The Sands of Time

This second Hermux Tantamoq adventure starts when a strange chipmunk visits Hermux's shop, claiming to be a friend of Hermux's father and talking about a great mystery he has to solve. Campbell Scott's deadpan narration, combined with crisp enunciation, seems to fit a story about a watchmaker. His more lively and expressive interpretations of the dialogue particularly capture Hermux's range of emotions. Hermux and his love interest have almost the same voice, which makes it difficult to tell who is speaking in some of the scenes they share, but aside from this quibble, this audio has something for children, teens, and adults. An excellent choice for family listening. A.F. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

November 17, 2003
Fresh from his first adventure, Hermux Tantamoq, watchmaker mouse and amateur sleuth, finds himself drawn into another intrigue when his artist friend's exhibit of cat paintings incites a riot. "The galloping plot, evocative descriptions and exuberantly sophisticated wit keep the pages turning rapidly," wrote PW
in a starred review. Ages 10-up.

February 1, 2003
Gr 5-8-The sand sifts slowly through the hourglass while listening to this audio rendition of this Hermux Tantamoq Adventure by Michael Hoeye (Putnam, 2002). The major portion of the adventure focuses on the discussion of the mythical cat civilization and tedious, on-going descriptions of scenes and settings. This, coupled with character's names, such as Tucka Mertslin, Linka Perflinger, and more, can leave unfamiliar listeners befuddled. While trying to understand who the characters are, listeners can easily lose the thread of the story as the narrator's reading moves along steadily, leaving no time to make the necessary connections. The narration by Campell Scott, an experienced film and TV drama actor, is less than stellar. His vocalizations add little to bring this verbose and belabored novel alive. Scott's voices for the multitude of characters is nondescript. Even in the instances where characters are said to "squeal" or "chirp," Scott's voice remains unvarying and lifeless. Birch is the only character whose voice is discernable due to a slight raspiness. Without voice changes, the characters remain one-dimensional, which only serves to emphasize the linear predictability of the story line.-Tina Hudak, St. Bernard's School, Riverdale, MD

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