Happy birthday to us! It's SFFaudio.com's fourth birthday. We've been through a lot in these four short years. But our mission isn't over, not by a long shot. That said, we can probably sit back for a few minutes to celebrate with this cake...

"Audio...the aural frontier. These are the voyages of the website SFFaudio. Our continuing mission: to explore cool new audiobooks; to seek out new audio drama and new podcast... to boldly post stories that no-one has posted before."

Thanks so much to all the SFFaudio staff. You are both beautiful and smart. And to our readers... I must compliment you on your extremely good taste in websites. Please, keep visiting. No presents are necessary, but if you've really got the urge to give... consider this:

Starting tomorrow, and for the entire month of April, we'll be bringing you stories, reviews, online audio and more focused the works of H.G. Wells. If you know of some H.G. Wells audio out there, please clue us in! Thanks again.

posted by Jesse Willis
6:30 PM -- (2) comments

 





The Time Traveler has traveled 30 years into the past to record his latest Time Traveler Show podcast (#15). The show is composed of a Science Fiction convention panel with Science Fiction Grand Masters Jack Williamson and Frederick Pohl! It is a panel discussion that was made in 1977 at "ConFusion." The topic of the panel is "The Art, Science and Combat of Collaboration." Which is most appropriate as these guys frequently collaborated on novels like Farthest Star and The Starchild Trilogy. They also talk about their experiences with other collaborators like James Gunn, C. M. Kornbluth, and Lester del Rey.

To read the complete show notes for podcast #15 click HERE or download the show in the MP3 format directly by clicking HERE.

To keep the show automatically downloading, subscribe to the podcast feed:

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

posted by Jesse Willis 1:12 PM -- (0) comments

 


Five new titles have been released recently - we haven't heard any of these in yet, but if you have, let us know what you think of them!

Second Skin
By Paul J. McAuley; Read by Jared Doreck
MP3 Download or 1 CD - 64 minutes
Publisher: Infinivox
Published: March 2007
ISBN: 1884612555
The spy fell toward Proteus in a thin transparent bubble of carbon, wearing a paper suit and trussed up in a cradle of smart cabling like an early Christian martyr. Somewhere down there was Ben Lo's wife. But he musn't think of that. If he did...No, he couldn't remember. Something bad, though. This space opera is part of the author's Quiet War series.

Terra Nova
By Tom Williams; Read by ????
MP3 Download- Approx. 13.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED?]
Publisher: Awe-Struck E-Books / Fictionwise.com
Published: March 2007
ISBN: 1587491338
Humanity is all but annihilated by a mysterious, alien race, known as the Enemy. Military pilot Mikael Svensson narrowly escapes destruction, only to land on the paradise planet Terra Nova. He seeks to do the impossible: oust the enemy from Terra Nova.


True Caderi
By Michelle Levigne; Read by ????
MP3 Download - Approx. 9 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Awe-Struck E-Books / Fictionwise.com
Published: March 2007
ISBN: 1584293098
A ruthless pirate of space, Adlan Caderi, searches for his long lost daughter, Qinda, and seeks to use her special mind talents, unique to a race of female pilots known as Leapers, to dominate the universe. However, Qinda, unaware of her Leaper talents, and her husband and infant son are fleeing their own enemy, Haynash, who also wants Qinda for her special genetics. To escape Haynash, Qinda seperates from her husband and son only to become Caderi's unwilling guest. Qinda must find a way to reunite her family, escape Haynash and decide if she will aid in her father's quest for domination by becoming a true Caderi.

Over Flat Mountain
By Terry Bisson; Read by Alec Rowell
1 MP3 Download - 34 Minutes 4 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Fictionwise.com / ElectricStory.com
Published: February 2007
"CD" is one of those few bold truckers who make the run over Flat Mountain, a gigantic peak that thrusts beyond the atmosphere in what had once been the Appalachians.




Heaven - Season Two: Hell
By Mur Lafferty; Read by Mur Lafferty
12 MP3s - [UNABRIDGED PODCAST NOVEL]
Publisher: Podiobooks.com
Completed: March 2007
Kate and Daniel are reunited at last, but they have to return to their
duties in traveling the afterlife. There are stolen souls suffering
without cause in Hell, and only they can help. Kate is back in her
corporeal body, but keeping memories of her time as pure soul energy,
recently touched by the divine. Daniel carries the magic of an old god
and the sword of a death goddess, as well a grudge against the deity
who tricked him into losing nearly everything. As they search for the
missing souls, Kate and Daniel have to come to terms with themselves
and see if their friendship - not to mention the cosmos - can handle
everything they've been through thus far.

posted by Jesse Willis 10:44 AM -- (0) comments

 


Mark Nelson is my favorite amateur narrator, he's a terrific reader, his recording environment is dead-silent and he's reading great stuff at a champion's pace. I bring this up because Mark has written in to inform me that he's recorded three new additions for LibriVox's library of FREE SCIENCE FICTION AUDIOBOOKS! One of them was even on our SFFaudio Challenge list. Way to go Mark!

Plague Ship by Andre Norton is a complete novel from 1956, originally published under the Norton's "Andrew North" pseudonym. Also completed are two H. Beam Piper novellettes: Oomphel In The Sky and Omnilingual. Compiled below are the details for each along with some art...

Plague Ship
By Andre Norton; Read by Mark Nelson
18 Zipped MP3s - Approx. 7 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: March 2007
Lured by its exotic gems, the space trader Solar Queen lands on the little-known planet of Sargol, only to find the ruthless Inter-Solar Company there ahead of them. Adapting quickly to the culture of Sargol’s feline inhabitants, the crew of the Queen beat out their rivals and successfully make a deal with the natives. But soon after takeoff, the Queen’s crew is stricken with a plague, and they are now banned from landing on any inhabited planet. Will the Queen’s crew save themselves, or be condemned to drift forever through space?

