TORCHLIGHT

A descendent of the author of TREASURE ISLAND, Stevenson shows the likely literary influences of Alistair MacLean, Frederick Forsyth and Clive Cussler, as well. Two divers attempt to recover a billion dollars in gold in the sunken remains of a WWI American cruiser while several nations scheme to gain the treasure for themselves. The novel is strong in its authenticity of detail concerning diving and undersea salvage, weak in its flatness of characters. Jeremy Gage reads the text clearly and precisely but somewhat softly (and turning up the volume to a comfortable level produces too much hiss). Further, Gage's reading mirrors the qualities of the novel itself; the action scenes are given tense pacing while the vocal characterizations are a bit clichéd. G.H. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 00]