CHAMPLAIN'S DREAM

Fischer's long biography of Samuel de Champlain depicts an explorer and colonizer who tried to establish a regime of religious and interracial tolerance in Canada in the early 1600s. Nelson Runger's voice, though not especially melodious, is resonant, clear, and professionally crisp. But his seeming determination to add expression to every phrase leads him to overemphasize and exaggerate. That, combined with his frustrating pace, one or two beats slower than normal, is frustrating. The listener eventually adapts, but never completely. His awkward French pronunciation makes the many French names—so important for this book—hard to decipher. Runger is clearly a skilled professional, but his attributes do not shine in this production. W.M. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2010]