January 2010 – Page 8

Lois McMaster Bujold AUDIOBOOKS

SFFaudio News

Scott and I were thinking about posting about Lois McMaster Bujold on the same day! We had a mental arm wrestle over who should do it – Scott won the fight, but being the generous dude he is he conceded me the privilege of posting it anyway.

So:

Scott wanted to tell you that ALL the Vorkosigan novels are now available from Blackstone Audio. I expect they will also release the three other novellas Bujold has published in the series – I’m also hoping they will add the one Vorkosigan short story to that collection too.

Me, I wanted to tell you about our new LOIS McMASTER BUJOLD sub-page! I made it! I’ve gathered up a listing of every LMcMB audiobook we’ve ever posted about, added a few more we haven’t – added an interview from a podcast and generally made a big list of Lois McMaster Bujold audio. Check it out |HERE|.

Posted by Jesse Willis

AudibleLive Chat with Dean Koontz about Relentless

SFFaudio News

Dean Koontz chats with his readers about his new novel Relentless (available through Audible.com and Brilliance Audio) in this AudibleLive chat with Dean Koontz…

After viewing this interview/chat I am reminded about why I don’t like most interviewers. Questions like: “What was your motivation when…” and the old classic “where do your ideas come from?” are almost worthless. The problem is that author’s don’t often seem very insightful into their writing process. Koontz manages his best with these questions, but the answers are most interesting when he is telling you a story about something that happened to him.

[via Audible.com’s Twitter feed]

Posted by Jesse Willis

SFBRP: Six Fantasy novels read in 2009 reviewed

SFFaudio Online Audio

In his latest show Luke Burrage, of the Science Fiction Book Review Podcast, is shotgun reviewing the six Fantasy novel he read in 2009. The novels are:

A Wizard Of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Warbreaker and Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan
Shadowmagic by John Lenahan
The Warrior-Prophet by R. Scott Bakker

Have a listen |MP3| or subscribe to the feed:

http://www.sfbrp.com/?feed=podcast

iTunes 1-Click |SUBSCRIBE|

And, if you haven’t heard it already, be sure to check out Luke’s previous show, which is a very compelling review of Anathem by Neal Stephenson |MP3|!

Posted by Jesse Willis

Clarkesworld: The Things by Peter Watts

SFFaudio Online Audio

Kate Baker, who does podcasty things for StarShipSofa, is also in charge of Clarkesworld Magazine‘s podcast. She’s all excited about one of the stories in the latest issues. Sez Baker:

So I can’t really contain my excitement on this one. Peter Watts is one of the nicest people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I got to briefly chat with him after a reading he did of “The Things” at Worldcon. He had only read part of the fantastic story but it was too late. I was hooked. I wanted more.

As I say in the few minutes before the story gets going on the podcast, you can imagine my utter delight and many squees when Neil [Clarke] told me we were putting up the story for January. What a way to start 2010!

Without sounding like a total fangirl here, this story is awesome on so many levels. With anything in the written or spoken word, your imagination has to do all the work. Once the writer and/or narrator start laying the canvas, it’s ultimately how you arrange the paint in your head. The artists give you the broad strokes. This story is almost an Alfred Hitchcock approach to imagery, by dancing around the grotesque, your mind is left to make up the difference. Wholly more terrifying in parts if you ask me. Words cue mental pictures and depending on your life experiences, there are moments within “The Things” which send shivers up your delicate spine and invite introspection. Peter has the gift of making me question what it really means to be human.

I hope you’ll go read or listen to this month’s Clarkesworld Magazine. You won’t be disappointed. As always — please let comments on both stories and podcasts.

The Things
By Peter Watts; Read by Kate Baker
1 |MP3| – Approx. 54 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: Clarkesworld Magazine (issue #40)
Podcast: January 2010

Podcast feed: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/?feed=podcast

iTunes 1-Click |SUBSCRIBE|

Posted by Jesse Willis

LibriVox – The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle

SFFaudio Online Audio

Back in October I was telling you folks about the two Howard Pyle audiobooks that had been released over on LibriVox.org. I had actually meant to tell you about THREE Pyle audiobooks – but I got distracted by something shiny and never finished the post. Well I’m finishing it now! The Merry Adventures Of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle is a public domain book about the original highwayman of Nottinghamshire. First published in 1883 The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood served as the basis for many later adaptations of the story of Robin Hood and his merry band.

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
By Howard Pyle; Read by various
22 Zipped MP3 Files or Podcast – Approx. 11 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: January 26, 2007
Robin Hood is the archetypal English folk hero; a courteous, pious and swashbuckling outlaw of the mediæval era who, in modern versions of the legend, is famous for robbing the rich to feed the poor and fighting against injustice and tyranny. He operates with his “seven score” (140 strong) group of fellow outlawed yeomen – named the Merry Men. He and his band are usually associated with Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire. The Victorian era generated its own distinct versions of Robin Hood. The traditional tales were often adapted for children, most notably in Howard Pyle’s Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. These versions firmly stamp Robin as a staunch philanthropist, a man who takes from the rich to give to the poor.

Podcast feed:

http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/the-merry-adventures-of-robin-hood-by-howard-pyle.xml

iTunes 1-Click |SUBSCRIBE|

Incidentally, if you’re not a fan of the multiple amateur narrators in this reading, you might want to shell out for the new Blackstone Audio version. It’s read by a single professional narrator. You can get that one |HERE|.

Posted by Jesse Willis

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit (as read by Nicol Williamson)

SFFaudio Online Audio

Here’s an auspicious first post for 2010!

There are several audiobook editions of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. The most recent production would be the unabridged version for Recorded Books. It’s narrated by Rob Inglis. Prior to that, there was also an abridged DH Audio (Durkin Hayes) production featuring narrator Martin Shaw. It was released in the 1990s. Tolkien recorded a few segments himself, released through Caedmon records and later Harper Audio. The earliest actual audiobook version is also very highly regarded. That’s this one, narrated by Nicol Williamson. It never saw North American distribution. Williamson is going to be familiar to fans of John Boorman’s masterpiece Excalibur (he played Merlin).

The Hobbit
By J.R.R. Tolkien; Read by Nicol Williamson
Four 33 1/3 LPs – Approx. 3.5 Hours [ABRIDGED]
Publisher: Conifer Records / Argo Productions
Published: 1973, 1974
Includes a 7 page booklet. The reading Includes some musical additions.

This is all apropos of some dude uploading it to Youtube (of all places).

Here is Part 1

[via The Silver Key, The Cimmerian and If I Only Had blogs]

Posted by Jesse Willis