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Archives: August 2006 - January 2007

The Lowe-Down on Audiobooks - January 2007
Audiobooks Reviewed by Jonathan Lowe

Nelson DeMille is a funny man. That's an odd thing to say, considering that the author is known for his military suspense novels, like "The General's Daughter" and "Up Country." In fact, narrator Scott Brick says that he had to pause in recording DeMille's latest, WILD FIRE, because the text was so funny he couldn't continue reading. Not unintentionally funny, either, as would be the case with a bad novel. Funny, as in a scene where a man surprises his girlfriend by biting her derri�re while swimming in the ocean. . . like a shark bites. Why the bizarre humor and offbeat romance? Well, you need that if the plot of your novel is about an elite men's club comprised of military leaders who have decided to blow up New York and Los Angeles in order to trigger a secret response known as project Wild Fire, which would then automatically obliterate the Muslim world. Call it breathing room, in more ways than one. DeMille is not edging into the kind of blasphemy here that has put other authors in danger, but is careful to say in an interview that he hopes his story, based on internet rumors, will never play out in real life. But you never know. These days, just about anything goes, both on and off the page. If a mushroom cloud is ever seen over New York, as a direct result of terrorism, then surely we'll see bumper stickers all over America reading "Nuke Mecca." Blasphemy or not. (Hachette Audio/6.5 hours abridged)

Somewhat less likely to happen is the plot of THE DRACO TAVERN by Larry Niven. This collection of stories and vignettes centers around a Siberian bar that attracts alien spaceships from all over the galaxy and beyond. The ships come down along the magnetic field lines at the North Pole for some reason, and their crews imbibe alcohol and other elixirs while pondering and discussing life, the universe, and everything. The setting might partly be thanks to Douglas Adams and George Lucas, but there's also real science here, so we'd have to add Carl Sagan too. Tom Weiner narrates the book, which is available on Mp3-CD for iPod use, and his voice might be recognizable to video game players as a voiceover talent. (Blackstone Audio/6 hours unabridged)

On of my favorite new books, if you can find it, is SURRENDER by Sonya Hartnett, an Australian writer with incredible depth of perception. This is a psychological thriller about a dying young man telling his story in flashback. A story about a childhood friend who is a bit loony and dangerous, with whom Gabriel has made a pact, and who he must stop when a series of arson fires envelops the town where both he and Finnigan live. The elegiac and inventive descriptions of a tortured inner landscape reminded me of the prose of Jeff Long, and in another way it's much like the natural metaphoric usage of the outer world that mirrors the inner for James Lee Burke. "Surrender" has here two meanings, and the second comes in the form of Gabriel's Doberman, who is also appropriately named "Surrender." The book is read by versatile English actor Humphrey Bower, who endows the characters with just the right wistfulness or angst. (Bolinda Audio/ 6.5 hours unabridged)

Clive Cussler and his son Dirk have a new adventure novel out titled TREASURE OF KHAN. Together, they roar through the same twisting turns that have made former Dirk Pitt novels a hit in the past. This time out it's the lost tomb of Genghis Khan, an oil survey team encountering a freak wave on a Russian lake, and a modern Mongolian who seeks to continue the quest for world domination of his ancestor by supplying oil to the Chinese, all the while making the search for oil elsewhere difficult, if not impossible. Throw in the mysterious treasure of Xanadu, and you have the makings of another escapist adventure with old friends. Richard Ferrone lends his gravelly voice to the narration, this time, standing in for Scott Brick, with generous leading and anticipation. (Penguin Audio/6 hours abridged)

Finally, in MYSTERIES OF THE MIDDLE AGES historical non-fiction author Thomas Cahill has a new book that explores the genesis of Western civilization after the Dark Ages, when medieval thinkers began to move toward science, and artists began depicting things realistically. Rome, Paris, Oxford, and Florence come under scrutiny in this history lesson that is far from dry, while exposing papal hypocrisy and greed as a tool for conquest. The subtitle of the audiobook, well read by the author, is "The Rise of Feminism, Science, and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe." Now I wonder what will arise from our current Dark Age thinking? If not a New Age, then it may be the End Times. Food for thought. (Random House Audio/6 hours abridged)

(These audiobooks may be rented from Audio Adventures by calling 1-800-551-6692. Be sure to ask about the coffee related supernatural suspense AWAKENING STORM, narrated with full sound effects by Barrett Whitener for BlackstoneAudio.com.)

The Lowe-Down on Audiobooks - December 2006
Audiobooks Reviewed by Jonathan Lowe

Douglas Adams is MOSTLY HARMLESS. Especially now that he's gone. Or is he? The author of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" never made it to age 50, but he's certainly going to be around 50 years from now. Particularly if his character Arthur Dent suddenly materializes under the power of an Infinite Probability Drive in 50 years, it's a given that Adams will be with him. Let's wait and see. But in the meantime, be sure to listen to actor Martin Freeman narrate another classic--and zany--tome about Arthur's misadventures as he discovers he's the father of a wayward teenage daughter named "Random," and that he must save the Earth from obliteration. What's more difficult to deal with? Flip a coin. Freeman is clearly the best reader for this, being a free man himself, in more ways than one. Imagine Robin Williams reading a cross between Woody Allen and Carl Sagan, and you'll get the sonic picture. Oh, and in "Mostly Harmless" bad news travels faster than the speed of light, but it's difficult to use bad news as a rocket fuel, although many have tried. (Random House Audio/6.5 hours abridged)

A master of the offbeat and eccentric, Mark Baer is a former screenwriter who now pens the kind of novels that the major publishers find hard to categorize or sell. Baer's new book is KOOKS, about a would-be actor who's working as a telemarketer when angst forces him to flee his dead end life for parts unknown. Trent Noble then stumbles upon the odd and isolated town of Dadaville, which he must soon save from the clutches of an encroaching corporate octopus named World Corp, perhaps fashioned after Wal Mart. Well written, with quirkily drawn characters, the book is narrated by Jamie Cohen, whose versatile delivery and nicotine timbre accentuate a tale that's about as non-formula as real life. If you're looking for "different," as with Douglas Adams, you've come to the right place. Although the majors might not care about anything other then vampires, serial killers, ancient secret orders, and airhead fashionistas, it doesn't mean you must. (Blackstone Audio/6 hours unabridged)

Next? Well, here we go again. In what must be the 100th DaVinci Code clone so far, Raymond Khoury takes us back to 1291 in THE LAST TEMPLAR, when a young Templar Knight escapes the Holy Land with a mysterious chest that will turn up centuries later when a raid on the Vatican exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is pulled off by four masked horsemen dressed as--you guessed it-- knights. Ready for the chase? Throw in an archaeologist and an FBI agent, and we're off and running. As a novelist, Khoury is a great screenwriter. He certainly knows how to set up scenes, but his melodramatic ending is a bit much for me. This would make exciting cinema, and is surely an interesting escape from formula romance or television, but some of the originality is missing, along with that Codex. Certainly an "A" for effort, though, while narrator Richard Ferrone can't be faulted for keeping the story moving and believable. See what you think. (Penguin Audio/14 hours unabridged)

Do you own your possessions, or do your possessions own you? It's a fair question for Matthew Kelly in his new audiobook PERFECTLY YOURSELF--NINE LESSONS FOR ENDURING HAPPINESS. Getting into this self help book with some reservations, I was nonetheless surprised to find a cogent examination of personal transformation. Who are you? What are you capable of becoming? Can you forgive yourself for not being perfect? Should it matter what other people's expectations for you are? These are some of the questions tackled here, because you can't be yourself if you don't know who you are. Narrated by the author, who is a young man enjoying great success on the lecture circuit, this audiobook does resonate truth. And bravo for pointing out a few of those truths, which we seem to ignore in our rush for fame and fashion. A companion to this book would be the Kahlil Gibran masterpiece "The Prophet," also just re-released by the same publisher on CD. Recorded in 1985 by narrator Paul Sparer, that short book is a must-listen for anyone seeking truth in the age of Botox. (Random House Audio/5 hours abridged)

Finally, Elizabeth Lowell has a new mystery novel out titled THE WRONG HOSTAGE, about a Federal judge whose son is kidnapped, and the kidnap specialist who is hired by her out of early retirement. Joe Faroe is cynical about politicians, as is just about everyone these days, but now he must walk on the edge of the laws set up by those who bend the rules themselves whenever it's convenient or necessary to stay in office at any cost. Maria Tucci narrates this romantic suspense, which is a cut above the usual escapist woman-in-trouble fare. The cut isn't high enough to take off the head, which is sometimes the case with more graphic thrillers. (Harper Audio/11 hours unabridged)

(These audiobooks may be rented from Audio Adventures by calling 1-800-551-6692. Be sure to ask about the "high caffeine" coffee- related suspense AWAKENING STORM, narrated with sound effects by Barrett Whitener for BlackstoneAudio.com.)

The Lowe-Down on Audiobooks - November 2006
Audiobooks Reviewed by Jonathan Lowe

Comically original, WOBEGON BOY by Garrison Keillor is a novel more appropriate for movie adaptation than the one which actually did get made, namely "A Prairie Home Companion." The story follows John Tollefson, one of those small town kids from Lake Wobegon, MN, as he sets off on a career in New York in search of, as he soon discovers, "grandeur." The American Dream of sitting home by the pool and doing nothing is no kind of life, after all. Although the novel is more of a collection of vignettes, stories, and commentary on radio and Lutherans than a cohesive drama-driven tale of exploits, it nonetheless has enough charm and lyrical wistfulness to carry it along, especially under the unassuming observational skill of its narrator, who is also the author. Written in 1997, the book has been recently released on CD. and is a wry addition to any collection of Americana, certainly recommended to anyone who has never heard Garrison before. (Highbridge Audio/5.75 hours unabridged)

Ever since Janet Evanovich conceived the character of Stephanie Plum, a ditzy bounty hunter with a wise cracking sidekick, she has been raking in more gold coin than any treasure hunter. Combine the offbeat antics of oddball people with a traditional mystery narrative to arrive at a funny and satisfying conclusion: that's the formula, once again, in TWELVE SHARP, the 12th outing in the Plum series, engineered to keep you reading. The plot hardly matters, as the series is definitely character-driven, but this time a wacko is stalking Stephanie, requiring defense to turn to offense with the help of her sometimes boyfriend, vice cop Joe Morelli. The situations that follow are always lively with banter and comic promise. You don't pick up a Plum novel to find new insights into the human dilemma or to explore original ideas, you make the purchase to discover what mischief Stephanie has gotten herself into this time. Narrator here is Lorelei King, Janet's personal favorite reader, who has managed to inhabit the persona of Plum so well and so often that she has probably developed a split personality in real life! (Audio Renaissance/7.5 hours unabridged)

Andrew Klavan's DAMNATION STREET is a noir mystery twist on the love triangle. Not only don't the principals really love the girl, one is a professional killer with a twisted sense of entitlement, and the other is an obsessed detective hoping to lure the killer to justice. Both are looking for Julie, although Detective Scott Weiss sees her a means to an end. Julie herself is a hooker with the face of an angel. Can you see where this is going, following several usual and unusual twists? Yup. A showdown on Damnation Street. The author narrates, which is usually a bad decision, but Klavan is good enough to be a narrator of other author's stories as well. It's particularly appropriate here, too, since the author intervenes in the plot to claim he once worked for Weiss in real life, and he needs to deliver a final twist on that subject himself, at the climax. One of the better mysteries to come out this year, with both quirky, believable characters and an original wrap-up. (Blackstone Audio/10 hours unabridged)

For new ideas and an insightful look at society that may surprise you with its range, turn to THROUGH THE CHILDREN'S GATE by Adam Gopnik, an essayist with enough curiosity and openness to explore not only the minds of wary adults on the subway, but also children at play. The gate here refers to one of the named entrances to Central Park, where Adam's son and daughter often went to escape in their imaginations around the time of 9/11. Gopnik is a writer for the New Yorker, and narrates the audiobook version himself with an attentive fascination for why people act or think so much alike, despite the differences that they try to project. Why do we believe our schedules and obligations are more important than actually communicating with friends? We send short emails, leave brief messages on answering machines, wave in passing, on our frantic way to this and that. Gopnik sees in microcosm our modern dilemma in his daughter's imaginary friend Charlie Ravioli, whom she can't even play with because he's always busy. In fact, Charlie also has an ominous imaginary "assistant," so now he doesn't even have time to tell her that he's too busy to play! (Highbridge Audio/8 hours unabridged)

