THE DROWNER

Will Dance, an engineer in 1880s Australia, has the gift for finding water. Descended from generations of water seekers in England, Dance has his job cut out for him in the shining sands of Australia's western desert. Paul English narrates this historical tale in soft tones with suitable accents for the story's many characters. Male and female, rough and cultured clash in the rough-and-tumble gold- mining camps in the desert. Dance's challenge is to construct a 35-mile aqueduct uphill to the camps. English works hard to engage the listener as he continually transitions from historical exposition to narrative and dialogue in depicting the stories of those who worked to survive in a hot, dusty land. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2013]