Legendary science fiction novelist Isaac Asimov offers this visionary story of Biron Farrell, a University of Earth student who becomes the central target in an intergalactic conspiracy that takes the life of his father and sends him into the far depths of space. Read by narrator Stephen Thorne, the story comes to life in an intimate reading as honest and straightforward as it is underplayed. Thorne doesn't try to dazzle listeners with cheap thrills, such as phony alien accents or manufactured tension. He simply takes Asimov's well-crafted prose and allows it to lead the way. His genuine reading will touch listeners with its sheer simplicity.
Pub Date: 2008
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
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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