FLYING COLOURS

Tightly produced, this novel records British sea captain Horatio Hornblower's imprisonment and escape from a French stockade, and his rescue of a British ship seized by Napoleon's navy. The story, one of the better Hornblower novels, is recorded with quality sound engineering and music that pleasantly distinguishes the chapters. Ioan Gruffudd, who gave a faithful and memorable performance as Hornblower in the recent television adaptations for ITV, delivers a quiet and understated reading. His performance is capable but runs low in energy and lacks a mature storyteller's voice. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 02]