An ambitious yet sensitive novel that weighs the cost of eternal life.
Narrator Megan Tusing strikes a balance between the character she is evidently portraying—a 26-year-old forest ranger new to a small Catskills town—and the internal reality of Vera Van Valkenburgh, a 213-year-old woman who is unable to die. And try to die she does. This tale of immortality opens in a beautiful but psychologically dark place. Vera has returned home to seek the source of her immortality and finally end the curse that has perpetually extended her life. Tusing’s humorous, cliched portrayals of the colorful cast of locals—of a vastly different ilk than those Vera grew up with in the early 1800s—gradually give way to more compassionate renderings as Vera herself softens toward humanity and contemplates the choice to live.
An ambitious yet sensitive novel that weighs the cost of eternal life.Pub Date: March 17, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 28 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063393424
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 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
Asimov's sweeping tale of the disintegration and fall of the Galactic Empire has never been more relevant or poignant. McKeever reads rapidly, but he also manages to identify individuals, if minimally, and the main characters are voiced consistently. His voice for the aging professor, in fact, is quite charming. Narrative passages are read competently with appropriate emotional expression. Technical and editorial problems plague the title. Intermittent fade-outs on one channel; inconsistencies when switching sides; and low, rumbling background noise mar the sound quality.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 13 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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