Ah, Dennis Miller. He's got a mouth on him, for sure. Not the loud and obnoxious kind, though. Dennis is into slicing and dicing his targets with metaphors instead of mere insults. His fourth satirical audiobook, which he reads like a standup act, is THE RANT ZONE, a three hour tirade against bureaucracy, child stars, reality TV, baseball, and all the bullies who beat him up for being more intelligent than they are. Cynical and gifted, Miller is unafraid to say whatever comes to mind, and that's quite a bit, considering his self-conscious obsession with comparative judgment. This particular audiobook is like a roundup of the Rant series, but you may have heard some of these segments before on HBO, so be warned. Laughs are never as good the second time around, although if you weren't listening closely, you may not have gotten it the first time. Or maybe just not all of it. (Harper Audio/3 hours unabridged)

An interesting history that will appeal to chess buffs is THE IMMORTAL GAME--A HISTORY OF CHESS by David Shenk, narrated by Rick Adamson. It links the board game with science, the military, literature and the arts. From its origin in India around 500 A.D., chess has been a teaching tool, and has had a calming effect upon civilizations, while also altering the very structure of the brains of its players. Besides tracing history through the development of chess, this audiobook also describes the greatest single game ever played. That happened in 1851, and was dubbed "the immortal game" because of its breathtaking and unusual moves. Not even a match game, it was to be a practice game leading up to competition, yet it drew more attention after the fact than any match game ever played. All the moves of that astonishing game are given, plus commentary on the outcomes of supercomputers vs. chess masters. As narrated by Adamson, this audiobook reminded me of a PBS series that aired once about connections between seemingly unrelated subjects. Now if only we could get world leaders to play the game instead of firing missiles at each other! (Random House Audio/6 hours unabridged)

Next, with the trans-fat scare now making headlines, french fries and processed snacks are discouraged, so what's safe to eat anymore? An overview of the answers are available in a "new and expanded" edition of Dr. Andrew Weil's bestseller EIGHT WEEKS TO OPTIMUM HEALTH, now out on audio, narrated by the author. I put the words "new" and "expanded" in quotes, because not much is new here, and instead of "expanded" I'd recommend the words "simplified" and "abridged." Still, it's a good book for those who've never heard Weil, an expert on alternative medicine, which means natural remedies instead of pharmaceutical drugs. (For instance, did you know that raw garlic is as good as some cholesterol lowering drugs?) Best thing about Weil is that he doesn't talk down to you, or load up his delivery with dubious promises or sugary hype. For more scientific information, try his book "Healthy Aging." This one, in its abridged format, might better be titled "Eating and Walking For Dummies." (Random House Audio/3 hours abridged)

Finally, when an Indian shaman arrives in south Florida with a bag of totems, various Cuban-American businessmen begin dying gruesome and inexplicable deaths. Could this have something to do with the Jaguar god that Jimmy Paz, Miami's resident "sleuth of the weird," has nightmares about? To preserve the rain forest of Colombia, sacrifices are sometimes required. And so is Jimmy's daughter being targeted by a jungle cat, as he suspects? If the plot of NIGHT OF THE JAGUAR sounds preposterous, know that most of Clive Cussler's plots do too. Or Michael Crighton's. What makes them plausible is the quality of the writing, or the ability to suspend disbelief, even for the supernatural. Match this with the superb narration of Jonathan Davis, and you have an intriguing production, with added dimension beyond the usual cops and terrorists escapist puzzle. Or, as Dennis Miller might put it, "if you don't like the idea of Osama and Jack Nicholson in their underwear in a freezing garden maze at night, equipped with hatchets and Bic lighters, well, then, my friend, you're either dead or you're a Price Is Right fan." (Sound Library/15 hours unabridged)

(These audiobooks may be rented from Audio Adventures by calling 1-800-551-6692. Be sure to ask about the "high caffeine" supernatural suspense AWAKENING STORM.)

The Lowe-Down on Audiobooks - October 2006
Audiobooks Reviewed by Jonathan Lowe

For an exhaustive examination of faith and science, try listening to THE LANGUAGE OF GOD, a bombshell new book written and read by Francis S. Collins, a leading geneticist and head of the Human Genome Project. Here, a scientist attempts to answer the question of belief in a Creator by delving into biology, chemistry and physics. Following his own bio path from atheism to faith, Collins first employs the writings of C.S. Lewis in understanding the puzzle of morality. Later, he dismisses agnosticism as simplistic, and Intelligent Design as illogical. He also refutes "young earth" creationism, pointing instead to irrefutable evidence that the universe began at the Big Bang some 14.5 billion years ago. So what's left? Evolution, of course. Charles Darwin, and natural selection. But not "atheistic evolution." And that's the bombshell. Collins says that atheists adopted evolution, but God was there first. Evolution is God's language--the language He invented. It is just as much God's, in fact, as the Big Bang itself, which science cannot explain. So not only can you believe in evolution and still be a Christian, there is really no other choice, since science has proven that the earth is not young, and that evolution is no more a theory than gravity is a theory. Points in fact: the long held view that there are no transitional species is now dying, since new fossils have been found which ARE transitional. To believe that the universe was created in seven LITERAL days--improperly interpreted from Genesis--necessitates dismissing all of biology, physics and chemistry. And so to believe creation happened a mere 10,000 years ago (as 45% of Christians do) is to believe that there are no galaxies, and that cosmology is all a trick. But God did not employ subterfuge in creation, says Collins, and so there IS a harmony between science and faith. In short, Christians do not need to defend themselves from evolution, because it was God's way from the beginning, from beyond time. Exactly how much faith does it take for a leading geneticist (or for Einstein or for Darwin) to believe in a Creator now, in this new light? Listen, and decide for yourself. (Simon & Schuster Audio/6 hours unabridged)

A magician of original wordplay, appropriately interpreted, is John Banville, an Englishman who won the Booker Prize for THE SEA, an astonishingly insightful look at a middle aged Irishman who has gone back to the seaside town where he grew up in order to make peace with his tortured soul following the death of his wife. It is the same place where he learned his first lessons about life and love, and even death. What he learned then will now help him cope with his recent loss. Narrator is John Lee, who has the Irish accent down pat for this introspective, wise, and remarkably real telling of a man's story in a way that most men often find themselves incapable of relating. You will definitely want to keep this one, and replay it to marvel at the depth and quirky precision that can be evoked by a reader with the right voice and delicacy of nuance. (Random House Audio/6 hours unabridged)

For more from the British Isles, Karleen Koen's historical novel "Through A Glass Darkly" now has a sequel in DARK ANGELS, set in the time of King Charles II in England. The story follows Alice Verney, maid of honor to the Queen, who intends to marry the most celebrated duke of the Restoration in order to obtain--what else--power over the minions below her station. It's naturally a time of betrayal, as the King is rumored to be about to divorce his wife, and war is looming too, either with the Dutch or the French. One thing's for certain: human nature hasn't changed much since the 17th Century. They had greed, vanity, lust, and murderous intent in spades, just as we do now. Actress Rosalyn Landor narrates the text as though telling secrets to a confidant, since many of the characters here are doing the same. (Random House Audio/9 hours abridged)

Next, Lou Dobbs has a beef with government and industry in WAR ON THE MIDDLE CLASS. Dobbs outlines the causes of our problems, mainly the subversion of the legal system by corporate special interest groups, the outsourcing of manufacturing and service jobs overseas, the crippling cost of medical insurance due to multi-million dollar lawsuits, and the propaganda attack by those supporting illegal immigration's assault on social services. What can be done to recapture the threatened American Dream? Well, that's outlined too, although it's mostly relegated to the back end of the final CD, which Dobbs also narrates. By the time he gets to the fighting back part, though, you've more or less given up hope that our schools, hospitals, courts, borders, and big companies can ever be fixed. Because it's pretty obvious that the war being waged by both the rich and the poor against those who are paying most of the bills is definitely not being won by those who are also doing most of the work. As the gap widens, the middle class is ever more inevitably to be left holding the empty, bullet-ridden bag. After all, in any battle, aren't the people standing in the middle more likely to be hit by flying lead, since they're being fired upon by both sides? (Penguin Audio/4 hours abridged)

