Steppenwolf

Hesse's philosophical novel about a loner who feels divided in his soul and alienated from life was a cult classic of the 1960s' counterculture. Peter Weller's voice is dry, deep, almost harsh, and through much of the book, his tone is cutting, sardonic, even angry. That's a fitting take on the protagonist, Haller, but it's too much, and the tone would be better with some variation. Weller's voice softens when Haller interacts with others, and in some of the dialogue he brings out a rhythmic lilt that is quite engaging. While a bit uneven, by and large, Weller does this dreamlike yet dour book justice. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

May 26, 2008
While it's good for a titter to picture Peter Weller in full RoboCop
gear reading Hesse's classic novel of intellectual absorption with the primeval, it is not entirely necessary for full appreciation of his reading. Weller, who has a Midwestern folksy personability, reads Hesse less as a work of great literature than a philosophical manual, meant to be studied for personal improvement. Hesse can be forbidding, even for the teenage readers who often discover literature through him, so Weller wisely renders his novel familiar, comfortable and friendly. Currently wrapping up a Ph.D. at UCLA in Italian Renaissance art history, Weller has clearly been taking lessons in sounding professorial—entirely apropos here.