New Reviews: Science Fiction

Sura Siu's and Emily Tremaine's alternating narrations plunge listeners into the events surrounding a government-sanctioned human-extinction event. Siu's performance shifts in tone and cadence as the AI called "Storyworker" tells the story of Sen, a teenage "Witness" to the end of humankind. The initially straightforward account merges with journals and surveillance footage of... Read More

Torian Brackett ably portrays the members of a colorful spaceship crew in this debut adventure tale, the first of a planned series. Jal, a wary, emotionally wounded ranger, ends up aboard the Ambit, a rattletrap spaceship, with Saint, a quick-tempered XO; Nash, a sarcastic engineer/medic; and Eoan, a holographic ship-AI who loves humans. Responding to a distress call from a... Read More

Part detective novel, part fairy tale, this complex story about the hunt for a book that disappears after one has read it is expertly delivered by a trinity of talent. Stefan Rudnicki takes on the majestic tones of mysterious celestial beings that interject their commentary throughout the narrative. Mathematician Delia Welegtabit first discovers the disappearing book; her... Read More

This high-stakes military sci-fi audio original features exciting music, immersive sound effects, and a fantastic full-cast performance. In the near future, Russia's military strives to achieve total Russian supremacy, and NATO responds by creating a new operation called Earthlight. The world's best pilots are gathered to fly the first planes capable of operating in both the... Read More

Once a narrator captures a protagonist's voice and the ambiance of her world, an audiobook is off to a great start. Narrator Suzy Jackson does just that while portraying Juliet, who has become a cog in a dystopian corporate Arizona. Almost overnight, she goes from working as a welder to becoming a mercenary. Jackson smoothly expresses Juliet's amazement and anxiety over the... Read More

Braden Wright confidently narrates this charming space adventure. In an increasingly authoritarian galactic empire, the Grand Abeona Hotel is a beacon for weary travelers and offbeat employees alike. As this aging starliner plays host to a quirky academic conference, a pair of lovebirds, and a series of imperial spies, the crew race to decode the mysteries at the heart of a... Read More

Various narrators bring some of Harlan Ellison's short stories to life in this new anthology compiled by the Harlan and Susan Ellison Foundation. With science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other reality-bending tales, this collection of more than 25 works will be a treat for both Ellison's fans and new listeners. Each narrator provides their own interpretation of a story,... Read More

Anastacia-Reneé is "out of this world" in this collection of poetry, flash fiction, and Afrofuturistic sci-fi. Her works focus on time-warping, place and family, and alternative ways of thinking. Her bold voice is rhythmic and slow, punching in a soft, poignant way. The narration starts at the beginning with Lucille, mother of humanity. From there, Anastacia-Reneé takes... Read More

Catherine Ho is an excellent storyteller for this first installment in the Folding Universe series. Set in 2080, this space thriller is steeped in Chinese philosophy. Archaeologist Yun Fan, military researcher Qi Fei, and astronomer Jiang Liu realize an alien race is returning to Earth. The trio join forces to meet the aliens in space before the organized governments of Earth... Read More

It's a family affair with father, mother, and daughter--Jim, Tamra, and Taylor Meskimen--sharing the narrative duties in this inventive collection of Writers of the Future Contest-winning science fiction and fantasy short stories. The works are by established and first-time authors from around the globe. Taylor brings a wistful gentleness to an AI cat in "The Edge of Where My... Read More

Adjoa Andoh narrates a short story collection by Ann Leckie that includes 18 works set in the worlds of the Imperial Radch and the Raven Tower, as well as several stand-alone pieces. Andoh's stellar skills are on display in every piece, making the stories of gods, humans, and other assorted beings incredibly compelling. Standouts include "The Sad History of the Tearless Onion,"... Read More

A full cast delivers an original drama from the Hellboy universe. Cynthia, an earnest reporter, investigates the disappearances of several New York elites in 1933. She calls upon the mysterious Lobster to help, but he's on his own case involving break-ins at research labs. Marni Penning shines as the narrator and the character Cynthia, imbuing the noir story with a fun sense of... Read More

Listeners will find it hard to pause this sci-fi political thriller--and unlikely love story. January is a climate refugee who has relocated to a colony on Mars. In London, he was a professional ballet dancer; on Mars, because he's dangerously "Earthstrong" in the lower gravity, he must wear a metal exoskeleton that inhibits his strength. With his British accent and confiding... Read More

In this full-cast production, narrator David Cui Cui takes the role of antisocial SecUnit, Murderbot. Cui Cui never makes Murderbot sound robotic; in truth, its subtle sense of humor while on its self-directed mission sounds human. As the SecUnit searches for evidence of GreyCris Corporation's crimes on planet Milu, it tasks itself with protecting quiet-voiced Abene, portrayed... Read More

This new production of the Chinese sci-fi epic may be Rosalind Chao's first turn as an audiobook narrator, but you'd never know it. The veteran actor navigates long stretches of speculative physics and descriptions of shocking violence as ably as she voices colloquies among the characters. Listeners who come to the work from the Netflix adaptation will find Chao's warm,... Read More

Brian Nishii narrates this science fiction collection, which contains compelling short stories, articles, and interviews by and with the author. Nishii draws listeners into the various fictional stories with his emotional range. In one story, he delivers the evil laugh of a drug lord who is smuggling drugs with the assistance of a whale; in another, he embodies a child who... Read More