Finally, enter THE DISCOMFORT ZONE with Jonathan Franzen, winner of the National Book Award for the Oprah title "The Corrections." This is an autobiographical book, read by the author, as he remembers growing up with repressive parents, a fear of girls and spiders, and a loathing for sports (unless you call bird watching a sport). All the basic subjects are covered here, including school dances, church socials and taboos, global warming, writers like Kafka, and marriage. Why you should care about Franzen's thoughts on these subjects is a good question, but the answer to that is for the entertainment value, and for sheer insight into what makes people tick. That includes himself, of course, since any good writer develops a sense of the larger picture beyond what is seen in a mirror, and so invariably attempts to gauge his position within that frame of reference. As a narrator, Franzen succeeds in conveying much of the angst of his youth, while at the same time not embarrassing himself with tales of overindulgence. Always aware of his audience, he nonetheless doesn't read as though he is turning pages, and thereby adds resonance to credibility. (Highbridge Audio/ 6 hours unabridged)

(These audiobooks may be rented from Audio Adventures by calling 1-800-551-6692. Jonathan Lowe is a judge in the Audie awards, and author of the longevity mystery GEEZER, and the high caffeine audio suspense AWAKENING STORM from BlackstoneAudio.com)

The Lowe-Down on Audiobooks - September 2006
Audiobooks Reviewed by Jonathan Lowe

James Lee Burke's new mystery PEGASUS DESCENDING again features a New Iberia, Louisiana detective named Dave Robicheaux, a former alcoholic prone to dark, violent spells influenced by nagging memories and the need for justice. In this latest outing, Dave is investigating the death of a former friend whom he once witnessed being gunned down in a robbery. The man's daughter has recently surfaced, spending marked money, something that will lead Dave into a confrontation with the thug who ended Dallas Klein's life twenty-five years before. Library Journal and other reviewers mention Burke's intricate plotting, but I say the plot here doesn't matter so much as the insight into what lurks behind our thin veneer of society. How can we be so generous and polite and respectable one moment, and so callous and violent and greedy the next? Dave's inner struggles mirror our own, and bring out much larger questions than simply who may have done what to whom, and when. As such, this is not mere mystery, it is literature. Indeed, the prose of Burke is arguably the most astonishingly original in the metaphor department of anyone writing. One day, when finally Burke gives up Robicheaux and writes a truly timeless American classic, it will be on a par with Hemingway's best, or with Faulkner. Until then, we have a flawed detective who, like Travis McGee in the John D. MacDonald series, shares the burden of human frailty along with a transcendent awareness of the beauty of nature and the heartbreaking brevity of all life. As to the narrator of this story, you could not ask a better performer than actor Will Patton, whose Louisiana accents are as authentic as his gifts for character embellishment and understated profundity. Even the pauses and breaths Patton takes here resonate with an air of familiarity. (Simon & Schuster Audio or Recorded Books/12 hours unabridged)

Another original, albeit strange, writer is Haruki Murakami, a Japanese practitioner of magical realism, alternating popular fiction with fantasy in such a way that the borderland inhabited by his characters becomes a shadowy world at once familiar and disquieting. In KAFKA ON THE SHORE, two parallel stories merge into one. The first is told by a truck driver who encounters a multi-dimensional being not averse with playing with his mind. The second story, intertwined with the first, is that of a precocious 15 year old named Kafka, embarked on a journey to discover home and family, yet beset by surrealistic tests and choices. Not for the squeamish, this novel holds rewards for those seeking something different. Murakami himself is something of an iconoclast in his home country, and like all great writers, feels ill at ease with the status quo. Read with subtle evocation by Sean Barrett and Oliver Le Sueur, among others, this genre-crossing journey into the imagination has been produced by a publisher known for rendering classic masterworks into audio format. (Naxos Audiobooks/19 hours unabridged)

