Mort(e)

Reader Pinchot delivers a sterling performance in this mind-bending dystopian tale. Sebastian is a happy, healthy house cat, with a family who feeds him and a loving friendship with Sheba, the dog next door. Meanwhile ant queen Hymenoptera, enraged by the anthropocentrism of humans, develops a race of super ants while releasing a pheromone that causes all animals to become humanlike. Sebastian, now over six feet tall and capable of handling firearms, adopts the name Mort(e) and becomes a ruthless soldier for the revolution, all the while looking for his canine friend, who went missing. Pinchot gives a masterly reading of Repino’s ambitious debut, which quickly develops into an absorbing morality tale. Pinchot’s calm, cool delivery fits perfectly with the world-weary tone of the book. His characters, especially Mort(e), are distinctive, diverse, and believable. He relays the dialogue with a realistic earnestness that belies the fact that it’s transfigured animals doing the talking. Suspenseful, action packed, and thought provoking, this listen is not to be missed. A Soho hardcover. (Jan.)