Marks and 10 young actors voice ‘immersive’ audiobook of Brade’s debut The Hive

Actor Shvorne Marks, known for her roles in “The Baby”, “Breeders” and “Endeavour”, will be joined by a cast of 10 young actors to narrate the audiobook of Scarlett Brade’s debut thriller The Hive (Zaffre).

The 10 actors will perform the social media sections within the novel and the final audiobook is being enhanced with sound effects to "create an immersive, unique audio experience”.

In full the cast will include Tanika Yearwood, Sophie Jacob, Rachel-Leah Hosker, Aretha Ayeh, Tiwa Lade, Archie Backhouse, Oseloka Obi, Jake Waring, Al Jarrett, Clifford Samuel and Marks.

The Bonnier Books UK audio team collaborated with ID Audio in Queen’s Park, London, to cast the 10 actors, all of whom are drama graduates from The Central School of Speech & Drama, to voice the lively social media chatter that plays a key role throughout the novel, with author Brade featuring in a cameo role in the audiobook..

She said: “I’m honoured to have my voice included in The Hive audiobook. My day at the studio was magical and I was buzzing after recording it. A huge thank you to Shvorne Marks, whose portrayal of Charlotte Goodwin had me glued to my seat. I can’t wait for the world to #votelive or #votedie.”

Laura Makela, managing editor of audio at Bonnier Books UK, added: “We knew from the moment we read The Hive that it had the potential to be a unique audio production. We were delighted to collaborate with the brilliant team at ID Audio and are thrilled to have such a talented array of young actors join the cast, led by the exceptionally talented Shvorne Marks. Having Scarlett so involved in the audiobook process, even lending her voice to the production, has made it truly special."

The Hive will be published in the UK and Ireland on 21st July 2022 in hardback, audio and e-book.