The Secret Pilgrim

John Franklyn-Robbins gives a fully voiced, unabridged performance of THE SECRET PILGRIM, which is, without reservation, worthy of the novel's excellence. Much of the power of Franklyn-Robbins's reading comes from the feeling that he is talking to you alone, providing intimacy through undistorted sound. The recording technique is perfect for the intended tone. He has an excellent vocal range and wonderful voices, and he gives Ned an appropriately worldly, battle-weary voice. Franklyn-Robbins's rendition of the forty-page dialogue between the interrogating Ned and the pathetically lonely Cyril Frewin is a stunning example of how oral interpretation can enhance one's understanding and appreciation of a text. P.W. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Near the end of his own career as a cold-war spy, the narrator invites his mentor, George Smiley, to address his students as they complete their spy training. Seeing Smiley again evokes for him a series of memories, some involving Smiley, all marvelously written vintage le Carré. Loosely linked stories may not have the drive of a coherent long-form narrative, but the device offers different pleasures, allowing for reflection on how the service has changed since Smiley's day, making room for narrative gems that don't fit in a novel but are far too good to waste. Michael Jayston could not be better, giving a wry, elegant wide-ranging performance that brings Smiley, Toby Esterhazy, and many other old friends from the Smiley novels back to vivid life. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

December 1, 1990
Fang Lizhi, China's leading dissident intellectual, now in exile in England, lays down a gauntlet to the world's leaders: ``Appeasement of governments which revel in slaughter is an invitation to world-wide catastrophe.'' In this collection of plainspoken articles, fiery speeches, informal travel notes, scientific essays and interviews, the astrophysicist/human rights activist fully lives up to his reputation as ``China's Sakharov.'' Equally conversant with Western traditions and his own, this slightly owlish-looking freethinker strives to put China's problems within a global perspective. His critique of Deng's modernization drive--he stresses that China needs to import a new value system, not just foreign capital and technology--grows ever more timely. Within his own field, cosmologist Fang was branded a criminal for writing about the Big Bang. Here he goes even further, questioning the orthodoxy of Einsteinian space-time. These subtle, brilliant writings convey a powerful message of hope.