THE GATHERING STORM

The Thoenes capture the listener's interest in this Christian fiction novel, another entry in their Zion Diaries series. Bodie Thoene not only narrates here but is also a character in the story who receives a diary about the experiences of Loralei Kepler during WWII. Reading journal entries of this believable tale, Thoene slowly hooks the listener into a sweeping story of love and history. Despite Thoene's noted effort in narration, the voices do not match the text. The delivery comes across as rigid and automatic, having little connection to the humanity of the characters. Despite the addition of sound effects, there's little natural flow to the audio story. J.E. 2011 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2011]