The SFFaudio Podcast #237 – TOPIC: Podcasts

Podcast

The SFFaudio PodcastThe SFFaudio Podcast #237 – Jesse, Tamahome, Julie Davis, Seth, and Jimmy Rogers talk about podcasts.

Talked about on today’s show:
Jimmy’s Synthetic Voices, Jenny’s Forgotten Classics and A Good Story is Hard to Find, podcasts are a house of mirrors, we have reached the podcast singularity, Julie’s podcast highlight feature, Edgar Allan Poecast, Dickens and Hawthorn podcasts on Julie’s wishlist, Jimmy’s podcast group meetup, Washington Science Fiction Association, Jimmy’s segment on StarShipSofa, the value of curated podcasts about podcasts, Luke Burrage’s geek Venn diagram (see below), Julie on the intimate nature of podcast listening, Jesse on the rarity of finding people who speak like they write, podcasts invite listeners into the conversation, “Tam listens to all podcasts”, SFSignalSword & Laser, mainstream podcasts, Security NowABC NewsAgony Column, Jesse wants to hit Margaret Atwood again, 99% Invisible funded by KickStarter, Julie scans the new releases section in iTunes, KCRW’s DnA and Martini Shot, Inside the New York Times Book Review Podcast, NPR’s Car TalkWait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me!Nature podcast, Science UpdateEncounters60 Minutes is tightly edited (and that’s how it is!), Vice podcast (HBO show tie-in) and Dennis Rodman, FreakonomicsDay 6, Dan Carlin’s Common Sense and Hardcore History, CBC embraces podcasters, Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac makes Seth sound smart, audio drama, the Lovecraftian Welcome to Night ValeNerdist podcasts, Twin PeaksWormwoodDecoder Ring Theatre‘s shows, Julie Hoverson’s 19 Nocturne BoulevardLeviathan Chronicles, podiobooks, Scott Sigler‘s BloodCast and Rookie series, J.C. Hutchins, Mur Lafferty‘s Heaven series, We’re Alive zombie podcast, Julie educates us on the Texas definition of “fine”, The Monster Hunters is zany UK comedy (not related to Larry Correia‘s Monster Hunters International), Plants vs. ZombiesHG World (not related to H.G. Wells), Ace Galaksi features Douglas Adams humour, meritocracy in podcast recommendations, “podcasting makes anyone a celebrity”, so does blogging (Julie’s Happy Catholic blog), Seth is the new intern (but can’t afford the Night Vale intern shirt), CromCast discusses Robert E. Howard whilst eating Chinese food, the nature of an author’s writing informs the nature of podcasts about them, H.P. Lovecraft Literary PodcastPhilip K. Dick Philosophical Podcast (not just on Facebook anymore), the importance of a well-researched podcast, Mr Jim Moon’s Hypnogoria, Peter Kushing, Chop Bard Shakespeare podcast, Julie challenges Jesse to do a podcast on The Tempest, SFFAudio’s Odyssey podcast series, Julie’s Genesis podcast series (based on Robert Alter‘s translation and commentary), Uncle Tom’s CabinBorn Yesterday history podcast featuring an objective history of the gay bar, History According to BobBritish History PodcastHistory of Philosophy without any gaps, Mike Duncan‘s History of Rome and Revolutions podcasts, When Diplomacy Fails, alternative iOS podcast apps, Stitcher, Swell Radio is Pandora for podcasts, Downcast ($0.99) is chock full of functionality, Huffduffer creates custom podcast feeds, if you don’t have RSS it’s not a podcast!, Free MP3 Downloader, fiction podcasts, Escape Artists Network (Escape Pod for SF, PodCastle for fantasy, and PseudoPod for horror), StarShipSofa’s Tales to TerrifyClarkesworld Magazine, John Joseph Adams’s Lightspeed MagazineNightmare MagazineDrabbleCast, different approaches to horror narration, Night of the Living Dead, don’t listen to horror before bed, Journey Into podcast, Seeing Ear Theatre on archive.org, Jimmy and Tam like to support creators of new content (but, asks Jesse, is new necessarily better?), CraftLit is way more than just knitting, podcasts about writing (Jesse hates them), Mur Lafferty’s I Should be WritingWriting Excuses (Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal), NaNoWriMo, Neil Gaiman on writer’s block, writing podcasts offer writers a sense of community, Adeventures in Science Fiction Publishing, Terry Pratchett “just makes things up”, the importance of writers reading classic works, Jimmy argues that ‘short stories offer writers more opportunity to extemporize and gives readers a sense of immediacy’, writing for deadline, Adventure magazine, Lord of the Rings, Tolkien Professor Podcast, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, the Budweiser frogs, advertising as a source of drama, commercialization and ownership of brands, Jimmy on how podcasts build community, an intense debate about layering spoken word audio over music, This Week at NASADribbleCast is a fan spin-off of DrabbleCast, The NoSleep Podcast just won Parsec Award for Best New Podcast, Classic Tales Podcast (links are ephemeral), we all love podcasts–surprise!, Warrior Queen of Mars by Alexander Blade, if Doctor Who were a podcast the audience could request an episode with tribbles, Rappuccini’s Daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens, podcast production has left overhead than traditional media offering greater flexibility and responsiveness.

Luke Burrage's Geek Nerd Chart

Posted by Seth Wilson

Podiobooks.com: The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell

SFFaudio Online Audio

Podiobooks.com Podiobooker PodcastScott D. Farquhar‘s latest audiobook effort is COMPLETE!

He’s finished reading, recording, and posting one of our original SFFaudio Challenge titles…

And, don’t forget about Scott Farquhar’s other challenge title… STAR SURGEON!
Both audiobooks are 100% free, but donations made through Podiobooks.com will put $$ into the audiobook kitty – making Scott all the more likely to record another. And that’d be a good thing.

Podiobooks.com - The Black Star Passes by John W. CampbellThe Black Star Passes
By John W. Campbell; Read by Scott D. Farquhar
20 MP3s or Podcast – Approx. 7 Hours 34 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Podiobooks.com
Published: July 2008 – January 2009
Three separate SF stories by Campbell, written for Amazing Stories magazine: The Black Star Passes, Piracy Preferred, Solarite. These tales are tied together by a recurring cast of characters (Arcot, Morey and Wade).

For those interested in a collectible hardcopy Scott says:

“I’m intending to do an MP3 data disc version of both Star Surgeon and The Black Star Passes on a single disc which should be ready and available in a couple of weeks.”

Posted by Jesse Willis

Crescent by Phil Rossi (a podiobook goint to print)

SFFaudio Online Audio

Crescent by Phil RossiPhil Rossi, that magnificent beast, writes in to remind us of his podcast novel Crescent. Check out his promo |MP3| and then, if you likes what you hears, check it out either on the Crescent website or over on Podiobooks.com. Here’s the description:

Some places are far darker than deep space. Places where the shadows smile. Where men go mad and lovers go missing. These stygian corners of existence are where reality is stretched thin and something hungry is waiting just outside the corner of your eye.

Turn out the lights, take a deep breath, and dare to visit one of these places.

Crescent is dark science fiction at it’s most visceral. Phil Rossi weaves a tale that is reminiscent of old school Stephen King but with a shiny, new set of tricks and an appetite to terrify. There’s sex. There’s corruption. There’s horror. And after you sweat your way through the first chapter, there’s plenty more to keep you awake at night.

The podiobook’s been popular enough to get picked up, like a select few before it, by Dragon Moon Press. According to Rossi it’ll be out in its paperbook version in 2009.

Posted by Jesse Willis

New Releases

New Releases

I heard of this author, Orhan Pamuk, through the Entitled Opinions podcast. Looking the novel up on Wikipedia, it appears this is a historical murder mystery set in the Ottoman Empire. But, there are some fantastic elements too.

My Name Is Red by Orhan PamukMy Name Is Red
By Orhan Pamuk; Translated by Erdag Goknar; Read by John Lee
16 CDs – 20 Hours 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Random House Audio
Published: September 2008
ISBN: 9780739369241

The Sultan has commissioned a cadre of the most acclaimed artists in the land to create a great book celebrating the glories of his realm. Their task: to illuminate the work in the European style. But because figurative art can be deemed an affront to Islam, this commission is a dangerous proposition indeed. The ruling elite therefore mustn’t know the full scope or nature of the project, and panic erupts when one of the chosen miniaturists disappears. The only clue to the mystery–or crime? –lies in the half-finished illuminations themselves.

Here’s a new space opera title from the author of Eifelheim

The January Dancer by Michael FlynnThe January Dancer
By Michael Flynn; Read by TBA
8 Cassettes, 1 MP3-CD or 9 CDs – Approx. 10.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: September 30th 2008
ISBN: 9781433250965 (cassette), 9781433250996 (mp3-cd), 9781433250972 (cd)
The January Dancer tells the fateful story of an ancient prehuman artifact of great power and of the people who found it. Starting with Captain Amos January, who quickly loses it, and then the others who fought, schemed, and killed to get it, we travel around the complex, decadent, brawling, mongrelized, interstellar human civilization that the artifact might save or destroy. Collectors want the Dancer, pirates take it, rulers crave it, and all will kill, if necessary, to get it. This is a thrilling yarn of love, revolution, music, and mystery, and it ends, as all great stories do, with shock and a beginning.

Podiobooks.com has a new release which has a description designed to make me listen to it: “[A] Kickass scifi and crime fiction collection in the tradition of Philip K. Dick and Jim Thompson.” yum, yum!

Podiobook - The Kiribati Test by Stacey CochranThe Kiribati Test
By Stacey Cochran; Read by Stacey Cochran
6 Short Stories – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Podiobooks.com
Published: September 2008 –

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