Day: September 13, 2013

Review of Sons of the Oak by David Farland

Scott D.

SFFaudio Review

Fantasy Audiobook - Sons of the Oak by David FarlandSons of the Oak (Book Five of The Runelords)
By David Farland; Read by Ray Porter
13.5 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2012
Themes: / Fantasy / Epic Fantasy /

This is the fifth book in the Runelords series and the first book of the Scions of the Oak.

It feels like a fast read. The book is well-paced, one chapter flowing into the other and the story is engrossing. The end of each chapter was a chance to catch your breath but at the same time, you wanted to keep going to find out what would happen next.

Sons of the Oak begins with the death of Gaborn Val Orden, the Earth King and protagonist of the first four books. He sends his sons to the woods to rescue a girl who had been kidnapped by the Strenge Satz.

With the death of the Earth King, shadowy creatures from the Netherworld and the enemies of Gaborn attack the castle to kill the boys. Queen Iome abdicates her throne and goes into hiding with her sons and a few close friends to save their lives.

It is their flight into exile and their fight against Axkaroth and Shadoath – evil beings that have taken over humans — that encompasses this book. As with all Farland’s books, not everyone makes it, but that is part of what adds to the suspense.

This is a great book. The characters are well developed and imperfect (I am not a fan of perfect heroes). You never know from one scene to the next what will happen – although you’re assured by the existence of more books that the boys survive. Still, the narrative works well in audiobook format and Ray Porter does a great job with the voices and characterizations.

I loved the book and recommend it highly.

Posted by Charlene Harmon

Hypnobobs: The Flowering Of The Strange Orchid by H.G. Wells

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

The Flowering Of The Strange Orchid by H.G. Wells

In less than 3,000 words H.G. Wells planted the seed, as it were, for a rare and delicate subspecies of Science Fiction we might call Botanical Horror SF. As Mr. Jim Moon, of the wondrous Hypnobobs podcast, points out in his introduction to his reading, this seed would later flower into a John Wyndham novel we all know and love.

So, grab some coffee, head into the greenhouse, and listen to this curious story of where it all started.

The Flowering Of The Strange Orchid by H.G. Wells

HypnobobsThe Flowering Of The Strange Orchid
By H.G. Wells; Read by Jim Moon
1 |MP3| – Approx. 1 Hour 21 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: Hypnobobs
Podcast: April 6, 2012
First published in Pall Mall Budget, December 27, 1894.

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

And, here’s an illustrated |PDF|.

The Flowering Of The Strange Orchid by H.G. Wells

Posted by Jesse Willis

Protecting Project Pulp: The Opener Of The Way by Robert Bloch

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

The Opener Of The Way by Robert Bloch - Illustration by Virgil Finlay

Here’s a creepy tale by a then young disciple and contemporary of H.P. Lovecraft. Taking Egyptian mythology as his starting point Robert Bloch delivers a pretty good tale in the style of the master.

Protecting Project PulpProtecting Project Pulp No. 59 – The Opener Of The Way
By Robert Bloch; Read by Simon Hildebrandt.
1 |MP3| – Approx. 42 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: Protecting Project Pulp
Podcast: September 9, 2013
A tremendous tale about the dread doom that overtook an archeologist in that forgotten tomb beneath the desert sands of Egypt. First published in Weird Tales, October 1936.

The titular appellation “The Opener Of The Way” has also recently turned attached to a monster named “Allabar” in the Dungeons & Dragons: Monster Manual 3 (which recommends you use it as a “climactic villain”). The TV Tropes entry “D&D Nightmare Fuel” describes this “monster” thusly:

And then there is Allabar, Opener of the Way, the first 4th Edition living star … instead of a face, imagine dozens upon dozens of unblinking eyes, as well as hundreds of rope-like “growths” around its “body.” Think the moon, when it’s nice and big and clear, so you can see all of the faultlines, valleys and craters. Now imagine every faultline and valley is a huge, thrashing tentacle, and every crater, from the biggest to the smallest, is a never-blinking eye. Imagine that floating in the sky above you at night. Staring at you. Hating you.

Allabar, The Opener Of The Way

Posted by Jesse Willis