BBC7's the 7th Dimension has two interesting offerings...

Only You Can Save Mankind
By Terry Pratchett; Performed by a Full Cast
3 Parts - [AUDIO DRAMA]
Twelve year old Johnny takes a trip from reality and meets the Screewee Captain and Wobbler Johnson.

This begans Saturday July 29thbut is still avilable via the Listen Again service.

Atomic Tales
6 Parts - [AUDIO DRAMA]
Following a successful pilot broadcast earlier this year, BBC7 commissioned this new six part series. The "Chromium World Theatre" presents a classic American 1950's style sci-fi serial.

This one began airing daily today. 6.30pm and 12.30am UK Time.

Listeners who live outside the UK can use the BBC7 Listen Again service to catch each programme for 6 days following each broadcast.

posted by Jesse 6:21 PM -- (0) comments

 


Jonathon Coulton, of "Skullcrusher Mountain" fame has scored a neat gig hosting Popular Science Magazine's official podcast. Unfortunately he's had to relocate to the moon for the job! He's nearly a dozen episodes in already. Each week JC explores one article from the latest issue of Popular Science.

You can subscribe to the feed with this:

http://popsci.libsyn.com/rss

posted by Jesse 6:24 PM -- (0) comments

 


Interested in reviewing for SFFaudio? We're looking for two more reviewers! Contact Scott or Jesse for more details.






posted by Scott 2:55 PM -- (0) comments

 


Australian SF publisher and editor Jonathan Strahan has a podcast that is currently 2 shows in. The first contains a story by Deborah Biancotti entitled "Stealing Free". Deborah has "published her first story in 2000 and has won the Aurealis Award for Best Horror Story, the Ditmar Award for Best New Talent, and the Ditmar for Best Short Story." The second show contains "The Third-Quarter King" by Nebula nominee and Campbell finalist Tim Pratt.

Click here for The Coode Street Podcast site.

[via John Scalzi]

posted by Scott 9:30 AM -- (0) comments

 


Check out what's arrived at SFFaudio from Brilliance Audio in the past few weeks!

Bad Circuits (Strange Matter)
By Johnny Ray Barnes, Jr.; Read by a full cast
2 CD's - 2 hours - [Audio Drama]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2006
ISBN: 1423308263
A full cast, multivoice production intended for Ages 7+





Dragon's Fire: A New Novel of Pern
By Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey; Read by Dick Hill
10 CD's - 12 hours - [Unabridged]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2006
ISBN: 1423314565
Click here for audio sample.
The latest Pern novel!





Dragons of the Dwarven Depths
By Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman; Read by Sandra Burr
13 CD's - 15 hours - [Unabridged]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2006
ISBN: 142331610X
Click here for audio sample.
The first novel in a new fantasy trilogy by Weis and Hickman.





Driven to Death (Strange Matter)
By Marty M. Engle; Read by a full cast
2 CD's - 2 hours - [Audio Drama]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2006
ISBN: 1423308824
A full cast, multivoice production intended for Ages 7+





In the Dark of the Night
By John Saul; Read by Mel Foster
9 CD's - 11 hours - [Unabridged]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2006
ISBN: 1423304357
Click here for audio sample.
A new novel from master of horror John Saul.





Of Fire and Night: Saga of the Seven Suns, Book 5
By Kevin J. Anderson; Read by David Colacci
16 CD's - 19 hours - [Unabridged]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2006
ISBN: 159737217X
Click here for audio sample.
Book 5 of Anderson's epic science fiction series!





Phantom
By Terry Goodkind; Read by Sam Tsoutsouvas
20 CD's - 23 hours - [Unabridged]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2006
ISBN: 1590863151
Click here for audio sample.
A fat fantasy from Terry Goodkind.





To send SFFaudio your titles, please contact us for more information. We'd love to hear them.

posted by Scott 7:31 AM -- (0) comments

 


Orbit
By John J. Nance, read by the author
1 MP3-CD, Approx. 9 hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2005
ISBN: 1593356919
Themes: / Science Fiction / Near Future / Space Flight

Poor Kip Dawson, not only is he saddled with a shrewish wife who doesn’t support his aspirations, an estranged son who doesn’t understand him, and a humdrum job he doesn’t enjoy, but when he finally realizes his one true dream of flying into space on a private space-tourism ship as the winner of an international contest, he finds himself stranded there with a dead pilot and no way to start the engines or contact the earth. Even worse, he seems completely unaware that he is nothing but a static clip-art character dragged and dropped into a dull exercise in word processing.

The story has the potential to accomplish so much: Thrilling adventures as those on the ground seek to help our man in space by shooting down a large piece of space debris headed his way and scrambling not one but four spacecraft to reach him before his air scrubbers give out; gripping human drama as he spins out his entire sexual history, his shallow self-reflections, and his talk-show psychologist advice to the world in a blog he doesn’t know is being sent live to the ground; and even a hint of heart-warming romance with the head of PR for the private space tourism company. Alas, John Nance’s handling of this potential reads like a To Do list scrawled in the margins of an outline. The tale is boosted by a few interesting complications and the feeling that it could technically all happen tomorrow, but it is brought crashing back to the launch pad by an infantile understanding of the politics of the space program, an even more infantile understanding of men and their desires and fears, and a supremely infantile understanding of women and love.

I’ll give the audio version this: At least it’s brief. This is due to Nance’s remarkable ability to produce syllables rapidly. But there is a distracting microphone lisp throughout, and a remarkable sameness to the delivery of the dialog, the exposition, the inner thoughts of the characters, and the chapter numbers. Nance shows he’s a good sport with his hilarious rendition of father and son Australian accents, but other than that, there isn’t much you hear that you won’t soon gladly forget.

This book aims high, and for that I can forgive a lot. But it is betrayed by haste and inattention. The moments that should be the most involving and emotionally satisfying instead read like the author would rather be somewhere else, doing something else. And that’s how you’ll feel too, should you be unfortunate enough to listen. Take my advice: Don’t.

posted by Kurt 6:42 AM -- (0) comments

 


Podcasters aren't just the voices in your earbuds, they are people. Sometimes you might think some of them are the kinds of people you'd like to have as friends. Well last weekend I was privileged enough to test that theory. I had an entire family of podcasters visit during the annual celebration of my birth. And do you know what? I now consider them friends. Attending my birthday party were Evo Terra and Sheila Unwin, (as well as their hip teenage son NJ). We talked about podcasting, drank hoppy hoppy beer and had a swell-old time. As a birthday present to me Evo and Sheila even agreed to allow me to snap a promotional photo too (note that very cool mug Evo's holding)...


I've been a fan of the various Dragon Page shows since before they were even podcasts, but even if you were not so lucky, you can still get in on the fun. Both Sheila and Evo's podcasts can be found on the main www.dragonpage.com site as well as in the iTunes podcast directory (search word "dragon page").

Sheila's show, is Dragon Page With Class, the classier half of the Dragon Page podcasting phenomenon. She hosts her podcast with fellow middle school teacher Lorrie Mennenga. Together they talk about tips and techniques for use in the classroom, discuss educational trends as well as interviewing the top young adult and childrens literature authors (with a particular emphasis on Science Fiction and Fantasy authors I'm pleased to say). If you haven't already you should subscribe using this feed:

http://www.dragonpage.com/podcastWC.xml

Evo Terra's show, for those of you who've just stepped out of a 10 year cryogenic chamber sleep, is Dragon Page Cover to Cover. C2C is all about SF and Fantasy literature, Evo and his co-host Michael Mennenga do weekly interviews with the creators of the best in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror literature. These two heros have more than 200 shows in their history (and are directly or indrectly responsible for more than a dozen other podcasts. You can subscribe using this feed:

http://www.dragonpage.com/podcastC2C.xml

P.S. Evo, Sheila, NJ, you're welcome back anytime guys! Next time we'll do the grand tour.

posted by Jesse 9:35 PM -- (2) comments

 


With the plentitude of podcasts relating to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror now available it was only a matter of time before the ceremonies had to begin. At the upcoming Dragon*Con 2006 (September 1-4, 2006), a new annual award will be started. Entitled "The Parsec Awards" these awards will honor podcasting excellence in a number of categories. It should be noted however that due to the rules governing eligibility five very worthy podcast are ineligible for consideration (being that their respective hosts were members of the Awards Committee during the nomination process):

Dragon Page Cover-To-Cover (Michael Mennenga)
Slice Of Sci-Fi (Michael Mennenga)
Michael And Evo's Wingin' It (Michael Mennenga)
I Should Be Writing (Mur Lafferty)
DragonHearth (Tracy Hickman)

Here is the complete short-list of eligible PARSEC AWARD nominees in the SFFaudio related categories:

Best Fiction (Short)
Absolution Insured, Variant Frequencies, Matt Wallace
Hero, Escape Pod, Scott Sigler
Legacies, Brief Glimpses of Somewhere Else, Daniel Emery
The Trouble with Death Traps, Escape Pod, Daisy James
Truth Is, The Seanachai, Patrick McLean

Best Fiction (Long)
7th Son: Descent, J.C. Hutchins
Brave Men Run, Matthew Wayne Selznick
How to Succeed in Evil, The Seanachai, Patrick McLean
Infection, Scott Sigler
Morevi: Chronicles of Rafe and Askana, Tee Morris and Lisa Lee
Nina Kimberly The Merciless, Christiana Ellis

Best Audio Production
The Falcon Banner, Chris Snyder
The Future And You, Stephen Euin Cobb
The Seanachai, Patrick McLean
The Signal, Jill Arroway
Virgin Falls, Jeff Folchinsky

Best Audio Drama (Long)
Children of the Gods, Cmack
Dismay, Sean McMinn
The Falcon Banner, Chris Snyder
Mister Adventure, Rich Sigfrit
The Stargate Cafe, Planet Retcon

Best Audio Drama (Short)
Decoder Ring Theatre, Stephanie Bickford, Andrea Lyons and Gregg Taylor
Family Radio, Sound Stages
The Hoff, Planet Retcon
The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd, Grant Baciocco, Doug Price

Best Fan Podcast
Kick Ass Mystic Ninjas, Summer Brooks, Joe Murphy, David Moldawer
PotterCast, John Noe and crew
Requiem Of The Outcast, Rich Sigfrit and Earl Newton
The Scapecast, Kevin Bachelder, Lindy Rae and crew
The Signal, Jill Arroway, Les Howard and Kari Haley and crew

Best News Podcast
The Future And You, Stephen Euin Cobb
Geek4x4, John M. Campbell
Requiem of the Outcast, Rich Sigfrit, Earl Newton
Sci Fi News, Lynne Gryphon
The Warp Zone, Patrick Murphy & Chris Murphy with "Gaming Guru" Rusty

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

 


The Time Traveler Show podcast #3 is available now! The main content is an unabridged reading of Frederic Brown's often adapted (though not always attributed) classic SF tale Arena. Originally published in the June 1944 issue of Astounding Science Fiction magazine this tale was first adapted as an episode of the original Outer Limits in 1964, then in 1967 for the original Star Trek television series (the infamous "Gorn" episode), and even as a comic in Marvel Comics magazine Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction in 1976. You can read the complete show notes for podcast #3 HERE or download the show HERE.

And if you haven't already be sure to subscribe using this feed:

http://www.timetravelershow.com/shows/feed.xml

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

 


J.C. Hutchins' podcast novel 7th Son, Book One: Descent completes its final instalment on Tuesday July 25th - be sure to listen for an extra special celebrity guest recap reading by podcast musician/comic genius Jonathan Coulton! Even more thrilling, a special Q&A episode will be released the week after. This 'bonus feature' follows in the footsteps of two top-tier podiobooks: The Pocket And The Pendant and Brave Men Run who's respective authors allowed avid listeners to quiz them about their plots, productions and varied inspirations. Listeners are invited to submit questions to J.C. Hutchins at: 7thsonnovel@gmail.com

Way to go Hutch!

posted by Jesse 1:10 PM -- (0) comments

 


NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday, will be airing a report on the Science Fiction theme of "The Singularity." The piece was created by Rick Kleffell of The Agony Column Podcast who writes "I'm told it will run near the end of the second hour." There will be an link available on the NPR.org site sometime after it airs. If you can't tune in Sunday point your browser at Rick's website. he'll post a link to it when it becomes available.

The report features Vernor Vinge and Cory Doctorow, explaining to listeners just what the technological singularity is, where the idea originated, and how it plays out a bit in SF.

Rick also writes: "Even if you manage to catch the report when it is broadcast live, you can email the link from the NPR web page–and you should to as many people as possible. NPR measures the interest in a subject in part by the response on 'email this link' web page. If they get a huge response to this article, they'll understand that their audience is indeed interested in hearing about science fiction literature on NPR."

posted by Jesse 10:47 AM -- (0) comments

 


SFFaudio reader "Bradford" laments our lack of Doctor Who content but suggests a quick fix... he writes: "BBC7 will be playing some Big Finish Dr Who productions." After following the link he provided it looks like Bradford is right! The Eighth Doctor's adventures, as produced by Big Finish Productions and starring Paul McGann began on Sunday on BBC Radio 7's The 7th Dimension with episode one of Shada, and will continue with Storm Warning, Sword of Orion, The Stones of Venice, Invaders from Mars and The Chimes of Midnight. Thanks for the heads-up Bradford!

Now as to our lack of Dr Who content, I too lament it, unfortunately our reach into the U.K. is not completely masterful yet. We're trying to keep a stiff upper lip about it but haven't adopted this as our natural attitude yet. Until then, we will rely on the kindness of our British brothers and sisters across the Atlantic.

posted by Jesse 11:55 AM -- (0) comments

 


Looks like I'll be going to Worldcon this year! Life is good...

um... I posted this to the wrong blog, sorry about that. The post was meant for my SFFreader blog. But it's true, and life is certainly good. There's a great chance that both Jesse and I will be there. We're looking forward to meeting in person many of the excellent people we've met online.

posted by Scott 10:39 AM -- (0) comments

 


Here are the New Releases for July!

Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton, read by Cynthia Holloway, Brilliance Audio, Unabridged
Click for an audio sample





A Dry, Quiet War by Tony Daniel, read by Jared Doreck, Infinivox, Unabridged






Fear Nothing by Dean Koontz, read by Keith Szarabajka, Random House Audio, Unabridged, (re-release)
Click for an audio sample





Of Fire and Night: The Saga of Seven Suns Book 5 by Kevin J. Anderson, read by David Colacci, Brilliance Audio, Unabridged
Click for an audio sample





Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, read by Jim Dale, Brilliance Audio, Unabridged





The Stonehenge Gate by Jack Williamson, read by Harlan Ellison, Blackstone Audio, Unabridged
This was mentioned by Harlan Ellison in our recent interview. A Grandmaster reading a Grandmaster!
Click for an audio sample





Superman Returns by Marv Wolfman, read by Scott Brick, Blackstone Audio, Unabridged
Click for an audio sample





Voyagers by Ben Bova, read by Stefan Rudnicki, Blackstone Audio, Unabridged
Click for an audio sample


posted by Scott 5:01 AM -- (0) comments

 


It's been a while since we mentioned Infinivox. Since they produce one of my favorite lines of audiobooks, I'll take this new release as a chance to talk about them. Infinivox publishes excellent unabridged short science fiction on CD. The story selection and quality of the productions leaves me eager for their next release every time.

This new release is a story called "A Dry, Quiet War" by Tony Daniel. In addition to that, check out Infinivox's author line-up: Charles Stross, Connie Willis, Stephen Baxter, Greg Egan, George Alec Effinger, Nancy Kress - and that's just naming a few! Infinivox has great stories, they are very well produced, and are priced just right. You simply can't go wrong here. Check them out!

posted by Scott 5:59 AM -- (0) comments

 


Have you ever thought of trying to perform some Science Fiction or Fantasy audio yourself? Good news! The Time Traveler Show podcast is seeking narrators to read some short stories for upcoming shows!

Click HERE to read all the details. Upcoming stories include:

The Apotheosis Of Ki by Miriam Allen DeFord

The Gun by Philip K. Dick

Mousetrap by Andre Norton

posted by Jesse 1:12 AM -- (0) comments

 


Ladies and Gentle - wait. Is this thing on? tap tap tap. There we go. Ladies and Gentlemen, SFFaudio is proud to announce the winners of the 2006 Mark Time and Ogle Awards! The awards were given this past weekend at CONvergence (a con I have GOT to get to one of these years), and here they are:

Mark Time Awards for Science Fiction Audio Theater

GOLD
Anne Manx on Amazonia
Radio Repertory Company of America
Angelo Panetta, producer. Written by Larry Weiner.
Check out the SFFaudio review of this one here. Great stuff.







SILVER
Steve the Second
CBC Radio A & E
Joe Mahoney, producer. Written by Matt Watts.








HONORABLE MENTION
Strawberry Automatic
Apex Audio Theatre
Richard Sellers, producer. Written by T. Ray Gordon.







And the Ogle Awards for Fantasy/Horror Audio Theater

A tie for the GOLD!

The Confessions of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde
Willamette Radio Workshop
Sam A. Mowry, producer. Written by William S. Gregory.







AND

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Colonial Radio Theatre On the Air
Jerry Robbins, producer/writer.









SILVER
A Long Vacation
Northwest Folklore
Birke Duncan, producer. Written by Garrett Vance & Birke Duncan.







Find out more about the awards and the Science Fiction Audio Hall of Fame at Great Nothern Audio! And, as always, you purchase a lot of these over at The Lodestone Catalog.

Thanks to Jerry Stearns for keeping us up to date!

posted by Scott 7:33 AM -- (0) comments

 


The stars are aligning and they portend a great coming from beyond the ether. Check your sanity level, fill your lungs and let out a cleansing scream - - yes chums, there is a disturbing truth we are happy to reveal (a little shantak has whispered in my ear) . There is a mighty and terrible Horror Fiction podcast soon to surface! I am proud to say we've brought you the first sigil, make of it what you will...



Interested cultists can apply for paying positions by following THIS link.

posted by Jesse 11:58 PM -- (0) comments

 


The Incredible Shrinking Man
By Richard Matheson; Read by Yuri Rasovsky
1 MP3 disc, 7 CDs, 6 cassettes - 8 hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2006
ISBN: 0786178515(MP3), 0786175761(CD), 0786137924 (cassettes)
Themes: / Science Fiction / Atomic Radiation / Illness / Transcendence / Miniaturization / Horror

Scott Carey is a man suffering from a freak accident during which he was exposed to radiation dust and pesticides. He begins to slowly shrink. He finds not only the physical challenges of getting smaller but the social as well. In fact it is in this social arena where must of the intensity of the book comes from.

Scott Carey has a good life with his beautiful wife, Lou. When he begins to shrink tension between him and his wife grows, and their relationship begins to change. Although we feel sympathy for Scott's plight, we don't necessarily like him. He's one pissed-off little guy. Ultimately this is a story of impotence. Not just sexually but for all aspects of his life. He can no longer satisfy his wife sexually (even though he still has his sex drive). He cannot meet his family's economic needs except by selling his story to tabloid-styled newspapers. And he has a daughter that he has to fear because she may crush him just by playing with him.

Yuri Rasovsky does a great job on the audiobook. In an early dialogue scene with Scott and his wife Lou, the character voices sounded very much the same. My first response was that Yuri didn't differentiate between characters much. On second reflection, I realized this was intentional. Later in the book as Scott is shrinking, he begins to sound like a little boy when talking with his wife. This helps create the vulnerable and impotent stature of Scott, making him less of a man. It was no accident that Matheson used "Lou" as a nickname for Scott's wife, Louise. It demeans Scott's masculinity even more.

Richard Matheson is a wonderfully expressive author, drawing emotion out with every turn. Granted, they are mostly dark emotions.

Matheson also adapted this novel to a screenplay for the classic movie. I watched the movie right after finishing the audiobook to see how a master adapts his own work to screen. It's an experience I strongly recommend. Some of the most powerful scenes in the book do not make it into the movie. There's a gang of youths that beat Scott. There's the drunken child molester that picks up Scott hitchhiking and mistakes him for a boy.

And there are scenes that work better in the movie than in the book. These are the action scenes when Scott is fighting cats and spiders. Those scenes in the book become tedious because they take so long to explain.

But the book surpasses the movie again with an ending that is more poignantly transcendent.

Posted by The Time Traveler 9:40 AM -- (1) comments

 


I've been a longtime listener to Scott and Anthony's The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Podcast but I haven't talked about it before because it has always been about SF&F movies and TV shows, not audio. Fortunately, they've made an exception with their latest "bonus episode." Their show #39 has an amazing in-person interview with Angelo Panetta, the man largely responsible for the fabulous products of the Radio Repertory Company Of America. Scott and Anthony ask some terrific questions of Angelo and receive some very cool answers. For 60 minutes they chat with him about the development of the RRCA's catalogue of audio adventures, how they were made, how the casting happened, and they even play clips illustrating scenes they are talking about. If you haven't heard one of the RRCA's great audio stories I'll give you a one line summary: The RRCA makes original radio dramas featuring the stars of Babylon 5 and Star Trek: The Next Generation in all new, totally original adventures. Have a listen to the show HERE. Or subscribe to the podcast by using this XML feed:

http://ajmcinema.podomatic.com/rss2.xml

posted by Jesse 11:05 PM -- (0) comments

 


Victor, the host and creator of the Vix Audio Show podcast, has just relaunched his show after a year of letting it lie fallow. The new episode (#5) features an interview with sound designer Michael McDonough - who if you didn't know - and shame on you if you didn't - is responsible for the famous 1984 broadcast NPR series known plainly as the "Bradbury 13". The podcast also features a few clips from the most popular installment in the series: A Sound Of Thunder. In my opinion, Michael McDonough's series has the best radio dramatized adaptations of Ray Bradbury stories, if not some of the best audio dramatizations of Science Fiction in general.

Have a listen to the MP3 HERE.

Incidently.... [CUE CHEESY COMMERICAL MUSIC] Though the series Victor is talking about is out of print, I still have BRAND NEW, STILL SEALED stock from the Durkin Hayes 1990s audiobook releases of the "Bradbury 13." A complete set, 12 of the 13 shows on 6 individual cassettes, is $70.00 USD. This set is 100% legitimate, unplayed, and official. (This series is NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN folks.) Send me an email if you're interested in a set. [/END COMMERICAL]

posted by Jesse 2:51 PM -- (0) comments

 


An SFFaudio reader, Jason S., tells us that he has been enjoying the latest drama on BBC Radio 7's The 7th Dimension. The show is called Ghost Zone and is an original series produced for BBC7. All five parts of the series are still available, but only for a short time, through the "Listen Again" service. Click on over to check it out!

posted by Jesse 1:13 PM -- (0) comments

 


The Time Traveler Show podcast #2 is LIVE from the future! In this episode the eponymous Time Traveler waxes nostalgic for his favorite old time podcasts; Dragon Page Cover-To-Cover, Escape Pod, and Spaceship Radio. Even better, podcast #2 has two complete and unabridged stories from the February 1957 issue of The Magazine Of Fantasy And Science Fiction! First up is a short story, The Inferlab Project by G.C. Edmondson (read by Terry Lenz). Next is a flash fiction story called Expedition by the legendary Fredric Brown (read by The Time Traveler himself). You can read the complete show notes HERE or download the show HERE.

Better yet, subscribe using this feed:

http://www.timetravelershow.com/shows/feed.xml

posted by Jesse 10:22 AM -- (0) comments

 


It's been a little while since we last mentioned James Patrick Kelly's Free Reads podcast. Too long in fact. I blame this on my iTunes XML subscription, which broke. After waiting too long for the next installment from this Hugo award-winning author, I finally realized this, and re-subscribed. When I did, I was delighted to discover that Jim had released a three part audio adaptation of a one-woman play based on his short story "Breakaway, Backdown". The story first appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in June of 1996.

Breakaway, Backdown the play, had several productions. In February 2006, Jim was able to capture an excellent one in sound. This is the New Hampshire Theatre Project production, starring Lisa Richardson and directed by Genevieve Aichele. Here are the details...

Breakaway, Backdown
Adapted for the stage, from a story by James Patrick Kelly; Performed by Lisa Richardson
3 MP3 Files - 35 Minutes 54 Seconds - [AUDIO DRAMA]
Download: | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |







posted by Jesse 11:39 AM -- (0) comments

 


The OTR Plot Spot has, in honour of Canada Day (July 1st) posted three retro radio dramas. The first is one segment of a WWII era series called Nazi Eyes On Canada which you can read the review for HERE. The second and third are two tales from the 1980s. One is from the series Nightfall and is called "Future Fear" and the other is from the series Vanishing Point with a story entitled "Meteor." You can click on over to the The OTR Plot Spot's Listening Booth HERE to grab the MP3s.

And we wish a happy, belated, Canada Day to Canadians from all nations.

posted by Jesse 7:50 PM -- (0) comments

 


J.C. Hutchins' podiobook 7th Son, Book One: Descent is doing a clever crossover with Scott Sigler's lastest podcast novel Infection. This is the first time in the podcast history where two fiction podcasts have shared scenes! I'd guess that a mutual cross-pollination of listeners is the general idea but J.C. informs me there'll be some rewards for some careful listeners of both shows...

To participate, you must listen to both novels and deduce the six "cross-over scenes" - there are three in Sigler's, and three in Hutchins'. Prizes include...

To play, subscribe to both podcasts, read the rules for the contest, listen, deduce and win!

posted by Jesse 7:57 PM -- (0) comments

 


A Scanner Darkly
By Philip K. Dick; Read by Paul Giamatti
8 CDs - Approx. 9.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Random House Audio
Published: 2006
ISBN: 073932392X
Themes: / Science Fiction / Drugs / Conciousness / Identity / Paranoia / Law Enforcement /


"I myself? I am not a character in this novel, I am the novel."
-Philip K. Dick A Scanner Darkly

Bob Arctor is the owner of a ramshackle Orange County, California bungalow that houses a small group of drug users. The police think Bob is a dealer in the dangerously addictive drug called Substance-D but Bob really isn't. Or is he? Fred thinks so, Fred is a deep-cover police agent assigned to surveil Bob's every move by means of holoscanners and upclose undercover investigation - but Fred's job is made more difficult because it requires him to take Substance-D, the effects of which have been to gradually split his brain into two very distinct and mutually combative conciousnesses. Fred schizm is so bad that he now doesn't realize that he is also Bob Arctor and that he has in fact been narcing on himself! Fred/Bob's only hope is to convince his/their dealer, a druggie named Donna, to get him to the source of Substance-D. Yep it is another typical Dickian plot, the downtrodden protagonist/s finds him/themselves at odds with complicated plot, which while not specifically aimed against him, is something in which he/they have become inadvertently entangled. Unfortunately when survival is the object of the game, Dick's poor characters don't know that doubling-down only multiplies the jeopardy by a factor of two.

Dick was no stranger to paranoid drug fantasies. Back in 1972 with his fourth marriage in ruins, an unsolved burglary in his Marin County home and a serious amphetamine addiction Dick travelled to Vancouver, British Columbia to be Guest of Honor at V-Con. After delivering a landmark speech he attempted suicide. Desperate for help, Dick begged and gained entrance to an exclusive heroin addiction treatment center called X-Kalay. This despite the fact he wasn't addicted to heroin. When he eventually retuned to California he started work on a new novel. A Scanner Darkly was the result. Now 33 years later Dick's novel has been adapted for audio as a result of the new film version. The good news is, no matter what you think of the film you'll dig the audiobook. Despite what mayu sound like a downer, you'll dig this book, A Scanner Darkly has some of the funniest scenes in all of Science Fiction. One section about a suicide gone wrong showcases Dick's absurdist intellect... "[Charles Freck] spent several days deciding on the artifacts [that would be found by the archaeologists who discovered his dead body]....He would be found lying on his back, on his bed, with a copy of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead (which would prove he had been a misunderstood superman rejected by the masses and so, in a sense, murdered by their scorn) and an unfinished letter to Exxon protesting the cancellation of his gas credit card.” Even better, the ending is masterful, giving up the same Science Fiction satisfaction as did his Hugo winning The Man In The High Castle.

