A talented narrator can make listeners think they're listening to multiple people. Vikas Adam's crackling narration of this thrilling audiobook accomplishes exactly that difficult feat. During a rise of the machines, Pounce, a tiger-shaped nannybot, must keep alive his young charge, Ezra, while seeking a haven that may not even exist anymore. Adam brings Pounce's angst to life as he debates whether he is protecting Ezra through freewill or programming. But Adam is equally believable as hesitant 8-year-old Ezra and a multitude of other characters--robots and humans--who traverse an apocalyptic wasteland. The result of Adam's vocal dexterity is a memorable cautionary tale. D.E.M. 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: May 25, 2021
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063097872
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
It’s a gripping listening experience—intimate storytelling on an epic scale.
Narrator Luke R. Francis easily draws listeners into this fantastical novel about faith and belief. Avelyn Brocken is a young Jesuit priest sent from Rome back to his birthplace, the insular town of Hreodwater, England, to investigate a possible miracle: A fellow priest has been turned to salt. Avelyn finds himself in the orbit of Jericho, who runs the lodge for visiting pilgrims and acts as a doctor for the town. Francis makes their scenes together both comforting and electric, and he brings to life the wonderfully strange Hreodwater and the mythological figure at its center, the Salt King. Concurrently, listeners follow two nuclear safety inspectors in Jordan as bizarre events at salt mines around the world kick off a global catastrophe.
It’s a gripping listening experience—intimate storytelling on an epic scale.Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
Duration: 16 hrs, 22 mins
DD ISBN: 9781639737314
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026
A haunting and heartwarming must-listen.
Nneka Okoye captivates in her performance of this gripping tale about Londoners in the midst of catastrophe. A mix of family drama, social commentary, and apocalyptic thriller, the story focuses on the Minton family, whose world literally blows apart on the day of a family wedding. Okoye’s inviting narrative voice welcomes listeners into the family, while her intense delivery heightens the pulse-pounding events surrounding the worldwide disaster. She personifies the diverse cast, changing her pitch, pace, and attitude to believably inhabit Black and white characters of different ages and social backgrounds—everyone from the four sisters, ages 7 to 22, and the Minton parents to panicked London residents.
A haunting and heartwarming must-listen.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 46 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668165317
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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