Author Jonathan Lowe brings his monthly column of audio book reviews to Bookmans. This month: Lincoln Child's newest, how to make someone love you forever, deconstructing Twinkies, and more.
The mechanics of science rarely invade the media of mass culture, and the reason is obvious. Ignorant of little more than sound bites and so called "reality" shows, the typical American consumer is not only near-sighted, but insular. While he may own a cell phone, a WiFi accessible computer, a plasma TV and an iPod, he doesn't really understand how they work - or care. To interest such a person, one must be both entertaining and provocative, which is just what astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson does in DEATH BY BLACK HOLE, a collection of carefully arranged essays written for Natural History magazine. Read by actor Dion Graham, the book is a patient, simplified cosmic guide that puts in perspective what is knowable about the biggest questions of all - where we come from, are we alone in the universe, and does religion fit in. While it can't answer these questions, it does reveal their depth, dispelling widely held myths. The title refers to what may be the most bizarre way to die, (and one which "CSI:" will never be able to investigate.) Seen on the PBS program "NOVA," and possessing innate communications skills himself, Tyson could have narrated this audiobook version, had he time. But what exactly is time, or gravity? And why can't he - or anyone - move faster than the speed of light? Tyson patiently explains, wielding the voice of an equally entertaining professional reader, who seems to have grasped the essence of Tyson's persona. In the process, the listener begins to imagine the Earth as a grain of sand on the cosmic beach. So much for thinking celebrity awards shows are all that important! True to ironic form, the production is also available in mp3 format for direct download to the now astronomical number of iPods out there. (Blackstone Audio; 12 hours unabridged)
Moving from science to science fiction, there's the intriguing EIFELHEIM, from the award-winning Michael Flynn. It's about a historian and his theoretical physicist girlfriend, who investigate the history of a German town that mysteriously disappeared in 1349. At first they think it had something to do with the Black Death, which was infecting Europe at the time. But due to the multiple viewpoints the listener knows that it was the site of first contact with aliens, where a spaceship "crashed" in the nearby forest. Although "crash" is not the right word, as the ship traveled through from another dimension or alternate universe. Moving between the past and present, the story is narrated by Anthony Heald, best known for playing Hannibal Lecter's jail nemesis in "The Silence of the Lambs." It's also the best thing about the audiobook, since Heald is an incredible actor, with a quirky delivery that's particularly chilling in his subdued voice portrayal of several of the aliens. (Blackstone Audio; 17 hours unabrided)
Next, can you force someone to love you? Yes, according to author Nicholas Boothman in HOW TO MAKE SOMEONE LOVE YOU FOREVER. Ostensibly, such a task takes time, since you can't hurry love. Hence, the subtitle here is "In 90 Minutes or Less," which is longer than Boothman took last time out, when he penned "How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less." Actually, the book takes a while to listen to, and the author suits the narration, being a former fashion photographer and ad man, now a non-verbal communications guru. In an age when looks matter most, he schools listeners on how to dress, how to act, and what to say...whether you want to be a Stepford wife or not. While much of what's discussed seems obvious, the most intriguing aspects are those we may overlook, as the author points out our subconscious defensive postures, which take conscious effort to overcome. Because just being yourself may not get you love, unfortunately, if don't know how to hide your insecurities or a suspicious nature. (Listen & Live Audio; 4 hours abridged)
If you want to see what it's like for an award-winning literary novelist to cross over into the mystery genre, give CHRISTINE FALLS a listen. Author Benjamin Black is actually Englishman John Banville, whose 2005 novel "The Sea" won the Man Booker Prize. Banville, here writing under a pseudonym, has conjured up a Dublin pathologist named Garret Quirke, who follows Christine's corpse into Catholic high society, where a conspiracy lurks. The novel floats atop an ocean of psychological tension, and is replete with the same finely detailed observations that eddied through "The Sea." One can only speculate why the genre change for Banville, but even without former James Bond actor Timothy Dalton at the helm as narrator, there would still be enough authority and believability here to propel any lifeboat to shore. Suffice it to say that the pacing, tone and accent are unerringly on track under Dalton's careful guidance, since, being the most serious of Bond actors, Dalton is, after all, a classical trained Shakespearean actor who also appeared in "Wuthering Heights" and "The Lion in Winter." As for the novel itself, it is conventional in structure and yet as quirky as real life - or the name of its protagonist. Combine great writing with strong narration, and this production emerges like a pearl of originality surfacing from an abyss of murky banality, revealing a whole that is more than the sum of its parts. (Audio Renaissance; 9 1/2 hours unabridged)
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