RED STAR HUSTLE / APPREHENSION Saga Doubles

Two novellas deliver uneven performances. In RED STAR HUSTLE, Jennifer Pickens, portraying bounty hunter Imadi, is spellbinding. Her voice imparts the heft of every emotion involved with tracking Aran, a sex worker wanted for murder. Ali Andre Ali's performance as Aran binds listeners to the humanity in the audiobook through his deft portrayal of the mental dance of addiction. Kevin R. Free rounds out the production with gusto as the superhuman Resh. Listening to these three romp through the universe is delightful. However, the author of APPREHENSION, Mary Robinette Kowal, should have left the narration to seasoned professionals. Neither of the main characters--the kidnapped child nor his grandmother--sounds believable. Happily, the delightful performances in the first novella make up for the one in the second. J.T. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2025]