FRIDAY

In what should be subtitled, “Sex and the Sometimes Single Cyborg,” the author tells the story of a female artificial person (Friday) and her adventures as a secret courier in the unidentified future. Edward Lewis has a robotic quality to his voice, which is great for science fiction as it gives the book a futuristic sound.Unfortunately, he reads too fast, doesn’t emphasize key words and makes Friday sound like an interstellar airhead. Lewis gives her voice a schoolgirl breathiness which, when combined with Heinlein’s misogynistic writing, severely undercuts Friday’s authority. She seems preoccupied with sex, and Lewis never gives her voice irony, humor or worldliness. His other characterizations are varied and interesting, and although he reads too fast, Lewis’s pacing keeps the story moving. R.I.G. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT 97]