Bellwether

Review "Connie Willis deploys the apparatus of science fiction to illuminate character and relationships, and her writing is fresh, subtle, and deeply moving."-- "New York Times Book Review""The versatile Kate Reading skillfully renders Sandra's first-person voice throughout, does well with audibly differentiating the various characters from one another, and especially shines when it comes to Flip's 'Valley Girl' drawl. Bellwether is an amusing diversion for anyone who has ever wondered how fads get started and how they spread."-- "SFSite.com""Willis' story builds slowly but is realistic and engrossing."-- "Midwest Book Review"Reading, an experienced science fiction narrator, has a knack for making even the most otherworldly and bizarre stories sound entirely plausible and real. Reading's delivery is smooth and unwavering yet weighted with a certain uneasiness that abounds in the central character of Sandra Foster. As Flip, the annoying yet helpful sidekick, Reading becomes a distracted, disorganized individual, yet one with underplayed redeeming qualities that inadvertently save the day.-- "AudioFile" Product Description A misdelivered package and a run of seemingly bad luck thrust together Sandra Foster, a sociologist who studies fads, and Bennet OReilly, a chaos theorist, for a surprising joint venture. About the Author Connie Willis has won six Nebula and nine Hugo Awards-more than any other science fiction writer-and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for her first novel, Lincoln's Dreams. Her novel Doomsday Book won both the Nebula and Hugo Awards, and her first short-story collection, Fire Watch, was a New York Times Notable Book.Kate Reading is an Audie Award-winning narrator and has received dozens of Earphones Awards. She has been named by AudioFile magazine as a Voice of the Century, as well as the Best Voice in Science Fiction & Fantasy in 2008 and 2009 and Best Voice in Biography & Culture in 2010. She is also a theater actor in the Washington, DC, area and has been a member of the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company since 1987. Her work onstage has been recognized by the Helen Hayes Awards Society, among others. From AudioFile Kate Reading delivers this novella, which features a sociologist and a chaos theorist. A man and woman who work for a scientific research company are paired together on a new project involving farm animals. Reading, an experienced science fiction narrator, has a knack for making even the most otherworldly and bizarre stories sound entirely plausible and real. Reading's delivery is smooth and unwavering yet weighted with a certain uneasiness that abounds in the central character of Sandra Foster. As Flip, the annoying yet helpful sidekick, Reading becomes a distracted, disorganized individual, yet one with underplayed redeeming qualities that inadvertently save the day. L.B. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine