If dying is just the next stop on a longer journey, what is the point of living? Antonia Beamish narrates a sci-fi thriller set in an alternate 1938 in which death has no meaning, but politics remains as byzantine as ever. Operative Rachel White is assigned as handler to a Soviet defector, but her career takes several unexpected turns as a result of a startling announcement he makes. Characters in the story come from several European countries, and Beamish proves adept at accents from across the continent. Less easy to define, but still successful, are Beamish's portrayals of the dead who are "living" in Summerland, the realm on the other side of the veil. While the plot is complex, Beamish confidently navigates listeners through it to the end.
Pub Date: June 26, 2018
Duration: 9 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250296726
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Multiple award winner Card is one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction; here he delivers a history fantasy of the Wabash Valley circa 1800, a world of hexes and folk magic. This is the first book about Alvin Maker, the seventh son of a seventh son, who has remarkable psychic powers. Card is a very good narrator, expressive and well paced. One can hear the excitement of an author as he brings his own well described characters to life. There is one momentary technical glitch, the only slip up in an exemplary presentation. Highly recommended for fiction collections everywhere.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 7 hrs
Publisher: The Literate Ear
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
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