Jun 17, 2011 ARCHIVES | Entertainment | COLUMNS Rafael Sabatini
Unabridged, 12 hours, Tantor (www.tantor.com)
ISBN NA
NA pages
$10 CDs, $35.99; audible.com download, $25.19
Reviewed by Katherine A. Powers
This year marks the 90th glorious anniversary of the publication of this swashbuckling, history-laced adventure. Simon Vance, virtuoso voice of classic tales of derring-do, narrates it -- surpassing the performance he gave in 1998 under his nom de voix, Robert Whitfield. Set at the beginning of the French Revolution, the story follows Andre-Louis Moreau as he progresses from lawyer to actor to fencing master to deputy in the National Assembly. He is intent on avenging the death of his bosom friend Philippe de Vilmorin at the hands of the evil Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr. Vance deftly distinguishes among the characters, not only as individuals, but in their moral proclivities: Cynicism, vanity, pusillanimity, cruelty, righteousness and remorse are all met in their voices. Beyond that, the elegant tread of Vance's overall delivery exactly accords with the air of portentousness announced by the novel's famous first line: "He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad."
Katherine A. Powers regularly reviews audio books for The Washington Post.
Copyright 2011 Washington Post Writers Group
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