cover image The Carpet People

The Carpet People

Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs. Listening Library, unabridged five CDs, 5.5 hrs., $40 ISBN 978-0-8041-6826-7

The Carpet was once a relatively peaceful world, but when the Fray strike and wreak havoc, a misfit band of survivors led by two brothers must find a way to save the Carpet and its people. This revised edition of Pratchett’s first published novel gains new life thanks to the skillful narration of Briggs. His straight-faced delivery of the often-absurd material makes this production fun and amusing. His English accent, coupled with strong projection, generates a regal tone that contrasts with the less-refined accents the narrator uses for dialogue. And Briggs’s character voices are consistent and appropriate, though some of the voices he lends to minor characters are too similar. Ages 8-up. A Clarion hardcover. (Nov.)