James Patrick Kelly was interviewed about his new podcast novel Burn. The interview is available from New Hampshire Public Radio's website as a .WAX or an .M3U. Its a terrific interview that gives deep insight into the story and Kelly's reasons for doing it.

posted by Jesse 4:18 PM -- (0) comments

 


The host of the Spaceship Radio podcast, Andy Doan, has just been interviewed by Podcast 411 host Rob Walsch. For those who haven't been paying attention, Spaceship Radio is the podcast specializing in bringing public domain radio dramas of Science Fiction to your iPod. Click HERE to listen to the interview. And check out my picks for the best of the Spaceship Radio podcasts done so far...




SSREP25 First Contact - Based on the story by Murray Leinster. Done a little different than the short story but well done.

SSREP17 Simon Jones - A cool interview with Simon Jones, AKA Arthur Dent of the BBC's Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, and an exclusive to Spaceship Radio as far as I can tell.

SSREP14 The Cold Equation (SIC) - Based on the story "The Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin. This is the Science Fiction story like no other, it cleaves its readers into one camp or another. Essential listening.

SSREP09 The Green Hills of Earth - Based on the story by Robert A. Heinlein. It is elegaic Heinlein at his very best and a well done adaptation to boot.

posted by Jesse 4:57 PM -- (0) comments

 


Good news and bad news for fans of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror audio dramatizations today. First the bad news...

Zombie Astronaut, one of our favorite mp3 webzines, has sadly shuffled off it's undead coil. The aural delights have ceased due to ZA's overwhelming popularity. It seems that the bandwith traffic made for a giant expense in the anonymous host's pocketbook. It is a bitter shame that mere $$ have downed this floating corpse when even death itself didn't stop it. Alas.

The good news:

An interesting podcast in a similarly horrifc vein is available, it'll help relieve some of the loss of ZA's passing....


Tales Of Horror is an excellent source for genre Radio Drama, unfortunately its episodes are being removed at a fairly fast clip, no doubt due to some bristly copyright issues. Cool episodes still available include:

Tales Of Horror Episode 11 - From the BBC Radio series Chillers an AWESOME adaptation of John W. Cambell's classic "Who Goes There?" If you download no other, download this one!

Tales of Horror Episode 4 - From the CBC Radio series Nightfall "The Club of Dead Men" A Canadian student at Cambridge, spends the night in a room once used for meetings by members of the Everlasting Club. Spooky.

Tales of Horror Episode 2 - From the CBC Radio series Nightfall "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs an accursed curio from India destroys lives with its promises of three wishes. Much adapted, but likely never better that this.

posted by Jesse 4:21 PM -- (0) comments

 


We here at SFFaudio want to take the opportunity this holiday season to thank everyone for visiting our site. We appreciate the authors, the audiobook publishers, the talent (both tech and performing), and the now the podcasters too for giving us so much wonderful material to tell everyone about. We also appreciate all the readers of SFFaudio, who share so much in common with us - meeting and talking to so many of you through e-mail and in person is the finest part of it all. We are taking a short holiday break and hope you have a great one too!

All our very best to you and yours - Happy Holidays!

posted by Scott and Jesse 4:48 PM -- (0) comments

 


The CBC Radio One Christmas Day and Boxing Day special I'd mentioned earlier this week is now going to be released on CD! It is already up as a preorder on the CBC Audio website.

The Secret World Of Og
By Pierre Berton; Adapted by Beverley Cooper
1 CD - Approx. 60 Minutes [Audio Drama]
Publisher: CBC Audio
Published: January 19th 2006
Product ID: ERART00165






posted by Jesse 12:01 PM -- (0) comments

 


Podiobooks.com, though still in BETA, is growing like a baby hippo on steroids! More than a dozen podcast novels are currently available and more are on the way. Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror titles still predominate, but a few non-fiction and other genre titles are creeping in, including the delightful geek essays of Mur Lafferty. Here's a snapshot of the current titles that are official Podiobooks:

Aliens and Satanic Creatures Wanted: Humans Need Not Apply by Tony Ruggiero

AmerIndian 2192 by J. Scott Garibay

Brave Men Run by Matthew Wayne Selznick

Come, Let Me Whisper by Russell L. Burt

EarthCore by Scott Sigler

Lessons From A Geek-Fu Master by Mur Lafferty

Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana by Tee Morris and Lisa Lee

Noggle Stones by Wil Radcliffe

Spherical Tomi: A Novel of Despair by Jack Mangan

The Pocket and the Pendant by Mark Jeffrey

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Tom Corven by Paul Story

posted by Jesse 3:13 PM -- (0) comments

 


Our good friend Joe Mahoney has just announced the follow up to last winter's CBC Radio One post-apocalyptic comedy series Steve The First. It's called, shockingly, Steve The Second. It'll start airing on January 7th 2006 at 11:30am and for the subsequent three weeks (January 7th to 28th).

Starring:
Matt Watts as "Steve"
Mark McKinney as "Phil Green"

PART I - (Airs January 7th 2005)

PART II - (Airs January 14th 2005)

PART III - (Airs January 21st 2005)

PART IV - (Airs January 28th 2005)

posted by Jesse 12:30 PM -- (0) comments

 


Tee Morris, Fantasy author and gonzo podcaster has scooped an interview with Robert J. Sawyer for The Survival Guide To Writing Fantasy podcast. This is a great pairing, both Tee and Rob are success oriented authors with great marketing chops. Check it out HERE or subscribe to Tee's podcast through iTunes. Especially cool is the talk about the marketing of Rob's first novel, Golden Fleece, one of the best Science Fiction / Mystery novels not available as an audiobook.



posted by Jesse 11:20 AM -- (0) comments

 


Here's an interesting LINK. A Google Video archived interview with William Shatner done for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation (yep, that's the Emmys). "Video?!" you ask. Yes, but in the interview Shatner talks for a few minutes about his early Radio Drama career and what it takes to change an Eastern Canadian accent into Federation Standard English accent. The Shat is totally Airwolf!

posted by Jesse 4:40 PM -- (0) comments

 


LibriVox bills itself as "acoustical liberation of books in the public domain", we bill it as "really cool"! The LibriVox volunteers read and record chapters of books in the public domain using the equipment they have at home, and then release the files as FREE audiobooks. The objective is to eventually make all books in the public domain available in the audio format. Several Science Fiction and Fantasy titles are already under way, and few have already been completed. Here's a peek:

Completed Novels:
The Road To Oz by L. Frank Baum
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Completed Shorts:
A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift

Multiple Narrator Forthcoming:
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
The Trial by Franz Kafka
Dracula by Bram Stoker
A Journey To The Interior Of The Earth by Jules Verne

Single Narrators Forthcoming:
Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott
The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson
Sky Island by L Frank Baum
The Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Beowolf
Anthem by Ayn Rand
A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

posted by Jesse 1:37 PM -- (0) comments

 


I swear I heard Promo Girl on CBC Radio One announce a special Christmas Day and Boxing Day (Dec 26th) special on Pierre Berton's The Secret World Of Og. Unfortunately I don't have a time or a link to give you. The CBC website doesn't seem to have it listed. Did anybody catch the hours this Canadian fantasy classic will air on those days?. But it looks like it will air on Sunday Showcase at 10pm on Christmas Day and on Boxing Day at 4pm.

The Secret World Of Og: A Christmas Special
By Pierre Berton; Adapted by Beverley Cooper
Streaming Audio - Approx. 30 60 Minutes (?) [Audio Drama]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio One
Boradcast: Dec 25th 2005 (repeated Dec 26th 2005)

The story of five children, a missing baby brother, and a magical
adventure in a strange underground world beneath their playhouse,
filled with rivers, mushrooms and a community of green people who know
only one word, "OG".

posted by Jesse 1:22 PM -- (0) comments

 


I've just discovered, better late than never, that CBC Radio One's Between The Covers program is broadcasting a Connie Willis Christmas story. It airs between December 19th and December 23rd 2005. Details follow...

Miracle
By Connie Willis; Read by Veena Sood
Streaming Audio - Estimated 70 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio One
Broadcast: Dec 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd 2005

An office worker hopes her handsome colleague will finally notice her at the office Christmas party. Willis takes on consumerism, seasonal movies, office celebrations and matchmaking in this whimsical romp through the North American Christmas season.

posted by Jesse 12:50 PM -- (0) comments

 


Great news everyone! The gifts are coming in fast and furious, and this one's a real beaut. It seems the good folks at XM Radio's SONIC THEATER have created a special offer for our benefit! By ordering three months of XM service via the link pictured below you will get one of two styles of XM Radio Recievers for FREE! The FREE models usually cost between $50 and $100.00 in stores so this is a very sweet deal. To get it type in the special XM website link into your browser URL field, it's the link pictured in the image below, hit enter and when prompted enter the special email code pictured on the image. Deluxe model recievers are also available at a discounted prices. The promotion expires at the end of December so snap it up while you can. Bear in mind you need to purchase a minimum of three months XM Radio subscription (@ about $13.00 per month). It isn't at this time known whether this offer will work for Canada, but even if it does bear in mind that Sonic Theater is not yet included in the XM Satellite Radio's Canadian service. You lucky, lucky Americans!



posted by Jesse 4:41 PM -- (0) comments

 


The Unnameable: Four Tales by H.P. Lovecraft
By H.P. Lovecraft; Read by David Cade
1 CD - 1 Hour 16 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tales Of Orpheus / www.DavidCade.net
Published: 2005
ISBN: 0955209005
Themes: / Fantasy / Horror / Cthulhu Mythos / Cats / Music /

"We were sitting on a dilapidated seventeenth - century tomb in the late afternoon of an autumn day at the old burying ground in Arkham, and speculating about the unnamable."

Dumb move guys, being in Arkham was the first mistake. Hanging out at the cemetary at twilight was the second. You don't get a third with Lovecraft. Fortunately we get both a third and a fourth! This collection contains four complete Howard Philips Lovecraft short stories! Included are:

"The Book"
Told in a creepy first person, a disembodied voice, a voice that decries the day it discovered "the book", in a library beside a great black oily river. The voice has forgotten its family, its life, even its own name. You will never forget this story. Probably written in 1933, a point at which Lovecraft was at the height of his powers, it shows.

"The Music Of Erich Zann"
One step from vagrancy, our anonymous narrator, recalls a fellow lodger Erich Zann. They shared a decrepit building on a mysterious French street, but Zann's eerie music was not nearly as haunting as horror that chased him. First published in 1921, still
powerful.

"The Cats Of Ulthar"
A cryptic fable that gives reason to why killing a cat may be the most dangerous thing one can ever do. There are two kinds of people in the world: Dog people and
cat people. H.P. Lovecraft was obviously a cat person. Cats are mysterious, small but quite powerful and work best at night, just like this story. First published
1920.

"The Unnameable"
Randolph Carter, who we already know from The Statement Of Randolph Carter recalls the events which followed their visit to an Arkham, MA cemetary. This is the only story in this collection considered part of the Cthulhu Mythos and Carter is probably the only character to survive two brushes with the who should not be named. First published 1923.

British actor David Cade reads all four tales. There is some question in my mind on one matter, does having an English accent whilst reading very American stories necessitate a conflict? It probably would if there was much dialogue - but seeing as Lovecraft was far friendlier with exposition than he was with speaking parts it isn't much of an issue at all. Cade is effective at bringing the mostly expository prose to gruesome life. All four stories are framed by muscial excerpts that are very well matched to the thematic material. One thing that bothered me greatly though was the lack of titles, each track is distinctly seperated by music, but the stories themselves are not named in the audio, one must look at the back of the CD case to find out which story you are listening to - something a blind listener would be unable to do.

posted by Jesse 6:09 AM -- (2) comments

 


The Penguin Podcast, the new podcasting arm of Penguin Books UK and has decided to give a Christmas gift to everyone! They've started posting Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, the unabridged audiobook as podiobook-like podcast instalments! The first of five episodes presenting the classic Christmas ghost story starts today. They will only be available until January 3rd 2005 so start grabbing it now for FREE now!

A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story Of Christmas
By Charles Dickens; Read by Geoffrey Palmer
5 MP3s - Approx. 3 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: The Penguin Podcast
Podcast: Dec 15th 2005 to January 3rd 2006
Themes: / Fantasy / Christmas / Ghosts / Victorian /

Ebenezer Scrooge, whose name is now synonymous with greed and parsimony, believes Christmas to be 'humbug'. Refusing to donate any of his fortune to the poor, he comforts himself by saying, 'I don't make merry myself at Christmas, and I can't afford to make idle people merry.' But then the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Marley, returns from the grave to haunt him. Dragging a long and heavy chain, representing his many sins, Marley sends down the three spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future to warn Scrooge against a similar fate...

posted by Jesse 4:30 PM -- (0) comments

 


From our friends at Great Northern Audio Theatre!:

Dear Friends and Listeners:

The rogue comet, Skippy, is headed right for Big City. Who are you going to call? Ok, you called them and they weren't home--who else are you going to call? That's right SuperPal. "SuperPal: The Saving of the World" is the story of the plucking of Big City from total disaster told through press conferences and in-depth interviews with the people who say they knew SuperPal best: His agent, his girlfriend, and some other people.

SuperPal was recorded in July, 2005 live at CONVergence 2005 Science Fiction Convention in Bloomington, MN. We didn't even know we were making fun of FEMA in this 28-minute audio satire, but sometimes you get lucky and get ahead of the curve.

At the last Great Northern Audio Theatre Board of Directors meeting Brian said, "We couldn't even give away this show, if we tried."

"Sure we could," said Jerry. "We'll just let them download it."

"For free?"

"What the hay," reflected Jerry.

"You're killing me here, Jerry, you're killing me," said Brian.

So, for a limited time only (from now until Christmas) Click here and download our SuperPal MP3 files and enjoy. Be sure to download the credits PDF, so you'll know who did what.

Prove Brian wrong.
Prove Jerry right (he usually is).
And download SuperPal: The Saving of the World" today.

A very Merry Christmas.
For Free.

Thanks,
Great Northern Audio Theatre 8:34 AM -- (0) comments

 


The Speed of Dark
By Elizabeth Moon, Read by Grover Gardner
9 cassettes – 13 hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Books on Tape, Inc.
Published: 2003
Themes: / Science fiction / Gene Therapy / Autism / Science-Fiction

In the near future, disease will be a condition of the past, cured genetically at birth or soon afterward. But for the generation born before this development, it is too late, and they must get along as best they can. Lou Arrendale is in this lost generation. He is a high-functioning autistic with a job, friends and a love of fencing. But now, an experimental treatment will cure his autism. The question is, will he be the same person after he receives the treatment?

This is the first time I've been really happy that a book was on tape as opposed to CD. Normally I like not having to change cassettes or flip them over, but The Speed of Dark hooked me so deeply that I took it everywhere with me. I dragged my little portable tape player around the house and then would pop the tape out and put it in the car stereo while I was running errands. I couldn't stop listening.

Most of the novel is told from Lou Arrendale's first person point of view and Grover Gardner gave a pitch-perfect performance. His clipped and precise delivery captured the precision with which Lou dealt with the world. Coupled with Ms. Moon's evocative language, the story unfolded with the inevitable beauty of a Bach cantata--events surprised me, but there was no other way for the story to unfold.

One of the most fascinating things was how Ms. Moon dealt with Lou's perceptions of normal people. He had been taught that it was rude to interrupt other people, but normal people could interrupt and it was not rude. He is fascinated by how normal people can pick up on subtle social cues so that they seem to read each others minds. His wonder at the complex pattern of group conversation is so palpable that I felt it too, and found myself watching a conversation of my friends with some of the same awe. How do we know when it's time to stop talking and let someone else, or when it is okay to interrupt and when it is not?

Other sections of the book are briefly told from the point of view of other characters, but Ms. Moon stays with third person for them. The writing is as clear, but I never connected with the other characters and sometimes found myself shifting in my seat, anxious to get back to Lou. These sections provide necessary plot information, and are also a fine way to view Lou from the outside. I suspect that in written format, my impatience would be less pronounced, but since Lou's sections are in first person I came to associate Mr. Gardner's voice with Lou. When he was reading other characters it seemed like a mask. A good mask, but I wanted Lou back.

And that is the crux of the novel. Ms. Moon made me care about Lou by showing me the inside of his thoughts. I could not fathom how he could possibly be the same person if he were not autistic. The dilemma is fascinating.

I won't tell you what decision Lou makes in the end. Why? The gift-giving season is upon us; rather than recommending this as an item for your gift-giving list, you should have a copy of The Speed of Dark for yourself.

posted by Mary-Robinette 6:12 AM -- (0) comments

 


Nightmares on Congress Street - Part 5
By Rocky Coast Radio Theatre; Performed by a Full Cast
2 CD's - 2 hours [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Rocky Coast Radio Theatre
Published: 2005
Themes: / Horror / Science Fiction / Murder / Government / Spirits /

Here's another top-notch title from Rocky Coast Radio Theatre out of Maine. It contains seven dramatized horror tales:

The Demon of the Gibbet by Fitz-James O'Brien
A horror poem, very nicely rendered.

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe, adapted by Patrick Bradley
A modern adaptation of Poe's classic story. Nightmares on Congress Street, Part IV contained Poe's "A Cask of Amontillado" presented traditionally - this one is also excellent, but the script updates the story to a modern setting.

Retroactive Anti-Terror by Alex Irvine, adapted by William Dufris
This science fiction story portrays a different type of horror - a future where people are prosecuted for what they might do. Alex Irvine's original story appeared in Salon.com in 2004. The story makes a clear political statement which people from all viewpoints would benefit from hearing.

Much A-Zoo About Nothing written and performed by Michael Duffy
A humorous song in which a guy goes to a zoo and encounters "ten green men with super suits on".

The Wind by Ray Bradbury, adapted by William Dufris
It starts when Alan calls Herb on the phone obviously very nervous. After a little prodding by Herb, Alan reveals that it's the wind he's so worried about, and the tense story takes off from there. Bradbury probably has more stories available as audio drama than any other author, and this wonderful adaptation has me hunting for more.

The Door Below by Hugh B. Cave, adapted by William Dufris
Another good horror story that takes place mostly in a lighthouse... ghosts, anyone?

The Statement of Randolph Carter by H.P. Lovecraft, adapted by William Dufris
This is my favorite of the collection. Dufris and crew perfectly capture the creepy horror of Lovecraft's original story.

Nightmares on Congress Street V is the second title I've heard from Rocky Coast, and I'm convinced that they are one of the top current producers of audio drama. With first-rate acting, the careful placing of sound effects, very good music, and fantastic scripts, these stories capture and hold tight. I can't recommend this title highly enough for fans of audio drama and horror.

You can get this title from Paperback Digital, Tantor Media, Amazon, and Audible.

posted by Scott 5:43 AM -- (0) comments

 


Pearl and Sir Orfeo
By J.R.R. Tolkien; Read by Terry Jones
2 cassettes - 2 hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Harper Audio
Published: 2000
ISBN: 0001053744
Themes: / Fantasy / Mythology /

Pearl, the longer of the two stories in this collection, is an elegy for the poet's baby daughter, told in alliterative verse. It tells the story of a man who goes into a graveyard to mourn the death of his baby daughter, whom he has lost like a pearl that slipped through his fingers into the grass. Worn out by his grief, he falls asleep and has a glorious vision of another, symbolically bejeweled, world, in which he meets his daughter again and discovers what has happened to her.

Sir Orfeo, a Celtic version of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, complete with a twist happy ending. The moving story of a love so strong it was
able to overcome death itself.

*ALSO INCLUDED* ~Two Essays by J.R.R. Tolkien
Two introduction and background essays by the master himself, J.R.R. Tolkien regarding the translation and preservation of the anonymous fourteenth-century poems upon which these stories are based.

Best known for his work with Monty Python's Flying Circus, Terry Jones lends his signature voice and style to these two wonderful translations by J.R.R. Tolkien. Jones, is well equipped to flesh out the characters and voices of Tolkien's texts. The combination of the lilting verse and the audio medium bringing the absolutely right feel to the presentation. This audiobook makes it quite clear that heroic tales were meant to be heard rather than read. Jones uses his knowledge, he's actually a scholar of medieval literature himself, for a particularly effective reading, he sets just the right tone to the musical quality of the verse. Also of interest to
Tolkien fanatics are the unmentioned (on the packaging) essays and introductions by Tolkien for both these tales, a fantastic resource for teachers and students studying Toklien and comparative mythology. One caveat - the accessibility of this audiobook's text is high school or above and not at all suitable for young children.

posted by Jesse 7:36 AM -- (0) comments

 


At SFFaudio.com we always try to keep up with the latest technology delivering Science Ficion and Fantasy content to your ears. And the time has finally come to talk about a new kind of delivery mechanism, Satellite Radio. Satellite radio differs from conventional ground based radio primarily due to the range of coverage. Ground based radio is transmitted from a tower and has a very limited geographical range. Satellite radio is transmitted from Satellites to the ground, giving listeners the ability to hear a radio station anywhere in the United States and Canada.

For North America, the equipment can be purchased either online or now at nearly every major consumer electronics retailer. This will probably be the first holiday shopping season that makes Satellite Radio really take off.

The service is relatively in expensive. For about $49 USD you can get the XM “Radio”. XM is the largest Satellite Radio network in the U.S. with more than five million listeners. It can be used in your car, home, boom box, computer or virtually anywhere. Apparently the monthly subscription fee of $12.95 USD for XM. There are different model recievers avilable - some portable, some component. XM Radio features hundreds of digital channels, mostly music but some with more relevant content for our purposes. All the channels originate from XM Radio's broadcast center, a massive all-digital studio complex in Washington, DC. From there it is uplinked to their two Boeing 702 satellites nicknamed “Rock” and “Roll” respecitvely. Locked in geo-synchronous orbit over North America each satellite provides 18kw of power, making them the most powerful commercial satellites launched. Additionally, ground based repeaters supplement the satellite signal coverage for hard to reach topographic locations.

I've been hearing a number of readers interested in particular programs they heard on satellite Radio, and now we've finally found a channel that seems right up our alley:

Sonic Theater, Channel 163 on XM Radio has content both old and new.

One of the cool new programmers for Channel 163 is the Wolcott Sheridan Aural Performance Library which has content in the form of what they call SonicMovies™ (what we call Audio Drama). For instance, producer Kevin Yancy has 1 H.P. Lovecraft story completed, Dagon, a half dozen or more being edited and a plan for many more!

Other Sonic Theater channel producing partners can be found HERE.

And the channel schedule can be found HERE.

And by the by, we'd also be interested in hearing from North American Sirius listeners.The Sirius Satellite Radio network has approximately one million listeners. Are any of them getting Science Fiction or Fantasy content? And what about other English speaking countries? Do you have Satellite Radio in New Zealand? Is DAB radio in the UK the European equivilent of Satellite Radio? I want some Belizean Science Ficion audio - does it exist? Help us out folks.

posted by Jesse 12:37 PM -- (0) comments

 


A podcast novel from just under the radar.... but soon to be looming large in your podcatcher...

Brave Men Run.
By Matthew Wayne Selznick; Read by Matthew Wayne Selznick
55 Chapters - Approx 30 Minute MP3 Installments [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: BraveMenRun.com / Podiobooks.com
Published: Started Nov 2005 - Concludes ??? 2006

Fans of Ultimate Spider-Man, silver age comics, and alternate history will enjoy this prose novel of teen angst and metahumans! Brave Men Run is a coming of age story set in an alternate 1980's, where people with amazing talents and abilities suddenly make themselves known. Can young Nathan Charters find himself in this uncertain new world? Who is he, where did he come from, and is he part of a remarkable new minority... or just a misfit among misfits?

Described as "alternative history fantasy" and it may turn out to be just that, but whatever it is called, it'll also be called X-CELLENT! A prose superhero novel without the funny looking long-underwear type costumes. After only three installments I'm totally hooked!

HERE's the promo in mp3 format.

Paul Jenkins of The Rev-Up Review podcast had this to say about the first couple of instalments of the podcast of Brave Men Run: "...well written with great dialogue. Utterly convincing and the podcast is well produced with good sound and superbly read by the author..." You can, BTW, hear the complete mini- review on the 13th episode of R.U.R. at about the 5 Minutes 40 Second mark.

