Narrator Ralph Lister makes Arthur C. Clarke come alive in the foreword to this collection. Clarke talks about having been influenced by science fiction even in his childhood writings. He also states his belief that many of sci-fi's finest works have been short stories. In "Breaking Strain," the story that inspired the movie 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, narrator Jonathan Davis sounds intriguing and measured at first; as the story progresses, he ramps up his intensity to reflect the action. Davis's portrayals of uptight Captain Grant and casual Engineer McNeil are perfect. In "All The Time in the World," a story that led to Clarke's first television program, narrator Ray Porter is masterful in his handling of text and dialogue. He depicts Robert Ashton as wary and matter-of-fact when a beautiful--and ruthless--woman offers him any amount of money to steal items from the British Library. Listeners will find these classic stories fascinating and timeless. S.G.B. 2017 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2016
Duration: 51 hrs
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Multiple award winner Card is one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction; here he delivers a history fantasy of the Wabash Valley circa 1800, a world of hexes and folk magic. This is the first book about Alvin Maker, the seventh son of a seventh son, who has remarkable psychic powers. Card is a very good narrator, expressive and well paced. One can hear the excitement of an author as he brings his own well described characters to life. There is one momentary technical glitch, the only slip up in an exemplary presentation. Highly recommended for fiction collections everywhere.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 7 hrs
Publisher: The Literate Ear
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Asimov's sweeping tale of the disintegration and fall of the Galactic Empire has never been more relevant or poignant. In the third book of the original trilogy, Dan Lazar handles the material adequately. He uses his limited range of voices nicely, if sometimes amusingly--he sometimes sounds like a foreigner attempting to mimic American accents. Varying pitch and pacing make for a lively narration, and his reading of a precocious young woman, who is ultimately an important figure, is delightful. Technical and editorial problems plague the title. Hearing Lazar repeatedly mispronounce a word that the text itself explains how to pronounce is very frustrating. Intermittent fade-outs on one channel; inconsistencies when switching sides; and low, rumbling background noise mar the sound quality.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 8 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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