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THE WAR FOR MIDDLE-EARTH

J.R.R. TOLKIEN AND C.S. LEWIS CONFRONT THE GATHERING STORM, 1933-1945

A riveting exploration of what literature can achieve in a time of rising tyranny and fear.

Greg Marston brings an authoritative tone to his narration of this chronicle of 12 critical years in the lives of the world's greatest fantasy authors. Tolkien and Lewis shared a friendship between the wars, which inspired the creation of both Middle-Earth and Narnia. Scarred by their experiences in WWI, they faced the gathering political storms of Europe and the rise of authoritarianism with deep alarm. Drawing on their love of classical and Norse mythology and combined with their strong Christian faith, they determined to create new tales of heroism to inspire a generation to confront evil. Marston manages to smooth a text studded with references into a coherent whole.

A riveting exploration of what literature can achieve in a time of rising tyranny and fear.

Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2025

Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins

DD ISBN: 9781400247899

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2026

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    CAVE MOUNTAIN

    A DISAPPEARANCE AND A RECKONING IN THE OZARKS

    An interesting Ozark history that doesn’t quite cohere.

    Author Hale presents the case of his young cousin Haley's disappearance on Cave Mountain in 2001 and the ensuing search and rescue operation, the largest in Arkansas history. Hale connects this with the murder of 3-year-old Bethany by a small and isolated religious sect decades earlier on the same mountain. Narrating these two stories in a low, slightly gruff tone, Hale weaves together family anecdotes, Ozark lore, local and broader history, and Christian theology. While the two cases are intriguing, the work lacks focus and contains extraneous details.

    An interesting Ozark history that doesn’t quite cohere.

    Pub Date: March 3, 2026

    Duration: 11 hrs, 9 mins

    DD ISBN: 9780063398153

    Publisher: Harper Audio

    Review Posted Online: March 10, 2026

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      A WORLD APPEARS

      A JOURNEY INTO CONSCIOUSNESS

      Once again, Pollan makes the unknown make sense.

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      Pollan is a favorite with listeners, and rightly so. He may not possess a silken or practiced voice, and he’d be nobody’s first choice to narrate Proust, but few author-narrators are as engaging or as effectively bonded to their narrative. Pollan here explores one of the most fundamental of questions: What is consciousness? This leads him to other questions. Where exactly is consciousness located? What other species possess it? Pollan takes his listener on a journey through theories and research sites, each rendered with his signature economy and precision. Some sections may require relistening, but the difficulties lie in the subject matter, not the prose. That couldn’t be clearer or more illuminating. 

      Once again, Pollan makes the unknown make sense.

      Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026

      Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins

      DD ISBN: 9798217282159

      Publisher: Penguin Audio

      Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2026

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