METAtropolis
By Jay Lake, Tobias Buckell, Elizabeth Bear, John Scalzi, and Karl Schroeder
Read by Michael Hogan, Scott Brick, Kandyse McClure, Alessandro Juliani, Stefan Rudnicki, and John Scalzi
9 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2009
METAtropolis is an audio shared-world anthology that recently was available only on Audible, where it was produced. But it was too big to be contained only in the digisphere – Brilliance Audio now has this on Audio CD and MP3-CD, and Subterranean Press is publishing a limited hardcover.
|READ OUR REVIEW| of this excellent anthology.
Posted by Scott D. Danielson
The big problem with the Audible edition is that it’s only one track. Man, I still haven’t gotten through that first story and all its infodumps. Repetitive infodumps. Ugh. Every so often, I try again, listen for ten or fifteen minutes, and the story’s still not over! Of course, I got it for free during their promotion, so it’s not as though I’ve lost anything but a lot of respect for Jay Lake’s ability to edit himself, but… I’d be a lot more forgiving if there was some way to skip to the next story.
Of course, I do appreciate that this may just be a case where I’d have enjoyed it more if I’d been actually reading it with my own little eyes. Certainly the narrator for the first story reads at a much more measured pace than is strictly necessary, as I feel that infodumps really should be read at skimming speed. It’s background world-building, no more and no less; and you’re not cramming for a test. The light touch is important.
But I realize this is one of those YMMV situations, since a large number of sf readers and listeners whom I respect, do in fact enjoy this excruciating book. :) Ah, well.
I can’t argue with you there, Maureen! I wasn’t bothered by it as much as you (I found it infodumpy but interesting). Feel free to fast forward to the next one! The other four stories are NOT heavy with infodumpage.