OSMO UNKNOWN AND THE EIGHTPENNY WOODS

Narrator Heath Miller is entrancing in this fantasy featuring 13-year-old Osmo, who longs for an interesting life outside Littlebridge. Under unfortunate circumstances, Osmo must enter the adjacent woods, where the fierce and cunning Quidnunx reign. His initially unwilling companions are Bonk the Cross, a skadgebat (skunk-badger-wombat), and Nevermore, a pangirlin. Miller creates a fantastical array of character voices for these and other denizens of the woods, where everything has two natures. Miller's Osmo is fittingly kind and soft-spoken as he dutifully carries out his appointed quest. The standout, however, is Bonk, who is portrayed with a Scottish brogue and a melodramatic crustiness that is improbably endearing. Miller's droll English accent expresses authority yet invites trust; the listener is willingly carried off to the fabled Eightpenny Woods. L.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2022]