If a character is compared to Icarus early in a book, it’s not going to go well for them. Soon after Christopher, the main character and narrator of “Lucien,” arrives at Harvard University, a fellow ...

When a strong female character is central to a novel’s appeal, an audiobook performance has to find the right tone.

In J.R. Thornton’s sophomore novel, Lucien, a scholarship student falls under the sway of his charming, dangerous roommate and becomes a reluctant accomplice in a scheme to sell fake art. The ...