The Silent Thaw

This fifth book in Hunter's Warrior Series brings more unrest to the feline warrior clans, who face growing internal divisions. Hunter's cat characters (with names like Firestar and Mosspelt) each have their own virtues and demons. Nanette Savard is an inspired choice for narrator; there's a feline quality to her voice that's perfect here, a kind of purring undertone. Savard also brings a quiet dignity to lines like "you're a warrior, not a moonstruck rabbit" and conveys the serious nature of the cats' situations, and the often ferocious world in which they live. Her dazzling variety of voices (and tonal variety within voices) astonishes, and helps listeners keep straight the many, many cats they'll meet. J.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine