Just One Damned Thing After Another
The Chronicles of St Mary's • Book 1
by Jodi Taylor, Marty Ross, Gemma Whelan, Ben Miles, Jonathan Bailey, Zara Ramm
Narrated by Gemma Whelan, Ben Miles, Jonathan Bailey, Zara Ramm
Why Listen to This Audiobook?
Gemma Whelan and Jonathan Bailey narrating a chaotic time-travel comedy is the audiobook crossover nobody asked for but absolutely needed.
- Great if you want: comedic historical fiction with genuine peril and found family
- Listening experience: breezy and irreverent with moments of surprising emotional weight
- Narration: full cast keeps the ensemble chaos lively and distinct throughout
- Skip if: you prefer grounded, serious takes on time travel
About This Audiobook
St Mary's Institute of Historical Research harbors a peculiar secret: its eccentric staff don't just study the past, they visit it. In Jodi Taylor's series opener, newly recruited historian Madeleine Maxwell discovers that "investigating major historical events in contemporary time" involves considerably more explosions, near-death experiences, and temporal chaos than the job description implied. From the trenches of World War I to the burning Library of Alexandria, the historians of St Mary's careen through the centuries trying to observe without interfering, a goal history itself seems determined to thwart.
The full-cast production transforms Taylor's comedic adventure into an ensemble performance, with Gemma Whelan anchoring the story as the sardonic, quick-witted Max. The rotating narrators bring distinct energy to different characters and time periods, lending the production a theatrical quality that suits the breakneck pacing. Jonathan Bailey and Ben Miles add warmth and depth to supporting roles, while the interplay between voices captures the found-family camaraderie at the heart of St Mary's. For a story built on characters talking their way into and out of impossible situations, audio is the ideal format.