New Reviews: Fantasy

A full-cast narration led by Colleen Delaney makes it easy to dive into this fantasy world, and soon every character feels familiar. It's a story full of religious tyrants, dark secrets, and a brewing rebellion in which any act of magic could open a portal to hell. As a result, each of the obstacles the characters encounter packs a significant emotional punch. And the numerous... Read More

In this stand-alone audiobook related to the Queens of Renthia trilogy, Khristine Hvam returns to narrate the story of a complicated world surrounded by spirits who must be kept at bay. She succeeds in portraying the protagonist, Mayara, as strong yet vulnerable. Because Mayara displays her power to command the spirits, which she reveals while trying to save her village from a... Read More

Narrator Yetta Gottesman successfully tackles the worlds of gods and men in this sprawling historical fantasy set in Mexico during the Jazz Age. When browbeaten Casiopea rebels against the cruelty of her family, she accidentally frees the Mayan god of death, Hun-Kame, from imprisonment and links her fate with his. Gottesman excels at evoking the dreamlike qualities of Casiopea... Read More

Narrator Gabrielle Baker takes charge of a complicated and strange world, the setting for a dense tale of political exile, alchemy, and raw ambition. The two main characters are from opposite ends of every conceivable spectrum, but Baker recognizes and plays off of their similarities. This interplay between the two characters is central to the audiobook. Isten is a feisty... Read More

Holly Palance energetically narrates a story of magical realism set in Florida. When Eulalie Jenkins is forced off the road--to silence her criticism of local racists--she shape-shifts into an alligator. Her cat, Lena, a witness, survives. Palance's Lena tells Adelaide, Eulalie's daughter, who possesses some of her mother's powers, about the accident using thought speech.... Read More

Drawing on the Icelandic Eddas, two medieval source works, Mark Binder's performance piece tells most of the stories that are known about Loki, the Norse trickster. But whereas the traditional stories show Loki as mischievous or even evil, Binder has Loki himself tell what happened, so he becomes, if not the hero, at least the chief victim. The lively and entertaining tales are... Read More

Xe Sands creates a gritty and entirely believable voice for Ivy Gamble, a P.I. who is recounting the investigation of a gruesome murder case at Osthorne Academy of Young Mages. Sands captivates listeners with a fatigued yet steady delivery of the first-person story and creates an atmosphere of intrigue with masterful pacing. Ivy's anxiety about taking on her first murder case... Read More

An unusual comedy of the workplace, narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies, follows the Consular Mission as they try to keep the peace between Earth and a cabal of malicious Lovecraftian old gods. What follows is a strange, surreal, and zany series of misadventures with odd people and even odder creatures, including the hilariously evil Steve the Destroyer--a possessed doll. Davies's... Read More

The new epic fantasy series Grave of Empires begins with this audiobook, and narrator Daisy May Parsons provides a thrilling and immersive listening experience. The sprawling, blood-soaked story opens on a continent called the Scar, where an endless war rages between the Empire and the Revolution. The wonderfully named protagonist, Sal the Cacophony, is a prisoner of the... Read More

Fleet Cooper delivers a dramatic narration from the very start of this first installment in the Wake the Dragon series. Anderson returns to epic fantasy with larger-than-life characters, swords, destruction, and sleeping monsters. Two continents are at war, but a common enemy develops, which makes them consider the unthinkable--an alliance. The saga is told from many points of... Read More

Simon Vance is no stranger to the narration of the Shannara series. This is the penultimate audiobook in the four-part Fall of Shannara, which is intended to conclude the more than forty-year series. Vance had to add very few characters to his library of Shannara familiars from the previous audiobook, THE SKAAR INVASION. The Skaar army is on the march, and Vance has plenty of... Read More

Narrator Lorelei King captures Mercy Thompson's matter-of-fact personality perfectly with her calm, composed approach. In this latest installment from author Briggs, Mercy and her crew solve a problem involving witches, goblins, and miniature goat zombies. For Mercy, it's just another typical day of protecting her territory. When King does infuse intense emotion, it has a lot... Read More

Have a listen to the talented Lorelei King's narration of the latest in Jones's paranormal series. King's rich repertoire includes the grim reaper, a.k.a. Charley Davidson. Charley is given a firm, cultured voice that melds well with the oh-so-husky growl of her husband, Reyes, son of Satan. The two are out to protect their baby's future, and as they engage with secondary... Read More

Joel Froomkin has a host of accents and voices on display in this first installment of the Rise of the Alliance trilogy. From the first chapter, Froomkin seems to have fun with his narration as he adopts a tongue-in-cheek attitude. The setting is the author's Inda world, in which many young rulers have ascended to the throne (most 10-15 years old) and attempted to form... Read More

This audiobook is an epic fantasy retelling of THE MAHABHARATA, an Indian classic about three heirs to a powerful throne whose fight to claim their inheritance could tear apart the very nation they wish to rule. Banker offers listeners exotic imagery that comes from viewing storytelling through the lens of a different culture. Vikas Adam narrates with infectious energy that... Read More

Bailey Carr narrates this audiobook--part fantasy, part mystery-- admirably. Gilda Carr is an investigator who specializes in solving "tiny mysteries." But this time she finds herself involved in a far bigger situation as her search for a missing glove leads to clues about a murder and the dark nature of the Westside. Set in 1921, Akers's story has a gritty quality. Carr... Read More

Narrator Alexandra Harris continues the narration of the World of Others series. The events of this installment take place concurrently with those in ETCHED IN BONE. Harris portrays both familiar characters and a host of new ones. The "terra indigene" are now in charge and intend to resettle a town where the Elders wiped out the humans. Harris makes it obvious who the villains... Read More

Narrator Robin Miles masterfully draws the listener into a world of women fighting against patriarchal domination in this energetic fantasy. After a life-changing magic spell is cast, two women must decide what is best for their kingdom, along with the fate of women who have a specific lot in life. Miles seamlessly depicts age, gender, and culture, providing voices for vastly... Read More