Audiobook Review: "The Word of Promise: Old Testament"

Author: God (original text) / Thomas Nelson, Inc. (translator/publisher)
Starring: Michael York, Martin Jarvis, Gary Sinise, Jason Alexander, Richard Dreyfuss, Marcia Gay Harden, Joan Allen, et. al.
Published: 2009

Synopsis: The Bible comes alive in this full cast audio dramatization! Hear the stories of the creation, the first sin, the patriarchs, the exodus from Egypt, and Israel's various kings and prophets as you've never heard them before! Featuring a whole list of well-known actors and actresses--Jason Alexander, Gary Sinise, Marcia Gay Harden, Richard Dreyfuss, Stacy Keach, and many more, not to mention Michael York as the narrator and Martin Jarvis as the voice of God--and the beloved New King James Version as its source material, this audio Old Testament is like none before it!

The Good: I've been listening to this audio Old Testament pretty much every day of 2014; I did it as part of the One Year Bible plan, which has a reading from the OT, as well as a separate reading from Psalms and Proverbs, every day of the year.  This audio dramatization served me well; it really helped me get into God's Word as never before.  The music, sound effects, and voice acting are worthy of a Hollywood production.  If you're one of those people who loves the Bible but doesn't really like to read, you will definitely like this.

The Bad: As good as this is, I do have some complaints.  I read the actual NKJV while listening to this, and found that the actors sometimes messed up their lines, including reading a heading as if it was part of the actual text.  One chapter of Amos abruptly cut off; I don't know if that was a problem with the recording, or if something went wrong when I copied the track to my computer.  Michael York was a competent narrator, but, after a while, he got old, as did some of the music.  Also, some of the scenes--namely Ezekiel bringing the dead bones back to life--weren't as dramatic as they could have been.

Conclusion: Problems aside, this audio Old Testament is a wonder to behold.  Even if you do like to read, you might want to try this, as hearing every word of the Bible clearly read might bring to your attention details that you'd otherwise miss.  I won't be listening to this again in 2015--at least, not in its entirety--but I hope to give it a spin again sometime soon.

Score: 4.5/5