A Neon Darkness

Lauren Shippen

Sep 2020 · The Bright Sessions Book 2 · Macmillan Young Listeners · Narrated by Charlie Ian

About this audiobook

A Neon Darkness, the second Bright Sessions novel from creator Lauren Shippen, asks: “What if the X-Men, instead of becoming superheroes, decided to spend some time in therapy?” (Vox)

Robert Gorham always gets what he wants. But the power of persuasion is as potent a blessing as it is a curse.

Robert is alone until a group of strangers who can do impossible things—produce flames without flint, conduct electricity with their hands, and see visions of the past—welcome him. They call themselves Unusuals and they give Robert a new name too: DAMIEN.

Finally, finally he belongs. As long as he can keep his power under control.

But control is a sacrifice he might not be willing to make.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Teen

Ratings and reviews

I really wanted a Post Bright Sessions Story taking place after leaving the Atypical World. This is a Prequel. 2nd, this is really well Written, I'm enjoying the Journey. However Lauren has an issue with the Gay Agenda, pushing it into areas of her writing that it doesn't need to be there, in place of an interesting dynamic. Not a deal breaker but it should be known to those interested that the main Character other than Damien / Robert, is your stereotypical "Strong Independent QUEER Woman of Color". Not a fan of nearly every character in Lauren's writing being LGB. These moments are far enough in-between to not degrade the experience. The by far best part of this Entry is the Exploration of my favorite Atypical, Damien aka Robert. We Explore the World inside his mind and the story being narrated by Charlie Ian is the Cherry on top. In Summary: Lauren's Gay Agenda, while it's still here, it doesn't distract from the Quality Material all that much. Check your bias when writing Lauren.

Light-hearted Speculative Romance A tender and well built tale expertly narrated.

About the author

LAUREN SHIPPEN is a writer most known for her work in fiction podcasts. She was the creator and sole writer of the popular audio drama The Bright Sessions. She went on to executive produce The AM Archives and co-produce Passenger List before founding Atypical Artists, a company dedicated to audio storytelling. She wrote MARVELS, an audio adaptation of the popular comic, released in 2019 by Marvel and Stitcher. Lauren was named one of Forbes 2018 30 Under 30 in Media and one of MovieMaker Magazine and Austin Film Festival’s 25 Screenwriters to Watch. Shippen grew up in New York, where she spent most of her youth reading and going to Panic! at the Disco shows. She now lives in Los Angeles, where she does the same thing. The Infinite Noise is Shippen’s debut novel.