James Yaegashi narrates the story of emotionally stunted Charles Yu, who has the same name as the author and who in the novel is a time-travel technician who lives in Minor Universe 31. Sounding enthusiastic and engaging, Yaegashi adds emphasis to the author’s sharp wit and irony. Yaegashi finds unique voices for characters such as the sarcastic TAMMY, the operating system who has low self-esteem, and sexbots, who come up with hilarious one-liners. However, the heart of the story is Yu’s search for his father, who invented time travel and then disappeared. Yaegashi delivers the playful and inventive language, which tweaks our expectations with shifts in cadence and timbre. This unique first novel and its skilled narrator present a nifty listening experience.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2011
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781456120047
Publisher: Recorded Books 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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