New Reviews: Science Fiction

Narrator Lorelei King had her job cut out for her while performing an audiobook with many unfamiliar futuristic concepts such as microscopic machines that build items from molecules in the air and all sorts of permutations of the cyberworld. But she makes it sound easy, not even pausing at the strange words, confident they will be understood in context. She is equally... Read More

The "death" who comes for Lucien has been helping people pass over for more than 300 years. Narrator Andrea Parsneau portrays him as an old, tired, and somewhat feeble man. In contrast, although Lucien has outlived his doctors' estimate of his life expectancy by two and half times, Parsneau makes him seem vital and feisty when he tries fending off death by drawing a gun on him.... Read More

Lisa Flanagan and Tim Campbell narrate alternating chapters of Merbeth's gritty sci-fi. Flanagan provides the voice of Scorpia, the beleaguered Kaiser family daughter who's always played second fiddle to her brother, Corvus. Scorpia participates in her family's smuggling business, piloting a space transport ship and sometimes smelling of whiskey while she does so. Corvus... Read More

Five high school computer nerds known as the Vindicators are at the center of this audiobook sci-fi thriller. They stumble on a dark web video game, allegedly powered by the Almighty, that metes out biblical punishments to those who disobey the rules. Narrator Andrew Eiden clearly distinguishes the five students' voices while hinting at each character's complicated backstory.... Read More

Nicole Poole narrates a familiar fairy tale transported to a galactic stage. Rory Thorne is the first princess born into the royal family of Thorne in 10 generations, and she is destined to save (or possibly destroy) both herself and the multiverse, despite the many obstacles placed in her way. Poole imbues the stock fairy-tale characters who populate the story with life and... Read More

Narrator Natasha Soudek presents a bleak version of our future in 2080. Food is running out, environmental collapse is imminent, and humanity's last hope is a small Russian-based team that includes a 70-year old school teacher named Valentina. Valentina needs to travel back in time to the year 2028 to take over the body of Tatiana, a young woman who has just undergone brain... Read More

Johnny Heller's gravelly voice shifts into character mode as he narrates this classic sci-fi story. He uses a Russian accent to portray Dr. Zarkov, Flash Gordon's ally, as part of a range of voices that gives the planet Pandor a full cast of characters. Flash and Dale are enjoying the planet's pastimes until a concert they're attending is hit with a devastating sound wave.... Read More

Narrator Patricia Rodriguez delivers a sensational performance of this dystopian satire in which the most successful company in the world uses algorithms to predict and deliver what you want before you even know you want it. When Peter Jobless receives a product he most definitely doesn't want, he commences an elaborate plan to return it with the help of his band of robotic... Read More

Narrator Janina Gavankar excels in delivering this short audiobook, part of the Forward collection of six audiobooks. THE MARTIAN author Andy Weir brings his scientific flair to his novella about a Las Vegas casino heist. When brilliant minds use a new quantum computer system to hack the game of keno, a determined casino owner turns to his own resources to block the scam.... Read More

William DeMeritt narrates this story set in a dystopian future in which the power elites rule "surplus" people of color. The plot revolves around baseball. Grant, a former teacher; Eleanor, his wife; and their mixed-race daughter, Gwen, are key characters. DeMeritt shifts between a low pitch and slow pace for Grant and higher, clipped voices for the younger characters. But it's... Read More

Author/narrator Tochi Onyebuchi portrays characters who personify the violent world they live in. Ella has special powers, including the ability to see things that haven't happened yet. When her brother, Kev, is imprisoned, she has to decide whether or not to use her powers to free him. Onyebuchi delivers the intensity of his plot in an unflinching style. His characters are... Read More

Shakina Nayfack's warm, potent tones highlight the deeply personal and humane side of Porter's profound, ethereal alien-invasion story. The Seep has overhauled the world, allowing expanded consciousness and endless new experiences. Trina Fasthorse Goldberg-Oneka, a 50-year-old trans artist, cannot embrace this reality as others have, and when her wife leaves to become a child... Read More

A distant mining planet is certainly a potential setting for abuse. That proves to be the case in this stirring audiobook in which a greedy mine operator ignores the law and continues to use slave labor. That means it's up to Barnabas, a human who was formerly a Ranger One, to liberate those trapped in these trying conditions. A planet such as this, packed with many species of... Read More