Songs of a Befuddled Muse

Thirteen Tales of Divergent Inspiration

De: William Cohen-Kiraly

Narrado por: Liz May Brice

BORN FROM A BEFUDDLED MUSE INDEED…

Songs of a Befuddled Muse contains thirteen surprising short stories that draw you into the lives of people facing life-changing inflection points in their realities.

These stories reflect the quirky nooks and crannies of the author’s mind. They include: a historian who becomes increasingly obsessed with saving a doomed Tudor queen; a dolphin who sees herself in an old prophecy; a future where humans live on separatist worlds—some with excellent pizza; a clown PI who must investigate the murder of his oldest friend and mentor; a president who learns that the devil’s promises have hidden hooks, and much more.

Some are funny, some are suspenseful, some are even dark. All of them will leave you thinking.

©2022 William C. Kiraly (P)2024 William C. Kiraly

A Testament

Love it when authors send me an audio book.

"Songs of a Befuddled Muse" is an anthology collection focused mainly on sci-fi mechanics. The stories vary wildly in tone and premise (we'll get into it) but the biggest feature is a three-part story where a time traveler is trying to save Lady Jane Grey from her assassination during the Tudor era. Like I mentioned in the opening, I was sent an audio book of the collection.

If you haven't seen me review an anthology collection before, I don't usually review each story individually. That would take too long and risks spoiling something. Instead, I prefer to talk about the collection as a whole, general writing styles and the curation of the entire thing.

I loved each story individually, but the curation gave me whiplash. Going from a story about horrific war crimes to a clown private eye was a trip. There are stories of child abuse and "good for her" revenge up with funny sci-fi mishaps and cute plot twists. It was a lot to take in. I understand that this was the author first coming back to writing (there's a lot of talk about the power of writing in a couple different stories) but I'd love to see a more cohesive theme in future stories. Otherwise it feels a little back and forth for the tone.

As for the audio book, I adored the narration. Liz May Brice was constantly changing the tenor of her voice not only for every character, but for every story. Her tone in the "good for her" story was particularly impactful on the themes. The one downside was the final story, which is told through emails. Both the email addresses and the time stamps are read out for every email, some of which are only a sentence or two long, so it got real repetitive real fast. But other than that, I highly enjoyed the experience!

The through story of time traveling Lady Jane Gray could have had it's own novella, honestly. Not that I didn't enjoy it (some of the talk of the sci-fi tech did make my eyes glaze over at one point, and the audio didn't help much) but that I think it would stand better with a more drawn out narrative. Time travel stories can be tricky to understand at the best of times (lol), but jumping from one to the other in rapid succession can increase the confusion. Not to mention the greater worldbuilding that comes from changing the time continuum, where each era needs it's own explanation. And I feel like the action-packed ending of the third one could have been drawn out more for even greater tension.

Overall, this anthology is a great read for both sci-fi and deeper literary themes. A true testament that you're never too old to put pen back to paper.

Enjoyable

Great read! Very entertaining and creative. Thank you for sharing Bill! Looking forward to more!

Intriguing and thought provoking

I very much enjoyed this diverse collection of well crafted-short stories. The variety of stories work well together and create an interesting and pleasurable experience. The characters and ideas are intriguing and thought provoking.

The narrator of the audiobook version is excellent and adds a lot to the stories. Being short stories made these tales perfect for local car-trip errands around town. There were even a few NPR driveway moments compelling me to finish listening before heading inside.

Looking forward to more artistic musings by this author.

awesome short stories

wonderful collection of short stories including time travel, sci fi, historical and current and some mystery.

Excellent collection of captivating short stories

Songs of a Befuddled Muse is an exceptionally well-written, captivating, and entertaining collection of short stories. Comprising thirteen tales of divergent inspiration, this compilation showcases the talents of journalist, photographer, programmer, and writer William Cohen-Kiraly and during its almost 9 hours of playtime, listeners will encounter a diverse array of characters, such as the captain of a dying interstellar ship, a field historian specializing in Tudor history, a private investigator clown, and even the newly elected president of the United States. Each character has a unique and compelling story to tell, and Songs of a Befuddled Muse invites readers to explore their extraordinary narratives.
While the Publisher’s Summary provides additional details about some of the stories included in this collection, I personally appreciate going in blind, unaware of what awaits me, and it is always intriguing to see how authors can masterfully write across various genres. By the way, there is a pun there and it’s intended because I am actually totally blind.
Songs of a Befuddled Muse serves as a testament to the boundless limits of an author’s imagination. The audiobook rendition of Songs of a Befuddled Muse is skillfully performed by the talented English actress and audiobook narrator Liz May Brice. With incredible talent, urgency, and passion, Brice captures the essence of each tale. From science fiction to time travel, paranormal to clown noir. These adventures spring to life thanks to Brice’s compelling narration and Cohen-Kiraly’s vivid writing.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the stories in Songs of a Befuddled Muse and eagerly anticipate William Cohen-Kiraly’s future audiobook releases. Hopefully, Elizabeth May Brice will continue to collaborate with him, as they make a remarkable team. If you’re in the mood for atmospheric stories that will delight and challenge your imagination, then you should definitely give Songs of a Befuddled Muse by William Cohen-Kiraly a try!
I am a blind audiobook reviewer and if you found this review interesting I hope you will consider leaving a helpful vote below. Thank you! Take care, stay safe, and don't forget, always listen with your heart.