Can you feel it
in the air? It’s officially that time of year where everything gets a little bit zany—from stores blaring festive tunes way too early, to nonstop family obligations, to hair-raising commutes thickened with holiday travelers. It’s during these maddeningly busy times that I crave a good escape to somewhere like Mars or Narnia. Now that I’ve gotten all my cynicism out of the way, I’ll admit I actually love this time of year and all the opportunities it presents to chat about the latest sci-fi & fantasy books and TV shows with family and friends I don’t often see, as well as sneak a little extra listening in as I brave shopping malls, bake treats, and travel to and fro. So enjoy your Thanksgiving if you’re celebrating, and may the listens below help you escape when you feel like you need to blast off to anywhere else this season.
- Sam, Audible editor
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Jade City
- The Green Bone Saga, Book 1
- By: Fonda Lee
- Narrated by: Andrew Kishino
- Length: 19 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,369
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,955
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,955
In this World Fantasy Award-winning novel of magic and kungfu, four siblings battle rival clans for honor and power in an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis. Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for - and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion. Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon's bustling capital city.
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4 out of 5 stars
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The Truth about the Godfather Connection
- By Harvey on 05-13-20
6 lovable, dysfunctional, and magical families
No matter which holidays you’re celebrating this season, one thing seems inevitable: a lot of time with family, for better or for worse. One thing I love about meeting new people, both in real life and in books, is getting a taste for different family dynamics and the rituals and traditions they share—and there’s plenty of family conflict and love to be found in this genre. No matter how you’re feeling about this season of nonstop togetherness, let’s all agree to keep it a little more Stark, a little less Lannister, yeah?
To read more, click here.
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Mr. Fox
- A Novel
- By: Helen Oyeyemi
- Narrated by: Carol Boyd
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 102
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 89
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 91
Fairy-tale romances end with a wedding and the fairy tales don't get complicated. In this book, celebrated writer Mr. Fox can't stop himself from killing off the heroines of his novels, and neither can his wife, Daphne. It's not until Mary, his muse, comes to life and transforms him from author into subject that his story begins to unfold differently....
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2 out of 5 stars
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A Great Novel, just Poor for Audio
- By James A. Dittes on 08-13-16
Stuck while traveling? Make a fantastical escape!
I am fortunate enough to be staying close to home base this Thanksgiving holiday, but for those of you who will be braving airports and bus stations across the country, I feel for you right now. This is one of the few times of year when travel feels more confining than escapist. Might I suggest donning your headphones, drowning out the noise of frustrated passengers, and picking up a portal fantasy during your trip? My fellow editor Melissa compiled this list of dreamy, trippy, and magical tales where characters take journeys to strange, otherworldly places. So while these listens won’t turn your local airport into a fantasy dreamscape, they should at least make takeoff more bearable.
To read more, click here.
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You're Going to Mars!
- By: Rob Dircks
- Narrated by: Khristine Hvam
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,023
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,692
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,680
Living and slaving in Fill City One, you get used to the smell. We call it the Everpresent Stink. But every once in a while, on a spring day with a breeze, it clears away enough to remind us that there is something more out there. Most Fillers' wildest dreams would be just to get past the walls and live in the mainland. But my dream? It’s a little bigger. I’m going to Mars.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Reviewers Choice Award, its that good
- By Midwestbonsai on 11-13-18
The trip of a lifetime
My favorite new listen this month—You’re Going to Mars!, performed by the amazing narrator of more than 100 sci-fi and fantasy listens (!) Khristine Hvam, and written by Rob Dircks, the author of the Audible cult favorite Where the Hell Is Tesla?—is just the kind of delightful, fun, sci-fi adventure I look for when I need a pick-me-up. It features a near-future Staten Island that has literally become a landfill (as a native New Yorker, I lol’ed), a reality TV show where the prize is a trip to the Red Planet, and (on theme!) a quirky, but loveable family that includes three sisters named Rock, Paper, and Scissors. What more could you want?
New Releases
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Skyward
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrated by: Suzy Jackson
- Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 41,599
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 38,098
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Story5 out of 5 stars 38,019
From Brandon Sanderson, the number one New York Times best-selling author of the Reckoners series, Words of Radiance, and the internationally best-selling Mistborn series, comes the first book in an epic new series about a girl who dreams of becoming a pilot in a dangerous world at war for humanity's future.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Has Sanderson been reading Craig Alanson???
- By Customer on 11-18-18
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Someone Like Me
- By: M. R. Carey
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 17 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 584
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 521
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Story4 out of 5 stars 522
Liz Kendall wouldn't hurt a fly. Even when times get tough, she's devoted to bringing up her two kids in a loving home. But there's another side to Liz - one that's dark and malicious. She will do anything to get her way, no matter how extreme. And when this other side of her takes control, the consequences are devastating.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Bad Reviews Wrong and the Description is Bad
- By Christopher O. on 06-25-19
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Girls of Paper and Fire
- By: Natasha Ngan, James Patterson - foreword
- Narrated by: Allison Hiroto
- Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 690
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 628
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Story4 out of 5 stars 628
In this richly developed fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards for an unknown fate still haunts her. Now, the guards are back, and this time, it's Lei they're after - the girl with the golden eyes whose rumored beauty has piqued the king's interest.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, the cover is Beautiful the Book is Awful.
- By Ellie Belly McShelly on 12-11-19
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Thin Air
- A Novel
- By: Richard K. Morgan
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,323
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,192
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,184
From the author of the award-winning Altered Carbon, which is now an exciting new series from Netflix. On a Mars where ruthless corporate interests violently collide with a homegrown independence movement as Earth-based overlords battle for profits and power, Hakan Veil is an ex-professional enforcer equipped with military-grade body tech that's made him a human killing machine. But he's had enough, and all he wants is a ticket back home - which is just what he's offered by the Earth Oversight organization, in exchange for being the bodyguard for an EO investigator.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Turns out there is life on Mars
- By Gilbert on 10-26-18
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Skyward
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrated by: Suzy Jackson
- Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 41,599
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 38,098
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 38,019
From Brandon Sanderson, the number one New York Times best-selling author of the Reckoners series, Words of Radiance, and the internationally best-selling Mistborn series, comes the first book in an epic new series about a girl who dreams of becoming a pilot in a dangerous world at war for humanity's future.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Has Sanderson been reading Craig Alanson???
- By Customer on 11-18-18
-
Someone Like Me
- By: M. R. Carey
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 17 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 584
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 521
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 522
Liz Kendall wouldn't hurt a fly. Even when times get tough, she's devoted to bringing up her two kids in a loving home. But there's another side to Liz - one that's dark and malicious. She will do anything to get her way, no matter how extreme. And when this other side of her takes control, the consequences are devastating.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Bad Reviews Wrong and the Description is Bad
- By Christopher O. on 06-25-19
-
Girls of Paper and Fire
- By: Natasha Ngan, James Patterson - foreword
- Narrated by: Allison Hiroto
- Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 690
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 628
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 628
In this richly developed fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards for an unknown fate still haunts her. Now, the guards are back, and this time, it's Lei they're after - the girl with the golden eyes whose rumored beauty has piqued the king's interest.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, the cover is Beautiful the Book is Awful.
- By Ellie Belly McShelly on 12-11-19
-
Thin Air
- A Novel
- By: Richard K. Morgan
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,323
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,192
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,184
From the author of the award-winning Altered Carbon, which is now an exciting new series from Netflix. On a Mars where ruthless corporate interests violently collide with a homegrown independence movement as Earth-based overlords battle for profits and power, Hakan Veil is an ex-professional enforcer equipped with military-grade body tech that's made him a human killing machine. But he's had enough, and all he wants is a ticket back home - which is just what he's offered by the Earth Oversight organization, in exchange for being the bodyguard for an EO investigator.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Turns out there is life on Mars
- By Gilbert on 10-26-18
About the Editor
Sam is obsessed with sci-fi & fantasy in all forms, with a particular soft spot for robots, time travel, and kick-ass heroines. When she’s not exploring distant galaxies and treacherous dungeons, she enjoys a healthy dose of memoirs, horror, and true crime. She is also an avid knitter who uses audiobooks to get her through mundane and challenging patterns—even if the more intense listens tend to mess with her tension.