The combination of computer hacking and Arabian mysticism makes for a multidimensional listening experience. Sanjiv Jhaveri presents Alif’s despair and wonder when his ex-girlfriend gives him a dangerous ancient text in order to keep it out of her fiancé’s reach. Listeners will find the depiction of life in a fictitious emirate during the Arab Spring to be a gritty foil to stories of hidden worlds replete with djinn and ifrits. Jhaveri narrates a winding story clearly and presents computer terminology as plainly as its complexity permits. He demonstrates a command of the Indian and Arabic accents that are part of this polyglot society. During the narrative passages, Jhaveri’s stiff reading does not precisely capture the story’s magical flavor. But he recovers well during dialogue, and the final battle scenes pick up in pace and liveliness.
Pub Date: July 3, 2012
Duration: 15 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781455895410
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
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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