EIFELHEIM by Michael Flynn

Narrated by Anthony Heald

     Do Alien Insectoids Have Souls?

This is a wonder of a novel. It has many different elements that combine to make it grand. There is a bit of the First-Contact story here, of the clash of two races, and their quest to learn how to communicate with each other. A large portion of the book is set in the medieval period, and the ethical considerations of the devout Catholics encountering an alien race are insightful and respectful to the Christian faith. Michael Flynn’s familiarity with scripture is evident in the number of direst and indirect references throughout. The characters of the Middle Ages are well formed and are good examples of the lofty philosopher combined with the earthy people of that gritty and grungy time of history. People of that era took their religion seriously and the characters of this book do the same. Even when confronted with the threat of the Black Plague and the arrival of strange beings from another world they proceed according to the revelation from Holy Writ. It is refreshing that modern atheistic sensibilities are not imposed on these medieval fictional characters.

Other sections take place in the present and so we are treated to the biases and prejudices of modern Einsteinian physics. Even in these contemporary sections other scientific opinions are presented, not merely to be laughed at, as is so common in much of Science Fiction, rather they are explored as viable alternatives, as any utilization of the oft quoted but even more often maligned “scientific method” would require. The exploration of the nature of space and time, and especially the accurate portrayal of the subtle considerations on the problem of Variable Light Speed and Quantized Red-Shifts are well integrated into the story and compelling.

Eifelheim is another installment in the curiously well-populated sub-genre of Religious Science Fiction where Sci-Fi authors—who are exemplary students of the human condition despite being materialists—delve into the conspicuous human, and completely foreign, need for reverence to a higher power. Other note-worthy examples of religious-themed Sci-Fi: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr., The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell, Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer,  A Case of Conscience by James Blish, and Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the Long Sun.

Anthony Heald gives a portrayal that is well-nigh flawless, handling geeky female scientists, fourteenth-century Catholic priests, and insectoid aliens with equal aplomb.

This is another title that I acquired based solely on the recommendations of Audible reviewers. I am, once again, in their debt. Eifelheim was my first exposure to the fiction of Michael Flynn. I think his work warrants further investigation. 

BLACK CROSS by Greg Iles

Narrated by Dick Hill

     How WWII Was Really Won

Told as a series of long recollections of the exploits of two unconventional, and therefore unexpected and well-suited, black ops agents; this book is like a classic WWII movie. The story is exciting and feels so right that you will want it to be true. As a lover of history I found this to be a rousing adventure and so well produced that its scenes were playing in my mind’s eye like a matinee news reel all the while I was going about my daily routine. This is what I am always seeking in an audiobook.

Dick Hill has a great voice for WWII stories. I had recently listened to his rendition of BROTHERS IN BATTLE, BEST OF FRIENDS and was impressed at his ability to deliver distinct voices for two very similar personalities in that book. In BLACK CROSS he really gets to stretch his vocal cords; giving voice to a variety of characters, both male and female, and from a broad spectrum of dialects.

Thanks to all my fellow Audible book reviewers who took the time to recommend this book. Your altruistic efforts caused me to listen to this book and my life is more full and more enjoyable because of it. 

THE CAINE MUTINY by Herman Wouk

Narrated by Kevin Pariseau

     War is Hell, Navy Captains are Worse

I tackled this book as preparation for Wouk’s lengthy THE WINDS OF WAR and the even longer WAR AND REMEMBRANCE, of which I am hoping great things, having been enthralled by the television mini-series of the same name. I was amazed at the well-rounded and fully fleshed out characters. None of them are larger than life hero types, but are realistic: self-doubting at times, overconfident at others. These characters make for engaging reading. The book follows the life journey of just a few central characters and is so authentic that I began to care about them. So, when things begin to turn sour the listener is so invested that empathy is assured. Every event the characters go through becomes a crisis. Every injustice, a tragedy. This is a truly grand story filled by real people.

The book is narrated by Kevin Pariseau who is truly a marvel. He handles salty sea dogs and lounge singers with equal mastery. His performance is dramatic without being intrusive, always appropriate, enhancing this already excellent book. 

GRAVITY’S RAINBOW by Thomas Pynchon

Narrated by George Guidall

No Pot of Gold Just a Seedy Collection of Lead Coins

This book has a dream-like quality to it—but I am not saying that as an endorsement. Just as a dream is a Technicolor mélange of disjointed episodes that one struggles to fit together upon waking; this novel is elusive and seems to always be just out of reach. I admire the prose style of Pynchon in the same way that I enjoy the words of William Gibson in NECROMANCER. It has an edgy, detached quality to it; one that does not encourage emotional attachment. This book, however has less going on to hold my interest than does the aforementioned cyber-punk classic.  No cool characters, no sense-of-wonder to make me marvel at the inventiveness of the fictional invention. What tipped the book against me, I think, was the excessive and emotionally uninvolved over-utilization of explicit sex scenes throughout. These scenes are spaced regularly in the novel, as if they are supposed to fit into some larger story arc. I could not find the interconnection so they just came off as crude assaults on my thought process with no redeeming social value. George Guidall has a fine pleasant voice and allowed me to hang in with this book for six hours before punching out. 

THE GODFATHER by Mario Puzo

Narrated by Joe Mantegna

Business Lessons in Friendship and Respect

Every Man Has One Destiny

There is a strange appeal to stories like this; stories that expose the dark underbelly of society. It is somehow fascinating to peek into the violent world of organized crime. I listened to this book after I had already watched the first two movies, so my opinion was already partially formed. The first “book” of the novel was nearly identical to the first movie and, even without Brando, Pachino, Duval and Caan, this is an enthralling story.  After this initial sequence the novel expands greatly upon the back-story and we get to know, if not to love, Vito Corleone and the other Siclian Underworld figures.

This novel reminds me of the Parker novels of Donald Westlake—at least in one sense. The character Parker, a career thief, and Don Corleone both share a sense of honor among thieves. For both, occasional violence is strictly business; a necessary part of the job. It is simply the way things get done. Violence is to be avoided until it is necessary, but then it is to be persued with alacrity and vigor. Strange as it may be for me to say—you may think—in a way this is a humorous story. Perversely, the murder and mayhem become a sort of expected punch-line to every anecdote; the rim shot that punctuates every plot episode. These men feign to be cultured and respectful to each other; family men, business men—men of deep principle, pillars of the community. Yet they are the worst kind of blight on society. Evil masquerading as good.

Joe Mantegna has a great Italian accent that adds to the verisimilitude of this story of the Mafia. His character voicing is well-suited for each of the people is the story. Without his voice this would still be a fine story. Joe Mantegna makes it truly great.

One last observation to those who are only familiar with the movies: The movie holds an MPAA rating of R. Mario Puzo’s novel would garner an NC-17. 

ROOTS by Alex Haley

Narrated by Avery Brooks

     Hoax—With the Ring of Truth    

Try to consider this novel on the merits of its drama and story alone and try to ignore, for a moment, the dubious claims by Alex Haley that it relates the actual history of his supposed ancestor Kunta Kinte. This is a fine story and has as much relevance to the human condition and the desire to be free as any Military Sci-Fi Space Opera fighting the tyranny of alien overlords or any Zombie Apocalypse novel resisting extinction against impossible odds. The mini-series enthralled me in 1977, and this audiobook captivated me thirty-eight years later. 

If you are not aware of the controversy surrounding this Pulitzer Prize winning novel consider just these two facts: (1) Alex Haley paid $650,000 after a court judgment against him to Harry Courlander for lifting eighty-one passages from the novel The African in 1978. (2) The slave Toby, the supposed Kunta Kinte in Haley’s genealogy, has a paper-trail in America going back four years before the slave ship the Lord Ligonier arrived on American shores.. While these problems of provenance do lessen the impact of this novel from a historical perspective—and should dampen any social impact of this false narrative— the novel, as a work of pure fiction, still stands on its own. The author’s afterward, detailing Haley’s journey of discovery of his family’s African history, should be treated as a short story; a coda added to give the work a sense of verisimilitude.

No one questions the horrors of the period of history involving the slave trade between Africa and North America. It is easy to imagine that accounts very similar to those in this book actually did take place. And that is why this book can still have some impact. The actual story may be false as a history but the story reflects a reality that transcends the veracity of the account. I only wish that Alex Haley had chosen to tell this story as a piece of fiction, avoiding plagiarism along the way. It is a shame that such a powerful book must be tainted with scandal.

Avery Brooks (Captain Sisko on Star Trek Deep Space Nine) narrates this book with just the right tone of voice. The early chapters are told strictly from an omniscient 3^rd person narration perspective, and here Avery Brooks does not get much of a chance to display his talents. But once Kunta Kinte gets established in the Plantation system of the Virginia colony, several other characters are introduced and Mr. Brooks begins to shine. He handles the accents of both slaves and the Plantation owners adroitly. He adds greatly to the audiobook experience.