Audiobooks narrated by Rufus Wright

The Penguin Book of Penguins: An Expert’s Guide to the World’s Most Beloved Bird

"Brought to you by Penguin. A charming and beautifully illustrated book about the world’s most beloved bird, written by a leading scientist at The British Antarctic Survey, illustrated by his wife. There’s something about penguins that makes them irresistible. Maybe it’s their comical waddle, their black-and-white ‘tuxedo’ plumage, or their apparent cheerfulness in the face of extreme weather conditions. Whatever the reason, their cult following around the globe is indisputable. Penguins can tell us so much about the world we live in – and what the future of both our species might look like. In The Penguin Book of Penguins, leading British Antarctic scientist Peter Fretwell introduces us to eighteen charismatic species of penguin and the fascinating lives they lead: their evolution, behaviours and habitats, and their history with humans. From the fact that emperor penguins dive twice as deep as any other bird, to the story of a king penguin called Sir Nils Olav III who was made a Major General by the Norwegian Army, we discover through fascinating first-hand encounters (and even penguin jokes and emojis!) why penguins matter so greatly to all of us. ‘Electrifyingly charismatic’ Dan Snow, author of On This Day in History ‘The world's best-loved bird from the world's best-known publisher – what's not to like?’ Stephen Moss, author of The Bird Biography series ‘Beautifully written and illustrated’ Matt Merritt, Editor of Bird Watching 'Simply wonderful. If you like feeling joy, you'll love this book' Tristan Gooley, author of How to Read a Tree © Peter Fretwell and Lisa Fretwell 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Lisa Fretwell, Peter Fretwell (Author), Rufus Wright (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer

"Brought to you by Penguin. One winter evening bestselling crime author, Elín S. Jónsdóttir goes missing. There are no clues to her disappearance and it is up to young detective, Helgi, to crack the case before it's leaked to the press. As he interviews the people closest to her – a publisher, an accountant, a retired judge – he realises that Elín’s life wasn’t what it seemed. In fact, her past is even stranger than her stories. As the case of the missing crime writer becomes more mysterious by the hour, Helgi must uncover the secrets of a very unexpected life . . . 'ONE OF THE FINEST CRIME WRITERS IN THE WORLD TODAY' DAILY MAIL ‘Jónasson is an automatic must-read for me . . . possibly the best Scandi writer working today’ LEE CHILD ‘A master of the Icelandic thriller’ NEW YORK POST © Ragnar Jónasson 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Ragnar Jónasson (Author), Cicely Whitehead, Jane Slavin, Rufus Wright (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Dead to Me

"Brought to you by Penguin. You thought he was the one. You broke his heart. But now, he might be the only one who can save your life... Anna and Reid weren't meant to be, apparently. She's a fiery American journalist; he's a stoic British detective - it was nice while it lasted, and then it really wasn't. And Anna is over it now anyway. She's on the scent of a career-making story - a suspicious death amongst the cloistered elite world of Cambridge University, with a slice of police corruption too. It's just, the more she investigates, the more there's only one person she wants to talk to about it. She starts writing Reid a long sprawling email - it's not like she's ever planning to send it. Until suddenly, she's in desperate trouble. The problem with chasing a killer is that sometimes, you run right into them. And the only detective she can trust with her life, is the one who broke her heart... Praise for Gytha Lodge 'A novel that literally makes you hold your breath then gasp out loud' VAL McDERMID 'Gripped me from the first page and kept me turning the pages long into the night' ERIN KELLY 'Smart, moody, intense and tangled. I loved it' GILLIAN MCALLISTER 'With clues and twists to keep you absolutely hooked from the first page to the last. I can't wait for her next book' JANE CASEY © Gytha Lodge 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Gytha Lodge (Author), Chris Thompson, Gytha Lodge, Ina Marie Smith, Rufus Wright, Tom Stourton (Narrator)

Audiobook

The World of the Cold War: 1945-1991

"Brought to you by Penguin. A sweeping, original history of the Cold War, from an acclaimed historian of the USSR Why did the Cold War erupt so soon after the Second World War? How did it escalate so rapidly, spanning five continents over six decades? And what led to the spectacular collapse of the Soviet Union? In this comprehensive guide to the most widespread conflict in contemporary history, Vladislav Zubok traces the origins of the Cold War in post-war Europe, through the tumultuous decades of confrontation, to the fall of the Berlin Wall and beyond. With remarkable clarity and unique perspective, Zubok argues that the Cold War, often seen as an existential battle between capitalist democracy and totalitarian communism, has long been misunderstood. He challenges the popular Western narrative that economic superiority and democratic values led the USA to victory. Instead, he looks beyond the familiar images of East-West rivalry, shining a light on the impact of non-Western actors and placing the war in the context of global decolonisation, Soviet weakness and the accidents of history. Here, he interrogates what happens when stability and peace are no longer the default, when treaties are broken and when diplomacy ceases to function. Drawing on years of research and informed by Zubok’s three decades in the USSR followed by three decades in the West, The World of the Cold War paints a striking portrait of a world on the brink. © Vladislav Zubok 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Vladislav Zubok (Author), Rufus Wright (Narrator)

Audiobook

Objects of Desire

"Brought to you by Penguin. Hugo Hunter was the most celebrated gay novelist of the 20th century. He published two masterpieces, securing his place alongside the dazzling literary greats of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and rubbing shoulders with everyone from Truman Capote to James Baldwin, Gore Vidal and George Orwell. But after decades of fame and excess, just as New York City enters the 1980s and awakes to the coming horror of AIDS, Hugo finds himself running out of money. Out of nowhere, he receives an extraordinary lifeline: an offer from his longtime publisher. Two million dollars, for a memoir and a new novel. The money will solve all his problems – except for one thing. Hugo Hunter is an imposter. He stole both of his novels. Now, how far will he go to produce a third? Deliciously vicious and darkly funny, OBJECTS OF DESIRE features an astonishing cast of 20th century glitterati. It is at once a colourful glimpse into the scandalous lives of the cultural elite, and a tense, gripping story of betrayal, backstabbing and literary fraud. 'Razor-sharp and deeply unsettling while being endlessly entertaining. A triumph.' JENNIE GODFREY, author of THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS 'A delicious, literary feast. A wickedly funny and sharply relevant novel of duplicity and betrayal with a glittering cast of literary greats.' ANNA MAZZOLA, author of THE BOOK OF SECRETS 'A masterful novel, OBJECTS OF DESIRE is utterly irresistible; it’s dark and wickedly fun. One of my favourite books of the year so far.' FLORA CARR, author of THE TOWER 'A biting, unflinching study of art and deceit . . . Neil Blackmore has achieved his best work yet.' ANNIE GARTHWAITE, author of CECILY © Neil Blackmore 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Neil Blackmore (Author), Rufus Wright (Narrator)

Audiobook

These Strange New Minds: How AI Learned to Talk and What It Means

"Brought to you by Penguin. Stunning advances in digital technology have given us a new wave of disarmingly human-like AI systems. Chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini put the knowledge of all the world’s experts at our fingertips, and can generate meaningful sentences, equations and computer code. The march of this new technology is set to upturn our economies, challenge our democracies, and refashion society in unpredictable ways. We can expect these AI systems to soon be making autonomous decisions on the user’s behalf, with transformative impact on everything we do. It is vital we understand how they work. Can AI systems ‘think’, ‘know’ and ‘understand’? Could they manipulate or deceive you, and if so, what might they make you do? Whose interests do they ultimately represent? And when will they be able to move beyond words and take actions for themselves in the real world? To answer these questions, neuroscientist and AI researcher Christopher Summerfield explains how these strange new minds work. He charts the evolution of AI, from the earliest inklings about thinking machines in the seventeenth century to today’s gargantuan deep neural networks. The resulting book is the most accessible, up-to-date and authoritative exploration of this radical new technology. Ultimately, armed with an understanding of AI’s mysterious inner workings, we can begin to grapple with the existential question of our age: can we look forward to a technological utopia, or are we in the process of writing ourselves out of history? ‘An engaging, insightful and panoramic survey of where we are, why we got here and what it means. A brilliant guide to the most important technology of our times’ Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI & Cofounder of DeepMind ‘As a leading authority in both computational neuroscience and the social impacts of AI, Christopher Summerfield is perfectly situated to explore the meaning and implications of these machines that are so uncannily like – and unlike – ourselves’ Brian Christian, co-author of Algorithms to Live by ‘AI expert Chris Summerfield takes us on a tour of this astonishing new technology, and helps us to understand the issues it raises. You might choose to be alarmed, excited, or indifferent to LLMs, but you should read Chris’s book before you decide’ Mike Woolridge, author of The Road to Conscious Machines ©2024 Christopher Summerfield (P)2024 Penguin Audio"

