VULCAN'S HAMMER

Narrator Mel Foster's competent and professional approach keeps one listening to this dystopian novel even though it's somewhat dated. He jumps from character to character and keeps them all instantly recognizable, no matter where on the planet they are. His voice varies with the plot tensions of the moment, and the listener ends up riveted. Philip K. Dick was a journeyman science-fiction author who always seemed ahead of his time. Here a computer, built to end all conflict, takes on a mind of its own--a common theme now, not so in the 1950s. Still, one has to give credit to a prescient author and an excellent narrator. D.R.W. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2013]