AUDIBLE EDITOR
Sam Danis
Sam's just-can't-wait 2021 picks
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Remote Control
- By: Nnedi Okorafor
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 4 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From hereon in she would be known as Sankofa - a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past. Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks - alone, except for her fox companion - searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers.
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Afrofuturist Sci/Fantasy Fairytale
- By J. Angel on 01-20-21
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Victories Greater than Death
- Universal Expansion, Book 1
- By: Charlie Jane Anders
- Narrated by: Hynden Walch
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Tina never worries about being 'ordinary' - she doesn't have to, since she's known practically forever that she's not just Tina Mains, average teenager and beloved daughter. She's also the keeper of an interplanetary rescue beacon, and one day soon, it's going to activate, and then her dreams of saving all the worlds and adventuring among the stars will finally be possible.
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There has never been a more annoying narrator to exist
- By Megan on 04-13-21
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Fugitive Telemetry
- Murderbot Diaries, Book 6
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people - who knew?). Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans! Again!
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Another great Murderbot story
- By Alex Sumner on 04-28-21
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Project Hail Mary
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
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Bazinga
- By Davidgonzalezsr on 05-04-21
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Remote Control
- By: Nnedi Okorafor
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 4 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From hereon in she would be known as Sankofa - a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past. Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks - alone, except for her fox companion - searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers.
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Afrofuturist Sci/Fantasy Fairytale
- By J. Angel on 01-20-21
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Victories Greater than Death
- Universal Expansion, Book 1
- By: Charlie Jane Anders
- Narrated by: Hynden Walch
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Tina never worries about being 'ordinary' - she doesn't have to, since she's known practically forever that she's not just Tina Mains, average teenager and beloved daughter. She's also the keeper of an interplanetary rescue beacon, and one day soon, it's going to activate, and then her dreams of saving all the worlds and adventuring among the stars will finally be possible.
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There has never been a more annoying narrator to exist
- By Megan on 04-13-21
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Fugitive Telemetry
- Murderbot Diaries, Book 6
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people - who knew?). Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans! Again!
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Another great Murderbot story
- By Alex Sumner on 04-28-21
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Project Hail Mary
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
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Bazinga
- By Davidgonzalezsr on 05-04-21
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One Last Stop
- By: Casey McQuiston
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
For cynical 23-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.
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Disappointing
- By kdiz on 06-04-21
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Klara and the Sun
- A Novel
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Sura Siu
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: What does it mean to love?
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Well Worth Having Waited For!
- By otherdeb on 03-04-21
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Crosshairs
- A Novel
- By: Catherine Hernandez
- Narrated by: Catherine Hernandez
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Crosshairs births an indelible landscape of memory and uncertainty as Kay, the gay son of Filipino and Jamaican immigrants, is on the run from a fascist regime operated by a paramilitary group known as the Boots. Those who fall at the bottom of the Boots’ social stratification are rendered “Other” and subsequently sent to work camps. They suffer violence that pushes them further into this otherness, although the new regime labels these sweeping acts the “Renovation”.
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Certain Dark Things
- A Novel
- By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Narrated by: Aida Reluzco
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is just trying to survive its heavily policed streets when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life. Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood drinkers, is smart, beautiful, and dangerous. Domingo is mesmerized.
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Pretty good
- By Zachary on 09-27-21
Sam's Recent Reviews
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The Sea in the Sky
- By: Jackson Musker
- Narrated by: Octavia Chavez-Richmond, James Ludwig, Pun Bandhu, and others
- Original Recording
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Wisecracking, marine biologist Bee Guerrero has signed up for the trip of a lifetime: a series of dives deep into the pitch-black waters of Saturn’s moon, Enceladus....
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Too annoying
- By Kristian Pulz on 10-07-20
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The Sea in the Sky
- An immersive, atmospheric journey
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Fiction podcasts are a relatively new medium to me, but I’ll be listening to a lot more after this one. Cleverly told through two astronauts’ dispatches to Earth, The Sea in the Sky is a sci-fi story that is at turns suspenseful, heartfelt, and haunting—with just enough humor to break up the tense claustrophobia that only a deep-space adventure with such rich, plausible sound design can deliver. It’s a little bit Interstellar with a dash of The Martian, and yet really all its own. I recommend enjoying this one under a clear night sky for maximum effect, but no matter where you listen, prepare to be transported.
