Sapiens
Audible Best Seller, Science & Technology
Harari provides a one-hundred-thousand-year history of science and human evolution. Derek Perkins narrates as the author describes the six varieties of human species, the major genetic mutations that took place, and the interbreeding that ultimately resulted in the humans we are today. Clearly and succinctly, Perkins explains the complex changes in the physical, mental, and emotional attributes of Sapiens and discusses how Sapiens and Neanderthals interacted with each other. As Perkins tackles this complex history of the cognitive, agricultural, and scientific changes that converged to make us human, Perkins’s meticulous pace is perfect. His skill allows listeners to absorb each fact and ruminate about these complex evolutionary theories. © AudioFile
The Arabs
Earphones Award
Derek Perkins’s powerful narration of Oxford historian Eugene Rogan’s sweeping history of the Arab peoples and nations is audio listening at its very best. The pace never slackens, the hours fly by, and the story that unfolds is as dramatic and fraught as any novel. We in the West know little of the history of the Middle East and even less of its long, troubled relations with the European colonial powers. Rogan, writing largely from an Arab point of view, fills in dozens of blanks in today’s headline stories and offers a perspective that is illuminating, and persuasive. Perkins, as always, is a master of articulation, handling with fluency and confidence a challenging text—one more challenging for the eye than for the ear. © AudioFile
Unruly Places: Lost Spaces, Secret Cities and Other Inscrutable Geographies
Earphones Award, Audie Nomination
Derek Perkins gives a flawless performance in this fascinating examination of global topophilia (a sense of place) and biophilia (the bond between human beings and other living systems). Perkins’s articulate and unrushed narration allows the listener to assimilate the plethora of geographical, political, cultural, and historical facts offered in this study of 47 extraordinary, and mostly unknown, locations.
Perkins’s credible command of numerous accents, in addition to deft modulations to introduce each new location and bring out various local voices, keeps many parts of the book, with their extensive information, from being too dry. While all these aspects of his narration are engaging, it’s Perkins’s warmth that truly reveals his understanding of the book and that effectively conveys its message about the significance of place. © AudioFile
The Highwayman
Audie Award, Earphones Award
Derek Perkins’s gratifying performance brings out the paradoxes in highwayman Dorian Blackwell. Perkins’s rich English accent and deep, resonant voice convey a sexy hero who is intimidating yet civilized, rough yet gentle. It’s no wonder that spirited Farah Mackenzie finds herself attracted to the notorious outlaw even after he’s drugged and kidnapped her. Perkins’s command of accents and tone creates a cast of delightfully diverse characters such as Murdoch, the humorous Scottish manservant, and Frank, the slow-talking, dim-witted gentle giant who works in Blackwell’s kitchen. Perkins’s range of voices and timing makes for entertaining and telling repartee between the characters as well as adds to the suspense as the real villains of this romance reveal themselves. © AudioFile
The Crystal Cave
Earphones Award
The opening volume of Mary Stewart’s classic novels of Merlin and Arthur is at last available as an audiobook, and it was thoroughly worth the wait. Stewart was a scholar of the literature as well as a riveting and original storyteller, and Derek Perkins is her match. His delivery is faultlessly fine, conveying the heart-pounding excitement of Stewart’s tale and the gorgeous atmosphere she has created, all while bringing to life a young Merlin who does not yet know what he is or will be. There are followers of many gods in Stewart’s Dark Ages in Britain, with Mithras and Druid cults alongside the monasteries. Perkins is a marvelous interpreter of this fantastic and vividly imagined world and will leave listeners on tenterhooks for the next installment. © AudioFile
The Ways of the World
Earphones Award
British narrator Derek Perkins authentically delivers this spy story set in Paris in the early twentieth century. His facility with accents makes for an outstanding listening experience as he depicts James “Max” Maxted’s investigation into the death of his father, a diplomat involved in the Paris Peace Conference after WWI. With verve and flawless pacing, Perkins displays excellent storytelling skills. His French and American accents are good, so the international cast is fully believable, and the clever plot moves forward quickly and precisely. Listeners familiar with Goddard’s thrillers won’t be surprised by the many twists in the plot. The serialized ending leaves the story open for the next installment. © AudioFile