An Irish lad who is half-Jewish yet steeped in Celtic tradition sails to Colonial America to wreak vengeance upon the person and progeny of the nobleman responsible for his parents' deaths. He befriends a slave, an African shaman, who grants him immortality. But to retain it, he must never leave Manhattan. So for the next several hundred years he participates in New York history while taking his revenge on his antagonist's descendents. Finally, after nearly 24 hours of narrative, comes September 11. Chock full of anachronisms, this very uneven and overlong fantasy is given an equally uneven and often ponderous reading by Henry Strozier. He often jumps to life in the dialogue scenes. When the talking stops, he trudges through the text until some exciting action animates him again.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2003
Duration: 24 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ayla, one of the "others," is adopted by a clan of Neanderthal cave people. She struggles to conform to their ways, but her advanced human traits overwhelm and threaten their primitive culture in this initial installment of an immensely popular series. Although the story might benefit from abridgment, Rowena Cooper easily carries out the formidable task of enlivening the mostly silent and stereotypical characters with consistent, diverse personalities and human dimension. Through skillful phrasing and inflection, she maintains the reader's interest and suspense, especially with Ayla and her plight, throughout this rambling and imaginative story.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This lyrical, sensual novel of woman's lot in Manchu, China, is as well researched as it is well written. Authentic in tone, it's nonetheless written for Westerners by a Western expert on China. Moreover, Susan Clark performs the demanding text superbly, with only occasional signs of fatigue. For the most part she not only sustains the quaint diction and Asian atmosphere, but also, creates whole worlds with her voice. She acts the book, rather than reads it, and, in so doing, turns a pretty trifle into a stupendous beauty.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Literature
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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