[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with the abridged CODE TO ZERO.]--Ken Follett spins a story centering on the U.S.-Russian Space Race of the '50s. The novel starts with an intriguing phenomenon--autobiographical amnesia--and listeners are thrust into the uncertainty that rocket scientist Luc Lucas must unravel. Both versions are handled by narrative masters. It's intriguing to savor the differences between Frank Muller's intense approach in the abridgment and George Guidall's slower, yet no less compelling, reading of the unabridged. The styles are different--Muller gives a hard-driving edge to Luc and Anthony, the CIA's dirty-tricks master. Guidall has the whole text to develop the characters and makes use of the duplicity and deception involving the race to launch America's first satellite. Great spy thriller material in either format.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2000
Duration: 10 hrs
Publisher: Penguin Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Part of the joy of Tom Clancy novels is one's belief that the stories could come true. His latest entry stretches that some as we find international terrorists building a nuclear bomb which is used to set Americans and Russians against one another. Jay Robertson reads with a newscaster's voice, crisp and clear with a light touch of drama. However, he does little to help listeners identify Clancy's huge cast of characters, and dialects seem difficult for him as he occasionally slips in and out of character. Nonetheless, patient listeners are rewarded as the plot unfolds. This will be a welcome addition to any library justifying the price of the multi-cassettte volumes.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 16 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
John Sanford is back with another psychological thriller in his Prey series. Surgeon, psychopath and serial killer Bekker is on the loose again after the easiest jailbreak in recent memory. Ken Howard's reading moves along with all the brooding energy a reader could want from a suspense book. His narration is deep, clear and well-suited to the gravelly voices of retired detective Lucas Davenport and the other cops. While Howard manages good dialects and shifts in character, his female voices leave a lot to be desired. For the most part, the abridgment gleefully throws logic and characterization overboard in favor of thrills, but the basic flavor of many characters is still fairly well maintained.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
