SHILOH SEASON

Marty Preston lived a peaceful life in Friendly, West Virginia, making meaning of everything he's observed and holding tight to Shiloh, the little beagle he earned fair and square from the town drunk, Judd Travers, who beats his dogs and poaches other animals. Michael Moriarty reads Marty's first-person narrative in a quiet country drawl with syllables and words strung together smooth and fast. A disaffected inflection suggests wisdom, not indifference, as his long final syllables carry the listener from sentence to sentence. Travers's voice is hard, and loud, and mean. The judicious use of music and dramatic sound effects emphasizes the emotional tone of pivotal scenes. This is a superb production of the sequel to the Newbery Medal-winning Shiloh. T.B. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: MAR/APR 98]