Heart of Darkness

Conrad's heavily atmospheric story of greed and evil is perfectly suited to audio performance since it is Marlow's voice that relates the horror of the journey down the Congo River. Richard Thomas's reading is on an even level throughout the telling, but the timbre of his voice of his voice may be too slight to lead listeners into Conrad's terrifying wilderness. Thomas's performance does not stand up well when compared to other productions. B.V. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

In HEART OF DARKNESS, Marlow, the narrator, undertakes both an outer and an inner journey. The outer journey takes him into the heart of Africa, where he encounters representatives of every colonial stripe. Performing the work instead of simply reading it, Scott Brick emphasizes this aspect of Conrad's classic, clearly conveying class differences and a range of foreign accents, as well as pidgin. Conrad's prose is dense and complex, but Brick delivers it smoothly and gracefully. However, Marlow's inner journey--during which he confronts the mysterious Mr. Kurtz--remains too distant and intellectualized to fully capture the emotional charge of the moment. G.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

Conrad's heavily atmospheric story of greed and evil is perfectly suited to audio performance since it is Marlow's voice that relates the horror of the journey down the Congo River. Jack Sondericker's rumbling and intense interpretation is compelling. Sondericker's narration exudes force and intensity, which pull the listener into the horror of Marlow's journey from innocence to the comprehension of evil. B.V. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Conrad's famous and influential short novel takes us up an African river with Marlow, who is searching for Kurtz, a colonial administrator in trouble. With his deep, resonant voice, David Horovitch could make the tax code intriguing. He gives each aspect of the story--from its "frame" in England, through its central horror in Africa, to its European coda--subtle and tactful treatment, giving now politically incorrect comments on colonialism, for example, just the right light turn. His voice fits the somber grimness of the story, while giving it its proper touch of the absurd. Only when he must provide other voices--that of Kurtz and especially that of Kurtz's Russian companion--is he a bit less than convincing. Still, this is an absorbing performance of a key work in twentieth-century literature. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

The horror! The horror! In this brooding and justly celebrated novella of 1902, seaman Charles Marlow is cruising quietly down the Thames at dusk with some friends. As night begins to fall, he tells them of his harrowing journey down an African river in search of the unscrupulous and near-legendary ivory trader named Kurtz, a quest deep into inky spiritual and symbolic darkness. Acclaimed Irish actor/director Kenneth Branagh impersonates Marlow in this recording. Admirably, while fully playing the drama, he never goes overboard. He plays the tale for the great yarn that it is. But had he taken more cognizance of its trajectory and subtleties, he would have made the listening experience far richer than he has. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine