PERMAFROST

Narrator Natasha Soudek presents a bleak version of our future in 2080. Food is running out, environmental collapse is imminent, and humanity's last hope is a small Russian-based team that includes a 70-year old school teacher named Valentina. Valentina needs to travel back in time to the year 2028 to take over the body of Tatiana, a young woman who has just undergone brain surgery. Soudek's strong but clear Russian accent adapts perfectly to both of these headstrong women. She clearly communicates the grim desperation Valentina feels, along with her sliver of remaining hope. Tatiana, who has not yet lived through the coming troubles, has a sharper edge that reveals her unwillingness to sit back and be a passive participant in this sci-fi adventure. C.J.S. 2020 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2020]