The Monkey's Paw

The mischief of the monkey's paw is as intriguing as it was when written at the turn-of-the-century. The three wishes granted to the owner of this mysterious relic unfold in a sinister short story. Lide's smooth and distinctive British voice captures the haunting quality of the story and makes it memorable. The period mood of the voices is essential and Lide produces it beautifully. THE MONKEY'S PAW is one title in a new series called "The Creative Short Story Audio Library," from Listening Library, which includes selections of Poe, London and Conan Doyle. Each short story is recorded on a single cassette and may be paired with a beautifully designed hardcover book. The programs are attractive and accessible teaching tools. The use for language arts in the classroom is obvious and will be a fine supplement to discussion. Brief notes about the author and the context of the work complete each program. These are great choices for the whole family or an enticing introduction to audio listening. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Someone has blown the dust off some old tapes in the archives of the CBC, Canada's public broadcaster, and resurrected them for the Mystery Theatre series, of which this is the third volume. It includes four half-hour radio plays from 1967-68, including two tales of Hoffman and the title drama about a family that acquires a monkey's paw that grants wishes--but with tragic consequences. Full of mediocre acting, deep voices made spooky with reverb, and sound effects that seem cheesy to modern ears, these tales have some sentimental appeal, but they've lost much of their dramatic effect. D.B. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine