is a perfect light hearted short listen that will have you giggling in the car.
The narrator was perfect for this story!!

Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an audio arc!