In 21st-century Russia, ten years after the collapse of communism, the people decide to return a czar to power, to rule Russia and restore historic traditions. The search is on to find a direct descendent of Nicholas II, who was executed in 1917. An African-American lawyer and a Russian gymnast become involved in the search by following clues left in a bizarre prophecy passed from generation to generation for nearly a hundred years. Meanwhile, an inner circle of Russians joins forces with greedy American businessmen to try to rig the selection. Paul Michaels's narration is a perfect fit. Pace, diction, and dialect are all right on target. His ability to paint word pictures of the tense confrontations between good and evil adds much to the listening experience. Although a bit farfetched, this well-balanced, fast-paced story makes it difficult to leave the audio player. T.J.M. (c) AudioFile 2005