This historical adventure explores the inevitable clash of cultures that occurs when, after years of isolationism, Japan opens its doors to the West. In Matsuoka's sweeping saga of 1861, the Shogun's secret police conspire to assassinate young Lord Genji. Genji has prophetic powers, and, in one of his visions, an outsider saves him from death. When three outsiders arrive in Edo, Genji believes one of them is his salvation. Grover Gardner, one of AUDIOFILE's Golden Voices, is splendid in this tale of samurai and gunfighters, geisha and missionaries, fraught with bloody battles and courtly intrigue. His portrayal of the self-righteous, sexually repressed missionary, Zephaniah Cromwell, is riveting, as are his interpretations of Emily, Cromwell's young fiancée; Matt Stark, a man with a secret; and Heiko, the extraordinary geisha Genji loves.
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
Duration: 16 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Books on Tape
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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