Close your eyes (unless you're driving) and enter a dystopian world of Banshee warriors who are fighting an oppressive patriarchy in this beautifully narrated new novel, a sequel to LAST ONES LEFT ALIVE. At first, the listener may be a little overwhelmed by the complex plot; however, Esther Wane's lilting Irish accents invite them to persevere. Orpen is a strong protagonist who joins the Banshees to fight against zombies called Shrikes, fight against the existing patriarchy, and fight against insidious rumors that threaten to weaken the rebel force. Wane's voice acting is exemplary as she portrays the various characters, bringing to life their dialogue and illuminating their dramatic struggle against oppression.
Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2023
Duration: 6 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798350866889
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In the tradition of the best dystopian audiobooks, it’s much too easy to imagine this world coming true.
Frankie Corzo narrates this debut dystopian tale set 50 years in the future. The United States has broken up into territories, and the powerful dominate and oppress the poor. Everyone is controlled by drugs, and reproductive rights are virtually nonexistent. Mea is a midwife who was imprisoned for performing an abortion. When she’s released to work in a clinic in a work camp, she hopes to eventually gain her freedom and find her sons. Corzo employs a steady, even tempo consistent with Mea’s resignation about her fate, and she lets the story unfold methodically without a lot of drama until Mea risks everything to help a young girl.
In the tradition of the best dystopian audiobooks, it’s much too easy to imagine this world coming true.Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 19 mins
DD ISBN: 9798228960480
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: today
Intricate, textured weirdness rewards listeners throughout this sprawling, gloriously strange epic.
Colin Mace and Emma Spurgin Hussey narrate a generations-spanning tale of grief, conspiracy, and horror that takes its haunting premise deadly seriously. Hussey voices Maur, desolate after her son's mysterious death and desperate for answers, with a restrained intimacy, tracking her slide from mourning into obsession through shifts in pace and breath. Mace brings weathered gravel to Allerdyce, a veteran undeterred by the grim, often gross underbelly of those answers, letting long silences land before revelations. The author's interjections add an eerie texture. Both narrators keep the dense, allusive prose clear across a century of violence, building dread without tipping into melodrama.
Intricate, textured weirdness rewards listeners throughout this sprawling, gloriously strange epic.Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
Duration: 40 hrs, 43 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217020959
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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