BBC7's Yes it is a re-run, but what a re-run it is! The 7th Dimension slot has aired Burning Chrome at least a couple times previously. The first time was way back in 2003. I've heard this Gibson story more than once now, and it is a terrific listen. First published in Omni magazine back in 1982 it tells the story of professional hackers trying to pull off a big heist. One line from this story — "...the street finds its own uses for things" — has become a widely-quoted aphorism.



Burning Chrome
By William Gibson; Read by Adam Sims
2 Parts - [UNABRIDGED]
BROADCASTER: BBC 7 / The 7th Dimension
BROADCAST: Oct. 18th & 19th (Thursday and Friday) @ 6.30pm and 12.30am (UK Time)
Set in the world of cyberspace and computer hacking. Bobby Quine and Automatic Jack are trying to figure out a way of pulling off the one big score that will make them rich. But industrial espionage is a dangerous business, especially when they decide to rip off Chrome, the most ruthless figure in the local mob subsidiary.

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: BBC, cyberpunk, Online Audio, science fiction, William Gibson

2:28 PM -- (0) comments

 


First published in Interzone #202, The Unsolvable Death Trap was nominated for a British Fantasy Award. It is an existential action story with an SF environment and a musical bent. Written by the persiflagerate variety show host, Jack Mangan, who is also responsible for the popular Spherical Tomi podiobook, it is narrated by Beam Me Up's own Paul Cole.





The Unsolvable Death Trap
By Jack Mangan; Read by Paul Cole
|MP3| - [UNABRIDGED]*
Podcaster: Beam Me Up
Podcast: October 6th 2007

*One minor irritation, as this was originally broadcast on American radio there is a bleep-out over some execrative dialogue. Stupid FCC.


posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: Jack Mangan, podcast, science fiction

11:25 AM -- (0) comments

 


A Clockwork Orange
By Anthony Burgess; Read by Tom Hollander
7 CDs - 8 hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Caedmon /Harper Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9780061170621
Themes: / Science Fiction / Dystopia / Youth Violence / Mind Control /

Anthony Burgess' classic novel A Clockwork Orange is likely familiar to most science fiction fans through Stanley Kubrick's film version. But the book is itself arguably the best post-Orwell dystopia novel. This new audiobook version, the first unabridged commercial release, captures every enthralling and disturbing word.

Set in a not too distant future the story centers around an anti-hero Alex, a fifteen year old juvenile delinquent, and his rather violent life. Alex and his three droogs (friends) are a small gang, one of many that preys upon this future society. These youth gangs are a very well developed subculture with their own slang called "Nadsat." Alex enjoys his life of cruelty and commits several horrendous crimes early in the story (this is not for the squeamish). Eventually Alex becomes the subject of a government mind-control experiment which raises many questions about the value of free will.

Although the story fails to predict technological advances (word processors, CDs, etc) other parts, such as the "Ludovico Technique" seem even more plausible now. It is a fascinating world due in part to the wonderfully imagined Nadsat. Here the audiobook really impresses. Tom Hollander's thoroughly professional reading of the story brings out the richness of the language and the setting. His performance helps make this one of the best single narrator audiobooks that I have ever heard!

It is an amazing story that both fascinates and repels. One of the best novels of the twentieth century has been given a worthy audiobook translation. It is not quite perfect for those new to the story, however. Anyone who has not read the full version, including the controversial twenty-first chapter, is advised to skip the first two tracks of the audiobook until after they have finished the story. These tracks are the spoiler filled introduction. I am very ambivalent about the inclusion of the twenty-first chapter. I feel the same about this chapter as most Alien/Aliens fans feel about Alien 3, but the inclusion does allow listeners to make up their own minds. Overall this is an A+ production of a great story. And I'm proud to have proved that it is possible to review A Clockwork Orange without overusing Nadsat to prove one's coolness, O my little brothers.

Posted by Dave Tackett

Labels: Anthony Burgess, audiobook, dystopia, review, science fiction, youth violence

5:54 PM -- (0) comments

 


Here's one new Audible exclusive that's really worth signing up for - we've been looking forward to hearing it since it was first announced back in August...

Old Man's War
By John Scalzi; Read by William Dufris
Audible Download - Approx 10 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Audio Rennaissance / Audible.com
Published: October 2007

John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First, he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army. The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce - and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So, we fight, to defend Earth and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding. Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity's resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force. Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You'll serve two years at the front. And if you survive, you'll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets. John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea of what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine. And what he will become is far stranger.

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: audiobook, John Scalzi, new releases, science fiction

12:20 PM -- (0) comments

 


BBC World Service's "World Drama" slot currently has an online listenable radio drama specially commissioned for BBC World Service. Here is the description:

"A comedy inspired by incredible - and totally untrue - events. Set in the glamorous world of Hollywood, it deals with the possibilities that the internet now offers in helping people find true love. But have you ever wondered who you were chatting to? Or which planet they might be from."

Aliens From Cyberspace
By Gary Ogin; Performed by a FULL CAST
1 REALAUDIO File - Approx. 60 minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
BROADCASTER: BBC World Service
BROADCAST: October 2007

Cast: Alun Armstrong, Lorelei King and Joanna Riding

Director: Marion Nancarrow

Click HERE to access the RealAudio or WindowsMedia file.


Also, on Sunday October 14th SFFaudio.com will be switching over to WordPress. A technical change that should go off without a hitch and provide more functionality for readers. But, our RSS only subscribers should take note, our new RSS feed will be:

http://www.sffaudio.com/?feed=rss2

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: BBC. comedy, Online Audio, radio drama, science fiction

2:13 PM -- (0) comments

 


The Atlanta Radio Theater Company has just completed podcasting all three parts of their production of Robert A. Heinlein's Solution Unsatisfactory. Heinlein’s original short story was adapted by Daniel Taylor and the Atlanta Radio Theater Company. This is an archive recording of their 2001 DragonCon performance (we reviewed the studio recorded CD version back in 2004, click HERE to read it).




"Solution Unsatisfactory"
Adapted by Daniel Taylor from the short story by Robert A. Heinlein; Full Cast Production
3 MP3 Files - Approx 70 Minutes [AUDIO DRAMA]
Podcaster: Atlanta Radio Theater Company
Podcast: October 2007
"Solution Unsatisfactory describes an American supersecret project to develop an atomic superweapon that proves vital to the Allied triumph of World War II. ‘So what,’ you say. ‘That's old news.’ And you'd be right, the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 were the final nails in the coffin of WWII. But what's weird is, Solution Unsatisfactory was published in 1940, a full half decade before the atom bomb was even known to exists by the general public. What's more, Heinlein's story goes on to foresee the coming cold war with the Soviet Union and the concomitant race to arm with atomic weapons. Heinlein's story doesn't actually foretell the same events that happened, but the similarities are pretty eerie."

Download the three parts |Part 1 MP3|Part 2 MP3|Part 3 MP3| or subscribe to the feed:

http://artc.libsyn.com/rss


Also, on Sunday October 14th SFFaudio.com will be switching over to WordPress. A technical change that should go off without a hitch and provide more functionality for readers. But, our RSS only subscribers should take note, our new RSS feed will be:

http://www.sffaudio.com/?feed=rss2


posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: apocalypse, podcast, politics, radio drama, science fiction, time travel, World War II

1:48 PM -- (1) comments

 


Quantico
By Greg Bear; Read by Jeff Woodman
11 CDs - 13 Hours 25 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9780792748441
Themes: / Science Fiction / Terrorism / Saudi Arabia / Iraq /

“Well, its kinda the sum of your worst possible fears that you don’t know.”


The United States is under attack from all quarters, including from within. In the near future where America is in an arms race with high tech terrorists, sanity vies with ancient religious hatreds. Only three new FBI agents will be able to battle a plague as "10/4" becomes the next "9/11." From Washington to Iraq confusion is afoot and only a covert mission to a forbidden city can preserve an already grim future.

This is Greg Bear doing Tom Clancy. The question is why? Is Bear pulling a Dean Koontz, (Koontz dropped SF for suspense in 1972)? Is he trying to shift his career out of a poorly paying Science Fiction genre into a more mainstream, higher paying, airport terminal fiction? If Quantico is anything to go by, one of my favorite authors has indeed thrown in the towel on idea SF. What he’s written here is a technothriller, set in a near future. Is this Hugo and Nebula award winning author, known for his Byzantine plotting and earth shattering ideas, still writing interesting fiction? Yes, but the SF elements are so minimized, playing such a marginal role in the story that I was ready to give up on it. I wanted Bear's original Science Fiction ideas coming from his oddly motivated characters. What I got was better than Tom Clancy, but I don’t like Clancy. It was refreshing to see some post-9/11 terrorism fiction that includes domestic born terrorists, but I am not able to recommend it to SF fans.

Narrator Jeff Woodman was a capable reader, he disappeared into the text, voicing a clear delineation between characters from similar backgrounds while giving a individual and believable American and Arabic accents. Production values were, as expected, BBC quality.

posted by Steen Hansen

Labels: audiobook, Iraq, review, Saudi Arabia, science fiction, terrorism

11:35 AM -- (0) comments

 


Baen Books has FREE audiobooks! I knew that several of Baen's hardcover first editions over the last few years had been coming with BONUS CD-ROMS full of eBooks. And I thought that was pretty cool, and clever too, but it was a big surprise to me to learn that they have often also included MP3 audiobook readings (complete novels and short stories). Even cooler, one thoughtful collector has archived the CDs on his/her website! And here are links to each...


Novels:

Hell's Faire
By John Ringo; Read by ????
21 MP3 Files - [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2003
With the defenses of the Southern Appalachians sundered, the only thing standing between the ravening Posleen hordes and the soft interior of the Cumberland Plateau are the veterans of the 555th Mobile Infantry. Dropped into Rabun Pass, with a couple of million Posleen behind them and fourteen million to the front, the only question is which will run out first: power, bullets or bodies. But they have a hole card: far to the north the shattered SheVa Nine, nicknamed "Bun-Bun," is undergoing a facelift. Rising from its smoking ashes is a new weapon of war, armed with the most advanced weaponry Terra has ever produced, capable of facing both the Posleen hordes and their redoubtable space-cruisers. Capable of dealing out Hell as only SheVa Nine can. But when push comes to vaporization, if Mike O'Neal and the other members of the 555th are going to survive, it will come down to how much Posleen butt Bun-Bun can kick. Prepare to eat antimatter, Posleen-boy.