Oomphel In The Sky
By H. Beam Piper; Read by Mark Nelson
4 Zipped MP3s - Approx. 2 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: March 2007
Natives of the distant planet of Kwannon believe that their world is about to end, and in preparing for the apocalypse, may be unnecessarily bringing about their own demise. The planetary government can’t overcome its own bureaucracy to help them, and the military is overwhelmed. Can a single newsman change the course of a whole people, and save their world.
http://librivox.org/oomphel-in-the-sky-by-h-beam-piper/

Omnilingual
By H. Beam Piper; Read by Mark Nelson
5 Zipped MP3s - Approx. 2 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: March 2007
An expedition to Mars discovers the remains of an advanced civilization, which died out many thousands of years ago. They recovered books and documents left behind, and are puzzled by their contents. Would the team find their “Rosetta Stone” that would allow them to unlock the Martian language, and learn the secrets of this long-dead race?

posted by Jesse Willis 11:07 PM -- (0) comments

 


All honourifics for this nice find go to our eagle-eyed U.K. contributor, "Roy"...

BBC Radio 3 will be re-airing a 2005 dystopian satire, a Radio Dramatization of Karel Capek's War With The Newts. We suspect this will be available via the Radio 3 "Listen Again" for 6 days following the transmission but there are no guarantees so observe these details if you'd like to listen to the live broadcast:

War With The Newts
By Karel Capek; Dramatized by George Poles; Perfomed by a full cast
Radio Broadcast - Approx. 1 Hour 30 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
BROADCASTER: BBC Radio 3
BROADCAST: Sunday April 1st 2007 20:00-21:30 (U.K. Time)
When humanity encounters another race of intelligent bipeds sharing the Earth, what choice is there but to exploit it? When the existence of a group of speaking newts comes to the attention of the ruthless GH Bondy and his Salamander Syndicate, they find themselves turned into a commodity as the nations fight over them. At its heart, this joyously funny satire is a plea for decency and tolerance towards others, as relevant now as when it was first written in the 1930s.

posted by Jesse Willis 10:00 AM -- (0) comments

 


The BBC has written in to tell us that there are three new dramatisations of Douglas Adams’s novels in the works! The two Dirk Gently novels (previously released as unabridged audiobooks) will be adapted into Radio Dramas! Also in the works is a Radio Dramatization of Adams' last, and unfinished novel: The Salmon Of Doubt. These will all be published by BBC Audiobooks, beginning later this year and are being produced by Above The Title Productions with Dirk Maggs on board as director!

Maggs and Above The Title are the team responsible for the The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy's Tertiary, Quandary and Quintessential Phase productions. The three new series will also be broadcast on BBC Radio 4, beginning with Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency in October 2007. The other two titles are The Long Dark Tea-Time Of The Soul and Adams’s unfinished novel The Salmon Of Doubt. Each series will be comprise of six 30 minute episodes. Recording begins in May 2007. BBC Audiobooks will publish Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency on November 8th 2007 .

Personally I'm super-juiced at the prospect of hearing dramatizations of the Svlad Cjelli adventures - I still haven't heard much about The Salmon Of Doubt though. Is that a Dirk Gently novel too?

posted by Jesse Willis 9:55 AM -- (1) comments

 


Jeff Dickson, webmaster of the indefatigable OTR Plot Spot has posted up a neat sounding radio drama, one he describes as...

"A whodunit which comes across much like an Alistair MacLean thriller. Tense, gripping, with excellent writing, acting, and sound effects. Beyond the idea of an undersea habitat, there is very little here that is particularly futuristic. The most unusual aspect of the story involves a man-made virus which mutates its victims into psychopathic quasi-humans, a plot device which seemed unnecessary-- the story could easily have been told without it. Nevertheless, I found it suspenseful, engaging, and well-plotted. If you're a fan of the film The Abyss, you'll likely enjoy this one."

Deep Station Emerald
By Joe Turner; Performed by a full cast
4 Parts - Approx. 2 Hours [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4
Broadcast: 1996
Part 1 "Five Miles Down" |MP3|
Part 2 "Conspiracy" |MP3|
Part 3 "Heat" |MP3|
Part 4 "And Then There Were Three" |MP3|
"The crew of a research base on the ocean floor discovers a source of cold fusion, the solution to all the world's energy problems. Elation turns to terror, however, when a series of 'accidents' causes several deaths, and a strange virus which mutates DNA is loosed--- obviously, someone on board is a killer....."

posted by Jesse Willis 10:26 PM -- (0) comments

 


The latest issue of Locus The Magazine Of The Science Fiction and Fantasy Field (the hardcopy edition) has a story of interest:

"Audio rights to Philip K. Dick's The Man In The High Castle, Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said, Ubik, Valis, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Dr. Bloodmoney, and two untitled story collections went to Haila Williams at Blackstone Audio via Russell Galen."

Thanks to Scott D. Danielson for this find!

posted by Jesse Willis 3:38 AM -- (1) comments

 


The Time Traveler Show podcast #14 came out yesterday. Along with the customary unabridged classic Science Fiction story:

Doom From Planet 4 by Jack Williamson was featured on the cover of Astounding magazine's July 1931 issue. The story is read by Bill Coon (a favorite narrator over on LibriVox). Interestingly this story also ties in nicely with my commentary from yesterday (Doom From Planet 4 is set on a remote and mysterious volcanic island in the South Pacific - a possible "phantom island" in fact). To listen download the show directly |MP3| or plug this this podcast feed into your podcatcher to get the show:

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

Also, be sure to listen to the new Time Traveler Show PROMO |MP3|!

posted by Jesse Willis 11:38 PM -- (0) comments

 


DATAJUNKIE, the blog that delivers more high-res scans of vintage SF pulp art than you can shake a keyboard at has paired-up the images from the original magazine publications of Asimov's The Caves Of Steel with the 1989 BBC Radio 4 audio dramatization. Go check out the lovely images in the DataJunkie post and listen to the acclaimed Science fiction murder mystery .... personally though I'm going to wait. I'd like to listen to the dramatization after I hear the Tantor release of the unabridged novel of The Caves Of Steel, it is coming out this spring!

