The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer
By Neal Stephenson; read by Jennifer Wiltsie
12 Cassettes; Approx. 18 hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Time Warner Audio
Published: 2001
ISBN: 1586211145 (Cassette)
Themes: / Science Fiction / Nanotechnology / Computer Programming / Victorian Culture / Cyberpunk /

Earlier, I reviewed Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. It was one of the finest audiobooks I'd ever heard, and I feel that this one may be even better. Snow Crash was irreverent and whimsical, and The Diamond Age is that and more, with a plot that is both epic and personal.

Nell is a little girl, 4 years old when we first meet her. Her brother, Harv, gives her a stolen copy of the Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, an interactive ("ractive") book that was designed by an engineer who wanted his own daughter to experience a bit more than the traditional education. Nell's mother flits from abusive relationship to abusive relationship, with Nell and Harv protecting themselves as they can. Nell spends more and more time with the Primer, which teaches Nell through stories told by real interactive actors ("ractors") via the Net.

The story is complex and mature. The main storyline follows Nell's life, and along the way we see an amazing world. The world has become nearly tribal again with people gathering in Claves, each with their own rules and culture. Much time is spent in a neo-Victorian Clave, a place where Victorian culture is adopted because it is felt that one has to go back to the 19th century to find a viable model for society.

Stephenson explores two technologies in the novel as well, and they are both of equal influence on the story. The first is the Net and the entire idea of interactive entertainment, which makes the Primer possible. The second is nanotechnology, which is used in everything from planet building to the creation of stuffed animals in a Matter Compiler. There are also nano-mites which float in your bloodstream and can do anything from carry information to kill you with thousands of tiny explosions.

The drawback to this novel is its ending, which, though inadequate, would not keep me from recommending it. The rest of the book is so astonishingly strong, that to miss it would be missing one of the major works of modern science fiction.

The Diamond Age could not have been an easy novel to perform, but Jennifer Wiltsie did so admirably. This is the first I've heard her, and I hope to hear her voice often. She had just the right tone for this, and I had no trouble at all discerning the characters in this complex novel. An excellent job.

This title is also available on Audible.com.

posted by Scott D. Danielson

Labels: computer programming, cyberpunk, nanotechnology, Neal Stephenson, science fiction, Victorian culture

11:34 AM --

 


Alien Voices: The Invisible Man
By H.G. Wells; Performed by John de Lancie, Leonard Nimoy and a full cast
2 Cassettes or 2 CDs - Approx. 114 minutes [UNABRIDGED DRAMATIZATION]
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Published: 1998
ISBN: 067158104X (Cassette); 0671581058 (CD)
Themes: / Science Fiction / Fantasy / Star Trek / Classic / Philosophy /

One of Science Fiction's seminal works is The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells. It's premise is intriguing. What would it be like to be hidden from view? At first, there would be the advantage of watching others without being noticed. But, what would you do when the novelty wore off and the invisibility didn't? Would you become a prisoner of your own freedom? Or perhaps a madman bent on enslaving others?The novel was written in 1897 when the world believed that science could cure all ills, but as we will glean from the story of The Invisible Man, the achievements of the human mind are worthless without a human soul to guide them. Come with us now, as Alien Voices explores the tragic life of a young scientist who seemed to be on the threshold of a brilliant future and something quite unexpected happens.

This loose adaptation of H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man is quite...fascinating. It has been adapted in the style of an old time radio drama, the majority of the plot is there, but it has been compressed and massaged to fit the actors and sensibilities of the Alien Voices team. Alien Voices formed in 1996 to create multi-media works of science fiction and fantasy, drawing upon the copyright expired classics and the languishing resources of the Star Trek alumni. Its three founding members are actor/director Leonard Nimoy, actor/director/writer John de Lancie, and writer/producer Nat Segaloff. de Lancie and Nimoy headline the dramas, in this case playing the title character and his university professor respectively. The rest of the cast is rounded out by: Susan Bay, Richard Doyle, Robert Ellenstein, Jerry Hardin, Marnie Mosiman, Kate Mulgrew, Ethan Phillips, Dwight Schultz and Nana Visitor.

This production is very good, the sound effects, voice talent and music are all very well done. The script is quite different from the original novel, but those modifications are very well done. The packaging is merely adequate, a traditional cd jewel case, a cardboard box and some quickie photoshop art. But most conspicuous by its absence is a cast and character list. The cast is named at the end of the program, but we are never told which actor is playing which character. It is easy to tell Ethan Phillips and Nana Visitor, but its hard to identify many of the others. Of the other actors the only one who sounded at all familiar was one who sounded like Mark Twain. A little investigation, and I determined that it was likely Jerry Hardin who played Twain in Star Trek: The Next Generation's two part episode Time's Arrow!

The story itself has been modified and compressed, most of the original Wells' version of The Invisible Man remains in this production. H.G. Wells is best remembered for The War Of The Worlds, which itself was adapted very early on by Mercury Theater and Orson Welles. That adaptation and a later film version had a  lasting impact upon popular culture, making the idea of "alien invasion" almost synonymous science fiction, at least to the majority who don't read it. But science fiction isn't always about the future, or about space travel, or aliens invading the Earth. Sometimes it is subtler, and in the case of The Invisible Man, it proves itself deeply rooted in philosophy.

Those who examine science fiction closely will see a profound connection between science and philosophy. In the case of The Invisible Man, Wells started to explore what would be necessary for invisibility to work, (for it to be rooted in science and not merely magic), AND to explore the consequences of invisibility actually working. But Wells himself was drawing upon resources of an even earlier time. In the philosopher Plato's famous book The Republic (itself a work of proto-science fiction), we are introduced to Gyges, a shepherd who finds a magic ring which can turn him invisible. Gyges soon discovers that he can act unjustly without anyone knowing. For Plato this was a story to make us think about what being just and injust really is. For Wells and Alien Voices it is more about telling a good story. But a little philosophy does manage to sneak into the plot; For the Invisible Man, invisibility is power, and possessing that power he can do a great many things, like get revenge. But revenge is hindered by a few stumbling blocks, first he has to go out naked, his clothing isn't invisible so he can't wear it. He can't eat or smoke or walk in dusty areas, all of those things make him visible. Also he can't carry anything, so if he steals money (he can't earn it), it appears to float about of its own accord, making people chase after him! It is almost as bad as king Midas's dilemma, like Midas, The Invisible Man got his wish but it isn't quite working out for him. Dust and moisture make his body visible in a ghostly way. His footprints appear in the dirt and snow. Oh yes and the small matter that the accumulated effect of these things has driven him to the edge of madness.

I liked the story, but I was constantly reminded of one glaring problem not mentioned in production. Wouldn't an invisible man also be blind? If his corneas are absolutely transparent and his retinas are absolutely transparent, how would light be turned into mental images? The answer.... they wouldn't be! An invisible man would be blind! For us to see the world a fraction of the light that hits our retina must be absorbed into our rods and cones, our corneas must focus the light. This issue made the whole story so implausible, in my mind it made me question whether this was science fiction at all! Thankfully I got over it. And have come to realize that even if it is flawed by this oversight, at least it demonstrates that philosophical fiction like all good science fiction is able to make us think out problems that don't seem obvious at first. Who'd have thought invisibility would require blindness? Not me, at least not before listening to Alien Voices: The Invisible Man.

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: audio drama, classic, fantasy, H.G. Wells, philosophy, science fiction, Star Trek

8:54 AM --

 




Another new BBCi audiobook is online!

The Ghosts of Albion novella "Astray," written by former Buffy the Vampire Slayer player Amber Benson and Christopher Golden, is available online as an audio book, read by actress Jasmine Hyde. Text and RealMedia audio versions will be launched at the same time, with one new chapter a week.

Find it here!
1:08 PM -- (0) comments

 


NPR's Neal Conan, of Talk of the Nation, interviewed Neil Gaiman on September 18th. Find the show here.


Sept. 18, 2003
The Sandman isn't your typical comic book. It's dark, geared towards adults and praised by the likes of Norman Mailer and Stephen King. Neil Gaiman, the comic book's creator, joins host Neal Conan for a discussion on gods, myths and dreams.
10:43 AM -- (0) comments

 


Startide Rising
By David Brin; Read by George Wilson
12 cassettes – 17.5 hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Recorded Books
Themes: / Science Fiction / Galactic Civilization / Genetic Engineering / Aliens / Dolphins / Chimpanzees / Series /

The Terran exploration vessel Streaker is on the run from the combined forces of five galactic civilizations that are hunting for them. Low on resources and staying just one step ahead of their pursuers the ship and crew crash-land on an obscure water-world called Kithrup. Soon after, in orbit above Kithrup, the might of all five galaxies fights each other for the right to claim "the prize". The prize being that the crew of Streaker has the co-ordinates of what may be the most important discovery in millennia, the coordinates of mothballed fleet of starships that may be over two billion years old.

