New Reviews: Fantasy

Narrator Sharon Taylor provides a wonderful narration of this final volume in The Alchemists' Council trilogy. The plot involves political intrigue and time travel in a metaphysical world where conflicts have escalated between the Council and the Rebel Branches. At the same time, the outside world suffers the fallout of environmental collapse. The alchemist provides a special... Read More

First in a new series, this audiobook takes listeners to the depths of an empire still divided by a magical war that tore it apart years ago. Separated in childhood, siblings Gyre and Maya unknowingly find themselves on different sides of an underground war for power. Narrator Imogen Church's performance is high energy and effervescent. She does an excellent job individualizing... Read More

Narrator Jaimee Draper delivers a dynamic performance in this young adult steampunk fantasy with themes of spirituality, war, and self-discovery. After a devastating betrayal, Kat must determine whom she can trust as she races against time to quash a dark power aiming to consume her soul. As the pressure escalates, Draper's portrayal of Kat ratchets up the tension and showcases... Read More

Two distinct points of view lend themselves well to the narrations of Tamsin Kennard and Andrew Kingston. In the first in a new fantasy series called The Sorcerer's Song, Lem reacts to a dark prophecy by leaving his sheltered existence. His betrothed, Mariyah, follows him and lands in big trouble. Kennard tells Mariyah's tale. She creates a persona that is affable despite her... Read More

Father-and-son duo Timothy and Samuel West bring decades of classic British stage and film experience to voicing this collection. The tales and poems feature a pair of star-crossed lovers near and dear to J.R.R. Tolkien's heart--the mortal human, Beren, and the beautiful, immortal elf maiden, Lúthien. Tolkien spent years revising and revisiting these stories, based on Welsh... Read More

Pavi Proczko continues narrating the series that brings to life the adventures of Drew Liam (a.k.a. "Teach"). A human being capable of magic, Teach gets into all sorts of trouble trying to prevent, or least delay, the apocalypse. Re-Haan, his dragon mistress, isn't helping much as Teach teleports around the universe. Proczko animates Teach's conversations with Re-Haan as Teach... Read More

Narrator Janina Edwards's compelling tone draws listeners into Wilson's searing narrative as a family reckons with a supernatural legacy. Chilling events and mythology are interspersed with descriptions of historical events and the editorial commentary of a father reading from his work in progress. As Easter and her family wield old magic against sinister forces, these elements... Read More

Soneela Nankani skillfully narrates the final volume of an epic fantasy saga inspired equally by politics and mythology. As Nahri, Ali, and Dara face the aftermath of the brutal fall of Daevabad, they must each come to terms with their part in that fall. Nankani continues to impress with her distinctive portrayals of the immense secondary cast of characters, but it is her... Read More

Michael Lesley's upbeat narration captures all the whimsy, humor, and heart of this YA superhero romp. Nick has been nursing a crush on Shadow Star, Nova City's most famous superhero, for years. He's even the author of one of the most popular Extraordinaries fanfics. But when he decides to become an Extraordinary himself to catch Shadow Star's attention, he learns a lot more... Read More

Peter Berkrot masterfully narrates the final adventure in the Alpha World series. The series comes full circle with Alburet and his allies journeying to the Lost Prison of Alctriuz for an epic raid. The story alternates between drama, thriller, and romance with the steady game-like feel of the LitRPG genre. Berkrot maintains a gravelly timbre and an almost sinister tone... Read More

Narrator Susannah Jones enlightens listeners with this second installment in the Vine Witch Trilogy, a mix of fantasy, folklore, and history set in turn-of-the-century France. After surviving a curse, sorcière Elena must team up with the young, unestablished Yvette to decipher arcane riddles in order to claim her magical abilities and heritage. The characters' emotions are... Read More

Narrator Travis Baldree portrays a group of aging gamers who think they've achieved their dream lives when they're transported to the fantasy world of their favorite game, where their goal is to create a new game. As they become the characters of the new game, which involves goblin hunting, Baldree transforms them into a motley band of elves, dwarves, magi, and humans. As Tom,... Read More