The Caves Of Steel
By Isaac Asimov; Performed by a full cast
2 MP3 Files - Approx. 90 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4
Broadcast: 1989
Adapted by Bert Coules. Starring Ed Bishop, Sam Dastor and Matt Zimmerman.

Click HERE to visit the original post with links to the 2 MP3s.

posted by Jesse Willis 9:00 AM -- (2) comments

 


Edgar Allan Poe's only novel The Narrative Of Arthur Gordon Pym was published in 1838. The unabridged audiobook is available commercially, but the LibriVox version has been stalled at 85% completion for too long. This multi-reader project has been in production for more than a year, and I'm eager to see it completed. I believe it is a crucial work of early Speculative Fiction. It was an influence on H. P. Lovecraft, and his At The Mountains Of Madness and even Steven Utley and Howard Waldrop's 1977 Black As The Pit, From Pole to Pole is similarly descended from Pym.

The Narrative Of Arthur Gordon Pym is crucial, not the least because I think a lot of us would like to hear some other related novels that were inspired to follow after it! For myself, one in particular stands out I've been hankering to hear is Jules Vernes' The Sphinx Of The Ice Fields (AKA An Antarctic Mystery). This was Verne's 1897 sequel to Poe's Pym. I originally ran across this novel in relation to my fascination with sub-antarctic islands. One day, a few weeks back, I was doing my usual zoom and pan lunchtime tourism on Google Maps. That particular afternoon I spotted a cool little island called Île de la Possession (46°24?S 51°46?E), one of the extremely remote Îles Crozet,which is in a chain of tiny sub-antarctic islands owned by France. This one was particularly interesting looking as it was both volcanic and ice-free. There also happened to be a cool research station visible on the far East side of the island. In cross referencing the island with the images I was seeing on Google Maps I also spotted that they'd named its northern-most mountain "Monts Jules Verne!" It also has a rivers named "Moby Dick" and "Styx." Now hearing all this you might think this is a real-life version of Vernes' Mysterious Island, but in fact it has nothing to do with that novel's made-up island, instead this very real island actually appears in Verne's sequel to Pym, the novel The Sphinx Of The Ice Fields!



Now back to the business.... If you're even half as excited about seeing the great lineage of Pym turned into audiobooks, please consider volunteering your voice to the project. There are only 4 chapters still unassigned and the majority of the other chapters are already completed.

One last thing, call it more inspiration: For an astoundingly-cool bibliography of Antarctic related fiction (from 1605 to the present day) have a look at Fauno Cordes' "Tekeli-li" or Hollow Earth Lives: A Bibliography of Antarctic Fiction.

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: antarctica, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Howard Waldrop, Jules Verne, LibriVox, Steven Utley

11:56 AM -- (0) comments

 


Perhaps the strangest podcast I've ever listened to, Aliens You Will Meet is a 2^nd person perspective guide to your future via a pre-cognitive meeting with an omniscient trip-planner, who will, like the The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy, dispense crucial and bizarre information about... the aliens you will meet. The show, which is written by Jason Axelrod (an Escape Pod alumnus), feels like an extended writing exercise, funny and quite short - sometimes just a few words.

Listen to the Promo |MP3| or subscribe to the feed:

http://aliensyouwillmeet.libsyn.com/rss

posted by Jesse Willis 2:43 PM --

 


Seminar: An Original Anthology Show, is a new full-cast audio drama from Pendant Productions. They've just released their 2^nd show and it features two tales, one familiar one all new:

"The Raven"
By Edgar Allen Poe (adapted by William E. Spear); Performed by a full cast

"Genji"
By Darian Lindle; Performed by a full cast

Sound good? Then subscribe with this podcast feed:

http://www.pendantaudio.com/seminar-podcast.xml

posted by Jesse Willis 1:21 PM -- (0) comments

 




An über-Power Records fan has gone to the trouble of making a t-shirt with the Power Records logo on it. So far it only comes in Adult Large and Adult X-Large sizes. If you want people to instantly recognize that you're someone who likes to sit in your basement and listen to superheroes bash heads, this is the t-shirt for you!

Available through eBay:

|Adult Large|Adult X-Large|

posted by Jesse Willis 1:06 PM -- (0) comments

 


The Zombie Astronaut, mentioned in his latest issue that he's got an ORIGINAL radio drama in the works. which he sez "we hope to debut it in a month or two." It'll be added to his Frequency Of Fear of podcast. I contacted the zombie himeself and was told that it'll be written by Jason K. Burnett and be called "Jack Michaels and the Quest for El Dorado"!

The latest show is all about vampires! So go dig up your podcatcher and fry up some brains because if you haven't already you've absolutely got to subscribe to the podcast feed now:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheZombieAstronautsFrequencyOfFear

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

 


Three John Wyndham readings start on BBC Radio 7 over the next few days.

Survival
By John Wyndham; Read by Nicholas Boulton
2 parts - [ABRIDGED?]
Broadcaster: BBC7 / The 7th Dimension
Broadcast: Saturdays at 6pm and 12am
"The instinct for survival is explored in all its complexities when a group of space travellers are trapped on board a shuttle to Mars.
Produced by Gemma Jenkins.

Trouble With Lichen
By John Wyndham; Read by Joanna Tope
5 Parts - [ABRIDGED?]
Broadcaster: BBC7 / The 7th Dimension
Broadcast: Sundays at 6pm and 12am
"Biochemist Diana Brackley and her boss Francis Saxover have discovered that a rare strain of lichen can slow the ageing process. Idealistic Diana embarks on a lifelong mission to ensure that their discovery will benefit man-, and more particularly, woman-kind. But the trouble with lichen is that there's not enough for everyone..."
Directed by Eilidh McCreadie.

The Day Of The Triffids
By John Wyndham; Read by Roger May
17 Half-hour RADIO BROADCASTS - Approx. 8 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Broadcaster: BBC7 / The 7th Dimension
Broadcast: Weekdays from June 5th to July 2nd at 6:30pm and 12:30am UK TIME.
The consequences when the vast majority of humanity is suddenly rendered blind, in a world that is then quickly overrun with poisonous ambulatory plants (the titular Triffids).
Produced in Belfast by Susan Carson

NOTE: Those outside the UK can snag each installment using the BBC7 Listen Again for up to 6 days following the broadcasts.

posted by Jesse Willis 6:16 PM -- (0) comments

 


A new publisher to SFFaudio sent us these interesting titles. Buzzy Multimedia likes to use actors from SFF fandom's beloved TV shows as their narrators.





Storm Front: Book 1 of the Dresden Files,
By Jim Butcher;
Read by James Marsters (Spike from Buffy & Angel)
MP3 Disc or CDs, Approx. 10.5 hrs - [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Buzzy Multimedia
Published: 2004
ISBN: 0965725561(MP3 disc); 0965725502(CDs)

From the back cover:
My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. I'm a wizard. I work out of an office in midtown Chicago. As far as I know, I'm the only openly practicing professional wizard in the country. You can find me in the yellow pages, under Wizards. Believe it or not, I'm the only one there.

Fool Moon: Book 2 of the Dresden Files,
By Jim Butcher;
Read by James Marsters
MP3 Disc or CDs, Approx. 10hrs - [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Buzzy Multimedia
Published: 2004
ISBN: 0965725588 (MP3 disc); 0965725553 (CDs)


From the back cover:
With little more than his integrity left, Harry Dresden accepts an offer of work from Lt. Karin Murphy of Chicago's Special Investigations Unit. He wants to redeem himself in Murphy's eyes and make enough money to quiet his rumbling stomach.

Soon he finds himself pinned between trigger-happy FBI agents, shape-shifiting motorcycle gang members, a threatened mobster boss, and an heir to an ancient curse along with his primal fiance. Thrown in environmental activists and a pair of young werewolves in love and you have something of Fool Moon.

Grave Peril: Book 3 of the Dresden Files,
By Jim Butcher;
Read by James Marsters
MP3 Disc or 10 CDs, Approx. 12 hrs - [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Buzzy Multimedia
Published: 2004
ISBN: 0965725596(MP3 disc); 0965725553(CDs)

From the back cover:
Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden has had a rough couple of weeks. As the only openly practicing professional wizard in the Chicago area, he has squared off against a multitude of supernatural bad guys. Harry has won the day against demons, poltergeists, sorcerers, trolls, vampires, werewolves, and even an evil faerie godmother. You might think nothing could spook him. You would be wrong.

Local Custom
By Sharon Lee & Steve Miller;
Read by Michael Shanks (Dr. Daniel Jackson From Stargate SG1)
MP3 Disc or 8 CDs, Approx. 10.5 hrs - [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Buzzy Multimedia
Published: 2004
ISBN: 0965725596 (MP3 disc); 096572557x (CDs)

From the back cover:
The first of the seven books set in the Liaden Universe tells a rich and sweeping story of warring families and star-crossed lovers in a fantastic, other-world galaxy. Master trader Er Thom knows the local custom of Liaden is to be matched with a proper bride, and provide his prominent clan Korval with an heir. Yet his heart is immersed in another universe, influenced by another culture, and lost to a woman not of his world. And to take a Terran wife such as scholar Anne Davis is to risk his honor and reputation. But when he discovers that their brief encounter years before has resulted in the birth of a child, even more is at stake than anyone imagined. Now, an interstellar scandal has erupted, a bitter war between two families-galaxies apart-has begun, and the only hope for Er Thom and Anne is a sacrifice neither is prepared to make...

Interlopers
By Alan Dean Foster;
Read by Ben Browder
(John Crichton from Farscape & Cameron Mitchell from SG1)
MP3 Disc or 8 CDs, Approx. 9 hrs - [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Buzzy Multimedia
Published: 200?
ISBN: 09790749078 (MP3 disc); 0965725545(CDs)

From the back cover:
Cody Westcott, a young archeologist, returned from a dig at Apachetarimac with more than he bargained for. Seems the Chachapoyans that he had been studying had a lot to teach us all. Soon he steps through the looking glass but unlike Alice its no fairytale world that he finds. Instead it is our own world teeming with Interlopers-Those Who Abide. Unseen by the mass of humanity they are aware that Cody can now see them. They dont like it. Thrust into a fight which finds him allied with highly unlikely characters he travels around the world to ancient centers of power. He calls on strength he never knew he possessed to save his wife and the future of humanity.

posted by The Time Traveler of the Time Traveler Show 12:42 PM -- (0) comments

 


Full Cast Audio, has some truly amazing sounding projects in production. There's lots of Tamora Pierce, of course - including an AUDIO EXCLUSIVE release that's still being written - some truly stellar Heinlein "juveniles" and much more have a look (or visit the Full Cast Audio "Coming Attractions" page and see them all):


Princess Academy
By Shannon Hale; Read by Laura Credidio and a FULL CAST
6 CDs - [UNABRIDGED]
"From the author of The Goose Girl comes this fabulous tale of a group of mountain girls who find themselves in training as possible royal brides. Talk about a clash of cultures!"

Fairest
By Gail Carson Levine; Read by a FULL CAST
? CDs - [UNABRIDGED]
"By the beloved author of Ella Enchanted! Not only does it have great characters and lots of dialogue, it’s set in a world where everyone sings to each other! Our composer Todd Hobin will be setting the numerous lyrics included in the story to music, creating an audiobook that has as much original music as a Broadway show. This recording will be an audiobook like no other!"