Christopher Summerfield (Author), Rufus Wright (Narrator)

Audiobook

Light Over Liskeard

"Brought to you by Penguin. Sometimes we must look to the past to survive the future. A novel about what really matters in life from the bestselling author of Captain Corelli's Mandolin Q wants a simpler and safer life. His work as a quantum cryptographer for the government has led him to believe a crisis is imminent for civilisation and he's looking for somewhere to ride out what's ahead. He buys a ruined farmhouse in Cornwall and begins to build his own self-sufficient haven. Over the course of this quest he meets the eccentric characters who already live on the moors nearby - including the park ranger in charge of the reintroduced lynxes and aurochs that roam the area; a holy man waiting for the second coming on top of a nearby hill; an Arthurian knight on horseback and the amorous ghost of an Edwardian woman who haunts the farmhouse. As life in the cities gets more complicated, and our systems of electronic control begin to fall apart, Q flourishes in the wild Cornish countryside. His new way of life brings him back in tune with his teenage children, his ex-wife, and his own sense of who he is. He also grows close to Eva, energetic and enchanting, who is committed to her own quest for love and meaning. In this entertaining and heart-warming novel Louis de Bernières pokes fun at modern mores, and makes us reconsider what is really precious in our short and precarious lives. ©2023 Louis de Bernières (P)2023 Penguin Audio"

Louis De Bernières (Author), Rufus Wright (Narrator)

Audiobook

Tumanbay: The Complete Series 1-4: The BBC Radio epic full-cast saga

"An engrossing, expansive historical fantasy drama, inspired by the Mamluk slave dynasty of Egypt Tumanbay: the wealthiest city on earth. The beating heart of a vast empire. A city of dreams, where those who once arrived as slaves now hold power, and merchants, artists and warriors live side-by-side in peace. But this magnificent city is under threat. A rebellion in a far-off province, led by 'Queen' Maya, is gathering strength - and a mysterious force is devouring the empire from within. Gregor, a merciless spymaster and Master of the Palace Guard, is charged by Sultan Al-Ghuri to crush the insurgence, as his brother General Qulan is dispatched to quell the provincial insurrection. But as well as rooting out traitors, Gregor must contend with his arch-rival, the cunning Grand Vizier, Cadali. Meanwhile, Heaven, the 14-year-old daughter of slave merchant Ibn, is adrift at sea, captive to an escaped slave on whom she depends for her survival. Madu, the Sultan's spoilt nephew, also has to grow up quickly as he swaps palace life for the army... As the wheel of fate turns, Tumanbay's fortunes suffer a terrible reversal. Beset by plague, assassins, invasion, occupation and revolution, the once-great city is riven by political intrigue and power struggles. As rulers are toppled and tyrants fall, who will survive and thrive - and who will die? A Game of Thrones-style epic with the sweep of The Arabian Nights, this compelling story of love, revenge, betrayal and deception won the Best Audio Serial Gold Award at the New York Radio Festival. Among the impressive ensemble cast are Rufus Wright, Olivia Popica, Matthew Marsh, Alexander Siddig, John Sessions, Hiran Abeysekera, Aiysha Hart, Anton Lesser, Tara Fitzgerald, Enzo Cilenti and Rob Jarvis. Production credits Created by John Scott Dryden and Mike Walker and inspired by the Mamluk slave rulers of Egypt Written by John Scott Dryden, Mike Walker and Mac Rogers Directed by John Scott Dryden Produced by Emma Hearn, Nadir Khan and John Scott Dryden Original music by Sacha Puttnam Additional music by Jon Ouin Sound Design: Steve Bond, Jon Ouin and Eloise Whitmore Sound Recording by Joe Richardson and Laurence Farr Sound Edited by James Morgan and Andrea Gomez Editors: Ania Przygoda and James Morgan A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4 © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

John Dryden, Mike Walker (Author), Alexander Siddig, Anton Lesser, Danny Ashok, Full Cast, John L. Sessions, Matthew Marsh, Nabil Elouahabi, Olivia Popica, Raad Rawi, Rufus Wright (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Rufus Wright