Audiobooks narrated by Steve John Shepherd

The Man Who Changed the Way We Read: The Story of Allen Lane and Penguin Books

"Brought to you by Penguin. The story of Penguin Books, Allen Lane and how they changed the world, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Penguin By founding Penguin books and popularizing the paperback, Allen Lane not only changed publishing in Britain, he was also at the forefront of a social and cultural revolution that saw the millions of people given access to what had previously been the preserve of a wealthy few. In Penguin Special, Jeremy Lewis brings this extraordinary era brilliantly to life, recounting how Allen Lane came to launch his Penguins for the price of a packet of cigarettes; how they became enormously influential in alerting the public to the threat of Nazi Germany; and how Penguin itself gradually became a national institution, like the BBC and the NHS, whilst at the same time challenging the status quo through the famous Lady Chatterley case. Above all, it is the story of how one often fallible, complex man used his vision to change the world. © Jeremy Lewis 2005 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Jeremy Lewis (Author), Steve John Shepherd (Narrator)

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Ubac and Me: A Life of Love and Adventure With a French Mountain Dog

"Brought to you by Penguin. An unforgettable memoir about a life of adventure in the great outdoors and the power of a dog's transformative love A tiny ad in a local newspaper catches Cédric Sapin-Defour’s eye: a litter of Bernese Mountain Dog puppies need homes. A lonely, single, sports teacher and mountain climber in the French Alps, Cédric visits the dogs and immediately falls for the puppy with a blue collar. Named Ubac, French for the north side of the mountain – the rainy, cloudy slope – the puppy quickly upends Cédric’s life. They go on hikes together, taking to the hills and exploring, forging a bond that brings joy and a sense of fulfilment and adventure. They brave the world together, hate to be apart, crave the mountains and the natural world; they protect each other. Over the course of thirteen years, their pack expands to include Mathilde, Cédric’s wife, and more dogs. Ubac and Me is an intimate meditation on a joyous life lived too fast, the aching pain of separation, and the transformative effect of unconditional love. Ubac and Me has been a word-of-mouth sensation, selling over half a million copies in France. ‘Cédric Sapin-Defour’s celebration of the life of Ubac has made him a literary sensation’ Sunday Times ‘A tribute to the love humans feel for their pets’ Guardian Translated by Adriana Hunter. © Cédric Sapin-Defour 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Cédric Sapin-Defour (Author), Steve John Shepherd (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Traitor

"Brought to you by Penguin. Following weeks of heavy rain, the earth comes crumbling down on one of Larvik’s residential areas, burying a handful of houses. Detective William Wisting is quick to join the rescue operation. Luckily, by sunrise the next day, it becomes clear that the landslide has claimed no victims. And yet, just twenty-four hours later, a body is found – and the victim was killed before the landslide. As Wisting opens an investigation into the mysterious murder, he soon discovers this death might have dangerous ties to a series of ongoing cases. And the clues start leading Wisting not towards an enemy on the outside – but to a traitor in his own unit… © Jørn Lier Horst 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024"

Jørn Lier Horst (Author), Steve John Shepherd (Narrator)

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Dogs and Monsters

"Brought to you by Penguin. 'There is nothing more terrifying than the monster that squats behind the door you dare not open...' From the bestselling author of The Porpoise come eight mesmerising stories exploring what, ultimately, makes us human. Mark Haddon weaves ancient fables into fresh and unexpected forms, and forges new legends to sit alongside them. The myth of the Minotaur in his labyrinth is turned into a wrenching parable of maternal love – and of the monstrosities of patriarchy. The lover of a goddess, Tithonus, is gifted eternal life but without eternal youth. Actaeon, changed into a stag after glimpsing the naked Diana and torn to pieces by his hunting dogs, becomes a visceral metaphor about how humans use and misuse animals. From genetic engineering to the eternal complications of family, Haddon showcases how we are subject to the same elemental forces that obsessed the Greeks. Whether describing Laika the Soviet space dog on her fateful orbit, or St Anthony wrestling with loneliness in the desert, his astonishing powers of observation are at their height when illuminating the thin line between human and animal. 'A marvel of a collection' Kaliane Bradley 'In sentences as precisely cut as paper sculptures, Mark Haddon fits ancient myth to the cruelties and wonders of the present' Francis Spufford ©2024 Mark Haddon (P)2024 Penguin Audio"

Mark Haddon (Author), Christina Cole, Rachel Bavidge, Robert Bathurst, Steve John Shepherd (Narrator)

