SFFaudio Challenge completed: Legacy by James H. Schmitz

SFFaudio Online Audio

Maureen O’Brien of the Maria Lectrix blog and podcast, has just completed her long running narration of one of our SFFaudio Challenge titles! Maureen said of it:

Legacy (aka A Tale of Two Clocks) is a darned good book by one of my favorite SF authors, James H. Schmitz. He’s best known for his Telzey Amberdon psi sci-fi stories (set in the same Galactic Hub as Legacy and including some of the same characters) and his very funny space opera The Witches of Karres. This book is a sequel to the short story “Harvest Time”, but you don’t have to read that first to understand this book. (I didn’t read it till after.) So welcome to the Hub, and say hello to your new friend, Trigger Argee! She’s not in the best mood when we first meet her, but you’ll like her even so.”

All 29 chapters, are available and ready for Zipped Download…

Legacy by James H. SchmitzLegacy
By James H. Schmitz; Read by Maureen O’Brien
29 Zipped MP3 Files – Approx. 10 Hours 22 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: Maria Lectrix
Podcast: January 2008 – July 2008
Strange ancient machines possessing vast power have been discovered. Ruthless people want to control them. Governments, industries, and universities claw for jurisdiction, and scientists for discoveries and status. Trigger Argee just wants to go home and see her boyfriend — but first, she’s got a lot of mess to sort out.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Fantasy Magazine Looking For Audio Dramas to Podcast

SFFaudio News

Fantasy Magazine's PodcastIn 2009 Fantasy Magazine plans to add audio dramas to its podcasts. To that end, from September 1st 2008 to – November 15th 2008, the editors will be accepting audio script submissions. Scripts should run 30 – 60 minutes and follow traditional radio play format with preference for plays that’ll require five or fewer actors. To learn all the details, including how much they’ll be paying, check out their blog post about this, and then visit the forums they have set up to get any further questions answered.

Posted by Jesse Willis

LibriVox Short Science Fiction Stories Collection #006

SFFaudio Online Audio

Here comes Volume #6 in the Short SF Stories Collection series – all public domain, all 100% FREE, from the folks at LibriVox…

LibriViox Short Science Fiction Collection Volume #6Short Science Fiction Collection Vol. 006
By various; Read by various
Zipped MP3 Files, Podcast or individual MP3s – Approx. 4 Hours 20 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: July 25, 2008
Science fiction (abbreviated SF or sci-fi with varying punctuation and case) is a broad genre of fiction that often involves sociological and technical speculations based on current or future science and technology. This is a reader-selected collection of short stories, originally published between 1752 and 1962. Those published after 1922 entered the US public domain when their copyright was not renewed.

Here’s the podcast feed:

http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/short-science-fiction-collection-vol-006.xml

And here are the individual stories with my own notes on some…

LibriVox Science Fiction Short Story - Accidental Death by Peter BailyAccidental Death
By Peter Baily; Read by RK Wilcox
1 |MP3| – Approx. 23 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
From the pages of Astounding Science Fiction magazine’s February 1959 issue. A tale about, aliens and space travel, told in a curious recorded epistolary form (and its set atop Mount Everest). Strange, but kind of familiar, worth listening to, but not likely to be at all memorable.

LibriVox Science Fiction Short Story - After A Few Words by Randall Garrett…After a Few Words…
By Randall Garrett; Read by Alex Becker
1 |MP3| – Approx. 18 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
First published in Analog magazine’s October 1962 issue – with the LibriVox team identifying the author, “Seaton McKettrig,” as actually Randall Garrett using one of his many pseudonyms. A few off-pronunciations aren’t enough to mar this solid reading. A historical tale – that really isn’t.

LibriVox Science Fiction Short Story - The Diamond Maker by H.G. WellsThe Diamond Maker
By H.G. Wells; Read by Jerome Lawsen
1 |MP3| – Approx. 17 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
A canvas sack full of several hundred pounds worth of diamonds, proffered on a London bridge for a paltry £100. It sounds like a con, at the very least a deal too good to be true. But the owner of the diamonds has a tale of woe to explain why he is selling them at such a cut-rate price. This one reminds me of Wells’ The Crystal Egg. Narrator, Jerome Lawsen, has a nice setup, the recording on this one is very clean.

LibriVox Science Fiction Short Story - Egocentric Orbit by John CoryEgocentric Orbit
By John Cory; Read by Perry Clayton
1 |MP3| – Approx. 7 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
It took a long time for human beings to accept that our little piece of meteoric rubble wasn’t the exact and absolute center of the Universe. It does appear that way, doesn’t it? It may not take so long for a spaceman to learn … First published in Astounding Science Fiction’s May 1960 issue. This is the second version of this story to be recorded by LibriVox.

LibriVox Science Fiction Short Story - Flight From Tomorrow by H. Beam PiperFlight From Tomorrow
By H. Beam Piper; Read by Jerome Lawsen
1 |MP3| – Approx. 47 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
First published in the unwieldy titled “‘Future’ combined with ‘Science Fiction Stories’” magazine’s September/October 1950 issue. This one’s a novelette, an out-in-out time travel tale, that though a bit predictable, and certainly very period, has a certain vintage charm. Jerome Lawsen, reads it well.

