The Island of Dr. Moreau

Released in conjunction with the movie featuring Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer, this audiobook enjoys the talents of a particularly effective reader. Michael Williams has a low-key, cultured British intonation, which sounds almost jaded in parts. Yet he distinguishes the various characters with fluid skill: A sea captain's voice is so rough it sounds like a metal rasp; the beast-men created by Moreau's vivisection sound almost ethereal, as if still exhausted by torture under the knife. There's no musical punctuation or any other enhancement. Williams carries the somber story alone, his voice tense with excitement at times, almost whispering at more contemplative moments. D.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine