Allen leaves his nursing home and settles into his eyrie overlooking the sea. As he does so, he begins to ask questions about his new life: just who are the people of Sea Robin Island and why do so many of them seem familiar? Why did Lewis take such pains to engage him for such a mundane job? Why does Scottie, a techno-savvy teenager (Nellie Farrington), turn up just before Leonard discovers a disused radio transmission facility behind a locked door. He is determined to get answers, but discovers as he does so that the edenic world he lives in is threatened with destruction by forces far greater than any mortal enemy. How can he prevent it, with the help of just one teenage girl?
Ingeniously combining a thriller, elements of the occult, science fiction and old-time radio, The Mask of Inanna is an ambitious project, one that makes considerable demands of its large cast, collectively known as the Post-Meridian Radio Players. Now in its second season, there have already been ten episodes, each of which can be enjoyed on its own, but which cumulatively combine to create a spell-binding drama. I particularly enjoyed the old-time radio elements: Goranson's evocation of a long-forgotten world is accurate to the last detail, even the rather mannered vocal tones used by the cast are redolent of that time.
I thoroughly recommend The Mask of Inanna as an original contribution to the ever-expanding canon of serial audio dramas now available online.
