Die Kaiserin von Therm

I’ll admit, I approached *Die Kaiserin von Therm* with skepticism. Generation ships? Arkonide diplomats? It sounded like familiar territory. But within an hour, Jacobs’ narration had me hooked—not because the plot was breakneck (it isn’t), but because the *atmosphere* was so intoxicatingly strange. There’s a scene early on where Perry Rhodan negotiates with a thermian delegation, and Jacobs’ delivery turns what could’ve been dry exposition into something electric, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper before soaring into imperial bombast. It’s the kind of performance that makes you *lean in*, even when the story’s meandering through political subplots. That said, this isn’t a flawless experience. The middle act drags—Ewers’ love of ceremonial detail means we spend *a lot* of time watching characters dress, bow, and scheme in corridors. And while Jacobs’ narration is mostly superb, his female voices occasionally veer into caricature, a jarring note in an otherwise polished performance. But these quibbles fade when the story hits its stride: the final confrontation in the thermian palace is a masterclass in audio drama, with Jacobs’ pacing tightening like a noose, the background score (subtle but effective) swelling just enough to raise goosebumps. This isn’t sci-fi for the ADHD crowd; it’s for listeners who want to *marinate* in a world where every syllable feels deliberate, every pause loaded with meaning. If you’ve ever wished *Star Wars* had more velvet capes and poisoned chalices, this is your jam.