The Star Beast
By Robert A. Heinlein; Read by David Baker and a FULL CASTt
8 CDs - [UNABRIDGED]
"Another beloved novel from the same period as Have Space Suit, Will Travel and The Rolling Stones. This one pits bureaucrats against John Thomas and his beloved alien pet, Lummox—a conflict that brings Earth to the edge of an interplanetary catastrophe. Filled with Heinlein’s trademark crackling dialogue, which is just made to be read by a full cast."

Wolf-Speaker
By Tamora Pierce; Read by Tamora Pierce and a FULL CAST
? CDs - [UNABRIDGED]
"The second novel in Tammy’s beloved Immortals Quartet pulls Daine into new adventures, and reveals more about the special nature of her magic. Great characters, piles of magic, and breath-taking adventure. You’re gonna love it!"

The Red Planet
By Robert A. Heinlein; Read by a FULL CAST
8 CDs - [UNABRIDGED]
"One of the master’s most beloved titles, filled with politics, adventure, and the fabulous Heinlein dialogue. The little Martian, Willis, is one of the master’s most delightful creations."

Odysseus
By Geraldine McCaughrean; Read by a FULL CAST
? CDs - [UNABRIDGED]
"A superb retelling of this great epic by Geraldine McCaughrean, England’s most honored author of books for young readers. Note: We will eventually be recording all four books in Geraldine’s Heroes series. The other three titles are Perseus, Theseus, and Hercules. Every one of these brilliant novels tells a familiar story in a way that is true to the myths, yet utterly fresh and new."

Between Planets
By Robert A. Heinlein<; Read by A FULL CAST ? CDs - [UNABRIDGED] "A planet-spanning adventure that moves between Earth, Venus, and Mars. Featuring the great lizard 'Sir Isaac Newton'" Skybreaker
By Kenneth Oppel; Read by David Kelly and A FULL CAST
? CDs - [UNABRIDGED]
"This sequel to the multiple award-winning Airborn follows the further adventures of Matt Cruse as he and girlfriend Kate de Vries head for a fabulous encounter with the ghost ship Hyperion in the frigid wastes of Skyberia."

posted by Jesse Willis 7:09 PM -- (0) comments

 


RevolutionSF Radio is the podcasting arm of the Revolution SF site. It offers Science Fiction news, commentary and short stories. The podcast feed looks old, but the content is still good. Very interesting is an excerpt |MP3| from author Mark Finn's biography of Robert E. Howard, entitled Blood And Thunder. In celebration of the 2006 World Fantasy Conference in Austin, TX and all hooplah surrounding Robert E. Howard, RevolutionSF presented a series of related readings recorded during Austin's Armadillocon 2006.

"Penny A Word"
By Rick Klaw and Paul O. Miles; Read by Rick Klaw and Paul O. Miles
1 MP3 - [UNABRIDGED]
Originally appeared in the Cross Plains Universe anthology.

"The Bunker Of The Tikriti"
By Chris Nakashima-Brown; Read by Chris Nakashima-Brown
1 MP3 - [UNABRIDGED]

"Primary Pollinator"
By Nicole Kimberling; Read by Nicole Kimberling
1 MP3 - [UNABRIDGED]
There are worse jobs than food service.

"Into the Dark"
By Patrice Sarath; Read by Patrice Sarath
1 MP3 - [UNABRIDGED]
It's been 11 years. Do you know where your child is? "Into the Dark" was first published in "Realms of Fantasy 2002. Original podcast produced for Space Squid zine. (c) 2002 Patrice Sarath.

Here's the podcast feed:

http://revolutionsf.libsyn.com/rss

posted by Jesse Willis 6:17 PM -- (0) comments

 


Decoder Ring Theatre's master of pen and microphone, Gregg Taylor, has let slip a little information about their SUMMER SEASON!

During summer 2007 a new series of shows will be podcast on the Decoder Ring podcast feed. It will be called the "Summer Showcase" and will feature a number of different kinds of shows. One of which we got a sneak preview of on the recent Hypaspace podcast. It'll be called Deck Gibson Far Reach Commander and it has been written by Matt Wallace (the Parsec award winning author of The Failed City Monologues).

posted by Jesse Willis 10:08 PM -- (0) comments

 


Planisphere Productions, a new player in audio drama, is trying something very different. They've released the first three episodes of Transit, a new Science Fiction series, in the AC3 format. This means that the show is in SURROUND SOUND format. Transit is "a multi-format multimedia-spanning project that consists of a series of Science Fiction themed audio dramas recorded in and optimized for listening to in 5.1 Surround Sound." The project includes a "wiki"-style website called The Node that features show information as well as side-story content. I had a devil of a time finding an AC3 player but I finally found some freeware called "Media Player Classic version 6.4.9.0" which plays .AC3 files just fine (do a google search).

|Episode 1 AC3| Episode 2 AC3| Episode 3 AC3|

Another problem, this format means you can't take this show with you in your portable media player. But don't dismiss Transit as not worth bothering with just yet. In order to interest you they've also made the some "webisodes" available in the MP3 format. They'll give you an idea of the production values, acting and the writing are like. \

|Webisode 1 MP3| Webisode 2 MP3| Webisode 3 MP3|

I've listened a few of the shows and webisodes and Transit is sounding pretty damn sweet!

posted by Jesse Willis 5:21 PM -- (0) comments

 


Paul Cole has a 22 minute reading of Elizabeth Hand's Nebula nominated short story "Echo" on the latest Beam Me Up podcast. This story first appeared in the pages of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (the Oct/Nov 2005 issue).

"This is not the first time this has happened. There is an endless history of forgotten empires, men gifted by a goddess who bears arrows, things in flight that fall in flames."

Download the show direct |MP3| or subscribe to the podcast via this feed:

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

posted by Jesse Willis 4:14 PM -- (1) comments

 


The creator of Conan, Robert E. Howard, has been long neglected in audio. But no longer!

Audio Realms, an SFFaudio Essential producing publisher, is collaborating with Wildside Press to bring us "The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard." This is a 10-volume series of Howard's classic Fantasy, Horror, and poetry from Weird Tales magazine. These stories are going to be in Audio Realms' "AudioBooksPlus" format. Each volume features cover art by Stephen Fabian, plus new introductions by a leading REH scholar or fantasist such as Joe R. Lansdale. In addition to these volumes, AudioRealms will be producing 4 volumes dedicated exclusively to Conan. The first three will be multiple story collections and the 4th will feature REH's masterpiece The Hour Of The Dragon.

There is now a sound sample available for one of the short stories....this brief clip comes from Howard's short story The Gods Of The North |MP3|.

posted by Jesse Willis 3:52 PM -- (3) comments

 


Space: The Imagination Station which is Canada's equivalent of the Sci-Fi Channel. Their podcast is called Hypaspace and it has an interview with Decoder Ring Theatre's Gregg Taylor! Hypaspace talked to Gregg about both The Red Panda Adventures and his other awesome (though not Spec-Fi) show Black Jack Justice. You can download that |MP3| here, or subscribe to the Hypaspace podcast via THIS xml feed.

Also, as a service to those not already in the know are excited about The Red Panda Adventures returning to Decoder Ring's podcast on Saturday March 24th 2007 with the remaining six thrilling adventures of its second season. I'm looking forward to a Podiobooks release soon after.... hint hint.

posted by Jesse Willis 6:41 PM -- (0) comments

 


The Sci Phi Show podcast is doing a show on 7th Son and the philosophy of mind. The host, Jason Rennie, talks about the two completed 7th Son novels in the context of personal identity, immortality and the nature of consciousness. You can hear Jason's thoughts on the subject as wells as a brand new interview with J.C Hutchins, author of the podcast novels |MP3|.

Also, two previous Sci Phi Shows that interview Hutchins are also available (Outcast #1 |MP3|) and (Outcast #7 |MP3|).

Subscribe to the podcast via the feed:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheSciPhiShow

posted by Jesse Willis 5:21 PM -- (0) comments

 


StarShipSofa, emboldened with their brand new logo (done by the same talented artist who did both our own SFFaudio and Escape Pod's logo) has turned its friendly attention towards Clark Ashton Smith, one of the early stars of Speculative Fiction. Download the |MP3| or subscribe to the podcast with this feed:

http://starshipsofa.libsyn.com/rss

posted by Jesse Willis 4:55 PM -- (0) comments

 


Hunter Goatley's site also has an abridged reading of the original novel of Planet Of The Apes by Pierre Boulle. It was originally published in 1963 in French as La Planète Des Singes. "Singe" translates to both "ape" and "monkey." Translator Xan Fielding called it Monkey Planet. In the English-language POTA films, the apes are insulted when called "monkeys," but in this reading no distinction is made, the term "singes" is used interchangeably with both "apes" and "monkeys." This abridged reading regrettably dispenses with the framing story, which offers one of the twists that people who've only seen the films could still have enjoyed. Despite this, the audiobook is worth hearing, it falls into the tradition of A Strange Manuscript Found In A Copper Cylinder, in which dystopian society acts as social commentary.

Planet Of The Apes
By Pierre Boulle; Read by Michael Maloney
5 MP3s - [ABRIDGED]
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4 / Book at Bedtime
Broadcast: 2005
|Part 1 MP3 | Part 2 MP3 |Part 3 MP3 |Part 4 MP3 |Part 5 MP3 |




posted by Jesse Willis 12:02 PM -- (0) comments

 


The Blackstone titles are new releases. The Tantor titles are backlist titles that we requested.

Memory
By Lois McMaster Bujold; Read by Grover Gardner
MP3 Disc or 12 CDs, Approx. 14.5 hrs - [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781433201158(MP3 disc); 9781433201141(CDs)

From the back cover:
Dying is easy. Coming back to life is hard. At least that’s what Miles Vorkosigan thinks, and he should know, having done both once already.
Thanks to his quick-thinking staff and incredible artistry from a medical specialist, Miles’s first death won’t be his last. But it does take some recovery, a fact he has been reluctant to admit. When he makes the mistake of returning too soon to military duty, he finds himself summoned home to face the Barrayaran security chief, Simon Illyan. But Miles’s worst nightmares about Simon Illyan are nothing compared to Illyan’s own nightmares. Under suspicion himself, Miles must seek out the answers to Ilyan’s nightmares or see the inevitable destruction of Imperial Security and, with it, the Empire.


Seventh Son: Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 1
By Orson Scott Card; Read by Scott Brick and others
MP3 Disc or 8 CDs, Approx. 9 hrs - [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781433200960(MP3 disc); 9781433200953(CDs)


From the back cover:
From the author of the award-winning Ender's Game comes the unforgettable story of young Alvin Maker, the seventh son of a seventh son.

Born into an alternative frontier America where life is hard and folk magic is real, Alvin is gifted with power, but he must learn to use his gift wisely. Dark forces are arrayed against Alvin, and only a young girl with second sight can protect him.


The World Set Free
By H.G. Wells; Read by Shelly Frasier
MP3 Disc or 6 CDs, Approx. 6.5 hrs - [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tantor Media
Published: 2002
ISBN: 1400150108 (MP3 disc); 1400100100(CDs)

From the back cover:
In this thought-provoking masterpiece, H.G. Wells predicts the inventions that will inadvertently lead to mass destruction, forcing the world to "start over". You will see many similarities between H.G. Wells' new world and today's world due to the recent technological revolution. This stimulating novel will leave you wondering if and when the remaining predictions will come to pass!