Daniel Henning is a great narrator for this quirky and theatrical audiobook. When Linus is assigned to observe an orphanage for magical children, all kinds of developments ensue. Henning revels in a cornucopia of characters, diving into nuanced voices and colorful moments with accents and growls, tone shifts and whispers. The contemporary touches keep the story humorously... Read More

Narrator Marnye Young portrays Quinn as tough but a bit vulnerable, which isn't surprising, given that she was abandoned as an infant and raised in the foster care system. In this first installment of the Huntress Clan Saga, Quinn learns she is one of the last "hunters," whose mission is to protect humans from supernatural beings that wish them harm. Hired by a company... Read More

Australian actor Luke Arnold narrates his debut fantasy novel in which a magical city shudders at the sudden loss of its magic. Fetch Philips takes odd jobs as a detective in Sunder City; his latest task is finding a missing teacher, a vampire whose body is slowly turning to dust without magic. Arnold portrays Fetch with pathos and differentiates the other characters, giving... Read More

This entertaining GraphicAudio production about a small town in Oregon where gods go to vacation is packed with mystery, romance, and a whole lot of fun. Police Chief Delaney Reed has a murder to solve, but she also has a handsome and charming childhood friend back in town to contend with. Part of the magic of this story is the perfect performance of lead narrator Colleen... Read More

This full-cast GraphicAudio sequel to the Ordinary Magic series offers great characters, a snappy delivery, and tons of fun small-town antics for an absorbing listening experience. In a quirky Oregon town, Police Chief Delaney Reed usually has her hands full dealing with vacationing gods and other supernatural beings, but the stakes are raised (literally) when a vampire is... Read More

Bradley Foster Smith and a full cast perform the first book in a fantasy series that balances humor, drama, and a complex plot. After the framing of two innocent men for the killing of a king, the story shifts into an epic tale of adventure, magic, intense battles, and the building of an enduring myth. Smith delivers the narrative, while a varied cast breathes life into the... Read More

James McAvoy leads an all-star cast in narrating this magnificent audio adaptation of Neil Gaiman's iconic graphic novel series, The Sandman. McAvoy, who portrays Morpheus, the King of Dreams, leans hard on his polished English accent, the embodiment of the Brits' determination to keep calm and carry on--no matter what. As listeners are swept up in a saga in which cats talk and... Read More

Euan Morton, the one-man all-star cast of this hilarious, raunchy, twee, utterly sui generis audiobook, is really dazzling. Moore starts with the Fool from King Lear, sends him off with a giant apprentice named Drool, and shipwrecks them in a mythical Greece. There's an Athens inhabited by Oberon, Titania, a Queen of Amazons, and a Theseus several thousand years old, also rude... Read More

Nick Podehl narrates Book 5 in the award-winning epic fantasy series A Pattern of Shadow and Light. Podehl's narration lives up to the grandeur of this story. A full group of diverse characters includes Ean, Tanis, Trell, Sebastian, and the rest of Bjorn's Players, who participate in a game in which the stakes are now higher than ever. Podehl uses contrasting voices for each... Read More

Deepti Gupta delivers an intimate and honest performance in this romantic tale of loss, love, and courage. Born the crown prince of Nazim, Razia Khan has fled her home and her old life to embrace her true self. She is a strong, capable young woman who must keep her past a secret amid the politics of foreign princes and their wars. Razia's compelling story features a thoughtful... Read More

Scott McCormick's droll narration captures the tone of the fourth zany adventure of Warlock Holmes. Warlock, the not-so-smart, bumbling, demon-wielding brother of Sherlock and Mycroft, is back at his most deductive, along with the bloodsucking, vampiric Inspector Vladislav Lestrade. McCormick captures Watson's reasoning, no matter how irrational or drug addled. In contrast,... Read More

Narrators Imani Jade Powers and Steve West team up to deliver an emotionally engrossing performance of this YA fantasy. In a city brimming with magic, a new headliner must be found through a competition of magical feats. The narrators do an excellent job portraying Kallia, Jack, and Daron's individual personalities and character traits. Especially noteworthy is West's delivery... Read More