Books to read with your eyes on the road
Dale
Brown keeps things moving in “Warrior Class,” a
novel about a Russian oilman and mafia don who hopes to make
millions by constructing a pipeline across the Balkans while
protected by the Russian army. A maverick U.S. Air Force general
runs interference against him, though, on the pretense of
extracting a spy. Soon, air-to-air dogfights ensue. Brown
maintains a steady grip on his story, producing G-force without
losing control on the twists and turns. Unlike Tom Clancy,
who has an obsession with high-tech weapons, Brown knows when
and when not to talk about both hardware and characters. While
Clancy’s series of books falter by leaning hard one way
or the other (and with inexperienced substitute pilots to
boot), Brown is firmly in control of the seat he once occupied
as an Air Force captain. Stephen Lang, an experienced and
controlled reader who sounds like a native Russian one moment
and a U.S. news correspondent the next, is narrator. (6 hrs./Putnam
Berkley Audio/ISBN 0-399-14768-3)
What
is time? Can it be traveled like a highway? These are questions
you might ask yourself after hearing the classic sci-fi story
“The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells, as performed by
actor Michael York and a full cast. The production left me
feeling philosophical. Oddly, there are no introductions here,
not even a footnote at the end. Enjoyable, nonetheless. (2
hrs./Star Quest Entertainment/ISBN 096612872-9)
Robert
Ludlum teams with Philip Shelby on “The Cassandra Compact,”
about a terrorist plot to steal a new strain of smallpox virus
from a Russian lab and then release it in the United States.
Covert One, created to fight such crimes, must race to stop
the development before a bio-catastrophe occurs. Read by Paul
Michael, who gives a concise, balanced reading, the book sounds
as plausible as a current or near-future news report. (11
hrs./Audio Renaissance/ISBN 1-55927-659-2)
Everyone
who has read this column knows I respect the writing of James
Lee Burke, who is a truly original and gifted mystery novelist.
His latest is “Bitterfoot,” about a Texas Ranger
turned lawyer who goes to Montana on behalf of a friend in
trouble. Trouble is compounded by a prison parolee out for
revenge against Billy Bob Holland. The writing is lyrical,
insightful, almost magical, possessing neither a lazy cliché
nor wooden character. In uncovering the evil that resides
beneath man’s conceits, Burke is without peer. Best of
all, Will Patton continues his dead-on-target narration of
Burke’s poetic prose. (6 hrs./Simon & Schuster Audio/ISBN
0-7435-0480-1)
Yet
another book about the 1996 Everest climbing tragedy is “Touching
My Father’s Soul” by Jamling T. Norgay, son of Sherpa
Tenzing Norgay, who was first to climb the mountain with Edmund
Hillary in 1953. Best read as unabridged by Grover Gardner,
this book is more insightful and philosophical than others.
It calls attention to our obsession in the west for conquering
what we see. But with nature and with Everest, one can’t
conquer, one can only sneak up with respect, and pray for
mercy. (9 hrs./Books on Tape/ISBN 0-7366-6828-4)
A
story that made news headlines was the escape from a penal
colony by Malika Oufkir, who was the daughter of a Moroccan
general. Adopted by the king of Morocco at age five to be
a companion to his daughter, Malika was imprisoned when her
father attempted to assassinate the king. A sensitive and
intelligent reading is given by actress Edita Brychta of “Stolen
Lives,” which was written with the aid of Michele Fitoussi.
A sheltered world of privilege is revealed, where a devil
king keeps a harem, which he also tortures. Oprah Winfrey,
who favors stories about victims, picked it for her book club.
(6 hrs./Hyperion Audiobooks/ISBN 0-7868-7104-0)
BN.com sells
audio books, but you can also rent them at Earful.com and
TalkingBooks.com.
For sale or rental of most audio books, call 1-800-5EARFUL. Reviewer
Jonathan Lowe is author of “Caribbean Coup” and “Dark
Fire,” both for rent from Books in Motion at truckstops or
by calling 1-800-752-3199.
