Beyond the Belt

I listened to *Beyond the Belt* in two sittings, and the Virtual Voice narrator deserves a medal for keeping this lively. The synthetic performance is surprisingly expressive—Captain Masters comes across as gruff but kind, while the younger crew members crackle with energy. My only quibble is that some character voices blur together during rapid-fire dialogue, especially when multiple kids are talking at once. Still, the narration elevates King’s snappy banter and sharp action scenes, making the short runtime feel like it’s flying by. I kept waiting for the story to over-explain its sci-fi tech, but King trusts the listener to keep up, which is a refreshing change. The Nazuc feel genuinely menacing without relying on cheap jump scares, and the Honor’s crew solves problems with teamwork and quick thinking rather than brute force. My 8-year-old demanded a sequel immediately, and my only critique was that the ending wraps up *too* neatly—though that’s a small price to pay for an audiobook that’s this addictive.