The Far Side Of The Stars
By David Drake; Read by ????
35 MP3 Files - [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2003
While the Republic of Cinnabar is at peace with the Alliance, warriors like Lt. Daniel Leary and Signals Officer Adele Mundy must find other work—like escorting a pair of wealthy nobles on an expedition to the back of beyond! The Princess Cecile, the corvette in which they carved their reputations in letters of fire, has been sold as a private yacht, but she still has her guns, her missiles, and her veteran crew. Daniel and Adele will need all of those things as they face winged dragons, an Alliance auxiliary cruiser, jealous lovers, and a mysterious oracle which really does foresee the future. That won't be enough, though, when they penetrate a secret Alliance base and find a hostile fleet ready for a war that will sweep Cinnabar out of a strategically crucial arm of the galaxy. Preventing that will involve skill, courage, and more luck than a sane man could even pray for; and it will require a space battle on a scale that a tiny corvette like the Princess Cecile has no business being involved in. But she'll be in the middle of it anyway, because Daniel, Adele, and their Cinnabar crew would never turn their backs on a fight!

There Will Be Dragons
By John Ringo; Read by ????
45 MP3 Files - [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2003
n the future there is no want, no war, no disease nor ill-timed death. The world is a paradise-and then, in a moment, it ends. The council that controls the Net falls out and goes to war. Everywhere people who have never known a moment of want or pain are left wondering how to survive. But scattered across the face of the earth are communities which have returned to the natural life of soil and small farm. In the village of Raven's Mill, Edmund Talbot, master smith and unassuming historian, finds that all the problems of the world are falling in his lap. Refugees are flooding in, bandits are roaming the woods, and his former lover and his only daughter struggle through the Fallen landscape. Enemies, new and old, gather like jackals around a wounded lion. But what the jackals do not know is that while old he may be, this lion is far from death. And hidden in the past is a mystery that has waited until this time to be revealed.

Short Stories:

A Ship Named Francis
By John Ringo and Victor Mitchell; Read by ????
1 |MP3| - [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2003
Sean Tyler, a corpsman in the Royal Manticoran Navy, thought that a stint as a loaner in the explosively-growing Grayson Navy would boost his career. So, when he heard there was a slot vacant on board the cruiser Francis Mueller, he volunteered. Unfortunately for Corpsman Tyler, no one told him that almost everybody on board the Francis -- from the clueless captain to the psychotic XO and the panicky chaplain -- had been sent there because no one else in the entire Grayson Navy wants them.

Let's Go to Prague
By John Ringo; Read by ????
1 |MP3| - [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Baen
Published:
A pair of Manticoran Marines discover that a holiday can be even more fun if it involves spoiling StateSec's day.

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: audiobook, David Drake, John Ringo, military, science fiction, Victor Mitchell

12:01 PM -- (0) comments

 


Beam Me Up, has an very fun reading of a vintage Harry Harrison story called The Repairman. in the latest show (Episode 69). The short first appeared in Galaxy magazine's February 1958 issue. The host of the Beam Me Up podcast/radio show, Paul Cole, describes the story as a "If anything a precursor to [Harrison's] Stainless Steel Rat character." It also features an early description of the concept of hyperspace and hyperspace beacons. The same idea and term were used on Babylon 5 - the idea being, without beacons, ships would drift endlessly through featureless hyperspace, unable to discern their location relative to real space. I very much enjoyed this tale too, it's sharp, funny and well read.

The Repairman
By Harry Harrison; Read by Ron Huber
1 |MP3| - Approx. 27 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: Beam Me Up
Podcast: September 2007
The Mark III Hyperspace Beacon was the earliest type of beacon ever built--by Earth, no less. It was located on one of the Proxima Centauri planets, and it wasn't working. This was one of those jobs when being an interstellar trouble-shooter wouldn't have been so bad--if he could have shot the trouble!

Subscribe to the podcast via this feed:

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

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: Harry Harrison, podcast, radio show, science fiction

9:37 PM -- (0) comments

 


Aired on the weekend, BBC Radio 7, has the first of two parts of an abridged reading of Brian Aldiss' Nebula Award winning 1965 novelette, Man In His Time. It was was adapted for radio to celebrate his 80th birthday, and is introduced by Aldiss himself. The story is about an interplanetary astronaut, who upon return home is flummoxed to discover that he experiences everything around him on Earth as 3.3077 minutes into everyone else's future.



Man In His Time
By Brian Aldiss; Read by Jamie Glover
2 Broadcasts - Approx 60 Minutes [ABRIDGED]
Broadcaster: BBC7 / The 7th Dimension
Broadcast: Sunday Sep 16 & Sunday Sept 23 2007

Use the BBC Player's 'listen again' service to hear part 1 which is online now - and listen for part 2 on this coming Sunday.

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: BBC, Brian Aldiss, Online Audio, science fiction

2:23 PM -- (0) comments

 


Tears Of The Tin God
By T. Ray Gordon; Narrated by Richard Sellers and a Full Cast
1 CD - 80 Minutes [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Apex Audio Theatre
Published: 2007
UPC: 701376158028
Themes: / Science fiction / Alien Artifact / Space travel /

If I were allowed only two words to review this audio drama, I would choose these: Harmless junk. But if I had to shave my word count, I wouldn’t know where to cut. Tears Of The Tin God is not a terrible audio drama. The sound and sound effects are fine, but the script is plagued by over-explanation of the familiar (as in: “…she frowned, making a face…”), juxtaposed with under-explanation of the novel. A few of the science fictional ideas are unconvincing, and the ending feels rushed and emotionally unsatisfying. Still, the enthusiastic production and the short running time make it kinda likable.

The plot is provocative, if not stunningly original: Seven future astronauts have been sent across space to investigate some immense alien artifacts on a planet called Borne 7. Upon landing on the surface of the largest artifact, one of the astronauts is ingested by it, becoming an integral part of a being with god-like power and knowledge. But are its intentions good or evil, alien or human?

The same concept is explored by Michael Crichton, sans space suits, in his novel Sphere. That one isn’t great, either, but it is superior to this one in the quality of its prose, the depth of its explanations, and the delicious thrill of its sustained tension. Tears Of The Tin God won’t take years off your life, but it kills an hour you might miss later.

posted by Kurt Dietz

Labels: alien artifact, audio drama, review, science fiction, space travel

1:20 PM -- (1) comments

 


The Sci Phi Show, has a very cool interview with Courtney Brown, who is rightly famous on this site for his excellent Science Fiction and Politics university course (it is podcast).

Download the interview direct |MP3| or subscribe to The Sci Phi Show podcast feed via this url:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheSciPhiShow

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: interview, philosophy, podcast, politics, science fiction

1:10 PM -- (0) comments

 


Plant People
By Johnny Ray Barnes Jr. and Marty M. Engle; Multicast recording
2 CDs - 2 Hours [ABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781423308508
Themes: / Science fiction / Alien Invasion / Intelligent plants /

Rachel Pearson is a loner. Her only close friend, Tess, now lives in another city, and her life is measured in the days and hours between phone calls. One afternoon, as she is exploring the house under construction in a wooded lot near her home, she spies a strange plant from which something large has hatched, and its smell lures her to the edge of disaster. Two months later, the house is completed and a new family with teenaged children moves in. But strange things begin to happen around them, and Rachel wonders if they aren’t more than just odd people. Could they be something else entirely, something inhuman, with dark designs for mankind?

Plant People has a spunky heroine with a delightful upper-Midwestern twang, and an entertaining little dash-about plot that is short and mindlessly fun. Even the prose mostly soars, though not without frequent bumps. The worst occur during action sequences, when phrases like “…and just at that moment, what should I find but…” appear with distracting frequency. But it also borrows a little too heavily from classic works like Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and The Day Of The Triffids, and strips the borrowed elements from their deeper subtext. On the whole, Plant People is like a sugar-free chocolate meringue: Briefly enjoyable, but ultimately empty of even the calories it took to chew.

[Editor's Note: Plant People was originally written as part of the "Strange Matter" series (created by Marty M. Engle and Johnny Ray Barnes Jr.). The series takes place in the fictional town of Fairfield. Stories in the series generally center on the children attending Fairfield Middle School who encounter paranormal situations.]

posted by Kurt Dietz

Labels: alien invasion, audio drama, science fiction, young adult

9:16 AM -- (0) comments

 


Voyagers
By Ben Bova; Read by Stefan Rudnicki
12 CDs -13 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Sample: Click here
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2006
ISBN: 0786167424
Themes: / Science Fiction / Alien Contact / Space Program / Politics / Religion /

Voyagers is a superior first contact novel. It was originally published in 1981, but it holds up extremely well, especially since our space program has not changed all that much in the past 26 years. But the novel's setting is the now that was then, which means the United States and USSR are the two superpowers and the only two countries with space programs.

The book starts off in a similar way to Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama. An alien craft has been detected, and it's in the solar system. Those in the know have no clue what the ship wants - are the aliens hostile or friendly? What does this mean for humanity?

From there the story takes a tack similar to another Clarke novel - 2010: Odyssey Two, but Clarke's book was published a year after Bova's. The United States and the USSR decide to cooperate rather than fight. The underlings (i.e. the folks doing the actual work) are ready and willing to do so, but the politicians spend their time pulling the other way. Other internal arguments include everything from "when should we tell the public" to "who gets to go".

Throughout the novel, Bova takes the time to look around at the world's reaction as they are informed. Rumors fly and some factions of humanity take action based on those rumors. In short, Bova gives us a fascinating and plausible account of the world's reaction to first contact. Widespread panic? Don't think so.

All of this builds up to a truly powerful conclusion. The final two CDs of this audiobook contain the most affecting first contact narrative I've ever heard or read. I couldn't help but to play them both again immediately upon finishing, and I've resolved myself to keeping them on my iPod indefinitely so that I'm sure to have them with me next time I find myself in a quiet moment under a starry sky.

Stefan Rudnicki continues to impress with this narration, in which he performs many different voices with many different accents, all effective. Though Bova's story is Clarke-like, there is much more to work with in the character department than in Clarke's stories, and this allows Rudnicki the opportunity to shine. Also effective in the audiobook are the chapter breaks, each of which is read by a different narrator and each of which contain thought-provoking stuff, from quotes of real-life scientists to news stories that are part of the fiction. I greatly appreciate this kind of thing in an audiobook because it provides a true break as effective as a new chapter in text. All too often, audiobooks don't create this break for the listener, resulting in a few moments of disorientation as the listener mentally moves to a new setting and/or POV. No such problem here - the prominent breaks are much appreciated.

posted by Scott D. Danielson

Labels: alien contact, audiobook, Ben Bova, politics, religion, science fiction, space flight

9:42 AM -- (0) comments

 


The Maria Lectrix podcast and its prolific narrator, Maureen O'Brien, have just completed a recording of a novelette by Poul Anderson. The story was first (and last) published in the February 1953 issue of "Space Science Fiction" magazine. Here's what Maureen has to say about her podcasting of this tale:

"The late Poul Anderson was a writer of infinite variety, whom I defy you to define. He was also a true gentleman of the old school, as I learned on the single occasion when I got to meet him and eat dinner with him (the con committee hath its perks!). I regard it as an honor to host this tale and adapt it to audio."

