Worst Cruises Ever! - Mike Speller

Mike Speller’s “Worst Cruises Ever!” is actually two separate
presentations. The first, “The Dutchman Journals”, is a retelling of the
legend of the Flying Dutchman via the diary of one of the crew. On their way
home from a long voyage, the crew come upon a shipwreck with a single
survivor. The captain’s subsequent actions doom them to an eternity of
endless sailing. The second, “The Oddest Oddyssey” (sic), takes Homer’s
epic and turns it into the story of a food truck owner who, having bought out
his rival Troy, finds endless problems trying to get home with his new
acquisition. The crew of four dozen sentient gingerbread men he creates in the
process prove to be more hindrance than help.

The first story is a very compelling piece, and is full of all the little
details that really flesh out a story and give it that touch of authenticity.
Mr. Speller is an absorbing storyteller, and this was certainly this
reviewer’s favorite of the two tales. The second is in a much lighter vein,
the various episodes of the original Odyssey transposed into surly tow-truck
drivers, seedy dive bars, and ravenous gangs of rugby players. This story is
clearly one that works best with a live audience, but is still certainly
entertaining in the virtual medium.