KRAKEN

Full of Cockney rhyming slang and fictitious religions with highly involved rites, KRAKEN could easily devolve into a morass of audio incomprehensibility. John Lee’s narration helps to ground the novel and keep it moving. His even-tempered tone makes the more fantastical elements of Mieville’s story of a stolen squid god and a looming apocalypse seem plausible enough that the listener does not become distracted. In Lee's capable hands the listener is able to follow the flow of the story without becoming caught up in its difficult language or bizarre rituals. The outlandish plot and the rich yet quotidian quality of Lee’s narration produce an incomparable listening experience. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2010]