cover image Extinction

Extinction

Mark Alpert, read by Todd McLaren. Tantor Media, unabridged, 12 CDs, 14 hrs., $39.99 ISBN 978-1-4526-1106-8

Jim Pearce is a former military officer who has developed the technology to build amazing prostheses for veterans returning from war. His daughter Layla works with a hacker organization that reveals government secrets%E2%80%94and she is instrumental in uncovering dangerous classified information about China. The Chinese will do anything to stop Layla before the information is leaked; they've developed an artificial intelligence network called Supreme Harmony that can spy on any government or corporation. But the real danger begins when Supreme Harmony becomes self-aware. Narrator Todd McLaren reads with a slightly gruff tone that gives Pearce a degree of strength. He also adeptly creates voices with suitable tones and accents for the book's other male characters. McLaren doesn't portray the female characters quite as well, using a breathy, slight falsetto that isn't convincing. Still listeners will find much entertainment value of the audio edition of this suspenseful technological thriller. A Thomas Dunne hardcover. (Feb)