New Reviews: Science Fiction

Neom is an actual planned smart city to be built by the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. This audiobook imagines it in the far future, when it has become a global gathering place. Using an array of regional accents, Rasha Zamamiri capably brings those in Neom, human or otherwise, to life. Characters range from a native flower seller to a desert-dwelling boy who is seeking the stars,... Read More

To call this performance just an audiobook would be an enormous understatement. It's an immersive listening experience with an original score, sound effects, and an entire cast. A disease has taken over the entire world, making social interactions rare and beloved destinations dystopian. Beta-test player John Chambers joins a lifelike virtual reality game in which he can... Read More

C.J. McAllister narrates an unusual take on the apocalypse that follows when supernatural/paranormal creatures are unleashed upon the land. Humanity can barely eke out a living as the creatures compete to dominate the new landscape. Rod Calaway seeks to destroy the creatures in the singular hope of returning Earth to humanity. McAllister is captivating with his variety of... Read More

Raphael Corkhill balances drama and sincerity in his narration of this sci-fi space opera. When socialite and mind reader Tennalhin Halkana is conscripted into an intergalactic military, he begrudgingly teams up with dutiful Surit Yeni, who has the power to control others. They fake an order to sync their minds and uncover a political struggle that threatens the stability of... Read More

Andrea Emmes narrates an allegorical techno-thriller in which a virtual reality game offers an unusual solution to the potential end of the world. Society is in the midst of a near global addiction to social media and a virtual reality game when disaster strikes. The world begins to burn--metaphorically and literally--but then everything is brought back online by a new version... Read More

Torian Brackett shines in his performance of this debut novel. He captures the narrative voice of Ethan Block, a millennial college grad with a huge amount of college debt. Determined to better humanity, Ethan works for DateDate, a start-up in San Francisco that has been bought by a huge tech corporation. Brackett imbues his performance with Ethan's inner conflict as he finds... Read More

Narrator Joel de la Fuente nails the confusion that lurks at the heart of this chilling audiobook. Its setting is a world in which a quarter of the population loses the ability to sleep without any health consequences. Most cash in by working multiple jobs during their 24 hours of wakefulness. One of these fortunate Sleepless is journalist Jamie Vega, who uses some of his time... Read More

Mary Robinette Kowal expertly narrates her own novel, portraying each character as if she were starring in her own one-woman show. The futuristic story revolves around wealthy inventor Tesla Crane and her new husband, Shal, a retired detective. Their honeymoon on an interstellar ship to Mars is interrupted when a passenger is murdered and Shal is accused of the crime. Tesla;... Read More

Esther Wane portrays haughty Princess Gracia Patramata, an oracle, in sharp, snooty tones--as befits her highborn station. Gracia recounts her tale of conquest and then defeat by the commander of the interstellar Empire of Ceiao. The battle-hardened commander wrangles with fellow merchants and the now defeated Gracia, whose demeanor is softened when voiced by Tim Campbell. Wane... Read More

The journey begins with a grumpily drawled entry from "Thibault's Log." A moment later, listeners learn that Thibault is a cat with AI modifications. The story is told from the flippant point of view of Cooper Douglas, who makes his living through "pre-salvage," otherwise known as theft. Douglas stumbles on a mast that could take him to a new area of space--if he can get his... Read More

Zachary Quinto returns to perform Scalzi's lastest audiobook in the Dispatcher series, and fans of the series will be pleased. Quinto's near deadpan approach is perfect for this mix of cutting-edge science fiction and hard-boiled detective drama--in other words, classic Scalzi territory. Quinto returns as Tony Valdez, a trained professional who is skilled in restoring life to... Read More