I recently spoke with Matthew about how much I'm enjoying his podcast novel. I asked him about the X-Men like story. It turns out the idea for this "Soverign Era" novel came from a serialized fiction project Matthew worked on a few years ago. We also talked about the little tips of the hat to Silver Age Comics sprinkled throughout the narrative, the cerebral and realistic portrayl of what it would be like to have super powers and plenty more. I'm really jazzed about this one, and I think if you give it a shot you will be too. Matthew's prose is clean and true and the production is matched by a terrific straight reading by the author. Like The Pocket And The Pendant this one's available at Lulu.com in a Print On Demand paperbook edition as well.

You can also listen to the first part of a two part interview done with Matthew HERE the interviewer is Paul Puri of of the 5+5 Podcast - cool stuff. Looking forward to part 2 of that interview on the 5+5 Podcast soon too!

posted by Jesse 4:26 PM -- (1) comments

 


Jonathan Coulton's hilarious and catchy song Skullcrusher Mountain [MP3] aired on this week's Dragon Page Wingin' It Podcast. I absolutetly loved it! I think you will too. Jonathan has posted it and a number of his other fantastic love songs on his website.

posted by Jesse 11:44 AM -- (0) comments

 




Pssst... word on the street is that crime fiction on audio isn't getting it's due. So the creators of SFFaudio.com, the premier website for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror audio, are planning on kicking it to the skids for Crime, Detective, Police Procedural, and Thriller fiction. If it ain't strictly legal, and it's on audio, then that's what it's about - know what I'm sayin? The domain is called www.AuralNoir.com. And five will get you ten you're gonna love it. Even if the reviewers did fall off the back of a truck from somewherez. And hey buddy, you didn't hear it from me. Know what I'm sayin'?

12:51 PM -- (0) comments

 


Hi, all - Scott here. I was recently asked what podcast feeds I subscribe to. The answer sounded like a good post, so here it is - I'll twist Jesse's arm for his subscribed list, too.

Dragon Page - Cover to Cover
Dragon Page - Wingin' It
Michael and Evo's Slice of Sci Fi
Evo Terra and Michael R. Mennenga host all three of these shows, which are easily the most professional science fiction-related podcasts out there. Cover to Cover features author interviews and book news, Slice of Sci Fi focuses mainly on television and films, and Wingin' It is 100% format free!
http://www.dragonpage.com

The Kick-Ass Mystic Ninjas
Only two podcasts in, and this is my favorite podcast. The ninjas are Summer Brooks and Joe Murphy, and they talk "old-school" SF and Fantasy. The first show was about Dan Simmon's Hyperion, and the second featured Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. Looks like Zelazny's Lord of Light is next. Summer and Joe can also be heard on some of the The Dragon Page broadcasts.
http://www.kickassmysticninjas.com

Escape Pod
Stephen Eley has really put together something special here. Escape Pod is an excellent audio science fiction magazine with high quality stories that sound great. I enjoy Eley's introductions as well, which have ranged from "Go see Serenity" sermons to discussions of copyright. He makes me chuckle often, and I'm pretty sure it's on purpose.
http://www.escapepod.org

SciFiDig
Aaron Macom hosts this show, which is really just him talking about whatever the heck he feels like talking about. Most of the time, his topics relate to science fiction media, but his forays into other subjects are just as interesting.
http://www.scifidig.com

Treks in SciFi
Rich Dostie (Rico) talks Star Trek - mostly. I was happy to find this podcast because I am a Trek fan and this is the closest thing to a Star Trek-only podcast that I've found. Rico highlights an episode of Trek in each podcast, and talks about collectibles and other related stuff.
http://www.treksf.com

Craphound.com: The Literary Works of Cory Doctorow
This is Cory Doctorow, reading his own work wherever he happens to be. Great stuff.
http://www.craphound.com

ZBS
The fine folks at ZBS are podcasting Ruby 1 - I urge you to check it out if you've never heard it. Every day, this feed delivers the next short segment of Ruby 1. As I understand it, it was originally broadcast in these short segments on NPR.
http://www.zbs.org

And that's it! I listen to these on my PC (if I'm sitting there) or on my Palm Zire 31, which features an excellent MP3 player. (That reminds me - I've been meaning to prepare a post on listening devices.) Last week, I dropped a few podcasts because I simply am out of time. I still have audiobooks to listen to, ya know? Thanks to all of the above for podcasting.

I use iPodder (Juice Receiver) to download all these shows.



posted by Scott 6:47 AM -- (0) comments