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Episode 1
- By: Dov Fox
- Narrated by: Dov Fox
- Length: 20 mins
- Original Recording
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A family struggles with a troubled son, who makes a startling discovery about his biological father, opening up a world of deceit….
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Excellent
- By R S Reyburn on 09-14-20
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Episode 1
- 08-31-20
- Donor 9623: Part One
- Length: 20 mins
- An emotional investigative story
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The best true crime walks a fine line between revealing the shocking details and preserving the humanity and dignity of the victims involved. This story—about a prolific sperm donor who biologically fathered 36 children, all while misrepresenting himself to the families who chose his genes—completely hits that mark. Each episode of this compulsive eight-part series builds on the next, revealing the complexity and flaws in a system so many rely on to become parents. Dov Fox’s reporting leaves few stones unturned, examining this strange and shocking story from all angles. A must-listen for any true crime fan, particularly of the podcast variety.
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The Space Between Worlds
- By: Micaiah Johnson
- Narrated by: Nicole Lewis
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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An outsider who can travel between worlds discovers a secret that threatens the very fabric of the multiverse in this stunning debut, a powerful examination of identity, privilege, and belonging....
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Refreshing
- By Amazon Customer on 08-19-20
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The Space Between Worlds
- Narrated by: Nicole Lewis
- Series: Ashtown, Book 1
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Release date: 08-04-20
- Language: English
- A gripping journey through the multiverse
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I love a good existential crisis, and no concept guarantees one quite like the concept of multiverses—so naturally I seek out sci-fi that scratches that itch. Micaiah Johnson has imagined a really unique spin on the sub-genre—in this world, extra-dimensional travel is possible, but only to universes where you (or, that universe’s version of you) are already dead. I just started listening to this exciting debut, narrated by the amazing Nicole Lewis (of Such a Fun Age fame), and I’m hooked.
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Network Effect
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
When Murderbot's human associates (not friends, never friends) are captured and another not-friend from its past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action....
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I Hope You Remain Unmurdered
- By pondo on 05-06-20
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Network Effect
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Series: Murderbot Diaries, Book 5
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Release date: 05-05-20
- Language: English
- I’ve never related to a robot so hard
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I’m somewhat of a latecomer to this series, which was introduced in 2017 with the novella All Systems Red. But recently, while looking for a fun, escapist listen, I finally hit play—and I’m an instant convert. This installment in the series is particularly exciting, because it’s the first full-length novel and stands on its own. So even if you, too, haven’t listened to this series yet, you can dive right in. But really, you owe it to yourself to catch up on the other listens—they’re short, fun, smart, and perfectly performed. Murderbot, brilliantly voiced by Kevin R. Free, is a big #mood right now. They just want to be left alone to watch their stories without humans bothering them—and what’s more relatable than that?
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The City We Became
- By: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In Manhattan, a young grad student gets off the train and realizes he doesn't remember who he is, where he's from, or even his own name. But he can sense the beating heart of the city, see its history, and feel its power....
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I don't understand the hype
- By Joe on 04-13-20
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The City We Became
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Series: The Great Cities, Book 1
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Release date: 03-24-20
- Language: English
- Don't mess with New York
- So many writers and creators have attempted and brilliantly succeeded at the city-as-character trope, and New York has been featured heavily in these stories—but how many writers can say they literally made New York a sentient being? Wait—don’t think about that too much: just start listening and experience how Jemisin drops you into this wonderfully weird, wild new fantasy series as if you were arriving for the first time in this bewildering and amazing city itself. I love her ability to adapt her unique voice to any story she tells, and this one—fast-paced, surreal, a little jaded—felt so quintessentially New York, I swear wore a permanent grin for the first few chapters. I didn’t really need a reason to get hyped about this new series beyond the fact that it existed—but as a born-and-raised New Yorker, Jemisin has written the love letter to my city that my weird little nerdy heart didn’t even know it yearned for.
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