Aliens Rule
Edited by Allan Kaster
Stories by James van Pelt, Carolyn Ives Gilman, and Nancy Kress
Read by Vanessa Hart and Tom Dheere
3 CDs – 244 minutes – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Infinivox
Published: 2009
ISBN: 9781884612879
Themes: / Science Fiction / Aliens / Junior High School / Relocation / Dogs / Survival / Invasion /
From Allan Kaster and Infinivox, a collection of three stories in which aliens are in control:
“How Music Begins” by James van Pelt
I’ve enjoyed James van Pelt ever since reading his collection Strangers and Beggars, which I highly recommend. He’s a high school teacher as well as a writer, and as such school and teaching are elements that he returns to often. In this story, a teacher and his junior high music class are held by aliens who observe them while they rehearse. The teacher knows that perfection is elusive, and has to deal with the kids and their emotions on what seems to him to be an endless road trip. I loved the story — it rang true on every level.
“Okanoggan Falls” by Carolyn Ives Gilman
This is the story of a woman who, while the rest of the town she lives in is protesting a forced relocation, takes a different approach. She decides to try to get to know one of the aliens, and learns some surprising things.
“Laws of Survival” by Nancy Kress
This story, the longest of the three, is a gem. A young girl, scavenging for food, ends up in an alien oppressor’s ship. She’s given the opportunity there to train dogs in exchange for survival. She struggles to understand what the aliens are telling her and also struggles with the dogs, who had long since grown wild. Another great story from Nancy Kress.
Tom Dheere and Vanessa Hart narrate, and no complaints from me. Vanessa Hart’s was exceptional with “Laws of Survival”.
Allan Kaster, the editor, told us that Infinivox will be publishing more collections in the future (as opposed to the single story releases they’ve done in the past), and I for one couldn’t be more pleased. This collection is well worth your time.
Check out The SFFaudio Podcast #036, which contains an interview of Allan Kaster, editor of the Infinivox line of science fiction audiobooks.
Posted by Scott D. Danielson
