Audiobook Heaven Mailbag #9

Audiobook reviews from Audiobook Heaven

Hey it’s another Saturday here at Audiobook Heaven’s Worldwide Headquarters on Crickhollow Farm, right here in America’s Heartland. Fall has arrived a little early this year, but that’s okay. The apple harvest is under way and the cider presses are in full swing. The air is cool, the sun is warm, and the tangy-sweet aroma of apple cider is permeating the whole farm. It reminds me more than ever that I would much rather be outside than sitting up here in the barn loft working. So let us proceed!
Saturday is the day we open up the old Audiobook-Heaven mailbag, to see what new audiobooks arrived this week. It’s just about my favorite part of this job. And in the mailbag this week, it looks like we have:

From BrillianceAudio:

Gears of War: Coalition’s End

by Karen Traviss, narrated by David Colacci
: When the Locust Horde burst from the ground fifteen years ago to slaughter the human population of Sera, mankind began a desperate war against extinction. Now after a decade and a half of bloody fighting, and with billions dead, the survivors — the Gears of the Coalition of Ordered Governments, along with a small band of civilians — have been forced to destroy their own cities and sacrifice their entire civilization to halt the Locust advance. The last-ditch measures have succeeded, but at an enormous cost: the survivors have been reduced to a handful of refugees. Escaping to a haven on the remote island of Vectes, they begin the heartbreaking task of rebuilding their devastated world. For a while, there’s hope . . . making peace with old enemies, and once again planning for the future. But the short respite is shattered when Vectes comes under siege from an even deadlier force than the Locust — the Lambent, a hideous and constantly mutating life-form that destroys everything in its path. As the Lambent’s relentless assault spreads from the mainland to the island, the refugees finally understand what drove the Locust from their underground warrens and sparked the global war. While Marcus Fenix and the Gears struggle to hold back the invasion, the Coalition faces a stark choice — fight this new enemy to the last human, or flee to the wastelands to take their chances and live like the human pariahs known as the Stranded . . . even as Coalition chairman Richard Prescott still guards one last, terrible secret about the Locust, the Lambent, and the future of mankind. . . .

The Midnight Zoo

by Sonya Hartnett, narrated by Richard Aspel
: When the Germans attack their Romany encampment during World War II, Andrej and his younger brother, Tomas, flee through a ravaged countryside under cover of darkness, guarding a secret bundle. Their journey leads to a bombed-out town, where the boys discover a hidden wonder: a zoo filled with creatures in need of hope. Like Andrej and Tomas, the animals ;— ; wolf and eagle, monkey and bear, lioness and seal, kangaroo and llama, chamois and boar ;— ; have stories to share and a mission to reclaim their lives. Master storyteller Sonya Hartnett has crafted a magical and moving fable about war and redemption . . . and what it means to be free.

And it looks like we got something in from Simon & Schuster Audio as well:

Behemoth

by Scott Westerfeld, narrated by Alan Cumming
"The request line for the sequel can start forming now."*
The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker Powers.
Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory. Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what's ahead.

Goliath

by Scott Westerfeld, narrated by Alan cumming
Alek and Deryn are on the last leg of their round-the-world quest to end World War I, reclaim Alek’s throne as Prince of Austria, and finally fall in love. The first two objectives are complicated by the fact that their ship, the Leviathan, continues to detour farther away from the heart of the war (and crown). And the love thing would be a lot easier if Alek knew Deryn was a girl. (She has to pose as a boy in order to serve in the British Airforce.) And if they weren’t technically enemies.
The tension thickens as the Leviathan steams toward New York City with a homicidal lunatic onboard: secrets suddenly unravel, characters reappear, and nothing is at it seems in this thunderous conclusion to Scott Westerfeld’s brilliant trilogy.

Wow, I can’t wait to get started on those great audiobooks! But that can wait. It’s time to get outside and enjoy the last fading remnants of summer before winter gets here. See you next time, and happy listening!


Look for these audiobook reviews and more, coming soon from Audiobook Heaven.
All summaries are copyrighted by their respective authors and/or publishers.