LibriVox Science Fiction Short Story - In the Year 2889 by Jules VerneIn The Year 2889
By Jules Verne; Read by James Christopher
1 |MP3| – Approx. 31 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
First published in 1889, and credited to Jules Verne, it was actually written by Michel Verne, Jules Verne’s son. But then just to confuse matters more it was published under Jules Verne’s name correctly a year later when the senior Verne re-wrote it (and changed the title to In The Year 2890). In any case, this tale is set a mere one thousand years in the future.

LibriVox Science Fiction Short Story - The Measure Of A Man by Randall GarrettThe Measure of a Man
By Randall Garrett; Read by D.E. Wittkower
1 |MP3| – Approx. 29 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
“What is desirable is not always necessary, while that which is necessary may be most undesirable. Perhaps the measure of a man is the ability to tell one from the other … and act on it.” From the April 1960 of John W. Campbell’s Astounding Science Fiction magazine.

LibriVox Proto-Science Fiction Short Story - Micromegas by VoltaireMicromegas
By Voltaire; Read by Annoying Twit
1 |MP3| – Approx. 45 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
An 18th century tale (first published in 1752), Micromegas is significant in the pre-history of SF. Earth is visited by a pair of alien visitors, one from a planet circling Sirius and the other from the planet Saturn! This reading is also significant as it was recorded using a £1800 microphone!

LibriVox Science Fiction Short Story - The Sky Trap by Frank Belknap LongThe Sky Trap
By Frank Belknap Long; Read by Dr Special
1 |MP3| – Approx. 35 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
From Comet magazine’s July 1941 issue (the same issue that has Leigh Brackett’s A World Is Born – which is also available HERE). This is Dr. Special’s first recording for LibriVox. He reads it very well, even though there are a lot of lines like… “Good God Dave, do you suppose something has happened to space?”

LibriVox Science Fiction Short Story - Test Rocket by Jack DouglasTest Rocket
By Jack Douglas; Read by Lance
1 |MP3| – Approx. 5 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
From the Amazing Science Fiction Stories magazine’s April 1959 issue (which had an amazing cover).

Posted by Jesse Willis

Five Free Favourites #2

SFFaudio Online Audio

Evo Terra, of Podiobooks.com, has Five Free Favourites for us – these are the ones he thinks will surprise you. Many of his “favourites” are in the SF realm – but they’re just the same old block-busters that everyone pointing to Podiobooks.com would consider their favourites, and so, he figures it’s time for him to extol the virtues of some non-SF books that are also his favourites. And to that end, here are Evo’s…
Five Free Favourites
The Five Free Favourites I’d include aren’t science fiction titles. However, being an avid science fiction reader, I’m pretty confident that at least some SF listeners occasionally take a break from SF too and are just looking for something good to listen to. Allow me, if I may, to offer up these hidden gems from Podiobooks.com that might activate different neurons in your brain:

1.
Clear Heart by Joe CottonwoodClear Heart
By Joe Cottonwood; Read by Joe Cottonwood and Susan Walker
Podiobook – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Podiobooks.com
Published: October 2007 – January 2008
Listen to the promo |MP3|
I’d call this a good companion piece to Zen and the Art of Motorccyle Maintenance, except it’s about building houses. No, I’m not even remotely interested in the intricacies of the construction trade. But I do love a good story where heroes don’t always fit the mold Hollywood creates for us. And the voice acting of the female roles is superb.

2.
Crusade by Greg CritesCrusade
By Greg Crites; Read by Gregg Crites
Podiobook – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Podiobooks.com
Published: May 2008 – June 2008
Listen to the promo |MP3|
I really didn’t want to like this book. The author/narrator is crass, abrasive and downright offensive at times. And funny as hell. If you don’t mind the less-than-delicate treatment of religion and the near-constant drug and drinking references, prepare to garner odd stares from co-workers as you listen and burst out with the giggles often.

3.
In Search Of #6 by Damon TimmIn Search of #6
By Damon Timm; Read by Damon Timm
Podiobook – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Podiobooks.com
Published: March 2007
I’m not the most active person in the world, and a travelogue of two fools bicycling from Washington State down to San Francisco sounds less-than-compelling. Yet it’s not about that. It’s about the little things that happen along the way as told by the incredibly gifted narration of Damon Timm. It’s almost enough to make me get on a bike. Almost.

4.
Best Laid Plans by Terry FallisThe Best Laid Plans
By Terry Fallis; Read by Terry Fallis
Podiobook – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Podiobooks.com
Published:
Why would a guy like me who cares little for politics inside my own country care anything about a satirical novel of politics from ANOTHER country? Because Terry Fallis weaves a masterful tale. And I could listen to him read the phonebook. His characters are both true-to-life and bigger-than-life at the same time. That takes talent.

5.
Karl's Last Flight by Basil SandsKarl’s Last Flight
By Basil Sands; Read by Basil Sands
Podiobook – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Podiobooks.com
Published: July 2007 – October 2007
Listen to the promo |MP3|
OK, so this one may be a little bit in the SF realm, since the main character is an astronaut. Of sorts. For a short time. But then it
quickly becomes a great modern-day thriller of espionage and terrorism. With actions and characters that could be ripped out of today’s headlines, Basil weaves an old soldiers past with his current dangerous behind-enemy-lines reality. Fast paced, with deep and complex characters. You won’t want to put it down.

Posted by Evo Terra