A cast including Gabrielle de Cuir and David Birney portray the many characters in Book 4 of the Ender Quartet. The characters vary widely in origin, personality, and ideology. De Cuir begins the story with the convincing Asian accent of a Chinese woman and then seamlessly transitions into an American character. Birney develops the character of the acerbic Peter, while Stefan Rudnicki's depiction of the all-knowing Ender emphasizes their different personalities. CHILDREN OF THE MIND details many story lines across the universe, and the transitions between these subplots are sometimes difficult to follow. However, the narrators are expert at giving the characters individual flair. Listeners should prepare to enter Card's world with the previous stories fresh in their minds.
Pub Date: 2006
Duration: 13 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Renaissance
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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