The second book of the Uplift Series, Startide Rising is the winner Nebula, Hugo, and Locus Awards for Best Novel of the year (1983). At the center of the Uplift Series is the idea that an “uplift” of intelligent life is necessary in order to create sentient and spacefaring races. The species that uplifts another is called a “patron species”, the species being uplifted is called a “client species”, this process is deemed absolutely necessary for the development of intelligent spacefaring civilizations. This makes sense to the Humans because on Earth the Humans have by this point genetically re-engineered both Dolphins and Chimpanzees, uplifting them to sentience. Which immediately begs the question of “who uplifted humanity”?

Recorded Books did a beautiful job on the cover, the specially commissioned painting is perhaps the nicest ever done for an audiobook. Unfortunately the cover and the packaging, are the best thing about this novel. As with many multi-volume series the paperback and hardcover versions of this book include: A glossary, a cast of characters list, a prologue, an epilogue, a postscript and a drawing (in this case of the Terran starship). Now obviously the drawing wouldn't be able to be conveyed by a narrator, so it's loss isn't a big deal. But the exclusion of the glossary and the cast of characters was probably a mistake, for this novel especially, this information might have helped. I don't really blame the producers for excluding it though, at 462 pages (making it 12 cassettes) this beast is way too long as it is.

David Brin's has peppered some very interesting ideas throughout the novel. Some of the ideas presented are new spins on old themes, others are quite original and interesting, at least to my ears. The overall premise of “uplift” is interesting, and would definitely be worth reading about, except for one minor issue. This is a horrible novel. Its very very very talky, there are way way way too many characters, virtually every scene that WOULD be of interest takes place off-stage, in the past or is happening and being related by a third party indirectly! George Wilson, the reader, does his best to sort out much of the muddle, no small task with more than a dozen characters, none of which are major players in the plot. These flaws along with reading the unreadable voices of many dolphins, are almost too much for poor George. And it was certainly too much for me. I lost track of who was speaking and what they were talking about many times! This is an unforgivable and deadly sin for a novel and makes me wonder how both readers and writers of science fiction could give this novel an award of any type let alone both the Hugo and the Nebula! I'll admit that, much of the difficulty here is probably a result of this novel being a part of a series, with established characters and continuing themes. One reason for which all in all I much prefer stand alone novels. But even among series novels this was perhaps the worst novel I've read in years. Were I not writing a review for it I wouldn't even bothered to have finished it. That said, maybe like Neville, the last living man on the Earth in Richard Matheson's I Am Legend, I'm really the one who's abnormal. Maybe this isn't a bad novel at all. Maybe, it really is a good novel and I've got something wrong with me! Maybe a cast of dozens talking endlessly about events that just happened, are happening elsewhere are happening now but being related by a no-name character reading a sensor bank really is interesting. If that really is interesting and I just can't appreciate it I'll just have to live without it because I'm not going to listen to any more of the Uplift Series.

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: aliens, chimpanzees, David Brin, dolphins, galactic civilization, genetic engineering, science fiction, series

7:19 AM -- (0) comments

 


Ender's Game
By Orson Scott Card; Read by Stefan Rudnicki, Gabrielle De Cuir, David Birney and others
10 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Fantastic Audio
Published: 2002
ISBN: 1574535145 (Cassette) - 1574535366 (Audio CD)
Themes: Science Fiction / Military / Space / Youth / Politics / Alien races /




Speaker for the Dead
By Orson Scott Card; Read by Stefan Rudnicki, Gabrielle De Cuir, David Birney, Scott Brick, and others
14 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Fantastic Audio
Published: 2002
ISBN: 1574535153 (Cassette) - 1574535609 (Audio CD)
Themes: Science Fiction / Military / Space / Politics / Alien races / Religion /



Orson Scott Card wrote a pair of novels in the 1980's that swept both the Hugo and Nebula Best Novel awards two years in a row (1986 and 1987 Hugo, 1985 and 1986 Nebula). These two novels are Ender's Game and its sequel, Speaker for the Dead.

These books were released previously in abridged editions, which can still be found out there, but these Fantastic Audio unabridged editions completely eclipse those in both quality and content. They are multi-voice recordings, but not of the type where several actors take parts and speak for certain characters. Instead, the narrator changes with point-of-view changes in the novel, which occur chapter to chapter. I found this extremely effective with these novels. These unabridged editions also contain material read by Orson Scott Card, explaining the origins of the novels.

Ender's Game takes place after a war between Earth and a race of aliens called "The Buggers" by most of humanity. Earth was saved during that war by the decisions of a brilliant military man named Mazer Rackham. The powers that be on Earth decide that the Buggers are definitely going to return, and immediately start searching for the next military genius. Ender Wiggin, 6 years old, is a boy they think might be the one.

Speaker for the Dead is a completely different kind of novel, both in subject matter and tone. Ender Wiggin is now a bit older, but still reeling from events in the previous novel. He visits a planet named Lusitania, where mysteries abound among the indigenous alien race on the planet and one particular family that studies them.

Both of these audiobooks are first-rate. The narrators do an excellent job telling the stories, which translate very well into unabridged audio. Though tastes certainly vary, Ender's Game is consistently mentioned as one of the finest works of science fiction, and this audio version is an excellent way to experience it, or re-experience it.

Both of these audiobooks are available on audio cassette, audio CD, or for download at Audible.com.
5:34 AM -- (0) comments

 




Airing on BBC7's wonderful program The 7th Dimension:

The Fall Of The House Of Usher
[Episode 1 of 2, rptd at midnight]
By Edgar Allan Poe; Read by Sean Barratt
STREAMING AUDIO - Approx. 30 Minutes - Stereo - [UNABRIDGED]
Airs: Thu 25 Sep, 18:00 - 18:30 GMT, (Repeats Friday, 26 Sep, 00:00 - 00:30 GMT)
Poe's chilling short story about a family's descent into madness.

The Fall Of The House Of Usher
[Episode 2 of 2, rptd at midnight]
By Edgar Allan Poe; Read by Sean Barratt
STREAMING AUDIO - Approx. 30 Minutes - Stereo - [UNABRIDGED]
Airs: Fri 26 Sep, 18:00 - 18:30 GMT, (Repeats Sat 27 Sep 00:00 - 00:30GMT)
Poe's chilling short story about a family's descent into madness. 11:17 AM -- (0) comments

 
SFFAudio is back online... thanks for visiting!

A few items of interest:
Locus Online has an interesting article by Jeff Berkwits on science fiction and fantasy songwriters - find it here.

Jesse points us to the XM Theater of the Mind, an XM radio station.

The science fiction world, of which audio is a part, is abuzz discussing this article by Spider Robinson, in which he questions the direction of Hard SF.

Enjoy! It's great to be back. 12:15 PM -- (0) comments

 
And now, a short intermission...

Due to some other obligations (i.e. my day job), I'll be out of town the week of Sep. 7th. SFFAudio will be back on Sep. 15th with some new posts.

Some of the things we're working on - a comprehensive list of audio editions of Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy award-winning fiction, reviews of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead on unabridged audio, and Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age, also on unabridged audio.

Back soon! 12:26 PM -- (0) comments

 


Congratulations Hugo winners!

The Hugo Awards for best science fiction works in 2002 were presented Saturday, August 30 at the 61th World Science Fiction Convention, Torcon 3, in Toronto, Ontario.

Best Novel: Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer (Analog 1-4/02; Tor)
Best Novella: Coraline by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins)
Best Novelette: "Slow Life" by Michael Swanwick (Analog 12/02)
Best Short Story Category: "Falling Onto Mars" by Geoffrey A. Landis (Analog 7-8/02)
Best Related Book: Better to Have Loved: The Life of Judith Merril, Judith Merril and Emily Pohl-Weary
Best Dramatic Presentation: "Conversations With Dead People" (20th Century Fox Television/Mutant Enemy Inc.)Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form Category: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (New Line Cinema)
Best Professional Editor: Gardner Dozois
Best Professional Artist: Bob Eggleton
Best Semiprozine: Locus edited by Charles N. Brown, Jennifer A. Hall, and Kirsten Gong-Wong
Best Fanzine: Mimosa edited by Rich and Nicki Lynch
Best Fan Writer: Dave Langford
Best Fan Artist: Sue Mason

On audio, Gaiman's Coraline, read by the author, is available from Harper Audio and Swanwick's "Slow Life" is included in Audible.com's The Best of Analog Science Fiction and Fact Magazine 2002. 3:10 PM -- (0) comments