Narrator Joel de la Fuente brings listeners to Space Habitat Altaire for the 25th reunion of the exclusive Rochford Institute's Class of 2064. While the prep school classmates compare their potential eligibility for Mars colonization, and generally hook up as much as possible, the staff of the luxury resort, almost all immigrants to the U.S., scheme to reclaim Earth and space for the 99 percent. De la Fuente nimbly evokes the five main characters--four Rochford grads, once close friends who were riven by a classmate's murder in their senior year, and one Filipina staff member. Sadly, the plot's unbalanced emphasis requires that de la Fuente's talents be largely confined to the overwrought antics of the elite instead of the arguably more interesting between-decks action.
Pub Date: May 21, 2024
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781705053966
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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
Asimov's sweeping tale of the disintegration and fall of the Galactic Empire has never been more relevant or poignant. McKeever reads rapidly, but he also manages to identify individuals, if minimally, and the main characters are voiced consistently. His voice for the aging professor, in fact, is quite charming. Narrative passages are read competently with appropriate emotional expression. Technical and editorial problems plague the title. Intermittent fade-outs on one channel; inconsistencies when switching sides; and low, rumbling background noise mar the sound quality.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 13 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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