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A Poisoner's Tale

"Brought to you by Penguin. 'They will forget that we are flesh-and-blood women who have lived, and who now die, at the mercy of those who judge us.' Discover the dark and gothic historical novel inspired by the true story of Giulia Tofana, the first documented female serial killer in history. Perfect for fans of The Familiars and The Lost Apothecary. Murderer or saviour? You decide. . . Rome, 1656 In the shadowy backstreets of the Eternal City lies an apothecary – a place for women to take their heartbreaks and troubles. Herbs for childbirth. Tarot readings to tell their fortunes. An undetectable poison that can kill in four drops. Alongside her circle of female poisoners, Giulia Tofana dispenses her deadly potion to free the downtrodden women of the city from their abusive husbands. A path she’s determined to follow after a harrowing childhood in Palermo. But even in a time of plague, it does not go unnoticed when the men of Rome begin to fall like flies. With a newly elected Pope hell-bent on ridding the city of heretics and witches, and the Holy Office of the Inquisition on her tail, Giulia is in more danger than ever. . . How far will she go for the women who need her help? Exploring the realities of what it is like to be a woman who rebels against society, A Poisoner’s Tale takes the reader on a tense, challenging but spellbinding journey. This is not just a retelling of the legend of Giulia Tofana but an ode to sisterhood and motherhood, to defiance and secret rebellion. ©2024 Cathryn Kemp (P)2024 Penguin Audio"

Cathryn Kemp (Author), Gabrielle Nellis-Pain, Steve John Shepherd (Narrator)

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Homer and His Iliad

"Brought to you by Penguin. Homer's Iliad is the famous epic poem set among the tales of Troy. Its subject is the anger of the hero Achilles and its dreadful consequences for the warring Greeks and Trojans. It was composed more than 2600 years ago, but still transfixes us with its tale of loss and battle, love and revenge, guided throughout by the active presence of the gods. Its beauty and profound bleakness are intensely moving but great questions remain: where, how and when it was composed and why it has such enduring power? In this compelling book Robin Lane Fox addresses these questions, drawing on a life-long love and engagement with the poem. He argues for a place, a date and a method for its composition, giving us a sense of alternative approaches and grounding his own in discoveries about long heroic poems composed elsewhere in the world, and the ever-growing evidence of archaeology. Unlike other books on the Iliad, this one combines the detailed expertise of a historian with the sensitivity of a teacher of it as poetry. Lane Fox goes on to consider hallmarks of the poem, its values, implicit and explicit, its characters, its women, its gods and even its horses. He argues repeatedly for its beautiful observation and addresses its parallel use of what is, to us, the natural world. Thousands of readers turn to the Iliad every year. In this superbly written and conceived tribute, Lane Fox expresses and amplifies what old and new readers can find in it. It is pervaded, he argues, by a poignant hardness which is not just a poetic trick. It is a deeply held view of the world. ©2023 Robin Lane Fox (P)2023 Penguin Audio"

Robin Lane Fox (Author), Steve John Shepherd (Narrator)

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Putin's Prisoner: My Time as a Prisoner of War in Ukraine

"Brought to you by Penguin. Aiden Aslin joined the Ukrainian marines in 2018, compelled to defend his adopted homeland from the growing threat of Russian invasion. In February 2022, as Russia mounted a full-scale offensive, Aiden and his unit were stationed at the frontline at Mariupol. Pinned down at a Mariupol steelworks, after a month-long siege and running out of supplies, Aiden was part of the mass surrender of over a thousand Ukrainian troops, in April 2022. Then his real ordeal began. Singled out for his British passport, Aiden was interrogated, tortured, stabbed, turned into a propaganda zombie, tried by a kangaroo court and then sentenced to death. A victim of a catalogue of abuses of international law, Aiden struggled to cling on to any hope of survival. Certain that he was going to be executed, he was eventually freed in a prisoner exchange and permitted to return home. In Putin's Prisoner, Aiden will tell the full, harrowing story of his time fighting in Putin's war, of his six months in Russian captivity, and of his hardened resolve to defend the freedoms of the people of Ukraine. ©2023 Aiden Aslin & John Sweeney (P)2023 Penguin Audio"

Aiden Aslin, John Sweeney (Author), Paul Slack, Steve John Shepherd (Narrator)

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Winkle: The Extraordinary Life of Britain’s Greatest Pilot

"Brought to you by Penguin. Pre-order the daring life story and astonishing adventures of Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown - Britain's greatest-ever pilot. Small in stature but immense in reputation and talent, there was more to Eric 'Winkle' Brown than met the eye. The pilot who set the standard for Britain's golden age of aviation, Winkle cemented his worldwide fame with incredible skill, extraordinary daring - and nerves of steel when things went wrong. From shooting down Luftwaffe bombers from the deck of a carrier in the Battle of the Atlantic and narrowly escaping death when his ship was torpedoed, to accumulating a never-to-be repeated litany of world records and firsts as a test pilot, his unparalleled flying career saw him take the controls of over four hundred different kinds of aircraft - more than any other pilot in history. A rival to Chuck Yeager and hero to Neil Armstrong, by the time of his appearance on Desert Island Disc's 1000th episode Winkle had become a legend in his own lifetime, and by his death, a national treasure. But despite his enormous fame, there have always been mysteries at the heart of Winkle's story. To truly understand this fascinating but secretive man is to grapple with questions that have intrigued and confounded biographers throughout his extraordinary life. Drawing on previously unseen documents and unfettered access to Winkle's own personal archive Paul Beaver records a life with more twists and turns than a Battle of Britain dogfight - which was, of course, something Winkle had taken part in himself - uncovering the complex and enigmatic man behind the legend - the real story of Britain's greatest pilot. A story Winkle insisted could only be told after his death . . . ©2023 Paul Beaver (P)2023 Penguin Audio"

