It's up to listeners to decide if they need a deep dive into the early childhood of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, who is the protagonist of the international phenomenon WICKED: THE MUSICAL. For those who do, Edoardo Ballerini's storytelling is grand and decisive as he wades through this dark addition to the canon. Elphaba is born to a father who is a pious missionary and a mother who is promiscuous and more concerned with her own image-conscious mother than with her daughter. She even isolates Elphaba from society. Taking the tone of a formal bedtime story, Ballerini vocalizes Elphaba's first bruising attempts at friendships and the childhood jealousies that result. ELPHIE is a worthy addition to the WICKED universe.
Pub Date: March 25, 2025
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063377042
Publisher: Harper 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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