Actor Paul Giamatti (who had a supporting role in the film version of PKD's Paycheck) was the perfect choice to read A Scanner Darkly. Giamatti's on-screen characters only hint at his range and it took this audiobook to showcase all that talent. This is an excellent performance, Giamatti has said that Steve Bucemi should have been cast in the Tom Cruise role of the Minority Report film but I'm thinking it should have been Giamatti. His sympathetic portrayal of these drugged-out hippies and drugged-up cops makes this Random House's A Scanner Darkly the definitive reading of a Dick novel. Giamatti ably gives distinction to the cast of losers and even carries off the German sequences without a hitch. What blows me away about this production is that Giamatti had expresed interest* in being in the Linklater film version of the same name, Giamatti has stated in multiple interviews that he is a fan of PKD's work. Giamatti has even been approached to play PKD in a film adaptation of Dick's life! That'd be a hoot.

Two Seeing Ear Theater alumni, Brian Smith and John Colluci, produced and directed Giamatti's performance. The audiobook also includes intro music and the complete coda; a list by Dick of many of his closest friends who died or were severely damaged by drug use. I heartily endorse this unabridged audiobook and we in our influenced wisdom have seen fit to grant it a hallowed place in the hall of SFFaudio Essentials. This is a book to be long remembered and a reading never to be forgotten.

*Entertainment Weekly (issue #884/885 Summer 2006 Double Issue - page 117)

posted by Jesse 2:18 PM -- (0) comments

 


Lest we incur the wrath of a hardened Imperial Storm Trooper battalion we thought it best to pimp... err... I mean bestow, ya that's the ticket, bestow the good news about the existence of the Empire's most loyal website www.ADPoV.net. The site contains all the reasoned documentation and MP3 audio reports of Sand Trooper TD-0013. Tee Dee Oh Oh One Three may be already be familiar to you from his long running A Different Point of View segments on the Michael And Evo's Wingin' It podcast. Tee Dee writes, "The site is pretty much my new base ops and houses the complete, and growing, collection of all of the "A Different Point of View" MP3 segments, as well as a weekly cartoon strip by Starlog magazine's bortQ, Wallpapers, an answering machine recording, and other nonsense." And by nonsense Tee Dee means "mandatory viewing materials." Not to put any pressure on you, our dear readers, but I got the impression that SFFaudio's been assigned a weekly quota and that if we don't deliver some serious numbers to ADPoV.net and soon we might be going for a one-way forced march to the Pit of Carkoon! Please visit Tee Dee's site, and in the Emperor's name we beg that tell them that SFFaudio sent you!

posted by Jesse 11:49 AM -- (0) comments

 


We first told you about LibriVox and its many ongoing FREE audiobook projects last year. Since then many of their titles have been completed. The LibriVox volunteers have read and recorded chapters of books, entire novels and short stories from the public domain using their home equipment. Their lofty objective? To eventually make every book in the public domain available in the audio format! That goal is well on its way to success. LibriVox now has more than three dozen Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror titles completed. There are even more "in-progress." So with that wonderous news in mind here is the complete* list of all the SF Fantasy and Horror with links to the files :


UNABRIDGED BOOKS:

Andersen’s Fairy Tales (Short Stories)
By Hans Christian Andersen; Read by Various Readers
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 5 Hours 51 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

The Marvelous Land of Oz (Book 2 In The Oz Series)
By L. Frank Baum; Read by Paul Harvey
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 4 Hours 32 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

Dorothy And The Wizard in Oz (Book 4 In The Oz Series)
By L. Frank Baum; Read by Judy Bieber
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - ? Hours [UNABRIDGED]

The Road To Oz (Book 5 In The Oz Series)
By L. Frank Baum; Read by Kara Shallenberg
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 4.7 Hours [UNABRIDGED]

Sky Island
By L. Frank Baum; Read by Judy Bieber
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 5 Hours 41 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

Present At A Hanging and Other Ghost Stories (Short Stories)
By Ambrose Beirce; Read by Peter Yearsley
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - ? Hours [UNABRIDGED]

A Princess Of Mars (First In The John Carter Series)
By Edgar Rice Burroughs; Read by Various Readers
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - ? Hours [UNABRIDGED]

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland (First In The Alice Series)
By Lewis Carroll; Read by Various Readers
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 2 Hours 58 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

Through The Looking-Glass (Second In The Alice Series)
By Lewis Carroll; Read by
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 3 Hours 19 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

The Wind In The Willows
By Kenneth Grahame; Read by Mark F. Smith
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 6 Hours 47 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

Fairy Tales (Short Stories)
By Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (Brothers Grimm); Read by Various Readers
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 10 Hours 32 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

The Story Of Doctor Dolittle
By Hugh Lofting; Read by Various Readers
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 3 Hours 8 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

Call Of The Wild
By Jack London; Read by Various Readers
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - ? Hours [UNABRIDGED]

White Fang
By Jack London; Read by Various Readers
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 8 Hours 28 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

Great Big Treasury Of Beatrix Potter (Short Stories)
By Beatrix Potter; Read by Various Readers
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 3 Hours 31 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

Frankenstein, Or The Modern Prometheus
By Mary Shelley; Read by Various Readers
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - ? Hours [UNABRIDGED]

Dracula
By Bram Stoker; Read by Various Readers
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 16 Hours 31 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court
By Mark Twain; Read by Steve Anderson
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 13 Hours 42 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

A Journey To The Interior Of The Earth
By Jules Verne; Read by Various Readers
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 8 Hours 10 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

The Invisible Man
By H.G. Wells; Read by Alex Foster
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 4 Hours 54 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

The War Of The Worlds
By H.G. Wells; Read by Rebecca
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - 6 Hours 35 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

The War Of The Worlds
By H.G. Wells; Read by Various Readers
1 Zipped File full of MP3s - Approx 7 Hours [UNABRIDGED]

The Velveteen Rabbit
By Margery Williams; Read by Marlo Dianne
1 MP3 - 28 Minutes 50 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]


UNABRIDGED SHORT STORIES:

The Black Cat
By Edgar Allan Poe; Read by Tom Yates
1 MP3 File - 26 Minutes 58 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]

The Black Cat
By Edgar Allan Poe; Read by Don Morgan
1 MP3 File - 32 Minutes 43 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]

The Pit and the Pendulum
By Edgar Allan Poe; Read by Eric S. Piotrowski
1 MP3 File - 39 Minutes 8 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]

The Telltale Heart
By Edgar Allan Poe; Read by Don Morgan
1 MP3 File - 18 Minutes 8 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]

The Cask of Amontillado
By Edgar Allan Poe; Read by Zach Weissmueller and Ryan Heuser
1 MP3 File - 15 Minutes 45 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]

The Masque of the Red Death
By Edgar Allan Poe; Read by Juan Carlos Bagnell
1 MP3 File - 16 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]

The Monkey’s Paw
By W.W. Jacobs; Read by annegram
1 MP3 File - 25 Minutes 52 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]

The Signal-Man
By Charles Dickens; Read by: Andrew Miller
1 MP3 File - 36 Minutes 58 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]

Tale Of Peter Rabbit
By Beatrix Potter; Read by: Kevin Devine
1 MP3 File - 6 Minutes 26 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]

To Build A Fire
By Jack London; Read by Betsie Bush
1 MP3 File - 40 Minutes 03 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]

The Birth Mark
By Nathaniel Hawthorne; Read by Katy Preston
1 MP3 File - 38 Minutes 8 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]

An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge
By Ambrose Bierce; Read by Matthew Stewart-Fulton
1 MP3 File - 22 Minutes 1 Second [UNABRIDGED]

The Yellow Wallpaper
By Charlotte Perkins Gilman; Read by Justine Young
1 MP3 File - 28 Minutes 18 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]

*Any keeners out there are invited to let me know if I missed any SF Fantasy or Horror audiobooks completed by LibriVox that I didn't recognize as such. Check out the actual list of all of their completed audiobooks on the LibriVox site HERE.

posted by Jesse 1:23 PM -- (2) comments

 


The big-wigs at Random House have convinced Dean Koontz to start a podcast to help promote his latest novel The Husband. The first two episodes, already released in this limited eight part podcast are simply Koontz talking about his experiences with editors and filmmakers. New instalments will be posted weekly over the summer months.

You can subscribe to the podcast by clicking on over to the official Dean Koontz website show.

posted by Jesse
1:01 PM -- (0) comments

 


Time to flip-out kids! The Kick-Ass Mystic Ninjas have just announced the list of upcoming podcasts and two great speculative fiction novels are on the list:

KAMN #17: Ill Met in Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber

KAMN #19: The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester


Although Ill Met in Lankhmar is still not available as an audiobook The Demolished Man is and can be purchased from ISIS publications in the UK:

The Demolished Man
By Alfred Bester; Read by Joe Dunlop
7 Cassettes - 8 Hours 45 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: ISIS Audiobooks
Product Code: OAS98114
ISBN: 1856955435

You can subscribe to The Kick-Ass Mystic Ninjas show using iTunes by clicking HERE.

posted by Jesse
12:39 PM -- (0) comments