Set 3,000 years after the events of ENDER'S GAME, Card's SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD follows Ender Wiggins to Lusitania, a Brazilian colony on a distant planet where intelligent extraterrestrial life has been found for the first time since Earth's initial encounter with--and destruction of--the "buggers." An ensemble cast of performers explores the mystery of the culture and the biology of the pequeninos, the gentle natives of the planet who seem to ruthlessly murder their most valued members. The cast includes David Birney, Scott Brick, Gabrielle de Cuir, Amanda Karr, Lisa Nemacheck, John Rubenstein, Stefan Rudnicki, and Don Schlossman, who read alternating sections with little interaction, staying true to Portuguese pronunciations, and giving life to the emotional and intellectual challenge of the story. Brilliant and compelling.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
Duration: 14 hrs
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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