The Red Badge of Courage

In this re-release of a well-known classic, Frank Muller creates a world made for audio. His performance lifts the words from the page and turns them into flesh-and-blood characters with aches and torments. Each accent fits the character, and each character sounds authentic. Union soldier Henry Fleming faces his first battle and runs away. Muller turns Henry's shame at his act of cowardice into something as tangible as the "red badge" he longs for. Muller's pacing is exceptional in battle sequences, and his quiet moments can be tender. Henry's plight combined with Muller's vocal artistry makes this utterly engrossing listening. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine


Among the classic war novels, THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE ranks with the best. Its setting is the Civil War; its hero of sorts is young recruit ("fresh fish") Henry Fleming; and its plot focuses on the boredom, fear, cowardice, and bravery that Henry faces as best he can, often more instinctively than intellectually. Reader Scott Brick is fine. He has a storyteller's interest in Henry and the other soldiers, particularly the tall soldier and the loud soldier who wield such an influence on Henry. Brick's best at the matter-of-fact leave-taking between the eager to fight Henry and his reluctant mother and, later, in the battle scenes, in which the tempo quickens. Stephen Crane would be pleased with this rendition of his enduring work. T.H. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine