Double Star

Lloyd James, a veteran narrator, surpasses himself in his dramatization of this classic science fiction novel. Reading in a clipped, expository style, he presents the story of Lorenzo Smythe, an out-of-work actor impersonating a high-ranking world leader, first on a short-term basis and then perhaps forever. Heinlein's characters are well drawn, and James uses accents, pacing, and diction to present each one as an identifiable individual. Addressing white-black prejudice in the U.S. in the '50s through Lorenzo's aversion to Martians, Heinlein is at his best, and James makes us believe and nearly smell their appalling odor. Will Lorenzo save galactic peace, or will chaos reign? S.C.A. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine