CROSS OF ST. GEORGE

Any fan of Forester's Horatio Hornblower novels or O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin sea stories will enjoy Kent's long-running series. In this entry, Captain Adam Bolitho commands a frigate and his uncle, Admiral Richard Bolitho, a fleet in Canadian waters during the War of 1812. Herein are lots of spectacular sea fights and lots of soap-opera-like visions of the characters' personal lives. Reader Michael Jayston has a somber British voice; he reads deliberately and somehow conveys the sense that the listener is with him. The strong emotions of the characters are put across with subtlety and skill in his low-key approach. D.W. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 02]