Kay’s emotional delivery provides essential characterization in this too-short novella.
This space-opera novella, narrated by Cindy Kay, finds four members of rival navigator clans working together to capture a deadly Tangler, the first ever creature of its kind to have escaped. The politics surrounding the mission, along with its expendable crew of navigators, may be the most dangerous part of all. Kay uses consistent pacing and pronounces names and honorifics with ease. She easily differentiates character voices and adds a layer of intrigue, keeping listeners hooked into a world woefully low on descriptive detail. As two characters slowly come to realize they have feelings for each other despite their clan differences, Kay imbues scenes of Sapphic romance with warmth.
Kay’s emotional delivery provides essential characterization in this too-short novella.Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798765056325
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2026
A funny, creative SF adventure with poignant insights.
Dinniman’s humor and SF acumen are represented well by Travis Baldree and Jeff Hays’ narration. As gamers from Earth pay to create and operate war machines in their favorite game, Operation Bounce House, Oliver must find a way to defend his planet from real-life destruction. In a book rife with sarcasm and intense video game drama, Baldree and Hays bring excitement and fluid voices. Both narrators provide listeners with an energetic and dynamic performance, nailing the accents, tonal variety, and comic timing. Robots, inventors, space colonization, and gaming combine to create a fascinating world.
A funny, creative SF adventure with poignant insights.Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
Duration: 15 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217017270
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2026
Careful listening will be rewarded when all questions are eventually answered.
Narrator Tim Treloar does an excellent job juggling a variety of accents, including Russian, in this somewhat dizzying story about murder onboard a starship. The main character is a dogged Russian private investigator named Yuri Gagarin (yes, the first Soviet cosmonaut) in some distant future who is tasked with solving murders in space and discovering the connections to Earth. The story takes place in the author's "Revelation Space universe," which is crucial to understanding what's going on. In spite of Treloar’s skills, listeners initially may be confused about when, where, and why it's happening.
Careful listening will be rewarded when all questions are eventually answered.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
Duration: 12 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668657980
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2026
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