Jason Ayres Audiobooks

1980-1984: a comic speculative collection running to thirty-six hours

1 audiobook reviewed

★ 4.5/5 average

21 listener ratings

Who is Jason Ayres?

A five-year span for a title, and no further explanation offered. 1980-1984: The Complete Collection puts a date range where most books put a promise, and the shelving supplies the rest of the picture: comedy and humour, fantasy, and science fiction, all three at once.

That combination is a recognisable one. It belongs to speculative comedy, the sort of writing that takes a fixed period and does something impossible to it, and that is where Jason Ayres sits in our catalogue. The word Collection is doing real work as well: this is several instalments gathered into one listing rather than a standalone novel wearing a grand subtitle.

What can be said with confidence stops there, which is no great loss. Thirty-six hours of material will say the rest.

Jason Ayres in audiobooks

Thirty-six hours in a single listing is a season rather than an evening, and that is the argument for collections of this sort: the cast, the running jokes and the internal logic all get time to bed in properly. Peter J Matthews narrates the lot, and continuity of voice across a run this long is worth a great deal.

The score is good, though the number of verdicts behind it stays modest, so treat it as a promising sign rather than a settled reputation. Begin at the beginning. A collection organised by period is almost certainly meant to be heard in sequence, and comedy in particular loses its footing when you drop in halfway.

The listing is below if you fancy a long one.