Here's an interesting article from MSNBC which states that the audio version of the new Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will go on sale on July 16, the same day as the hardcover release, with a record first run of 635,000 copies! That's an astounding number. A lot of people are getting their first taste of audiobooks through Rowling's titles.

Jim Dale narrates the unabridged novel, as he did all of the previous novels. This one will run 19 hours and will be released by Listening Library.

It's also interesting to note that in the UK, the Harry Potter audiobooks are performed by Stephen Fry. A quick check of Amazon.co.uk shows that this book will be, also. I haven't heard Fry's narration yet, but would like to (hint, hint, nudge nudge, say no more).

8:58 AM -- (0) comments

 


Elric of Melniboné
By Michael Moorcock, Read By Jeffrey West and Michael Moorcock
5 CD's - 5.5 Hour [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Audio Realms
Published: 2003
ISBN: 097315960X
Themes: / Fantasy / Epic Fantasy / Magic / War / Gods /

If SFFAudio gave 5-star ratings, then Elric of Melniboné would definitely garner all five. I was so impressed with this audiobook that I wrote and thanked the director.

This audiobook reminded me that I need to be very careful with absolutes. In the past I've said that I dislike unabridged audio with music and sound in the background, but here one is that does it so perfectly that I have to amend my statement. The music here was carefully placed, and is an extremely effective soundtrack for the book. It is played at a sound level that was never distracting, yet had the same effect for me as a soundtrack has in a movie - it increased my emotional involvement. The audio sounded as good in the car as it did my headphones.

Elric, whose skin is the color of bleached bones, is the Emperor of Melniboné, but is not without rivals. In his manner, he is not quite what Melnibonéans expect. Though he's smart and contemplative, the average citizen wants action. The brother of the woman he loves wants to rule, and Elric himself often wonders if Melniboné would be better off without him, but fights to keep the throne all the same.

Michael Moorcock wrote this story in a unique mythic style that makes it truly epic. There were times in the book where it felt like he was talking of the entire world as a whole, and other times when we see things from Elric's point of view as he deals with gods and demons in scenes of real power.

Jeffrey West did a wonderful job reading this novel. He's a fine reader, without question, and I can't help but to think that an epic (though short) piece like this posed some challenges for him. He was first-rate, as was the entire production. This one goes in my permanent collection.

One further note: Michael Moorcock himself reads the introduction, which runs about ten minutes. It is not an "author's introduction", but is part of the story.

You can find this audiobook at Audio Realms, and they've got a sample you can listen to. (Real Audio required to hear the sample.)

posted by Scott 7:49 AM -- (0) comments

 


Our very own Scott Danielson is interviewed on the latest Dragon Page - Cover To Cover (Cover to Cover #172). Click here to listen.

Skip ahead to 47 Minute mark to hear Scott!

8:13 AM -- (0) comments

 


Morevi: The Chronicles Of Rafe and Askana
By Lisa Lee and Tee Morris; Read by Tee Morris
22 MP3 Files - Approx. 16 Hours [ABRIDGED]
Publisher: TeeMorris.com / Podiobooks.com
Published: 2005
Themes: / Fantasy / Sailing / Magic / Court Intrigue / Alternate Worlds /

Across a mysterious rift in the space-time continuum exists a world called Naruihm. In this world is a realm called Morevi, a landlocked kingdom ruled by Askana Moldarin, crowned "First Queen" following a swift and bloody rise to the Throne of a Thousand Suns. Yet hidden traitors are already at work to destroy everything that she has won. Enter Rafe Rafton, privateer captain of the Defiant. Arrogant. Overconfident. Dangerous and cunning enough to pillage the Queen's own ships and survive. As a man, he is the embodiment of everything she has fought against, and the perfect instrument in a last desperate bid to save her kingdom. With the sum agreed upon, Rafe and Askana embark on an epic adventure spanning the kingdoms of
Naruihm and King Henry VIII's England. Two souls, drawn together in the battle for a kingdom.

On January 21st 2005 Tee Morris started podcasting the fantasy novel Morevi: The Chronicles Of Rafe and Askana which he previously co-authored as a published paperbook. Given away free as a promotion of the sequel Morevi was one of the very first podcast novels serialized and is the very first to be completed (22 MP3 files made up of a prologue, twenty chapters and an epilogue). The final installment was completed on schedule and posted June 17th 2005 timed to coincide with the gala premier of the paperbook sequel Legacy of Morevi at Westercon 58 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on July 1st - 4th 2005.

Morevi is a richly imagined whirlwind adventure which plays out like a cross between an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons campaign in the Oriental Adventures world and James Clavell's historical novel Shogun. Swashbuckling action takes the main and heart-rending romance builds slowly culminating right at the end. Exotic spices pepper the scenes like the a complex and subtle poison, labyrinthine court intrigue and black magic thrown in to enrich the flavour all the more. But though it might sound it Morevi: The Chronicles Of Rafe and Askana isn't a traditional fantasy novel, it is daring-do adventure set in a world that would fit well on a shelf next to Eric Flint's "1632verse" alternate history series. High fantasy purists hearing this may have some difficulty with the occasional clichéd line of dialogue, anachronistic phrasing or they may be tempted to reject the novel out of hand because it balances both an historical setting and an alternate universe. This would be a mistake. Lisa Lee and Tee Morris' words flow easily and I was never confused as to what was going on or as to who was speaking. My only real regret is that this is an abridged version of the novel. What we miss can of course be found in the print version, and I know that many listeners to the podcast couldn't wait for the serialization to finish before snapping up the paperbook, but I would have preferred a complete unabridged reading. Tee Morris reads the book himself, and though he has no previous audiobook narration under his belt his professional acting background explains why he does such a good job. Morris does accents, voice changes and has edited the production himself. The editing is particularly interesting too as Morris has cut the reading in such a way as to talk over himself - when the
characters talk over each other. The use of punctuating music, voice effects and the occasional sound effect fully illustrates the recording. I'm not sure that all the sound effects were necessary, I'm happy enough with straight readings, but it certainly didn't hurt the podcasts. As it is I plan on burning a CD-R MP3 for my own use as I'm sure I will want to listen to it again! Click here to find all the files.

Highly recommended!

*Also, Tee Morris has recorded the prologue for the sequel, Legacy Of Morevi and that's available now HERE.

3:10 PM -- (1) comments

 


I just stumbled across a very nice resource - Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction is a television show based in Arlington, VA. They have interviewed a number of science fiction authors, and they have archives going back to 2003 so you can listen to (or watch - each interview is available in MP3 audio format or compressed video format) at your leisure.

The following interviews are currently available: Orson Scott Card, Lois McMaster Bujold, Connie Willis, Neil Gaiman, Patricia Wrede, Elizabeth Massie, Laura Anne Gilman, Susanna Clarke, Jasper Fforde, China Miéville, Cortney Skinner, Kim Stanley Robinson, Bruce Sterling, William Gibson, Tamora Pierce, Nalo Hopkinson, Jack Williamson, Terry Pratchett, Karl Kofoed, Margaret Weis, Laurell K. Hamilton, Garth Nix, Roger MacBride Allen, Donna Andrews, Catherine Asaro, Robert Jordan, Will Ludwigsen, and Mindy Klasky.

Click here for their archives!

1:00 PM -- (0) comments

 


Our friend Joe Mahoney has posted a list and schedule on his blog detailing the new CBC Radio Science Fiction series he told us about earlier this year. Joe wrote:

Here is the current line-up for a special SF radio play series we're running on CBC Radio this summer, Friday nights at ten pm:

July 1 Someone Just for Me.
July 8 Birth
July 15 Bonehouse
July 22 Pig and Pepper
July 29 ManRadio
August 5 The Intercom
August 12 Ice Screams
August 19 The Thing from Beyond my Closet
August 26 Phantom
Sept 2 Castle Grove

I produced and directed Birth (July 8th), written by Michael Lennick and Robert J. Sawyer, and did sound effects for ManRadio and The Thing from Beyond my Closet.

I think Someone Just For Me, ManRadio and Ice Screams may all be something we've heard before, as they are all episodes from the 2004 CBC Radio series entitled Winter's Tales. The rest are likely brand new, never before broadcast!

8:12 AM -- (1) comments

 


Hunting For Robin Hood
By Seth Feldman; with readings by Penelope Reed Doob
and Barry MacGregor
1 CD - Approx 1 Hour [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: CBC AUDIO Published: 2003
ISBN: 0660189143
Themes: / Non-Fiction / History / Mythology / Fantasy / Magic / England /

"Ballads, plays and movies tell of Robin Hood stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. But did he really exist? Seth Feldman cavorts with a merry band of scholars searching for the still elusive outlaw."

Hunting For Robin Hood was first produced for broadcast on CBC Radio's long running Ideas program. Ideas has been the standard-bearer for the intellectual and scholarly radio programming for decades. One would be hard pressed in Canada, or anywhere else in the English speaking world to find a consistently more enlightening program presenting scholarly lectures and documentaries in the fields of sociology, culture, arts, geopolitics, history, biography, science, technology or the humanities in a more accessible or entertaining way. If Ideas hasn't covered it at some point, it probably doesn't matter. With the wide commercial release of this and other CBC Audio CDs and cassettes the ephemeral radio broadcasts are preserved, marking the beginning of some of the very best audio non-fiction programs previously available only through costly direct order from the CBC. I've been an avid listener to Ideas since the 1980s. The program runs weeknights between 9PM and 10PM throughout most of Canada.

Hunting For Robin Hood interviews several Robin Hood scholars who trace the origins of the popular English hero. They touch on his roots in the "Green Man" mythology, something which ties Robin Hood to the fantasy realm, why he's such a popular hero, his outlaw mystique, and even his ties to Morris dancing! Other surprising revelations include Maid Marian's roots as a fertility goddess and the scattered origins of the rogues' gallery of Robin Hood villains. Production values and sound quality are of course absolutely top notch, and the CD comes in an attractive DVD style Amaray case. Highly recommended to Robin Hood fans.

7:37 AM -- (0) comments

 


Paladin of Souls
By Lois McMaster Bujold; Read by Kate Reading
ISBN: 0786181397
13 CD's - 15 hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
ISBN: 0786181869
Themes: Fantasy / Religion / Magic / Demons /

Paladin of Souls is the second book in Bujold's series involving the country of Chalion. A minor, troubled character in the first book, The Curse of Chalion, is the heroine, or the champion of souls, in this remarkable tale. Lady Ista is an intriguing forty-something lead character and is best described by her own words: "I have always been a drab sort of thing; the only thing that has improved is my wits." She is intelligent and witty and uses these talents to deal with devastating events from her past.

The setting for this story is a medieval-style world with a polytheistic religion in which men and women choose one of five Gods, each with unique callings and characteristics, to worship. In addition to this, there are demons and demon magic creating opposition for the plot. The story centers around Ista and her relationship with the Gods. She is disillusioned with them as a result of her past involvement that had deadly and heartbreaking consequences, but is dragged kicking and screaming back into their service. She is given the tasks of rescuing souls being destroyed by demons and sorting out a deadly triangle of demon magic and deception.

As the story unfolds Ista not only finds a calling that gives her life meaning, she finds devoted friends, forgiveness, and love. Within the story are several very moving interactions between her and the Gods wherein she comes to have a deeper understanding of their plans and their love for the men and women who serve them. Bujold has composed a beautiful novel that is at once compelling, humorous, and touching. Her characters are not only heroic, but fantastically multidimensional. They are by turns noble, compassionate, selfish, stubborn... human.

The audio version of Paladin of Souls is a wonderful example of the perfect pairing of story and voice. Kate Reading sounds like royalty in every book she narrates. Some may recognize her performances with Michael Kramer in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. She also has been the primary voice of Dr. Kay Scarpetta in Patricia Cornwell's murder mysteries. Ms. Reading's ability to enunciate without sounding like she is working at it lends itself beautifully to Lady Ista, whom we can assume would behave and sound like a person of the ruling class. With all this said, Paladin of Souls is a step above the ordinary in fantasy literature and audiobooks. It is a delight to experience.

7:10 PM -- (1) comments

 


Yog-sothoth be praised! If you've been looking for H.P. Lovecraft audio look no farther! We've compiled a list of all the story readings and audio dramas that we know about. Find it amongst our Features - click here.

11:00 AM -- (1) comments

 


The latest Vox: SF for Your Ears column was posted today on SFSite. It contains everything I know about podcasting - thanks again to Jesse for bringing me up to speed.

9:38 AM -- (1) comments

 


Here are the New Releases for this month:

The Consciousness Plague
By Paul Levinson, Read by Mark Shanahan
ISBN: 1593160380
Abridged
Listen and Live Audio
Scott: This is an 8 hour abridgement... Amazon shows that the book is 340 pages long, so it's almost all here.

Dead as a Doornail
A Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery
By Charlaine Harris, Read by Johanna Parker
ISBN: 1419337300
Recorded Books

Empire of the East
By Fred Saberhagen, Read by Raymond Todd
Unabridged
ISBN: 078134976
Blackstone Audio
Scott: This one's on my TBR shelf... Saberhagen is a writer I haven't read (or heard).

The Historian
By Elizabeth Kostova, Read by Rosalyn Landor and Jim Ward
Unabridged
ISBN: 1594830363
Time Warner Audiobooks

Pendragon Book 3: The Never War
By D.J. MacHale, Read by William Dufris
ISBN: 1597372510
Brilliance Audio

Pendragon Book 4: The Reality Bug
By D.J. MacHale, Read by William Dufris
ISBN 1597372596
Brilliance Audio

Tolkien's Ordinary Virtues
By Mark Eddy Smith, Read by Simon Vance
Unabridged
ISBN: 0786178299
Blackstone Audio
Scott: This one caught my eye - it's a kind of "Life Lessons from Lord of the Rings"

Velocity
By Dean Koontz, Read by Michael Hayden
Unabridged
ISBN: 0739315552
Random House Audio

The Vor Game
By Lois McMaster Bujold, Read by Grover Gardner
Unabridged
ISBN: 0786177330
Blackstone Audio
Scott: Blackstone will be releasing several of Bujold's Vorkosigan novels - this is the first!

Wee Free Men
By Terry Pratchett, Read by Stephen Briggs
ISBN: 0060785985
Harper Audio

In the podcasting world, here's some of the titles that have been published:

Escape Pod
"In His Footsteps" by Paul E. Martens, Read by Stephen Eley
"Oasis" by Greg van Eekhout, Read by Stephen Eley
"Snow Day" by Jennifer Pelland, Read by Deborah Green
"Strange Girlfriend" by Scott Janssens, Read by Stephen Eley

Podiobooks continues their serials of Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana by Tee Morris & Lisa Lee, The Pocket and the Pendant by Mark Jeffrey, and Earthcore by Scott Sigler.

Other new developments - Timberwolf Press is now offering some of their titles for sale at Paperback Digital, which has also branched out into eBooks.

10:03 AM -- (2) comments

 


Seth Anderson over at learnoutloud.com has compiled a timely and extensive article with links to of all of the audio versions of The War Of The Worlds.

12:26 PM -- (0) comments

 


The Worthing Saga
By Orson Scott Card; Read by Scott Brick
Additional Readers: Emily Card, Harlan Ellison, Aaron Johnston, Eric Luke, Corinne Melançon, Stefan Rudnicki, and Orson Scott Card.
15 CD's - 18 hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
ISBN: 0786181869
Themes: Science Fiction / Pain / Organization and Destruction / Telepathy / Space Travel

"If you try to eliminate the pain from your life, you destroy all hope of pleasure too." This is from the character Stipock, and summarizes the main theme of the story. Like C.S. Lewis' The Problem of Pain, Card’s work makes an interesting argument for the function of pain in our lives. Mr. Card effectively tears us from the safe, innocent comfort of Eden into an existence filled with overwhelming pain and genuine joy.

Like the author's tales of Alvin Maker, this story explores tensions between forces that create and forces that destroy. It unfolds as a world previously spared suffering is allowed to experience pain and loss. Jason and Justice come to Flat Harbor for Lared, a boy who would write for them the story of how people had come to be spared suffering, and why that protection ended on the Day of Pain. It highlights the importance of human attachments and the destruction that comes from a society in which human relationships are sacrificed for more self-serving interests.

It had been a few years since I read the book in print, and I’d forgotten how good it is. The book is an interesting mix of stories, and like Hoom’s boats, Mr. Card fits them together "tight as a barrel". It’s a gripping story, and after following the climax and denouement you realize, "wait, I’m only two-thirds of the way through the book!" The story of Jason and Lared ends there, but the book includes a number of stories of people living their lives in the worlds presented in The Worthing Saga. Even though the book is decades old, it could pass for being written this year. Technology advances but relationships and moral dilemmas are timeless, and both are Mr. Card’s stock in trade.

Scott Brick does a great job on the audio. I enjoyed his voice without being unduly distracted by it. Others read the later stories. None of them are unpleasant, and one of them added a great deal of personality to the story by sounding more like Jeff Foxworthy than Leonard Nimoy. Orson Scott Card himself read the introduction.

8:13 AM -- (0) comments

 


Timescape
By Gregory Benford; Read by Simon Prebble and Peter Bradbury
11 Cassettes - 15.75 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Recorded Books LLC
Published: 2001
ISBN: 0788763180
Themes: / Science Fiction / Hard SF / Time Travel / Alternate History / Quantum Physics / Science / Ecology / Philosophy / Astronomy / Britain / USA /

Winner of both the Nebula Award and the John W. Campbell Awards for best science fiction novel, Timescape is an enduring classic that examines the ways that science interacts with everyday life to create the many strange worlds in which we live. In a future wracked by environmental catastrophe and social instability, physicist John Renfrew devises a longshot plan to use tachyons--strange, time-traveling particles--to send a warning to the past. In 1962, Gordon Bernstein, a California researcher, gets Renfrew's message as a strange pattern of interference in an experiment he's conducting. As the two men struggle to overcome both the limitations of scientific knowledge and the politics of scientific research, a larger question looms: can a new future arise from the paradox of a forewarned past? With multiple plot lines and diverse characters, Timescape offers something for all lovers of fascinating science and great fiction. Simon Prebble and Peter Bradbury combine for a narration that skillfully uncovers the mysteries beneath our understanding of the universe.

Timescape is a deep novel that explores characters, causal paradoxes, politics, history and physics over time all with equal skill. And despite the serious nature of the narrative there are even a few laughs in there! This isn't just science fiction it is scientist fiction, that is it is fiction that shows how scientific experimentation in the modern university setting works. Benford, is himself a scientist and he doesnt dumb down the book for us amateurs. I was very surprised that I hadn't heard how good this novel was previously. I count myself as a fairly knowledgeable fan of science fiction and yet somehow the certain fame of this novel slipped under my radar. I was pleased and surprised as Timescape approaches greatness in it's chosen domain.

Appropriately Simon Prebble, with his English accent, reads the 1990s chapters of the novel, which are primarily set in England, while Peter Bradbury with his American accent reads the 1960s chapters, set mostly in California. This is the kind of book that was a natural for dual narration. Bradbury and Prebble are both excellent, pronouncing nearly every technical term correctly, in this hard science heavy novel that is no small feat! Recorded Books' original cover art for this audiobook is even more evocative than the paperback and hardcover editions. Nice work RB! But it's not all praise. First is an attribution mistake on the front cover of the audiobook, the copy reads "narrated by Simon Prebble and Peter Bradley" (it should read "Bradbury" not "Bradley"). There was also a problem plaguing my copy of Recorded Books cassette audiobooks - the sound level. It may have been only a problem with my copy, but in order to hear this audiobook I had to crank up the stereo to its maximum output level. Recorded Books does however offer to replace defective cassettes, and if the recording level were any lower I'd have to seriously consider taking them up on it. Likely this wouldnt be a factor at all with the CD version but there isn't a CD version available at this time.

