The Texas accents, hardscrabble lives, and arid landscape give this taut collection an air of reality.
At their best, these short fictions set mostly in Corpus Christi, Texas, present compelling characters in complex circumstances. Jay, the central character of “The Beginning of Wisdom,” is a romantic yet realistic young man, and Eddie Lopez adopts different accents, styles, and personalities in his fine performance. Kaleo Griffith is equally adept in “Dixon,” where his tone and tempo capture the hapless protagonist’s hardships, foolhardiness, and angst. Geoge Newbern gives a well-paced narration of the remarkable title story, enlivening the dramatic plot and expressively performing dialogue.
The Texas accents, hardscrabble lives, and arid landscape give this taut collection an air of reality.Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 8 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593908969
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: April 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
Fans will welcome Free’s performance of this brief addition to the Murderbot universe.
Maintaining the same sardonic tone that works so well for the Murderbot Diaries audiobooks, Kevin R. Free narrates this story that, for once, isn’t told from Murderbot’s perspective. The crew of Perihelion, an intelligent research transport ship, is preparing for a mission aboard a space station. Peri sounds delightfully snotty in its interactions with Iris and the rest of the crew. The ship is implementing new strategies to keep its crew safe, and it’s being cagey about what inspired them—but we slowly realize that it’s because of Peri’s experience with a certain rogue SecUnit in a previous installment of the series. Sound effects, including beeping computers and whooshing air, add to the SF atmosphere.
Fans will welcome Free’s performance of this brief addition to the Murderbot universe.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
Duration: 53 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250489241
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026
This uneven story collection can be difficult to follow on audio, making for a challenging listening experience.
Row's collection of 14 stories takes on academia, art, elitism, divorce, current events, and politics. Narrator Jim Meskimen takes an informal approach, portraying the various characters, from spouses to writers to edgy young folks, with distinctive vocal rhythms and effects. The variety in Meskimen’s performance can be distracting, and the stories vary in coherence, with an abundance of stream-of-consciousness passages and details that feel extraneous. In general, the stories share a satirical and scornful view of the cultural norms of the bourgeoisie.
This uneven story collection can be difficult to follow on audio, making for a challenging listening experience.Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063491670
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2026
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