Chosen

I’ll admit, I went into *Chosen* skeptical—another ‘deadly competition’ story? But Owens subverts the trope by making the real villain *systemic*. The lottery isn’t just a game; it’s a tool to keep the lower class docile, and the way the characters rationalize their own exploitation is chilling. The protagonist’s arc—from eager participant to reluctant rebel—feels earned, though I wished we’d gotten deeper into the *how* of the immortal process (the sci-fi mechanics are vaguely sketched, which might frustrate hard-SF fans). Amanda Davidson’s performance is *exceptional* in its restraint. She doesn’t overplay the dystopian grit; instead, she lets the text’s quiet horrors speak for themselves. Her voice for the antagonist, a smug immortal overseer, drips with condescension without veering into cartoonishness. My only critique? The sound mixing occasionally drowns out her lower register during action sequences—a minor but noticeable flaw in an otherwise polished production. At 7 hours, it’s a tight listen with no fat, though the ending’s ambiguity might divide listeners. If you love dystopias that leave you unsettled (and questioning your own complicity in flawed systems), this is your next obsession.