Review of Local Custom by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

SFFaudio Audiobook Review

Science Fiction Audiobook - Local Custom by Sharon Lee & Steve MillerLocal Custom
By Sharon Lee and Steve Miller; Read by Michael Shanks
1 MP3-CD or 8 CDs – Approx. 10.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Buzzy Multimedia
Published: 2005
ISBN: 0979074916 (MP3-CD); 096572557X (CDs)
Themes: / Science Fiction / Romance / Space Opera / Galactic Civilization / Love /

“Each person shall provide his Clan of origin with a child of his blood, who will be raised by the Clan and belong to the Clan, despite whatever may later occur to place the parent beyond the Clan’s authority. And this shall be Law for every person of every Clan.”

So far there are seven novels set in the Liaden Universe, though this one isn’t the first published it is chronologically the first to happen. Local Custom is a simple story, a Romeo And Juliet, tale, except with a happy ending and a few more spaceships. Master trader Er Thom yos’Galan is from the planet Liaden, an honour based society of humans. His family, and especially his mother are demanding an heir from Er Thom, as is only right and proper. But Er Thom cannot think of the traditional contract-marriage to some Liaden clan daughter when his true love is back on Terra. Anne Davis, a professor of Liaden studies on Terra had a brief affair with Er Thom years ago. When Er Thom shows up on her doorstep her secret and his duty will embroil them in a galaxy spanning scandal which threatens the honour of clan Korval.

Much of the interest here is in the worldbuilding, Liaden culture is richly imagined and the idea of “melant’i” is fodder for lots of drama. Melant’i, is a conveyed honour, not dissimilar from that created by Jack Vance for The Moon Moth. While the resolution of complex culture clashes makes for good drama, the effect here also makes many long dialogue scenes.This was coupled with a general lack of description – I didn’t know what anybody or anything looked like. The plot, centering around Er Thom’s marital fate, is spread thinly – while the novel never actually bores I kept wondering when something meaty was going to happen – very little did, this is a personal family drama set in a science fiction setting. Sharon Lee and Steve Miller have obviously built themselves an interesting universe here, and I think it’d be one worth visiting again, especially if there is a story in it with a wider-ranging plot. Fans of the series are vehement in their ardor for it.

Some of the exposition is placed at chapter or scene beginnings, mostly notes on Liaden history and cultural norms. This helped the general flow of the telling. Also helpful was Buzzy Multimedia’s engagement of screen actor Michael Shanks for the narration. Shanks appears as Dr. Daniel Jackson on Stargate SG1, but he’s a capable narrator, giving distinction to male and female character alike. There were a few times where I thought I heard Shanks stumble over a word, but generally these were in dialogue, and they may have been deliberate – they certainly didn’t detract from the production. The first three chapters are available for FREE MP3 download on the Buzzy website.

Posted by Jesse Willis

New Releases: Deuce Audio science fiction now on Audible and iTunes

SFFaudio New Releases

[editor’s note – Yep, more SFFaudio staff getting FREE publicity for their excellent audiobook endeavors]

Scott Danielson’s audiobook company Deuce Audio, has two releases through Audible.com (and therefore iTunes too). These are absolutely stunning productions by a professional narrators. Check these out…

Available now from Deuce Audio!

The Retrieval Artist by Kristine Kathryn RuschThe Retrieval Artist
By Kristine Kathryn Rusch; Read by Stefan Rudnicki
Approx. 2 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: iTunes, Audible.com
Published: August 2007
Retrieval Artists find people who have Disappeared. But people Disappear for a reason–they don’t want to be found. When Anetka Sobol shows up at Miles Flint’s office on the Moon, he immediately knows that this case is going to be complicated.

Shed Skin by Robert J. SawyerShed Skin
By Robert J. Sawyer; Read by Stephen Hoye
Approx. 45 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Published: iTunes, Audible.com
Published: August 2007
To live forever, you can copy your mind and transfer it to an immortal robotic body…but what happens to your Shed Skin?

Norman Spinrad Audio Drama COMPLETED and DOWNLOADABLE

SFFaudio Update

Norman Spinrad's Voice OverBroken Sea Audio ProductionsTwo months ago we told you about an unproduced Norman Spinrad, audio drama that was written for Omni magazine, and that was languishing unrecorded. Broken Sea contacted Spinrad and secured the okay for go-ahead. Mark Kalita and the good folks at Broken Sea Audio Productions have now COMPLETED it. Reportedly, Spinrad has given the dramatization a thumb’s up and it is available for listening…

Voice Over by Norman SpinradVoice Over
By Norman Spinrad; Featuring a full cast
1 |MP3| – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Broken Sea
Published: August 2007
Talk radio shows are always a source of interesting characters, sometimes originating from the most unexpected places. But amiable, unflappable talk show host Bobby Edwards gets more than he bargains for when his airwaves are suddenly hijacked by a strange cast of callers from beyond the stars.

Featuring the vocal talents of:

Mark Kalita as Bobby Edwards
Elie Hirschman as: The Announcer, Debbie, Caller #3, Electronic Voice, Daffy Duck, JFK, Groucho Marx & Ma Bell
Chip Joel as: Mr. Spock, Porky Pig, Rod Serling, Orson Welles & Bert Parks
Doug Manllen as: Caller #2 & The Director

Directed by Mark Kalita
Post-production by Paul Mannering
Music by Scott Shannon – podsafeaudio.com

2 John Kessel Audiobooks FREE on his website

SFFaudio Online Audio

Here’s a sweet find! John Kessel who’s story of A Clean Escape premiered on the new Masters Of Science Fiction anthology TV series a couple of Saturdays ago has made the original tale available to be heard as a regular audiobook reading on his website. Kessel, with help from friend, and fellow SF writer, James Patrick Kelly, has recorded his most adapted story and posted it for our listening pleasure. It was first published in 1985 in the pages of Asimov’s Science Fiction. Also available from Kessel is his short story, Some Like It Cold, which first appeared a 1994 issue of Omni. Grab the details for each below…

A Clean EscapeA Clean Escape
By John Kessel; Read by John Kessel
1 |MP3| – Approx. 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: John Kessel’s website
Published: August 2007
A psychiatrist deals with a patient who seems to have lost his memory of the last twenty-four years. Or has he?

A Clean EscapeSome Like It Cold
By John Kessel; Read by John Kessel
1 |MP3| – Approx. 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: John Kessel’s website
Published: August 2007
A time traveling talent scout from the future visits 1962 in search of his next recruit. But is she ready to come?

Radio Drama Revival revives radio drama and podcasts Afterhell

Online Audio

Radio Drama RevivalRadio Drama Revival is a weekly podcast that also airs as a radio show on Thursdays, between 1pm and 1:30PM EST in Portland, Maine. The WMPG proram is produced by Frederick Greenhalgh of FinalRune Productions, but Fred also has many guest on the show including audio dramatist Joe Medina of the Afterhell horror series. A recent show featured a revealing interview with Joe and a complete episode of Afterhell episode from series 2. Here’s that |MP3|.

Fantasy Audio Drama - The Last Harbinger by Roger GreggCurrently being podcast is the complete run of Crazy Dog Audio Theatre‘s The Last Harbinger, a show you won’t want to miss (read our glowing review of it HERE).

Here are all three parts released so far:

Part 1 |MP3|
Part 2 |MP3|
Part 3 |MP3|

More will come in the weeks ahead, as well as an interview with Roger Gregg, the writer, producer, actor, and Crazy Dog who’s responsible for The Last Harbinger.

Keep radio drama revived by subscribing to the podcast’s feed:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/RadioDramaRevival