Songs of a Befuddled Muse

Thirteen Tales of Divergent Inspiration

By: William Cohen-Kiraly

Narrated by: Liz May Brice

Born from a befuddled muse indeed....

These 12 short stories and one novella take you into the lives of people facing life-changing, unpredictable, and often strange inflection points in their realities.

These stories are pulled from a variety of speculative genres including sci fi, time travel, horror, clown noir and more; but they are tied together with the author’s sense of the absurd and his love of complicated, all-too-human (usually) characters.

The stories reflect the quirky nooks and crannies of the author’s mind: a historian who becomes increasingly obsessed with saving a doomed 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 mentor; a president who learns that the devil’s promises have hidden hooks, and so much more.

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

©2022 William C. Kiraly (P)2023 William C. Kiraly

awesome short stories

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

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.

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.