ILLUMINATIONS Stories

The author, known primarily for his iconic graphic novels, is English, so it's not surprising that several narrators of this stunning short story collection have British accents. The speculative stories vary in length and feature, among others, a woman whose brain hemispheres are severed, aliens who are trying to stay hidden despite a peculiar experience with time, and Jesus inheriting property after the Rapture. The longest story, which takes up half the audiobook, is a fictional echo of the author's frustrations with the comic book industry. Each narrator delivers stories that are bizarre and beautiful. Stand-out performances include Samuel Barnett's "Cold Reading" and Matt Reeves's "What We Can Know About Thunderman." All the narrators connect with their characters in ways that enrich the narratives and fully immerse listeners. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2022]