The long awaited eighth installment in the enormously popular Outlander series is narrated with grace and zeal by Davina Porter. Beloved Claire Randall Fraser was introduced in the first novel as a British WWII nurse who disappeared in a Scottish stone circle and traveled back in time to the same spot in 1743. Now she’s in the American Colonies in 1778. Believing her beloved Highlander husband, Jamie, to be dead, Claire agrees to marry Lord John Grey for political protection. Porter portrays the wide cast with impressive range. Even in the most complex conversations, the listener can clearly discern which character is speaking. Porter’s most outstanding depiction is that of Claire herself—a woman who is deeply passionate and intelligent. Often her voice carries undertones of bubbling laughter or suppressed derision. Simply enchanting.
Pub Date: July 1, 2014
Duration: 45 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781470395391
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
James Marsters' weary delivery perfectly captures Harry Dresden's fractured psyche as he navigates a year of mandatory mourning and political maneuvering in Chicago. Marsters doesn't just read; he inhabits Harry's exhaustion, using deliberate pacing and a somber tonal palette that underscores the protagonist's post-traumatic stress. Marsters' gift for distinct vocal characterizations remains sharp, effortlessly pivoting from the ethereal, detached elegance of the Sidhe to the grounded warmth of Harry's remaining allies. By leaning into the book's quieter, more introspective moments, Marsters elevates this urban fantasy's emotional stakes, transforming a year of Dresden's life into a poignant study of grief. It's an immersive performance that makes the wizard's vulnerability feel hauntingly real. Marsters' soulful performance makes this a compelling entry in the Harry Dresden series.
Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
Duration: 17 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217176021
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Samuel Barnett delivers a fresh interpretation of the St. George and the Dragon legend. George, whom Barnett portrays in a snide, harried tone that makes him bitingly funny, becomes increasingly hysterical as his contemporary London life falls apart. After he inexplicably time travels to the medieval era, his neuroses are subsumed into the immediacy of survival and the sweetness of romance. But things change when he's saddled with a dangerous quest. Barnett's voice for George's first-person narration, while consistent, subtly transforms to reflect the character's growth. Well-rendered secondary characters range from a laddish 21st-century city worker to a spoiled medieval prince. Barnett expertly renders a story that is part sci-fi, part gay romance, and part historical fiction.
Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063424715
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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