THE END AND OTHER BEGINNINGS Stories from the Future

Emily Rankin and MacLeod Andrews narrate this collection of speculative short fiction. It is Rankin who does the heavy lifting, as she narrates most of the stories. Her performances are full of passion, but she does not differentiate between characters, and by the fifth story in a row, it is hard for listeners to tell the difference between characters from story one to story five. Andrews, who shows up to narrate the second half of the penultimate story, as well as doing the final story alone, has a wide range of accents and a broader emotional range, so his narration packs a bigger punch. Listeners should pick this up, but plan on spreading the stories out for fullest enjoyment. A.R.F. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2019]