DREADNOUGHT Britain, Germany and the Coming of the Great War

The Serbs light the fuse, but they and the rest of Europe are only minor players in Robert Massie's vast, graceful tragedy which culminates in the First World War. The principals, England and Germany, caught in a deadly naval arms race, hurtle toward a destiny neither can foresee. Grover Gardner gives life to Massie's thousand-page drama and becomes, as all great actors must, invisible--transparent-- a perfectly graceful, unhurried medium. For so long a book, the listening is effortless. Gardner's characterizations are not differentiated by voice, but in every other respect the feel of fiction propels the reading. An expensive but richly rewarding package. P.E.F. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 93]