A hilarious love letter to fantasy and its fans

Felicia Day is the very definition of a multi-hyphenate talent—creator and star of award-winning web series The Guild, creator of Geek & Sundry, actor, streamer, all around nerdy connoisseur—and she can now confidently add audio creator to her resume. Her Audible Original Third Eye (which she has been working on for five years!) turns the “chosen one” trope on its head. What if the person who was supposed to save the world failed, and pretty spectacularly at that? Where do they go from here? Felicia herself portrays our relatable non-hero, Laurel, and has brought together a spectacular cast to join her in this adventure, including LilyPichu, Sean Astin, London Hughes, Danny Pudi, Wil Wheaton, and Neil Gaiman. The end result of this labor of love is a witty, snort-too-loud-in-public adventure with a whole lot of heart. —Sam D.

The long-awaited sequel to The Firm does not disappoint

Edoardo Ballerini delivers a suspense-filled performance of this sequel to John Grisham’s bestselling 1991 novel (and the 1993 film starring Tom Cruise), The Firm. It’s been 15 years since Mitch and Abby McDeere fled Memphis. They’re now living in Manhattan with their 8-year-old twin sons, and Mitch is a partner at one of New York’s biggest law firms. When a colleague is kidnapped in Libya, Mitch must navigate international intrigue to thwart the impending execution and come up with the staggering $100 million ransom. Ballerini’s taut narration pairs well with Grisham’s short chapters, perfectly building up the urgency of the story’s drama for a thrilling, pulse-pounding listen. —Margaret H.

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Over the past decade, plenty of writers have investigated the emergence of social media from the business side. But the corporate tales haven't fully tackled tech from the user side and how it's reshaped (destroyed?) our daily lives. Leave it to journalist Taylor Lorenz to detail how the content creator industry has transformed our world. From mommy bloggers and beauty vloggers to the fall of Vine and MySpace and the rise of influencers (and so much in-between), the often-polarizing Washington Post reporter unleashes her extensive knowledge about digital culture in this easily digestible narrative. She pieces together the puzzle—the silly moments and the profound—to reveal how social platforms have not only shaped the internet but forever changed how we view fame, notoriety, and (dare I say it?) our personal brands. —Jerry P.

Gory, horrifying, and just a bit messed up

When I first saw the cover for The Dead Take the A Train, I had no idea what to expect. As soon as I listened to the first few minutes of the audio, it was clear that this was no ordinary horror novel. Julie is a skilled magician who has managed to establish herself in the magic community. However, because she’s an addict with a harsh personality, work is hard for Julie to come by, causing her financial strain. When an old friend in need reappears, Julie turns to magic to change her life around in order to help. She quickly realizes that her actions have far-reaching and deadly consequences—and must use her skills to make things right before it's too late. Even as I write this, I still don't have words for how much I enjoyed The Dead Take the A Train (note: not having words is unusual for me). The world-building, characters/creature descriptions, and urban twist were exceptional, and I found myself so immersed that I was able to devour this one in one day. The authors, Richard Kadrey and Cassandra Khaw, did not hold back on the gore, which, combined with Natalie Naudus’s excellent performance, left me just a bit grossed out but eagerly anticipating the second part of this duology. —Patty R.

Bryan Washington always delivers

Just as food is always on my mind, I know that Bryan Washington’s extensive catalog, which is ripe with mouthwatering culinary essays as well as stellar works of fiction, always delivers. His latest novel, Family Meal makes no exception, as it serves up a story that is just as savory as it is vulnerable. Listening to this audiobook, tenderly performed by AndréSantana, Jake Choi, and Washington himself, feels exactly like sharing dinner with a long-lost friend—equipped with pregnant pauses, nods to unspoken conversation, and, above all else, the warm tastes of nostalgia, which bubble up alongside each and every mouthwatering aroma that Washington reproduces so poetically and precisely with his prose. It truly is a story to return to for second helpings. —Haley H.

The meaty adult fantasy we didn’t know we needed from Cassandra Clare

I’m so glad Cassandra Clare thought to pair up two of my favorite narrators for Sword Catcher. This is her adult fantasy debut after writing uber-popular and long-running young adult series for many years, and I found it to be a mesmerizing tale. Told through the dulcet tones of narrators Fiona Hardingham and Christian Coulson, this is a story about two overlooked members of a magical society who are nevertheless integral to its functioning. Sword Catcher Kel is a body double for the prince, and Ashkar Lin is a wielder of magic who is disdained by all. But being outcasts while also residing in the inner circles of society means these two characters have the unique ability to either wreak havoc or (possibly) save the kingdom. It’s one credit-worthy click away toward a 23-plus-hour adventure. —Melissa B.

A hard look at diversity

When a white person tells me, “I don’t see your color,” I see danger. Colorblindness doesn’t help Blacks in the workplace and hides those “gray areas.” In Gray Areas, a must-listen, sociologist Adia Harvey Wingfield points out that gray areas include the hiring process, which can be challenging for Black candidates. There are assumptions that Black women with children might be risky hires because of child care issues and a lack of support at home. There is friction between white women and Black men because of the perception they are not perceived as congenial. Once hired, the next challenge for Black employees is to advance. Wingfield offers solutions for companies–such as leadership taking on the job of mentoring and sponsoring new hires, conducting special task forces to identify the problems and creating checks and balances, and, most important, setting Black employees up for success. She urges companies to consider the importance of color consciousness instead of colorblindness for positive results. —Yvonne D.

A polyphonic portrait of terrifying genius

Among his many gifts, Chilean writer Benjamín Labatut makes science feel like the greatest of passions and reason, the very foundation of madness. After his triumphant “nonfiction novel” When We Cease to Understand the World earned a spot on President Obama’s 2021 reading list, Labatut returns to explore similar themes of genius and destruction in his first novel written in English. Though it’s bookended by explosive sections on physicist Paul Ehrenfest and the historic Go matches between Lee Sedol and AI competitor AlphaGo, The MANIAC is centered on legendary Hungarian polymath John von Neumann, whose legacy includes inventing game theory, contributing to the Manhattan Project, and laying the foundations for modern computing and artificial intelligence. The MANIAC explores the terrifying tentacles of his brilliance through the voices of his colleagues, friends, and family, gorgeously voiced by two Hungarian performers. While I was curious to hear more from the women in von Neumann’s sphere, Labatut’s prose is as spellbinding as the novel’s many allusions to weaving, including this chilling gem: “Technology, after all, is a human excretion, and should not be considered as something Other. It is part of us, just like the web is part of the spider.” —Kat J.

Take a trip?

In this new mind-bending audio experience focused on the potential effects of psychedelics on spirituality and health, esteemed music producer, songwriter, and singer Maejor has managed to create a worthy follow-up to his hit Audible Original, Maejor Frequency. Over the course of 10 kaleidoscopic episodes, Maejor and his cohost, fellow “psychonaut” Natalie Lyla Ginsberg from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), interview a host of new spirit guides, scientists, wellness gurus, and musicians to unlock inner healing and creativity. Listening to the vivacious undulating sounds of Psychedelic Frequency is a trip in and of itself—no substances required. —Rachael X.

A thought-provoking fever dream

Entirely consuming and utterly transporting, Melissa Broder’s latest novel had me completely transfixed. For the few days in which I devoured this listen, all I could think about was getting back to it. The story at the outset is simple enough—a woman in her early 40s, who is coping with both a father recovering (or not) from a coma and a husband whose mysterious illness seems to be worsening by the day, heads to the California desert under the guise of seeking inspiration for the novel she is struggling to write. While on a hike, the heroine stumbles upon a strange cactus, which leads her into another realm—one in which, on some level, she will have to fight for her own survival. In this work, I found Broder to be her usual witty and darkly funny self, with an added depth of vulnerability. Against the backdrop of an unforgiving desert, she dissects the often unspoken aspects of loving a person who is chronically ill; what it is like to grieve, particularly those with which we have had complicated relationships; and even the nature of God. Somehow, within the realm of magical realism, Broder has become realer than ever before. —Madeline A.

Brave listeners unite

This one was an instant “add to library” as soon as I read the description: “As the days grow shorter and the temperature drops, Halloween approaches. Come, brave listener, pull up a chair, and spend some time with master storyteller Stephen Fry as he tells us some of his favourite ghost stories of all time, in truly terrifying spatial audio.” Imagine just how amazing these classic scary tales will be in this brand new, and very special, audio edition performed by the one-and-only Stephen Fry! —Tricia F.