In Szpara's complex, engrossing novel, narrators Vikas Adam and Mark Sanderlin create utterly credible main characters. In a not-so-distant future in Maryland, children inherit the debts of their ancestors and must either go to debtors' prison or become dociles, indentured servants who perform whatever services are demanded. Alex, the CEO of Dociline, the drug that keeps dociles docile, and Elisha, a docile who refuses the drug, are the focus of this disturbing audiobook. In an economically dysfunctional country, the one percent are the dominants, while the rest of the population are submissives. Brutal punishments for minor infringements are graphic, while sometimes tender, sometimes sadistic sex scenes are explicit. Adam and Sanderlin deliver a troubling look at a future world that feels too close for comfort.
Pub Date: March 3, 2020
Duration: 16 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250219251
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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