UR

In a typical King plot a mundane object is associated with improbable effects, in this case, multiple universes. Holter Graham plays it straight, dropping flat American accents over King's utilitarian prose, with just enough differentiation between characters to avoid confusion. In the brief span available, Graham gets the most mileage out of a teenaged character whose changing voice is note-perfect. Overall, his narration is full of life as it enhances numerous first-person digressions. There's a chance for Graham to work an accent early on when he adopts a Southern twang for a fictitious book description, but, sadly, the opportunity only comes once. Written exclusively for Amazon's Kindle e-reader, UR is an extended infomercial for the device, but it balances its promotion with a short running time. A.Z.W. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

March 29, 2010
Wesley Smith buys an Amazon Kindle to keep his mind off his recent nasty breakup, but he finds that his version is no ordinary e-reading device. Smith's Kindle has a special “Ur” option, which reveals the future and all the works his favorite authors have written in parallel dimensions. However, when the Ur delivers news of terrible events on the way, Smith must decide if he should interfere in fate. While King can certainly spin a good story, the Amazon Kindle focus (the story was written exclusively for and can only be read on an Amazon Kindle) keeps this one feeling like an advertising gimmick. While listeners can easily follow Holter Graham's narration, his style and projection aren't particularly impressive. He is consistent with his characterizations, but his light nasal voice lacks energy and momentum, and given that King's voice is quite similar to Graham's and King can narrate just as well, it seems unnecessary to have enlisted Graham, whose performance adds little additional flare.