"I'm no bloody pirate!" Englishman John Silver says when he’s asked to join an outlaw band at the start of this prequel, which explains how the TREASURE ISLAND character became a buccaneer captain. From the start, Tim Gregory makes words come alive—with his delivery of words like "jab" and "swish" even sounding like the noise of swordplay. An occasional actual sound effect furthers the feeling that listeners are sailing on the high seas. John Drake's reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson's characters is no children's tale, though, since the story of Silver's "symbiotic relationship" with Joseph Flint involves lust, violence, and sadism, often described graphically. But it’s an intriguing yarn, made more so by Gregory's energetic reading.
Pub Date: April 15, 2009
Duration: 12 hrs
Publisher: Oasis Audio/ Springwater
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ayla, one of the "others," is adopted by a clan of Neanderthal cave people. She struggles to conform to their ways, but her advanced human traits overwhelm and threaten their primitive culture in this initial installment of an immensely popular series. Although the story might benefit from abridgment, Rowena Cooper easily carries out the formidable task of enlivening the mostly silent and stereotypical characters with consistent, diverse personalities and human dimension. Through skillful phrasing and inflection, she maintains the reader's interest and suspense, especially with Ayla and her plight, throughout this rambling and imaginative story.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This lyrical, sensual novel of woman's lot in Manchu, China, is as well researched as it is well written. Authentic in tone, it's nonetheless written for Westerners by a Western expert on China. Moreover, Susan Clark performs the demanding text superbly, with only occasional signs of fatigue. For the most part she not only sustains the quaint diction and Asian atmosphere, but also, creates whole worlds with her voice. She acts the book, rather than reads it, and, in so doing, turns a pretty trifle into a stupendous beauty.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Literature
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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