After conquering the elvish language invented for ELDEST and ERAGON, nothing fazes Gerard. He takes on the new Alyss of THE LOOKING GLASS WARS and SEEING REDD or the mean streets of THE BLOOMSDAY DEAD with compelling style. --2007 Narrator Yearbook
Gerard's audiobooks in the mere five years of his recording career show a stunning array of narrative skills. At one turn, he can be chilling the listener with the grittiest of Irish noir suspense (DEAD I WELL MAY BE); in the next, he's the master of mythology and humor in a fantasy of Vikings and trolls (Nancy Farmer's THE SEA OF TROLLS). His many skills make him the perfect guru/guide to Christopher Paolini's dragon-rider fantasies ERAGON and ELDEST, which are destined to be perennial must-listen audiobooks. The recording of ELDEST—a marathon completed in 80 hours over nine days—includes Gerard using "Dwarvish," the young author's invented language based on old Norse. Producer Claudia Howard says this about Gerard's narration: "Worlds populated with supernatural beings and larger-than-life events require a powerful imagination and the ability to see these worlds as real and possible." His range astonishes, yet as he brings these fantasy characters to life, he's never over-the-top or cartoonish. Narrating as Michael Deehy, Gerard has been occupied mostly with Deborah Crombie's moody police procedurals. IN A DARK HOUSE and LEAVE THE GRAVE GREEN are just two in the Crombie series he recorded this year. His Irish heritage and English-drama training make the Scottish, English, and Irish accents sound both distinctive and completely natural. Gerard is definitely on a fast track-50 audiobooks in three years-and his consistently riveting performances show he has the acting scope and balance to be recognized as an audiobook star.--2005 Narrator Yearbook