Eric Brighteyes
By Henry Rider Haggard; Read by Shelly Frasier
MP3 Disc or 9 CDs, Approx. 11 hrs - [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tantor Media
Published: 2001
ISBN: 1400150280 (MP3 disc); 1400100283(CDs)

From the back cover:
This deftly crafted Viking tale depicts the terror, tragedy and vanity of life. The ill fated lovers, Eric and "Gudruda the Fair", fall victim to the jealous Swanhild's sorcery. Eric and his 'thrall' must overcome treachery, bloodthirsty foes, the open sea and blizzards as he battles to win his beloved Gudruda. Will the star-crossed lovers triumph over the fate of the Norns and the spite of Swanhild?

posted by The Time Traveler of the Time Traveler Show 4:00 PM -- (0) comments

 


Hunter Goatley, a self confessed "lifelong fan of Planet Of The Apes," has an impressively large POTA website that features multimedia files contributed by Apes fans from around the world. Quite frankly the site features more Planet Of The Apes content than you could shake a damn-dirty paw at, but standing fully-erect among them are some MP3 versions of the venerable Power Records POTA adaptations. Included in this collection are 4 of the 5 apes movies, and 4 apes-TV show adaptations. Listed below are the raw MP3s, but more visually-oriented simians may wish to peruse the site itself in order to look at the accompanying books or even print out the printable .PDFs of CD Jewel case art!



Apes Movies:

Planet Of The Apes |MP3|
Beneath The Planet Of The Apes |MP3|
Escape from Planet Of The Apes |MP3|
Battle for the Planet Of The Apes |MP3|

Apes TV Series:

"Battle Of Two Worlds" |MP3|
"Dawn Of The Tree People" |MP3|
"Mountain Of The Delphi" |MP3|
"Volcano" |MP3|

posted by Jesse Willis 12:20 PM -- (0) comments

 


Orson Scott Card's classic Ender's Game has just started being broadcast on XM Satellite Radio's "Sonic Theater" Ch: 163.* The new show is called Orson Scott Card's Universe, and for the first set of broadcasts will feature Card's best known novel. The show started on March 5th 2007.

This is the real deal folks, the Audio Renaissance full-cast production, an SFFaudio Essential, featuring a full-cast and starring Stefan Rudnicki and Harlan Ellison!

Broadcast times:
Monday to Friday @ 12:30 & 8:30 PM EST (30 Minutes)
Repeated serially on Saturdays @ Midnight-2:30 AM EST (5 X 30 Min.)

*This station is not available outside of the USA.

posted by Jesse Willis 2:05 PM -- (0) comments

 


Audible.com has a "secret sale" on right now that promises selected titles for $9.95 each. This is pretty good - it includes several works by Orson Scott Card, Heinlein's Rocketship Galileo, and one I hadn't seen before, Kate Wilhelm's Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang. There are also classics like Brave New World and 1984, stuff by Le Guin and Koontz, etc.

Posted by Moriond 12:13 PM -- (0) comments

 


Zombie Astronaut, has a special set of Lovecraftian MP3s posted up. It is the 70th anniversary of old Howard Philip's death today! The first of the titles listed below is the most mysterious, it is what sounds to be an unabridged reading of the complete Herbert West, Re-Animator serial. There is a lot of hiss, but the volume is good. The others are radio dramatizations from the 1940s and 1960s.

Herbert West, Re-Animator
By H.P. Lovecraft; Read by ????
2 MP3s |Part 1 MP3| & |Part 2 MP3| - Approx. 89 Minutes [UNABRIDGED|
Publisher: ???
Published: ???

The Dunwich Horror
By H.P. Lovecraft; Performed by a full cast
1 MP3 - Approx. 26 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: Suspense
Broadcast: 1945

The Rats In The Walls
By H.P. Lovecraft; Performed by Erik Bauersfeld and others
1 MP3 - Approx. 29 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: KPFA / The Black Mass
Broadcast: 196?

The Outsider
By H.P. Lovecraft; Performed by Erik Bauersfeld and others
1 MP3 - Approx. 22 Mintues [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: KPFA / The Black Mass
Broadcast: 1968

posted by Jesse Willis 6:27 AM -- (0) comments

 


The fine folks over at Dream Realm Enterprises have informed me that the podcast of their hit series, Robotz of the Company, has been updated now through Season 3, Episode 5. Head over and subscribe, and you can catch up on Seasons 1 and 2 as well!

Podcast feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/RobotzOfTheCompany

posted by Dani Cutler 11:45 PM -- (0) comments

 


MMM Commentaries is podcast of video enthusiasts, Trevor, David and Geoff from Brisbane, Australia who record alternate commentaries for their favourite films and TV shows. Luckily for us their main interest is in Science Fiction and Fantasy media. Commentaries from MMM include episodes of the new series of Doctor Who, Futurama, and Blake's 7. Movies already commetaried run the gamut from Star Wars and Star Trek to Batman Begins and Flash Gordon. Interspersed between the podcast commentaries are numerous meta podcasts that Individual commentaries are available for download from the website and the podcast feed is right here:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/mmmcommentaries

posted by Jesse Willis 8:17 PM -- (0) comments

 


SciFi Smackdown, the latest podcast spinoff of Slice Of SciFi, has show #1 up and ready for your geek edumusement. Listeners to SFSD are invited to send in voicemail, email, and "telepathic mojo" t the show's hosts. You can feed them ammunition on the topic of which, of any two given Sci-Fi icons, would win in a deathmatch. Think of it as a Jack Mangan's Duel Of The Fates but done with the technical manuals.

The first match-up, the one that spawned the SFSD podcast:

USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) vs. Battlestar Galactica (re-imagined edition)!

Who will win? You'll have to listen to find out!

