A Scarecrow Wins an Award

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the premise at first: a repo man tangling with supernatural debris sounds like a one-joke pony. But *A Scarecrow Wins an Award* disarms you with how *lived-in* its world feels. Burtness doesn’t just drop you into a quirky setting; he makes you believe in the bureaucracy of ghostly evictions and the politics of coblyn clans. The protagonist’s voice—equal parts exhausted and darkly amused—carries the story, but it’s the supporting cast that steals the show. The scarecrow in question? A scene-stealing, award-deserving (literally) grump with a *very* specific vendetta against lawn gnomes. Lesniewski’s narration is a masterclass in comedic timing. He doesn’t overplay the humor; instead, he lets Burtness’s writing land naturally, which makes the absurdity funnier. His delivery of the protagonist’s internal monologue—dry, weary, but with bursts of manic energy—feels like hanging out with a sarcastic friend. My only critique? The middle act drags slightly during a subplot involving a sentient storage unit (yes, really), and a few action sequences get muddled in the audio format—Burtness’s prose is vivid, but some fights lose clarity without visual cues. That said, the finale’s payoff, complete with a *hilariously* undignified showdown, more than makes up for it. If you’ve ever wanted a fantasy novel that feels like a Coen Brothers film directed by Terry Pratchett, this is it.