Security
By Poul Anderson; Read by Maureen O'Brien
5 MP3s - 92 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: Maria Lectrix
Podcast: August 2007
“Security introduces us to a mild-mannered scientist with a high clearance, living in what we gradually realize is a very unpleasant future."

Part 1 |MP3| Part 2 |MP3| Part 3 |MP3| Part 4 |MP3| Part 5 |MP3|

Check out the Maria Lectrix all Science Fiction podcast feed:

http://marialectrix.wordpress.com/tag/fiction/science-fiction/feed/

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: audiobook, Poul Anderson, science fiction

1:35 PM -- (0) comments

 


Local Custom
By Sharon Lee and Steve Miller; Read by Michael Shanks
1 MP3-CD or 8 CDs - Approx. 10.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Buzzy Multimedia
Published: 2005
ISBN: 0979074916 (MP3-CD); 096572557X (CDs)
Themes: / Science Fiction / Romance / Space Opera / Galactic Civilization / Love /

"Each person shall provide his Clan of origin with a child of his blood, who will be raised by the Clan and belong to the Clan, despite whatever may later occur to place the parent beyond the Clan's authority. And this shall be Law for every person of every Clan."

So far there are seven novels set in the Liaden Universe, though this one isn't the first published it is chronologically the first to happen. Local Custom is a simple story, a Romeo And Juliet, tale, except with a happy ending and a few more spaceships. Master trader Er Thom yos'Galan is from the planet Liaden, an honour based society of humans. His family, and especially his mother are demanding an heir from Er Thom, as is only right and proper. But Er Thom cannot think of the traditional contract-marriage to some Liaden clan daughter when his true love is back on Terra. Anne Davis, a professor of Liaden studies on Terra had a brief affair with Er Thom years ago. When Er Thom shows up on her doorstep her secret and his duty will embroil them in a galaxy spanning scandal which threatens the honour of clan Korval.

Much of the interest here is in the worldbuilding, Liaden culture is richly imagined and the idea of "melant'i" is fodder for lots of drama. Melant'i, is a conveyed honour, not dissimilar from that created by Jack Vance for The Moon Moth. While the resolution of complex culture clashes makes for good drama, the effect here also makes many long dialogue scenes.This was coupled with a general lack of description - I didn't know what anybody or anything looked like. The plot, centering around Er Thom's marital fate, is spread thinly - while the novel never actually bores I kept wondering when something meaty was going to happen - very little did, this is a personal family drama set in a science fiction setting. Sharon Lee and Steve Miller have obviously built themselves an interesting universe here, and I think it'd be one worth visiting again, especially if there is a story in it with a wider-ranging plot. Fans of the series are vehement in their ardor for it.

Some of the exposition is placed at chapter or scene beginnings, mostly notes on Liaden history and cultural norms. This helped the general flow of the telling. Also helpful was Buzzy Multimedia's engagement of screen actor Michael Shanks for the narration. Shanks appears as Dr. Daniel Jackson on Stargate SG1, but he's a capable narrator, giving distinction to male and female character alike. There were a few times where I thought I heard Shanks stumble over a word, but generally these were in dialogue, and they may have been deliberate - they certainly didn't detract from the production. The first three chapters are available for FREE MP3 download on the Buzzy website.

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: galactic civilization, love, romance, science fiction, Sharon Lee, space opera, Steve Miller

10:08 AM -- (0) comments

 


Two months ago we told you about an unproduced Norman Spinrad, audio drama that was written for Omni magazine, and that was languishing unrecorded. Broken Sea contacted Spinrad and secured the okay for go-ahead. Mark Kalita and the good folks at Broken Sea Audio Productions have now COMPLETED it. Reportedly, Spinrad has given the dramatization a thumb's up and it is available for listening...

Voice Over
By Norman Spinrad; Featuring a full cast
1 |MP3| - [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Broken Sea
Published: August 2007
Talk radio shows are always a source of interesting characters, sometimes originating from the most unexpected places. But amiable, unflappable talk show host Bobby Edwards gets more than he bargains for when his airwaves are suddenly hijacked by a strange cast of callers from beyond the stars.

Featuring the vocal talents of:

Mark Kalita as Bobby Edwards
Elie Hirschman as: The Announcer, Debbie, Caller #3, Electronic Voice, Daffy Duck, JFK, Groucho Marx & Ma Bell
Chip Joel as: Mr. Spock, Porky Pig, Rod Serling, Orson Welles & Bert Parks
Doug Manllen as: Caller #2 & The Director

Directed by Mark Kalita
Post-production by Paul Mannering
Music by Scott Shannon - podsafeaudio.com

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: aliens, comedy, Norman Spinrad, Online Audio, science fiction

1:27 PM -- (0) comments

 


Here's a sweet find! John Kessel who's story of A Clean Escape premiered on the new Masters Of Science Fiction anthology TV series a couple of Saturdays ago has made the original tale available to be heard as a regular audiobook reading on his website. Kessel, with help from friend, and fellow SF writer, James Patrick Kelly, has recorded his most adapted story and posted it for our listening pleasure. It was first published in 1985 in the pages of Asimov's Science Fiction. Also available from Kessel is his short story, Some Like It Cold, which first appeared a 1994 issue of Omni. Grab the details for each below...

A Clean Escape
By John Kessel; Read by John Kessel
1 |MP3| - Approx. 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: John Kessel's website
Published: August 2007
A psychiatrist deals with a patient who seems to have lost his memory of the last twenty-four years. Or has he?


Some Like It Cold
By John Kessel; Read by John Kessel
1 |MP3| - Approx. 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: John Kessel's website
Published: August 2007
A time traveling talent scout from the future visits 1962 in search of his next recruit. But is she ready to come?

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: John Kessel, psychiatry, psychology, science fiction, time travel

1:44 PM -- (0) comments

 


Where's My Jetpack?: A Guide to the Amazing Science Fiction Future That Never Arrived
By Daniel H. Wilson, PhD; Read by Stefan Rudnicki
1 MP3-CD - 3.5 hours - [UNABRIDGED]
Sample: Click here
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 078617160X
Themes: / Science Fiction / Non-fiction / Technology / Teleportation /

The future is now. And we are not impressed. The future was supposed to be a fully automated, atomic-powered, germ-free Utopia, a place where a grown man could wear a velvet spandex unitard and not be laughed at. Our beloved scientist may be building the future, but some key pieces are missing. Where are the ray guns, the flying cars, and the hoverboards that we expected? We can't wait another minute for the future to arrive. The time has come to hold the Golden Age of science fiction accountable for its fantastic promises.

Finally, someone has come to take the Golden Age of science fiction to task for all that crap they told us would happen. Who is the hero that's going to demand our cool stuff? None other than Daniel H. Wilson, PhD, that's who. That's right. The guy who saved us from all those robots in his previous book - How to Survive a Robot Uprising. (SFFaudio Review here - we're on the ball with all this surviving stuff.)

Just like in How to Survive a Robot Uprising, Wilson takes real science facts and gives them to us in a way that will make you laugh out loud. For example, what about those jetpacks we were promised? (Wilson calls the jetpack the "Holy Grail of classic science fiction technology.") In this book, we find out that Wendell Moore finished the Bell Rocket Belt in 1961. It was basically a rocket mounted to a backpack. He tested it himself. Yes, he strapped a rocket to his belt, and turned it on. We learn exactly how it worked, hydrogen peroxide fuel and all. It produced 300 lbs of thrust - just enough to get a grown man off the ground. The downside? It could only hold 30 seconds worth of fuel. Shockingly, none of the rocket pack pilots died. Wilson then laments the lack of serious innovation in the rocket pack industry since then. "If Wendell Moore could see the state of jetpacks today," says Wilson, "he would be doing barrel rolls in his grave."

Jetpacks are just the tip of the rocket. Orbital hotels, robot servants, space elevators, teleportation - it's all in there.

Stefan Rudnicki delivers another quality narration. One of Wilson's goals with both of his books was to take the material so seriously that absurdity shows through. Rudnicki understood this, and provided narration to match. Funny stuff.

To hear from the author himself about Where's My Jetpack?, How to Survive a Robot Uprising, robotics in general, and future projects, check out his interview on the Talking Robots podcast, July 5, 2007 edition. Here's the direct link to the MP3.

posted by Scott D. Danielson

Labels: Daniel H. Wilson, Non-fiction, science fiction, technology, teleportation

3:55 PM -- (0) comments

 


BBC7's the 7th Dimension is re-airing a classic and relatively famous SF story from Harlan Ellison over the next two Sundays. Soldier, originally published in 1957 under the title Soldier Of The Future this is a time travel tale. Not as well known is that Ellison was drafted into the U.S. Army that same year and was trained as an Army Ranger. After leaving the military Ellison later adapted his story for a 1964 episode of the original The Outer Limits, and still later it was adapted, in a completely unauthorized but brilliant 1984 SF film, The Terminator.

Soldier
By Harlan Ellison; Read by John Sharian
2 half-hour segments - Approx. 1 Hour [UNABRIDGED]
BROADCASTER: BBC Radio 7 / The 7th Dimension
BROADCAST: Sunday at 6:30pm and 12:30am U.K. Time
"Set a thousand years into the future, Earth has become a nightmare of high-tech battlefields where few survive. From this world, soldier Qarlo is accidentally teleported back to the U.S. city streets of 1964 - to warn the human race of its capacity for self-destruction."

Both parts will be available via the Listen Again service for six days after each broadcast.

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: BBC, Harlan Ellison, science fiction, time travel

12:11 PM -- (0) comments

 


The Words At Large podcast has an episode they are calling "Science And Science Fiction" this week. It features interviews with Daniel H. Wilson, Dava Sobel.

Download the |MP3| direct, or subscribe to the podcast:

http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/includes/wordsatlarge.xml

And of course, Apocalypse Al must be freed!

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: CBC, Daniel H. Wilson, Dava Sobel, interview, science fiction

5:12 PM -- (0) comments

 


Audible.com has posted a new FREE audio interview/conversation between audiobook narrator Stefan Rudnicki and SF authors Orson Scott Card and Ben Bova. The talk is predominately about the role and value of audiobooks in the greater reading environment. Also covered is Card's love of audiobooks (he's a big big fan), Bova's role in the creation of the Ender franchise and place of religion is science and Science Fiction. You can get the audio for it right HERE (but of course you'll need to have an audible account).

Audible also tells us that: "Bova’s new book, The Aftermath (Book Four of The Asteroid Wars), is now available in audio at Audible." That's one of the many titles produced by Rudnicki for Audio Renaissance. OSC's next "Ender" novel, A War of Gifts, will be released through Audio Renaissance and Audble October 30th 2007.

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: audible, Ben Bova, interview, Online Audio, Orson Scott Card, religion, science fiction, Stefan Rudnicki

12:51 PM -- (0) comments

 


Garret P. Serviss' first audiobook has just been posted to LibriVox. Serviss was a popularizer of astronomy and late 19th and early 20th century SF author. His writing is stiff and strangely formal. Still, you may find yourself reminded of Heinlein here and there while listening. The audiobook, completely narrated by the admirable Betsie Bush is 100% free and available for download by several methods. Get a Zipped Folder full of MP3s, each chapter singly in MP3 or OGG Vorbis formats or grab the podcast version.

The Moon Metal
By Garret P. Serviss; Read by Betsie Bush
14 zipped MP3 Files or podcast - 2 Hours 38 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: July 31st 2007
The discovery of a vast quantity of gold in Antarctica undermines the world's economy. This leads to a need for a new precious metal standard - - enter a mysterious scientist, his proposal, and new invention.

You can get the entire novel in podcast form, via this handy url:

http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/moon-metal-by-garrett-p-serviss.xml

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: economics, Garret P. Serviss, LibriVox, metallurgy, Robert A. Heinlein, science fiction

8:44 AM -- (0) comments

 


This may be a first, at least for a relatively modern Science Fiction novel - there are now TWO unabridged single voiced narrations of Andre Norton's public domain novel Star Hunter. Both are available for free download. The first one, which we told you about earlier this year was read and archived by Maureen O'Brien of the Maria Lectrix Podcast. That version is available through the Internet Archive. Now, LibriVox narrator Leonie Rose has completed a second version, available for download in a zipped bundle or by podcast feed. And here it is...

Star Hunter
By Andre Norton; Read by Leonie Rose
13 Zipped MP3 Files or Podcast - 3 Hours 33 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: Aug. 5th 2007
Somewhere on the jungle world of Jumala hid a man whose mind had been reconditioned with another’s brain pattern. There was a fabulous reward out for him. And so began another-worldly game of hide and seek. Between a man who did not know his own powers and an interstellar safari that sought something no man had a right to find.

You can subscribe to the podcast for this novel with this feed:

http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/star-hunter-by-andre-norton.xml

Now the big question - which version is the better narrated?

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: Andre Norton, audiobook, LibriVox, podcast, science fiction

7:15 PM -- (0) comments

 


Mister Ron thinks we all might enjoy checking out episode number 803 of his podcast, Mister Ron's Basement -- featured is a six minute story called Looking Backward On The Home -- In the Year 3000 A.D. by Thomas L. Masson. The tale comes from Masson's 1921 book titled, Well, Why Not? Ron sez:

"It's pretty clever and has a laugh or two in it. I can well imagine people in the year 3000 discussing 'flivvers' and 'things called trees.'"

Go have a listen, plug this podcast feed to hear the show:

http://slapcast.com/rss/revry/index.xml

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: comedy, podcast, science fiction

10:27 PM -- (0) comments

 


Masters Of Science Fiction aired its first episode last night on ABC stations in the USA. We've got all the audio dope on this video program...

HERE's an audio recording from NPR and TV critic David Bianculli talking about the show. What makes this series so intriguing is that it is using actual Science Fiction stories (GASP!) for its episodes...

The first tale was based on John Kessel's A Clean Escape (which was previously adapted into a Seeing Ear Theatre Original Playhouse audio drama (no longer available online). Hardcopies of this audio drama can be found in an out of print collection, available on ABEBooks.com (and one is currently on on ebay.com):

Seeing Ear Theater, Volume 1
By Terry Bisson, Brian Smith, James Patrick Kelly, Allen Steele, John Kessel and Gregory Benford
FULL CAST PRODUCTIONS with introductions by Harlan Ellison
2 Cassettes - Approx 3 hrs. [UNABRIDGED DRAMATIZATIONS]
ISBN: 0787118133
Date Published 1998
Published by Dove Audio

Stories Included:
THREE ODD COMEDIES by Terry Bisson
"They're Made Out of Meat"
"The Toxic Donut"
"Next"
Into The Sun by Brian Smith
Think Like a Dinosaur by James Patrick Kelly
The Death of Captain Future by Allen Steele
A Clean Escape by John Kessel
The Bigger One by Gregory Benford

Also, BuddyTV.com has an |MP3| interview with Sam Waterson about his role in the Masters Of SF first episode A Clean Escape (and irrevlevently about his role on Law and Order).

More, WUNC in North Carolina has a terrific radio interview |MP3| with Kessel about the adaptation of his short story A Clean Escape to TV.

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: anthology, interview, John Kessel, Masters Of Science Fiction, science fiction

10:47 AM -- (4) comments

 


The slicker than ever audio drama, Silent Universe, is out now with "Episode 6." J. Marcus Xavier's podcast series is tight and the show is flowing super-smoothly. This time around there's a free upgrade to the "64kbps stereo" edition in the feed too. Normally you'd have to pay to get the premium sound edition like this. Download direct |MP3| or plug this URL into your podcatcher to have a listen:

http://www.silentuniverse.com/silentuniverse.xml

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: podcast, science fiction

2:57 PM -- (0) comments

 


John W. Campbell Awardee (for "Best New Writer") John Scalzi has posted some very exciting news to his Whatever blog:

"I had a nice chat with the producer of the audio version of Old Man's War about the status of that; it's in production now and everything about it seems to be moving along swimmingly. Neat.

