Perhaps the technical highlight in this dark and challenging collection of 14 post apocalyptic short stories by some of the West Coast's brightest literary talents is award-winning narrator Gabrielle de Cuir's use of a robot voice in "Walk of Fame" by Duane Swierczynski. She sounds like a machine--but so very human at the same time. Hard to do. There's a tough noir style to all the narration in these tales of changelings and ghosts, steampunks, and cops and robots--all set in a gray, decaying future Los Angeles. The final story goes against the grain, with Justine Eyre's voice breaking the listener's heart in "Sailing That Beautiful Sea" by Kathleen Kaufman, about the last woman left in Century City. Fresh and gritty.
Pub Date: 2021
Duration: 9 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
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
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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