Paul Beaver (Author), Paul Beaver, Steve John Shepherd (Narrator)

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A Small Town in Ukraine: The place we came from, the place we went back to

"Brought to you by Penguin. Decades ago, the historian Bernard Wasserstein set out to uncover the hidden past of the town forty miles west of Lviv where his family, especially his grandfather Berl, originated: Krakowiec (Krah-KOV-yets). In this book he recounts its dramatic and traumatic history. 'I want to observe and understand how some of the great forces that determined the shape of our times affected ordinary people.' Wasserstein traces the arc of history across centuries of religious and political conflict, as armies of Cossacks, Turks, Swedes and Muscovites rampaged through the region. In the Age of Enlightenment, the Polish magnate Ignacy Cetner built his palace at Krakowiec and, with his vivacious daughter, Princess Anna, created an arcadia of refinement and serenity. Under the Habsburg emperors after 1772, Krakowiec developed into a typical shtetl, with a jostling population of Poles, Ukrainians and Jews. In 1914, disaster struck. 'Seven years of terror and carnage' left a legacy of ferocious national antagonisms. During the Second World War the Jews were murdered in circumstances harrowingly described by Wasserstein. After the war the Poles were expelled and the town dwindled into a border outpost. Today, the storm of history once again rains down on Krakowiec as refugees flee for their lives from Ukraine. In the lives of Wasserstein's own family and the many others he has rediscovered, the people of Krakowiec become a prism through which we can feel the shocking immediacy of history. Original in conception and brilliantly achieved, A Small Town in Ukraine is a masterpiece of recovery and insight. ©2023 Bernard Wasserstein (P)2023 Penguin Audio"

Bernard Wasserstein (Author), Steve John Shepherd (Narrator)

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The Simple Truth: A gripping, twisty, thriller that you won’t be able to put down, perfect for fans

"Brought to by Penguin. A young woman is dead. A very wealthy client needs a favour. You're newly qualified as a lawyer and this could be your big break, so you jump at the chance. The case is about to be closed. All you have to do is talk to a family, ask them to sign some papers. How difficult could it be? Their daughter was found dead at a beauty spot on the outskirts of London in what you're told was a tragic suicide. Only you can uncover what really happened. But the truth is never that simple. And this case could cost you your life... © James Buckler 2023 (P) Penguin Audio 2023"

James Buckler (Author), Steve John Shepherd (Narrator)

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My Autobiography

"Brought to you by Penguin. A silent comedy star whose legendary slapstick routines are recognisable to this day, Charles 'Charlie' Chaplin's My Autobiography is an incomparably vivid account of the life of one of the greatest filmmakers and comedians, with an introduction by David Robinson As a child, Charlie Chaplin was awed and inspired by the sight of glamorous vaudeville stars passing his home, and from then on he never lost his ambition to become an actor. Chaplin's film career as the Little Tramp adored by the whole world is the stuff of legend, but this frank autobiography shows another side. Born into a theatrical family, Chaplin's father died of drink while his mother, unable to bear the poverty, suffered from bouts of insanity. From a childhood of grinding poverty in the south London slums, Chaplin found an escape in his early debut on the music hall stage, followed by his lucky break in America, the founding of United Artists with D.W. Griffith and Douglas Fairbanks, the struggle to maintain artistic control over his work, the string of failed marriages, and his eventual exile from Hollywood after personal scandals and persecution for his left-wing politics during the McCarthy Era. Sir Charles 'Charlie' Chaplin (1895-1976) was born in Walworth, London. Best known for his work in silent film, his most famous role was The Little Tramp, a universally recognisable and iconic character who appeared in films such as The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925) and City Lights (1931). His other films include Modern Times (1936), a commentary on the Great Depression, and The Great Dictator (1940), a satirical attack on Hitler and the Nazis. 'Tells so much about this curious, difficult man ... a wonderfully vivid imagination' The New York Times 'The only genius to come out of the movie industry' George Bernard Shaw © Charles Chaplin 1992 (P) Penguin Audio 2022"

Charles Chaplin (Author), Steve John Shepherd (Narrator)

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A Voyage to Arcturus

"Brought to you by Penguin. After journeying across the stars, a man from Earth finds himself lost among the scarlet deserts, black cliffs and semi-sentient oceans of Tormance, a world lit by the star Arcturus. Pulled northward by the sound of drums, and undergoing strange physical transformations, the Earthman's adventures with the planet's inhabitants begin to shine with arcane significance - ending finally in startling and unforgettable revelations. At once an extraordinary odyssey across a bizarre alien world, a visceral exploration of human thought and behaviour, and a unique metaphysical examination of the cosmos, David Lindsay's masterpiece is a pioneering work of science fiction that has influenced generations of writers, including C.S Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Philip Pullman. © David Lindsay 1920 (P) Penguin Audio 2021"

David Lindsay (Author), Steve John Shepherd (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Steve John Shepherd

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