3 stars for the story, 4 stars for the audio production: I don’t care for audio books because I can read much faster than a narrator can read to me, but my husband prefers them. So, I was delighted to discover GraphicAudio, which specializes in full cast productions. The few audio books I have enjoyed were full cast, and are more like listening to a radio show than “reading” a book. Both my husband and I are superhero fans, so we decided to give this Green Lantern title a go on a recent road trip.

The story started out strong. We begin in the past, during WWII, when a yellow ring is passed to a medic by a dying soldier. The story then jumps to the present where Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Black Canary and Green Arrow are driving across the US. They come across a wildfire out of control and about to decimate a small town; the heroes immediately intervene. The sequence was exciting, with sound effects to enhance the action. The voice actors were on point, and the dialog was clear. After they save the town, the heroes find themselves battling a familiar and powerful enemy. They defeat him and then the story jumps ahead in time again to a new Green Lantern named Kyle. Kyle is in love with Jade, who has powers and green skin. Most of the plot revolves around these two, with appearances by Superman, and some other familiar characters.

Unfortunately, the story went downhill from those exciting opening sequences to wallow in romantic angst. Half of Kyle’s dialog is spent whining about whether Jade loves him, why she won’t marry him, is she pregnant… For her part, she can’t decide if she’s ready to commit so she flirts with an exterminator who shows up at their apartment, who is turning into something else thanks to a certain yellow ring. Further, this angst interferes with Kyle’s ability to do his job as a Lantern – he consistently acts, or fails to act, because he’s so mired in the relationship drama. It was frustrating. The actual plot that requires the superheroes had a lot of potential. A race located in the antimatter universe wants to find a way into our universe because theirs is dying. When Kyle and Jade end up in that universe, the plot finally kick started and became more engaging. The conclusion was satisfying.

While this wasn't quite “a movie in your mind,” owing to an excessive use of the narrator, it was a very good production. We won’t listen to any further volumes of Sleepers, but I will definitely be buying more titles from Graphic Audio. The prices are very reasonable for an audio book, but especially ones with a full cast. Recommended. ( )