In what should be subtitled, “Sex and the Sometimes Single Cyborg,” the author tells the story of a female artificial person (Friday) and her adventures as a secret courier in the unidentified future. Edward Lewis has a robotic quality to his voice, which is great for science fiction as it gives the book a futuristic sound.Unfortunately, he reads too fast, doesn’t emphasize key words and makes Friday sound like an interstellar airhead. Lewis gives her voice a schoolgirl breathiness which, when combined with Heinlein’s misogynistic writing, severely undercuts Friday’s authority. She seems preoccupied with sex, and Lewis never gives her voice irony, humor or worldliness. His other characterizations are varied and interesting, and although he reads too fast, Lewis’s pacing keeps the story moving.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1996
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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