The Sea Beast Takes a Lover

A conventional collection of short stories this is not. Michael Andreasen's stories feature the surreal and the odd, along with a healthy dose of science fiction and the absurd. The narration for such an offbeat collection is decidedly a mixed bag. Some narrators in the cast of many well-known names do manage to capture that darkly witty element to great effect. Other narrators strike a tone that sounds overly earnest and enthusiastic, when a more deadpan and sardonic tone would have been more fitting. It may be that the unconventional nature of the stories, featuring the titular amorous sea beast and a headless girl whose brother is her caretaker, makes them difficult to categorize and, thus, results in varied success in narration. S.E.G. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine