Two favorite fiction genres are coming to SYNC in a whole shelf of free audiobooks for 2022. Lovers of mystery, thriller, and suspense and those who revel in fantasy, time travel, and magical realism have great listens headed their way. Here are some of the opportunities teens and others will have to discover genres they may not have read with their eyes and discover a wide assortment of performance styles, including single narrators who voice a range of characters to tell a story, and full-cast recordings with rich soundbeds, too.

From the short story collection featuring BLACK PANTHER to the engaging space opera of the opening volume of TANGENT KNIGHTS, CAPRICE OF FATE, listeners can enjoy full cast experiences in their fantasy and science fiction listening. Then narrator Soneela Nankani’s Earphones Award-winning delivery of magical realism in SISTERS OF THE SNAKE and Ron Butler’s delivery of time travel in YESTERDAY IS HISTORY demonstrate how a single performer can make a full cast of characters into fantastic listening.

Also coming are a wide range of genre blends that put listeners into worlds that include elements of both the fantastic and suspense. FOUR SHORT STORIES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle blend suspense with horror. Narrator Robin Miles’s Earphones Award-winning BACCHANAL serves up suspense with a strong fantasy element. A full cast and full sound effects realize CEMETERY GIRL, featuring a cemetery dweller out to solve her own would-be murder.

For those who are partial to more realistic mysteries, there will be good listening, too. TRULY DEVIOUS features murder, detection, and danger in an elite school. WE WERE KINGS features crime, sleuthing, and pacing that will leave listeners nearly breathless.

Be sure to check SYNC’s calendar so you know when your favorite genre is featured. And this summer, take a listen on the wild side by sinking into genres you may have been ignoring in print.

Image by Andrew Dunn, CC BY-SA 2.0