Angel Catbird

By: Margaret Atwood

Narrated by: Kyra Harper, Allegra Fulton, Christo Graham, Julie Le Mieux, David Calderisi, Michael Cash, Andrew Jackson

Length: 2 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

Margaret Atwood, the most prescient and admired author of her generation, presents an original audio adaptation of her latest leap into the comic sci-fi fantasy underground: Angel Catbird.

Atwood wrote this New York Times best-selling fantasy as an homage to the golden age of comic books and the radio hour thrillers she loved as a child - with a little 21st century spice!

Angel Catbird features an all-star, yowling, and wicked-punning Canadian cast - recorded live, in ensemble - led by a friendly feathered, cat-centric, and unapologetic superhero.

Our story: One dark night, young genetic engineer Strig Feleedus is cruelly mutated by his own experiment and merges with the DNA of a pussycat and an owl. What follows is an action-driven, witty, and pulp-inspired all-species revolution. Would you expect anything less?

The television series based on Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaids' Tale garnered eight Emmys and two Golden Globes. She and her novels have won many literary prizes including the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Man Booker Prize, the Giller Prize, the Franz Kafka Award, the German Friedenspreis, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Book Critics Circle. Angel Catbird is her first graphic novel and original audiobook adaptation.

Full cast of narrators includes Christo Graham, Kelly Van der Burg, Andrew Jackson, Mike Kash, Kyra Harper, John Cleland, Alegra Fulton, Lisa Repo Martel, Julie Lemieux, Dylan Trowbridge, Amy Matysio, David Ferry, and Margaret Atwood.

©2017 Margaret Atwood (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC.

Funny!

Very campy and funny! I loved all the sound effects and voice actors! I think I'll get the graphic novel next!

Even the very best can produce nonsense

I love Atwood and devour her books, but this seems like someone found some idle doodling and decided to publish it.

Feline Fun

Angel Catbird, the comic book, is Margaret Atwood's tribute to the Golden Age of comics, the serials of the late thirties to early fifties. Not coincidentally, this was also the golden age of radio dramas. It made perfect sense, then, to ask her to turn this into a new form of audio-drama, and it's turned out superb.

I didn't grow up with radio drama, but I spent hours by my portable record player listening to the old DC superman and Wonder Woman read-alongs. This recording brings me right back. The sound effects, the tongue-in-cheek dialog and narration, the goofy story, are as rollicking fun as I remember.

The cast— Canadians all— get the spirit of Angel Catbird: silly and sexy, funny and dishy, and sometimes, deadly serious. Give them an Audie now! It's impossible to single out a favorite, but I especially love David Calderisi as the narrator, having a blast with his scratchy vibrato, and Kelly Van der Burg as Cate Leone is one sexy kitty.

The original music, songs, and radio jingles are a hoot, and the top-notch sound effects add ambiance and clarity. To follow the spirit of the script, a pun-bonanza, they're purrfect.

FYI-- here are the cast credits:
Narrator : David Calderisi
Strig/Angel Catbird (and composer): Christo Graham
Cate Leone (and musical vocals): Kelly Van der Burg
Other characters: Andrew Jackson (Count Catula/Catellus/Cataclysm and others)
Mike Kash (Trashcat/Santa DeClaws and others)
Kyra Harper (Mummycat/Nehkbet and others)
John Cleland (Muroid and others)
Alegra Fulton (Esmerelda, Babushcat and others)
Lisa Repo Martel
Julie Lemieux (Athene Owl and others)
Dylan Trowbridge (Ray Raven and others)
Amy Matysio (Ophelia, Fog and others)
David Ferry (announcer)
Margaret Atwood (wise owl)

Expected more from Margaret

Slightly annoying, poor story and seems lazy in comparison to something like 'after the flood' which had vision.. In one word... Meh