This well-deserved winner of the 2014 Odyssey Award is not for the faint of heart. Kirby Heyborne begins with precise pronunciations that illuminate the alliterative, imagistic writing. Immediately his dolorous tones establish the setting, a dying 1981 midwestern farm, as well as the vulnerability of 19-year-old Ry, who fears for his family. Heyborne’s voice is low and guttural as he portrays a stranger who tells Ry’s family of a prison break. Heyborne shifts from a tone of longing to one of menace when the stranger warns Ry that his sadistic father is coming for him. As Ry remembers his escape from horrific past abuses, Heyborne’s reading makes his feelings palpable. These amp up even more viscerally when the monstrous father reappears and Ry, and the listener, descends further into a nightmare.
(Horror. 14 & up)Pub Date: March 12, 2013
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780385368360
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A brilliant, empathetic narration worthy of its complex characters.
Will Watt’s narration shines in this queer Frankenstein retelling. Brilliant scientist Victor is certain that he can find the answer to human reanimation. Desperate to prove himself, he kidnaps innocent Elias, destroys his body, stitches it back together, and revives him using a mix of alchemy and electricity—with horrifying results. Victor then journeys across Europe to reverse his mistake with vengeful Elias on his trail. Watt depicts the alchemists Victor seeks advice from in a variety of languages and accents. He embodies suffering, betrayal, regret, and even budding love with an emotional intensity that will leave listeners in tears. Clarifying footnotes with historical context are interwoven with the prose.
A brilliant, empathetic narration worthy of its complex characters. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 14 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063449053
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026
An emotionally connected narration elevates this atmospheric listen.
Narrator Emily Lawrence paces her performance meticulously in this folk horror audiobook. Sylvie is a high school senior, and after her father’s crimes come to light, the entire town holds her in contempt. Abandoned by both parents in a run-down building in the woods, her only companions are carnivorous deer and other animals, all of whom are slowly turning white. Lawrence embodies Sylvie’s loneliness and bravado in equal measure. Fellow student Chantry sounds sardonic. And Lawrence gives a soft, sultry voice to the horned god Illican. Sylvie can’t help her attraction to him or her curiosity about his entrapment in the woods. As his death nears, she must choose between him and the town that hates her.
An emotionally connected narration elevates this atmospheric listen. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 2 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668176962
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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