Listeners may have a sinking feeling as narrator Dan Woren tells the story of the HMS HOOD. The author's recollections of a life spent searching for lost ships have the feel of the TV documentaries Mearns has been involved with. There's always the sense of the methodical work of sifting through historical records and eyewitness accounts to target the underwater searches. Woren's reading emphasizes Mearns's attention to detail yet leaves room for delight in finding a ship's hull and disappointment at the loss of a deep-sea sonar. Mearns's expeditions take listeners back to 1503 and into contemporary criminal investigations. His most personal projects have involved wartime sinkings, such as the HOOD or Australia's SYDNEY. Woren's voice reflects Mearns's concern for the sailors' families.
Pub Date: June 26, 2018
Duration: 17 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781982535421
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Dr. Plotkin is an ethnobotanist who recounts his experiences searching for new medications in the Amazon rain forest. He makes an impassioned plea for the world to stop destroying this irreplaceable resource. Since the author reads his own work, we can rely on the pronunciation of some unusual botanical terms; however, his voice (presumably not trained for performance) lacks the enthusiasm and fascination the words suggest. Furthermore, with no chapter references and few pauses between sections, transitions, such as the change of location from Ecuador to Massachusetts, are awkward.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The prose and Athavale’s expertly restrained performance meld gracefully in this flawless audiobook.
Narrator Vidish Athavale's voice is softly indelible, like the snow that blankets the Himalayan landscape the author so beautifully describes. An Indian wildlife biologist, Suryawanshi has spent decades studying snow leopards and their ecosystem among the planet's highest mountain peaks. What differentiates the author's scientific work, and his enthralling narrative, is his goal to understand and protect rather than conquer. The author also achieves a near-perfect balance between insightful and entertaining personal observations of remote communities (both animal and human); his own growth as a scientist, husband, and father; and the difficult and dangerous scientific work he and his colleagues have undertaken.
The prose and Athavale’s expertly restrained performance meld gracefully in this flawless audiobook.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 9 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217336845
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2026
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