An ensemble cast delivers the compelling story of a young man who forces part of his “family” to set out and explore the strange sunless planet where they are marooned, rather than just sit and wait for help. The story is told from the points of view of different characters. Matthew Frow does a notable job as the bold John Redlantern as do the narrators who portray the members of the “Bat-face” tribe, people born with cleft palates because of generations of inbreeding. All speak with rough British accents except for the word “family,” which comes out as snide and childlike with a drawn-out “a” sound, an odd choice but one that eventually begins to sound appropriate. This production is impossible to turn off. M.S. 2015 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: April 1, 2014
Duration: 15 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780804190572
Publisher: Random House Audio
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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