Foundation

Asimov's sweeping tale of the disintegration and fall of the Galactic Empire has never been more relevant or poignant. In Foundation, Larry McKeever reads like he's racing to a fire, reducing the listener's experience of the tale's grandeur to a feeble struggle to follow the plot. His voice is clear but unremarkable. He uses few vocal characterizations, and extended conversations are often difficult to track. Narrative passages suffer from the one-speed pace. Technical and editorial problems plague the title. Intermittent fade-outs on one channel; inconsistencies when switching sides; and low, rumbling background noise mar the sound quality. S.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine