The Devil's Breath

David Thorn moves from plummy prep school English to the voice of a monosyllabic bushman without a hitch when Gilman's main character, Max, eludes an assassination attempt and takes off from his boarding school to go to Africa. There he intends to rescue his father from a villain who wants to pollute the part of the continent that he does not drown while maintaining possession of the area's only clean water. Thorn's delivery remains even-keeled even when he's is describing Max's out-of-body experiences (he takes flight in animal form) and his exploits fighting off poison, geysers, gunmen, baboons, an albino crocodile, and foes of Planet Earth. Nonstop (somewhat implausible) action and a wide array of well-voiced characters make for pleasurable listening. D.P.D. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine