Stephen King’s latest audiobook has four exceptional novellas that are each masterfully narrated. “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,” narrated by Will Patton in a wistful tenor, is a meditative coming-of-age tale dotted with technophobia and communications from beyond the grave. “The Life of Chuck” is King’s most imaginative work in years. Narrator Danny Burstein expertly captures the surreal story’s shifting tones, which range from pure joy to abject despair. “If It Bleeds,” a sequel to THE OUTSIDER, is also narrated by Patton, who provides a unique and compelling voice for King’s recent favorite protagonist, private investigator Holly Gibney. “Rat,” about a struggling writer’s descent into darkness, is riveting, thanks to narrator Steven Weber’s focused intensity. For longtime King listeners and newcomers alike, this collection is essential listening.
Pub Date: April 21, 2020
Duration: 15 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797104805
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
For an immersive experience, listeners might be best served by following along with the print book.
In her rendition of Aguda’s latest novel, Délé Ogundiran forgoes the sparkle and flash of a voice actor for a more traditional role as a storyteller. Yosoye is a naïve, rather provincial 23-year-old recent transplant to Lagos, where she’s just beginning a coveted internship with an uber-modern architectural firm. But her excitement about her new life is soon tempered when she winds up pregnant after a one-night stand. More sinister is that she keeps hearing about pregnant women across the city who’ve been willfully drowning themselves. While Ogundiran’s narration is a boon for listeners eager to hear the prose delivered with a Nigerian accent, she doesn’t create unique voices to distinguish among characters, and the pacing is frequently off, with too-short pauses between sections and chapters that allow the prose to run together.
For an immersive experience, listeners might be best served by following along with the print book.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 39 mins
DD ISBN: 9798349166433
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2026
The narration deepens the dread of three brothers escaping war only to question their sanity.
Narrator Eric Fox sharpens a historical horror tale into a breathless listening experience. Three brothers desert the Confederate Army during the Civil War and begin the journey home. Fox's steady, rugged tone grounds the brothers' march and keeps the men distinct. His narration helps the listener track shifting loyalties and deepen the sense of threat without bogging down the action. Fracassi's horror turns on atmosphere as much as plot, and the narration leans into that with measured pacing and controlled tension. At times, the restraint can feel a shade too even, but the recording heightens the isolation and makes the woods feel claustrophobic.
The narration deepens the dread of three brothers escaping war only to question their sanity.Pub Date: April 7, 2026
Duration: 12 hrs, 51 mins
DD ISBN: 9798890931061
Publisher: Vibrance Press
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2026
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