Inheritors of the Earth

Bob Reed's narration is bright and brisk, capturing the listener's attention. His performance makes ecologist and botanist Chris Thomas's exhaustive work on the state of our natural world sound like a master class taught by an enthusiastic researcher. The author is frank about efforts to preserve wildlife; often, he says, these efforts reflect a world that romanticizes the human relationship to the wild. The truth is much more brutal, and the details are filled with insights about how the natural world is proliferating. Humans need to see ourselves as part of this global ecosystem, not distinctly separate from it. Listeners may not always follow every detail, but most will go along for the entire ride. S.P.C. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine