Differently Morphous
Series: The DEDA Files, Book 1
Written and Narrated By: Yahtzee Croshaw
Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
A true delight, if you’re heavy into the twists of the unutterably PC!
I saw that other reviewers across the board felt that Differently Morphous felt that it became too much of a satire of Political Correctness. But that’s what I thought was so enjoyable about the book. It has such an amazing array of fantastical characters that it’s easy to see how in our current state of: Must Not Offend, things like being politically correct about demonic possession was hilarious. Sure, it sometimes goes overboard, but the book goes overboard on EVERYthing!
It starts with the Ministry of Occultism (a kind of chew on Harry Potter’s Ministry of Magic?) dealing with the media frenzy surrounding the arrival of the universe’s most cute gelatinous slime creatures as they seek asylum on Earth. The Ministry, which has been working beneath public awareness, is thrust into the limelight for previously annihilating the lovable refugees. But how could they know the creatures were sentient? They were, after all, just so weeeeeird!
Add to that demonic possession, the Prime Minister’s office, individuals tainted by magic, a brand new recruited agent (with zippo experience, zippo powers), some twisted and not always well-meaning former taints, an over-the-top melodramatic agent who studies rune craft, and an always-offended political correctness officer, and you’ve got a great, often hilarious story.
Croshaw delivers twists and turns, red herrings out the wazoo, and he delivers it all with his own narration, leaving the listener with no doubt as to his intentions as the author. Each character is carefully nuanced, and the utter drama of each situation is narrated with urgency and excessive humor.
Differently Morphous runs at a breakneck pace, and the ways the characters interact with each other, react to each separate catastrophe (and there are catastrophes alllllll over the place in our new media driven, tech savvy world), deal with the unutterably offbeat is delightful and laugh out loud funny many times throughout. Where else are you going to find fuzzily cute yet absolutely possessed squirrels who’ll throw you into traffic or chainsaw-wielding Bambi-like deer?!?
This is a moderately lengthed production that I wound up listening to in a single day because it was just so gosh darned fun. If you’re in the mood for a work that doesn’t take itself, take life, take possession by elder gods too seriously, you’re in for a real treat.
Sometimes it’s nice to kick back and chuckle your head off!
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