12:11 PM -- (0) comments

 


Spock vs. Q: The Sequel
By Cecelia Fannon; Performed by Leonard Nimoy and John de Lancie
1 Cassette - Approximately 1 Hour [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Simon And Schuster Audio
Published: 2000
ISBN: 0743507029
Themes: / Star Trek / Humor /

Following their debate over the fate of mankind, Spock and Q have continued their discussions over a meal. After dining, the two return to the stage to recount their repast, which included encounters with several of Spock's former shipmates. However, at the moment the two verbal sparring partners shake hands, a power surge places them in total darkness. Suddenly, Spock and Q are no longer on stage, but somewhere in deep space. As they struggle to determine what has happened, a curious personality change takes hold. Spock is overcome with giddy delight. Q is much more serious, even...logical.

Originally recorded in Kansas City, MO, in front of a live audience, Spock vs. Q: The Sequel was performed by Nimoy and de Lancie who have a great time sending up their Star Trek characters. It's a sequel to, you guessed it, Spock Vs. Q. As with the original, this is a very lightweight listen and it is all about the two quirky characters. The plot may be paper thin but the laughs are real. But non-trekkies should shy away, far far away.

8:02 AM -- (2) comments

 


The Audie Awards were presented this weekend in New York City. Neil Gaiman was emcee - the press release called him "one of the top ten living post-modern writers". Find the press release at the Audio Publisher's Assocation website.

In the Science Fiction category, the winner was Blackstone Audio's Lost Boys by Orson Scott Card, read by Stefan Rudnicki. Bravo!

Other genre winners:
Brimstone by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, read by Rene Auberjonois (Time Warner Audiobooks) won in the Abridged Fiction category. I haven't heard this title, but Auberjonois is one heck of a good narrator.

Jim Dale's performance of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Listening Library) won in the Classics category, and his narration of Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Brilliance Audio) won in the Children's Titles for Ages 8+ category. A new Jim Dale-performed Harry Potter title is scheduled for release on July 16th and is eagerly awaited in my house.

C.S. Lewis' Narnia tales showed up twice on the list; once in the Inspirational/Faith-Based Fiction category, and again in the Package Design category. (Both titles were published by HarperCollins.)

Our friends over at Full Cast Audio won an award in the Audio Drama category for Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja. Well deserved! They blur the line between Audio Drama and Audiobooks with their Full Cast unabridged readings - check them out!

The Audiobook of the Year? Bill Clinton's My Life, published by Random House.

Again, the full results can be found at the Audio Publisher's Association website. Congratulations to all!

5:59 AM -- (0) comments

 


Unicorn Variation
By Roger Zelazny; Read by Rene Auberjonois
1 Cassette - 83 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Durkin Hayes
Published: 1995
ISBN: 0886467365
Themes: / Fantasy / Unicorns / Mythical Creatures / Chess / Angels /

Roger Zelazny wrote some of my favorite fantasies. I view him now as one of Neil Gaiman's primary influences, as they both cover the same mythical territory in their fiction. (In fact, Neil Gaiman would be a perfect choice to pen scripts for Zelazny's Amber novels - hint hint nudge nudge).

"Unicorn Variations" is a story from later in Zelazny's career. In it, a man finds himself playing a chess game with a unicorn, the result of which could determine the fate of the human race. The unicorn talks quite a bit and has a sharp tongue with a dry sense of humor. The man in the story meets several mythical beasts, and they all know how to play chess, including Sasquatches, who are particularly good at it. A thoroughly enjoyable story.

"Angel, Dark Angel" is also included. It is much shorter than the cover story, and begins with a man who receives a phone call giving him the identity of a person he's got to go meet. No more on this one - let Zelazny unfold it for you.

Rene Auberjonois is absolutely first-rate. I really enjoy his cadence and his personable tone. In the first story, he has the opportunity to use several different voices, which he does with wonderful skill, bringing the story to life as a great narrator can.

This one's out of print - check eBay!

6:29 PM -- (0) comments