Quantum

In 1948, a German migr scientist, one of the greatest thinkers of all time, is killed before he can publish the work that would have made him a household name. When his work (and body) is unearthed 50 years later, it, combined with current work done by a University of Michigan scientist, might change the world by creating a quantum power cell that will render all other forms of energy obsolete. Seeing the potential of becoming the world's most powerful man by owning this technology, Russian billionaire Victor Orlov arranges to have the research stolen and the scientists destroyed. Enter Nolan Kilkenny, an ex-Navy SEAL turned scientific researcher who finds himself inadvertently immersed in this world of international intrigue and is the only one who can halt Orlov's bid for supremacy. O'Connell's reading is unenthusiastic and uninspired. He liberally employs a Peter Lorre impersonation as a generic foreign accent regardless of whether the character is German or Russian. Simultaneous release with the Warner hardcover (Forecasts, July 24). (Aug.)