New Reviews: Science Fiction

Kevin R. Free narrates the latest Murderbot novella, in which nothing is as straightforward as it seems. When a dead body is unexpectedly found on Preservation Station, Murderbot enters into an uneasy partnership with station security to discover who the victim was and why they were killed. Free leans into Murderbot's description of itself as a "construct made of cloned human... Read More

A stellar cast performs Frey's engrossing sci-fi story featuring Silicon Valley culture and politics. Ben and Adhi are college students who discover a particular type of time travel that allows people to see exactly one year into the future. Rather than seeking larger truths about humanity, the young entrepreneurs take the app to market. But things don't go as planned. The... Read More

Narrator Elizabeth Klett transports listeners to the starship DAEDALUS, which is filled with settlers who are struggling to survive amid increasingly fraught conditions. After a mutiny destroys the ship's equipment, the colonists live starkly simple lives. Many are resigned to the status quo, but others, like 16-year-old Hazel, yearn for a better life. Klett effectively... Read More

A man awakens in a vessel in the far reaches of space. He has no memory and few resources. What he does have is a talking shipboard computer and the complete works of a famed author from the past. Neil Gaiman narrates this sci-fi short story with themes of isolation, recuperation, and selfhood. Along with brisk pacing, lively music, and futuristic sound effects, the production... Read More

Through tone and pacing, narrator Ray Porter makes Andy Weir's fantastical space opera seem plausible. Porter captures the panic and semi-hysterical self-deprecation of an amnesiac who is the sole survivor on a spacecraft cruising through space. As the protagonist's memories return, Porter is called upon to deliver a United Nations of accents for characters ranging from Dutch... Read More

A full cast of actors brings to life this fascinating novel about the discovery of an alien computer found embedded in a million-year-old rock formation under the Sudan desert. Amid appropriate sound effects, the large cast, led by Lyle Blaker, portray the six scientists who are investigating the mysterious device while warring teams try to steal the device for their own... Read More

As both author and narrator, Mary Robinette Kowal once again immerses listeners in the alternate history of the Lady Astronaut series, this time focusing on original astronaut corps member Nicole Wargin. Several years after the catastrophic asteroid impact, growing social unrest manifests in a group working to undermine off-Earth relocation plans. Propulsive events compel... Read More

If the audiobook being produced is a military sci-fi epic, who better to narrate than R.C. Bray? His husky, full-throated voice is perfect for macho characters such as Marine Recon Lt. Adonis Magnus. And Bray's versatility also enables him to bring to life such diverse characters as female diplomat Awen dau Lothlinium and the Irish-accented robot TO-96. This first volume of a... Read More

In this series debut, narrator Jennifer Vuletic entertains listeners in the best traditions of a space opera. She is adept at creating characters with diverse personalities no matter their gender, race, or ethnicity and relies on many different accents to create a cosmopolitan ambiance. The story is told from the point of view of Jian, a security officer aboard an Earth... Read More

A full cast narrates a trio of adventures featuring the Moon Base Alpha crew as they attempt to survive after being transported across space. First, the Alphans investigate a signal from a nearby planet, then a distant winter planet calls to the crew, and, finally, a perfect paradise offers a temporary respite. Each character is voiced by a talented actor, and dramatic scenes... Read More

In this first book of the fourth Thrawn trilogy in the Star Wars Legends universe, narrator Marc Thompson introduces the listener to the brilliant and mysterious young recruit Thrawn. In this prequel he is not yet the famed and feared Grand Admiral who fought for the Empire against Luke Skywalker, but a new cadet taking on his first assignment on the edge of known space.... Read More

Bernadette Dunne's energetic narration is a good match for this thought-provoking sci-fi novel about the consequences of Pilots, new brain implants designed to increase one's focus. The story is told through the points of view of four characters: teacher Val, who doesn't want a Pilot; her wife, Julie, who loves hers; and their two kids--David, whose Pilot malfunctions, and... Read More

Narrator Raphael Corkhill deftly navigates a range of situations and voices in this novel, a blend of romance, mystery, and space opera. In order to secure an important treaty, Prince Kiem is commanded by his grandmother, the emperor, to marry Count Jainan, the widower of Kiem's late cousin. Soon after, they find themselves at the center of messy interplanetary politics.... Read More