IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS

Narrator Daniel Henning demonstrates perfect comedic timing and impressive vocal versatility in this queer/sci-fi retelling of “Pinocchio.” Vic, a human, lives with three androids: Miss Ratched, a nurse; Gio, an inventor whom Vic considers to be his father; and Rambo, a vacuum cleaner. Nurse Ratched’s lines are delivered with a robotic articulation that perfectly matches her dry humor and sociopathic nature. Gio is given a fatherly tone. Henning’s voice for Rambo, the vacuum, modulates between anxiety and ignorant positivity. Then, Vic discovers Hap, a powerful but decommissioned android who speaks with a deep-voiced stutter. When Gio is seized, Vic teams up with the unlikely android trio on a cross-country odyssey to rescue him. This laugh-out-loud, emotional audiobook asks listeners to question what it means to be human. A.K.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2023 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2023]