The Screwtape Letters

These letters of advice from senior fiend Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood, an apprentice tempter trying to capture the soul of a mortal Englishman wavering between sin and salvation, appeared in 1942 in some of the darkest months of WWII, when evil certainly seemed personified and loose in the world. Joss Ackland inhabits the character of Screwtape masterfully, making him a suave and seductive elder statesman who uses his velvety charm and deep knowledge of human nature to make you forget that his politics are appalling. It is not necessary to be a Christian to be fascinated by this apologia, and Ackland's brilliant performance makes it well-nigh unforgettable. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine