Moby-Dick

MOBY-DICK packs a lot of power into this abbreviated form. William Hootkins brings just the right combination of youthful zeal and ancient wisdom to this far-flung cast of characters. Hootkins is as comfortable as the adventure-seeking Ishmael, who makes the listener yearn for the high seas, as he is as the aboriginal Queequeg, who urges caution when not providing some much needed humor. Hootkins brings Captain Ahab to vivid life, giving voice to the character who has become the symbol of fanatical obsession as he hunts the giant white whale that devoured his leg. His quarry, the enigmatic Moby-Dick, is more a force of nature than a living thing. M.S. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine