Zura Johnson's smooth voice and careful, meticulous pacing build suspense as a small space crew investigates an abandoned planet while struggling to hold on to their sanity. Isolation in space has brutal, sometimes murderous, consequences, and psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray will do anything to help her crew. But they reject her help, suspicious about her presence due to her family legacy, and show more interest in the previous failed attempt at colonizing the planet. Johnson smoothly differentiates male and female characters, emotionally connecting with each crew member and injecting a vivid personality. Narrating Ophelia's thoughts, her voice gently wavers as she ponders the crew's behavior while the horrors unfold around them.
Pub Date: April 9, 2024
Duration: 14 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250332424
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Emotion check: Long live Murderbot.
Kevin R. Free drops listeners into the middle of a rescue mission aboard an enormous space station. In a defining performance, Free masterfully conveys Murderbot’s sardonic running commentary, deadpan and endearingly world-weary. Murderbot has installed a mental health module since its last adventure, so there are frequent “emotion checks.” The mission, of course, runs into several complications, and Murderbot finds itself with a growing party of humans to keep safe. As the sometimes perilous, sometimes zany rescue operation progresses, Free employs subtle accents to distinguish the human characters; Nanna Naja especially is a hoot. But it’s his Murderbot, who has grown and changed over eight installments, that will have listeners rapt.
Emotion check: Long live Murderbot.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781705041031
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
Zeller skillfully enhances this already riveting space odyssey.
There's a lot happening in this rollicking space opera. It's a good thing that narrator Emily Woo Zeller is around to serve as tour guide as the captain and crew of the starship Horizon find themselves stuck between a civil war and a rescue mission. After spending a decade caught in a gravity well, the Horizon has collected an eclectic cast of exotic passengers. But the talented Zeller is up to the challenge of imbuing each with a distinctive, engaging personality. This book reads like a sequel, with liberal use of flashbacks, but Zeller skillfully keeps the listener from getting lost during the journey. She turns what could have been a bumpy ride into smooth sailing.
Zeller skillfully enhances this already riveting space odyssey.Pub Date: April 21, 2026
Duration: 15 hrs, 38 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668163573
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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