The Angel's Game
(unabridged, published by Orion (UK) and Random House (US))
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, read by Dan Stevens
Narrator Dan Stevens achieves the perfect nuances for all the novel's characters – at once compelling and passionate, then smoothly shifting to the spooky timbre of
the more bizarre cast. His accents are subtle, soft, urgent, and true... A delicious, unforgettable listen.
Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
– (US) Audiofile Magazine
We Will Remember Them: Voices From the Aftermath of the Great War
(abridged, published by Orion)
by Max Arthur, read by Clive Mantle and Patience Tomlinson
The crux of an audio like this is getting the right readers to play such a dauntingly large and diverse cast of real people. They're all here – tommies, brigadiers, retreating German officers being given receipts for their weapons, nurses tending shell-shocked patients. It's a tall order, but Clive Mantle and Patience Tomlinson are equal to it. They're superb. An extraordinarily moving book, Kleenex essential.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest
(abridged, published by Quercus)
by Stieg Larsson, read by Martin Wenner
The third in the trilogy, 'its plot is little more than the long-drawn-out retribution demanded by the first two books — with, of course, a last-minute escape or three thrown in. Gripping stuff from an informed source, and Martin Wenner’s nicely varied vocal characterisation on this abridged version is much better than the tediously slow articulation by Saul Reichlin of the unabridged (Whole Story) version.'
– Christina Hardyment, The Times
Dulwich College – A History, 1616–2008
(published by Dulwich College, designed by Strathmore Publishing)
by Jan Piggott
'This monumental volume, beautifully produced...'
84 Charing Cross Road
(unabridged, published by Hachette)
by Helene Hanff, read by Juliet Stevenson & John Nettles
‘I can't imagine [this audio] without Stevenson and Nettles. Her warmth, his reticence, their shared love of old books – onionskin pages, leather-bound and gold-embossed, with flyleaf dedications circa 1847 and pencilled notes in the margin – made me weep. I miss books horribly, but audios as perfect as this make up for the loss.’
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
(abridged & unabridged, published by Orion)
by Paul Torday · multi-voice reading with John Sessions and cast;
featuring Andrew Marr
‘What made me keep the CDs spinning until the very end was the star quality of the production. Its multi-voiced cast includes John Sessions as the fisheries expert who finds love and new faith in the unlikely enterprise, Samantha Bond as his icy superwoman wife, Andrew Sachs as the Huttonesque interrogator and Andrew Marr as himself. Expertly directed by [Strathmore Publishing]'
– Christina Hardyment, The Times
An Equal Music
(abridged, published by Orion)
by Vikram Seth · read by Alan Bates
‘Seth is an inspired storyteller who, in this magical novel, applies his effortless pen to the impossible task of writing about music. He tells an unforgettable take whose voices – all ably captured by Alan Bates in that tired, elegant way of his – weave from London to Vienna, Venice to Rochdale with the glorious geometric intricacy of Bach’s Art of Fugue, which, in itself, is woven into the fabric of the book. If ever a novel was mean to be read aloud, this one was, and the occasional music excerpts, which could have upended the whole delicate balance, are superbly handled.’
– The Irish Times
