The plot of the fifth and final volume of Card's Homecoming series may be a disappointment to fans who have followed Harmony and the Oversoul since the beginning, but this reading is far from a letdown. Stefan Rudnicki is a master narrator, and nothing—not complicated names, not departures from the feel of the original four books—diminishes that talent a whit. While the first four books follow each other in close chronological order, EARTHBORN leaps five centuries into the future to follow Shedemei’s, the last of the Children of Wetchik, and the Oversoul's unending search for the Keeper of Earth. Rudnicki's clear, resonant voice bestows an almost-reverent quality to the text, a characteristic that works well with the book's spiritual underpinnings.
Pub Date: March 1, 2009
Duration: 14 hrs
Publisher: Blackstone 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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