Next, Seth Godin suggests that success in business is directly tied to one's ability to change, and to "think small and innovative." In his new book SMALL IS THE NEW BIG, Godin says the old days of seeking out MBAs to fill executive offices is morphing into a search for folks with the ability to creatively seize the moment. Truth is, anyone can change, and these days, the consumer is definitely "anyone." So to remain fearful of change is now more dangerous than ever, because even giant corporations are being outperformed by smaller companies with remarkable ideas. Bottom line? If you're starting small, don't be afraid of the big boys. Come up with something new and better, and you will shine. That's the lesson I get from this collection of blog posts and business articles, read by the author. (Highbridge Audio/7.5 hours unabridged)

If you're still a Bush fan, you're now in a minority, according to the latest poll numbers. Was he naive, dumb, incompetent, or evil, at the height of his popularity after a speech on 9/11? Former drama critic for the NY Times, columnist Frank Rich, contends that the answer is all-of-the-above in his new book THE GREATEST STORY EVER SOLD. Subtitle here is "The Decline and Fall of the Truth," with a second half titled "Buyer's Remorse." To his credit, Rich doesn't descend into angry invective, and suggests that the Democrats, headed by Gore, may have done little better in the competency department-- something we'll never know. He does call the Bush administration a "propaganda presidency," detailing George W's narrow world view, and all-out focus on a predetermined agenda to consolidate his own power. Too bad that plans never seem to survive the first real battle. Narrated by the eloquent and listenable Grover Gardner, this fascinating look behind the curtains is nonetheless depressing, when you consider that the ones manipulating the ropes have made knots for us that resemble nooses. (Penguin Audio/10 hours unabridged)

Finally, as an alternative to serial killer books or endless media re- countings of Bagdad body bags, try Ernest Hemingway's ISLANDS IN THE STREAM. It's a late story by the master novelist that has recently been recorded on audio, and narrated by actor Bruce Greenwood. The story follows Thomas Hudson, a painter on Bimini, who later gets involved in antisubmarine warfare off the coast of Cuba during WW II. A very human and familial story, it is read with grace by the believable Greenwood. It's also one of the last stories penned by this great and most famous of American writers. (Simon & Schuster Audio/15 hours unabridged)

(These audiobooks may be rented from Audio Adventures by calling 1-800-551-6692. Jonathan Lowe is a judge in the Audie awards, and author of the satirical "Fame Island," narrated by Emmy winning actor Kristoffer Tabori for BlackstoneAudio.com)

The Lowe-Down on Audiobooks - August 2006
Audiobooks Reviewed by Jonathan Lowe

As a guest recently on XM Satellite radio, I was asked by channel host Mark Reddig what audiobook I'd recommend to someone who had never heard an audiobook before. My answer, quite unequivocally, was a 1980 book recently re-released in CD format titled THE RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE, by the late Douglas Adams. Why? Well, because with the possible exception of suicidal terrorists, everyone likes to laugh, and who is more outrageous, silly, sardonic, and mind- numbingly original than the author of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"? A movie version of Adams' opus came out a couple years ago, and one of the stars of that movie was Martin Freeman, who narrates here with the deft exaggeration of Zaphod Beeblebrox, (if not Marvin, the moody android.) Lively, entertaining, wry, satirical (adjectives that fail to do him justice), Freeman freely and fully animates the text with the same abandon as, say, a five hour extended skit by Monty Python. And what do you do besides munch and burp at this restaurant to end all restaurants? Well, relatively speaking, you watch the Big Collapse, opposite of the Big Bang. Then you go home with the firm knowledge that life, the universe, and everything will indeed come to an abrupt halt, rendering all that went before utterly meaningless. Kinda liberating, don't you think? (Random House Audio/ 5.45 hours unabridged)

