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
A heartfelt story about the importance of libraries in everyone's life.
Anyone who has ever had a beloved local library will love this fantastical story about saving one. When the Foxhollow Bay town council questions the library's relevance, head librarian Claire must find a way to prove its worth. She discovers a hidden door, behind which are books made up of patrons' memories. One contains the memories of an artist sketching various images of a bridge. Will this room help Claire save the library? Charithra Chandran’s performance adds emotion and depth. Villains sound squeaky or rough, while friends sound rich and rounded. Chandran brings extra texture to her narration with derisive snorts and incredulous chuckles.
A heartfelt story about the importance of libraries in everyone's life.Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 44 mins
DD ISBN: 9781464297250
Publisher: Sourcebooks Audio
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2027
Intricate, textured weirdness rewards listeners throughout this sprawling, gloriously strange epic.
Colin Mace and Emma Spurgin Hussey narrate a generations-spanning tale of grief, conspiracy, and horror that takes its haunting premise deadly seriously. Hussey voices Maur, desolate after her son's mysterious death and desperate for answers, with a restrained intimacy, tracking her slide from mourning into obsession through shifts in pace and breath. Mace brings weathered gravel to Allerdyce, a veteran undeterred by the grim, often gross underbelly of those answers, letting long silences land before revelations. The author's interjections add an eerie texture. Both narrators keep the dense, allusive prose clear across a century of violence, building dread without tipping into melodrama.
Intricate, textured weirdness rewards listeners throughout this sprawling, gloriously strange epic.Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
Duration: 40 hrs, 43 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217020959
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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