THE CRYSTAL POOL

Geraldine McCaughrean’s accounts of 28 myths and legends include a few well-known stories, such as the “The Pied Piper,” “The Flying Dutchman,” and “Isis and Osiris,” but most will be unfamiliar to listeners. The title story, “The Crystal Pool,” a Melanesian myth, tells of the origin of the oceans from a secret saltwater spring where an old woman draws water for cooking. Christian Rodska’s narration of these creation myths, pourquoi stories, trickster tales, and epic hero stories is consistently respectful of their cultural origins. His voice is always appropriately expressive: gentle and solemn or energetic and emotionally charged as fits each story. These stories from the oral tradition are imaginative and thought-provoking. Rodska’s performance transforms them into a tantalizing and magical listening experience. C.R.A. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2011]