SHIP OF THESEUS

SHIP OF THESEUS is the central novel within S., a narrative of romantic and mystical adventure. The work is at the core of a film conceived by filmmaker J.J. Abrams and written by acclaimed novelist Doug Dorst. Narrator Graeme Malcolm's gravelly voice is well suited to the mysterious character "S." Malcolm projects S.'s bafflement and frustration at having been inexplicably abducted onto a ship that spans oceans, citadels, continents, and mountains. But Malcolm never loses his tone of wonder as S.'s adventures unfold. The production has a few challenges: The pronounced accents and dialects of the sailors accompanying S. on the unfortunate voyage are difficult to understand, and some of the novel's complexity cannot be reproduced on audio, for example, it's extensive marginalia. But S.'s anger, despair, false hope, and terror are well portrayed in this compelling tale of an amnesiac's search for identity. A.W. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2014]