Download the first show |MP3|, or subscribe via the podcast feed:

http//www.scifismackdown.com/feed/

posted by Jesse Willis 7:26 PM -- (0) comments

 


Broken Sea Audio, has now gone live with their Planet Of The Apes audio drama (the one I was spreading rumours about). It looks like a number of other exciting sounding projects in progress too! Broken Sea is another umbrella audio group like Pendant Productions and Darker Projects. That's a good thing. I listened to the first part of their Planet Of The Apes show and am very interested to see where it is going to go. You can get in on the action by clicking on over to the main site (which seemingly has new features being added by the hour). I've also had the chance to listen to the first instalment of their Grog & Gryphon show. Which is a "sword and sorcery fantasy in the tradition of Conan the Barbarian and Lord of the Rings." Vampires, Amazons, Goblins with attitude, werewolves, ghosts, heroes and evil forces of the dark permeate this tale of high fantasy....

In a distant kingdom, a ragged group of adventurers are forced together to fight a forgotten prophecy of evil. The thread unifying these diverse warriors and mystics- the Grog and Gryphon tavern...Written and Produced by Broken Sea big-wig Bill Hollweg.

Here's the podcast feed for Grog & Gryphon:

http://www.brokensea.com/grog/grogfeed.xml

And we've got the podcast feed for The Planet Of The Apes show too:

http://www.brokensea.com/pota/potafeed.xml

Listen out for more Broken Sea audio soon, I think it will be sounding good!

posted by Jesse Willis 6:19 PM -- (0) comments

 


Neil Gaiman has announced that there is an unabridged reading of his novel Neverwhere set for release this fall! Gaiman writes:

"Yup. I recorded it already. The existence of the extremely abridged version of Neverwhere with the astoundingly truncated ending has always irked me, despite the Brian Eno music and the really solid Gary Bakewell reading, but the license for it has now expired, and I am happy to say that it will vanish from the world.

The new version will be out later this year, probably in the Autumn. I actually recorded it from the 'author's preferred text' version, so it's the longest version of the text. I loved recording the audiobook, and doing all the voices, and found myself remembering how much I liked all those people, and wanting to write The Seven Sisters all over again."

posted by Jesse Willis 12:05 AM -- (0) comments

 


CBC Radio One audio dramatist Joe Mahoney sez:

"Canadia will begin airing April 20th."

Canadia is a Science Fiction/Comedy series taking over the time-slot for the very popular Afghanada (which is another in-house CBC Radio dramatic series - following a fictional squad of Canadian soldiers fighting in Afghanistan). Not many details on Canadia can be found at this time. But well keep you apprised.

posted by Jesse Willis 11:50 PM -- (0) comments

 


More content on the DATAJUNKIE blog with blogger "hyperdave" re-uniting the great SF pulp illustrations from with the radio show versions of the stories. He's posted shows from X Minus 1 and Dimension X. You can view the original art that accompanied the short stories in the DataJunkie post or just listen to the shows as I've listed them below. Note: There's are two different versions of Nightfall by Isaac Asimov!


X-Minus 1: Mr. Costello, Hero
By Theodore Sturgeon; Performed by a FULL CAST
1 MP3 - [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcast: 1956

An innocuous game of five-card draw leads to paranoia and more aboard a spaceship with only one passenger.




X-Minus 1: Honeymoon In Hell
By Frederic Brown; Performed by a FULL CAST
1 MP3 - [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcast: 1956

In the future (the late 1960's), a crisis has hit the earth. Very few boys are being born. An American cybernetics operator and a Soviet scientist are teamed to see if they can conceive a male child on the moon.


Dimension X: Kaleidoscope
By Ray Bradbury; Performed by a FULL CAST
1 MP3 - [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcast: 1951

A heartbreaking portrait of stranded astronauts about to reenter our atmosphere--without the benefit of a spaceship.



Dimension X: Nightfall
By Isaac Asimov; Performed by a FULL CAST
1 MP3 - [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcast: 1951
Lagash is located in a stellar system containing six stars, which keep the whole planet continuously illuminated; total darkness is unknown, as are more distant stars. "Nightfall" occurs once every 2,049 years.



X-Minus 1: Nightfall
By Isaac Asimov; Performed by a FULL CAST
1 MP3 - [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcast: 1955

"If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God!"
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

posted by Jesse Willis 9:21 PM -- (1) comments

 


Podcast411, and host Rob Walsch talk to Christiana Ellis, of Nina Kimberly The Merciless fame, about her upcoming podcast, SciFi Smackdown. You can get the interview in |MP3| format, but subscriptions to Podcast411 are especially useful to people new to podcasting, here's the podcast feed for it:

http://www.podcast411.com/feed.xml

posted by Jesse Willis
1:25 PM -- (0) comments

 


Rings, Swords, And Monsters: Exploring Fantasy Literature
Lectures by Professor Michael D.C. Drout
7 CDs & Book - 7 Hours 51 Minutes [LECTURES]
Publisher: Recorded Books LLC / The Modern Scholar
Published: 2006
ISBN: 1419386956
Themes: / Non-Fiction /Lectures / Fantasy / J.R.R. Tolkien / Middle Earth / Beowulf / Children's Fantasy / King Arthur / Magic Realism / World Building /

"It used to be that fantasy was a boy's genre and that was clear even back through the 80s and 90s, that 90% of your audience for fantasy literature, 90% of your audience for Tolkien was male. That is no longer the case. When I give lecturings [sic] at gatherings of Tolkien enthusiasts the crowd is easily 50-50 male female and often times more female than male - though I will have to say that many of the women in the crowd are wearing elf-princess costumes - I'm not really sure what that means."
-Lecture 13: Arthurian Fantasy (on the 'Marion Zimmer Bradley effect')

Most of this lecture series is concerned with Tolkien. Drout explains what influenced Tolkien's fiction, how his work impacted Fantasy and how later writers reacted to and imitated him. A full five of the 14 lectures are on Tolkien's books proper, with another four on what influenced him, and who he influenced. The scholarship here is absolutely engrossing, hearing Drout tease out detail