BONE SWANS

Cooney delivers her award-winning collection of science fiction stories with enthusiasm and engagement. She approaches the stories with little subtlety or nuance, more like a storyteller to a large group than an intimate gathering of friends. Her narration is clear and her characters are well distinguished. Generally, the stories are bold and innovative, and Cooney's narration reflects those qualities. But for the story "Martyrs Gem," she adopts a quieter tone that provides a nice contrast. Cooney brings out the rhythm in passages that are more poetry than prose, and her presentation of children's rhymes is reminiscent of play. Overall, her energy is sustained for the duration of each novella-length story. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2017]