MASTERPIECES OF MODERN SHORT FICTION

There is an unevenness about this varied collection, which mixes works by contemporary writers such as Philip Roth and Paul Theroux with older ones. Each is performed by a different reader. The Conrad story is one of his stuffier works, and Michael York can do little to redeem it. Arte Johnson, on the other hand, is a perfect fit for the L.A. cop who narrates James Ellroy's "High Darktown," and Roger Rees shows off (occasionally too much) some excellent voices in Huxley's "The Giaconda Smile," the longest and best story in the collection. Both even manage to outshine the venerable Orson Welles, who sounds a little out of breath reading Fitzgerald. D.B. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 99]