Back on Earth, of course, there are more believable suspense novels like KILLER INSTINCT by Joseph Finder, in which a young executive named Jason Steadman is trying to cope with his wife's urging that he climb the corporate ladder at an electronics firm so that they can enjoy a better life. But Jason doesn't really possess the killer instinct that his rival, a consistent top salesman, does. A nice guy, Jason then meets an ex Special Forces officer who was dishonorably discharged in Iraq. Kurt Semko was once drafted by a major baseball team, and so Jason gives him a second chance by hiring him as a security officer--primarily because the company team needs a pitcher. Soon, Jason is moving up the ladder quickly, thanks to some "accidents" his rivals seem to be having. Can you see where this is going? The suspense is narrated by Scott Brick, who slowly builds the tension into a predicament that anyone might find themselves in once they become friends with a sociopath. As a bonus, what follows is an interview between author Joseph Finder and Malcolm Gladwell, who wrote "Blink" and "The Tipping Point," on the nature of interoffice politics. (Audio Renaissance/11.5 hours unabridged)

If westerns are your cup of hot black coffee, try FOUR BY L'AMOUR, a full cast radio drama production of four stories by that most prolific of western authors, Louis L'Amour. The stories here are "No Man's Land," "Get Out of Town," "McQueen of the Tumbling K" and "Booty for a Badman." Each runs about an hour. Evoking a simpler time, when a man's word actually meant something, the production benefits from non-obtrusive sound effects and the believability of multiple cast members, who have the luxury of playing only themselves. The only disadvantage here is that sometimes a character might be talking from the background, so if you're listening in a vehicle, with distracting noise around, you may find yourself adjusting the volume to hear them properly. Otherwise, think "audio movies." In "Get Out of Town," a young man hires an ex-con to help herd the steers on his mother's ranch, and when some locals warn him about the man, he nonetheless trusts his instincts, and soon discovers a shocking truth he might otherwise never have learned. (Random House Audio/4 hours unabridged)

Now, if you know a sports nut who hasn't read a book in eons, a good choice for recommendation to him is DEAL BREAKER by Harlan Coben, a mystery featuring a sports agent named Myron Bolitar, a man who is about to sign a gifted quarterback when his believed-dead ex girlfriend suddenly calls and distracts the star, drawing Myron into a vortex of mystery in order to save the deal. Narrated with aplomb by Jon Marosz, this first Bolitar novel by Coben is being re-released on CD, since it was originally on cassette, a now practically obsolete format. Marosz is a no frills reader with a pleasant, manly voice and predictable inflections, yet the lilt of his speech doesn't call attention away from the story, making his rendering believable, appropriate, and enjoyable. The novel is quirky, and like the movie in which "show me the money" was a memorable line, it should attract die-hard sports fanatics away from the tube. How's that for a deal breaker? (Random House Audio/9 hours unabridged)

Finally, I was going to review a new horror novel by Scott Smith titled "The Ruins," since he's the author of an intriguing suspense of the 1990s titled "A Simple Plan." But his new novel is not nearly as scary as a look inside our foreign policy; namely, a new non- fiction book titled THE ONE PERCENT DOCTRINE, by Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Suskind. With Iraq and Lebanon in ruins, and the administration's simple plan to fight terrorism showing gaps wide enough to drive a fleet of gas-guzzling Hummers through, what is more frightening to contemplate than sentient vines at some Mayan ruins in Mexico is the insidious insanity of religious fanatics willing to die in order to kill us here at home---and not just our buildings and way of life, but also our children. Radical and perverse, these shadowy cells are now maneuvering to acquire suitcase nukes with which to end our abominable existence. How did it come to this? How have we misjudged so badly the dynamics of martyrdom and revenge? And can we ever "win" with a policy of brushing aside intelligence advice in order to chase cockroaches with sledgehammers? Narrated by actor Edward Herrmann, whose authoritative resonance in reading biographies has won him industry acclaim, the book is based on Cheney's early dictum that "threats with even a 1% likelihood must be treated as certainties." Sounds like Douglas Adams or Monty Python speaking, given that this translates into using bazookas to kill termites. (Simon & Schuster Audio/6 hours abridged)

(Jonathan Lowe is a judge in the Audie awards, and author of the reality show satire "Fame Island," narrated by Emmy winning actor Kristoffer Tabori for BlackstoneAudio.com)

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