One thing for folks who are interested in the audio version to be aware of: it's going to be sold online only. I think this is fine, myself; it's being produced by Audio Renaissance, Tor's corporate cousin, so it won't be at all difficult to find online once it's done (I imagine it'll be at audible.com and iTunes, etc), and not having to fiddle with packaging means it'll be ready to go more quickly once it's done. Also, you know. It's not as if most of my readers don't have that whole online thing going on.

I'll keep you all plugged in with how the audio book version is coming along, and when it will be available, etc. For now, know that someone somewhere is reading OMW, in mellifluous tones, into a microphone, for you, eventually."

And the plan is to have SFFaudio favorite narrator William Dufris narrating! Cool huh?

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: audiobook, John Scalzi, science fiction

8:53 AM -- (0) comments

 


A new LibriVox title has piqued our interest. It's Marion Zimmer Bradley's 1963 novel The Colors Of Space. Sadly, this is not the ideal audio version of it as it has multiple readers - who seem to have randomly chosen their chapters. I think the ethos of LibriVox is absolutely wonderful, but the output, especially in cases like this seems more geared towards project completion and narrator convenience rather than listener preference. That said, the audiobook is 100% free and very easily downloadable either by a Zipped Folder full of MP3s, singly in individual file of MP3 or OGG Vorbis formats and by the podcast feed (including a one click iTunes subscription).

The Colors Of Space
By Marion Zimmer Bradley; Read by various readers
15 zipped MP3 Files or podcast - 5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: July 29th 2007
Bart Steele, a Space Academy graduate, has the potential to gain the secret of an alien "warp drive", a super-fast technology for interstellar travel. He'll have to get some surgery, and spy upon an alien race to do it but he's . lucky because by a bit of genetic quirk Bart can see a wider optical range than ordinary humans. Still, countless human spies have already failed to gain the secret.

You can get the entire novel in podcast form, via this handy url:

http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/the-colors-of-space-by-marion-zimmer-bradley.xml

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: audiobook, espionage, LibriVox, Marion Zimmer Bradley, podcast, podiobook, science fiction, space flight, space travel, spaceships, suspended animation

5:15 PM -- (0) comments

 


The long promised StarShipSofa coverage of SF master Robert A. Heinlein is now complete. Three shows, and approximately three hours, of discussion by two hard-core Heinlein enthusiasts. Awesome!

Part 1 |MP3| Part 2 |MP3| Part 3 |MP3|

And be sure to subscribe, the SSS boys have a Michael Moorcock show (and short stories!) in the works. Plug this podcast URL into your podcatcher to get the feed automatically:

http://starshipsofa.libsyn.com/rss

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: fantasy, podcast, Robert A. Heinlein, science fiction

4:46 PM -- (2) comments

 


Both our regular U.K. contributor Roy, and a friend of SFFaudio, Paul Jenkins (of The Rev Up Review Podcast and The Plitone Revisionist podiobook) have written in to say that the latest issue of the Radio Times gives some brief details on an exciting new BBC Radio 4 "Classic Serial" that is set to be aired as two one-hour episodes beginning on Sunday July 29th...

Solaris
By Stanis?aw Lem; Performed by a full cast
2 One Hour Broadcasts - 2 Hours [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4 / Classic Serial
Broadcast: Sunday Jul 29th 2007 @ 3 pm (UK Time)
The radio debut of 's science-fiction classic. A psychologist is sent to a run-down space station to find out what has happened to its crew. When his long-dead wife turns up, he finds himself in deep trouble.

Cast:
Kris - Ron Cook
Rheya - Joanne Froggat
Snow - Tim McMullan
Sartorius - Stuart Richman
Woman - Maxine Burth
Crew:
Producer by Polly Thomas
Adpted by Hattie Naylor
Repeated on Saturday at 9 pm

No other details available yet, but the Classic Serial website is here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/classic_serial.shtml

Both episodes should be available via the 'listen again' service after broadcast.

Thanks Paul and Roy! At only two hours it looks like they aren't going with the Tarkovsky script for this one eh?

posted by Jesse Willis

Labels: BBC, radio drama, science fiction, space station, Stanislaw Lem

10:30 PM -- (0) comments

 


Lots of CBC stories and news today, and though much of it is frustrating lots of it good too. First up the best news of all:

CBC Radio One has ordered an entire 2nd season of Canadia 2056! This announcement comes straight from Matt Watts himself. That's right everybody, we're gonna get 15 more episodes of pure Science Fiction Comedy Radio Drama gold! But that's a long way away yet. First up is news that may effect your schedule for tomorrow morning ....





CBC Radio One will be re-broadcasting Steve The First and Steve The Second radio dramas, these were the two shows penned by Canadia 2056 scribe Matt Watts. The fun begins tomorrow, Monday, July 23rd and ends August 1st. The shows will air for 30 minutes on weekdays, at 11:30 a.m. in all time zones (except Newfoundland where it will begin at Noon).

Here's the official description:

From the ashes of a post-apocalyptic world rose a slacker named Steve The First He balanced the world and brought civility back to civilization. He blew up in the process. Twenty-Five years later, dark times have returned; a military organization named the Dark Alliance is hell-bent on Provincial domination. They are one city shy of their goal, Orontonto. The city is holding up, but it is time to bring out their secret weapon. The son of Steve: Steve The Second.

There's also Wikipedia entries on both shows: Steve I and Steve II.

Listeners worldwide can listen to the re-broadcast via the streaming radio service of CBC Radio One - you can find that RIGHT HERE.

Lastly, in accordance with the precedent set by Roman statesman Ca