Audio Drama – Page 66

BBC Radio 4: Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and The Rapture

Thursday, July 23, 2009 Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

It’s that time of the week for a quick scan of the forthcoming BBC Radio schedules in the Radio Times. There are two solid items to set your Radio Downloader program humming: The first runs just an hour, the second in 15 minute chunks for 10 weekdays in a row.

First up, a repeat of the play first broadcast in early 2007…

BBC Radio 4 - Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde The Saturday Play: Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde
Based on the book by Robert Louis Stevenson; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 60 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4
Broadcast: Saturday July 25th 2009
When a London lawyer studies the last will of his old friend Dr Jekyll, his suspicions are aroused. Why has respectable Dr Jekyll left everything to sinister Edward Hyde? Directed by Claire Grove.
Cast:
Dr Jekyll …… Adam Godley
Utterson …… David Horovitch
Enfield …… Mark Straker
Mrs Utterson …… Christine Kavanagh
Lanyon …… Sam Dale
Poole …… Joseph Kloska
Sir Danvers …… Ian Masters
Girl/Maid …… Emma Noakes
Housekeeper …… Bethan Walker

Next, described as an “eco-thriller”…

BBC Radio 4 - The Rapture by Liz Jensen Book At Bedtime: The Rapture
By Liz Jensen; Read by Denise Black
10 Parts – Approx. 2.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED?]
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4
Broadcast: Monday-Friday July 27th – 31st August 3 -7 @ 22:45-23:00
It is a June unlike any other before, with temperatures soaring to asphyxiating heights. All across the world, freak weather patterns—and the life-shattering catastrophes they entail—have become the norm. The twenty-first century has entered a new phase. But Gabrielle Fox’s main concern is a personal one: to rebuild her life after a devastating car accident that has left her disconnected from the world, a prisoner of her own guilt and grief. Determined to make a fresh start, and shake off memories of her wrecked past, she leaves London for a temporary posting as an art therapist at Oxsmith Adolescent Secure Psychiatric Hospital, home to one hundred of the most dangerous children in the country. Among them: the teenage killer Bethany Krall.

[Thanks Roy!]

Posted by Jesse Willis

The SFFaudio Podcast #031 – NEW RELEASES/AUDIOBOOK: Founding Fathers by Robert Bloch

The SFFaudio Podcast #031 – Jesse (that’s me) and Scott (my buddy) are again joined by Rick Jackson of Wonder Audio. We talk about audiobooks, new and newer, a little about radio drama, throw in some politics, some Canada bashing, and then add in two complete short stories. The first short story is read by me (it is only two sentences long) and the other runs about 40 minutes and is performed by a professional narrator. Enjoy it folks!

Talked about on today’s show:
Full Cast Audio, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Hugo Nominees, Young Adult novels, Little Brother by Cory Doctorow |READ OUR REVIEW|, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman |READ OUR REVIEW|, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins |READ OUR REVIEW|, On Basilisk Station by David Weber, Grover Gardner, Shards Of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, Barayar, The Honor Of The Queen, Paul W. Campbell, Honor Of The Clan by John Ringo and Julie Cochrane, Cally’s War, Audible Frontiers, Brilliance Audio, Paperback Digital, Hyperion by Dan Simmons, The Canterbury Tales, The Kick-Ass Mystic Ninjas, Black Library Audio, Warhammer 40,000: Heart Of Rage by James Swallow, Warhammer 40,000: Slayer Of The Storm God by Nathan Long, Infinivox, The Year’s Top Ten Tales Of Science Fiction edited by Alan Kaster, Ted Chiang is awesome, Zombie Astronaut posts 5 adaptations of Knock by Frederic Brown, Earthmen Bearing Gifts, Expedition, Arena, Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men On The Moon by Craig Nelson, Penguin Audio, 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11, Digital Apollo by David A. Mindell, MIT Press, Wernher von Braun, I Aim For The Stars (1960), Ascent by Jed Mercurio |READ OUR REVIEW|, Voyage by Stephen Baxter (and adapted by Dirk Maggs to radio drama), Four Sided Triangle by William F. Temple, Ray Bradbury, Damon Knight, William Coon, The Fabulous Clip-Joint by Frederic Brown, The Alcoholics by Jim Thompson, Audible.com/wonderaudio, Rule Golden by Damon Knight, Worlds Of The Imperium by Keith Laumer, Mark Douglas Nelson, This Crowded Earth and Other Stories by Robert Bloch, overpopulation, James Powell, The Vanishing Venusians by Leigh Brackett, noir, The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Lawrence Kasdan, Body Heat (1981), Wolfbane by Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth, Plague Of Pythons by Frederik Pohl, Passengers by Robert Silverberg, The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi, Old Man’s War, Zoe’s Tale, The Sagan Diaries, Lord Valentines Castle by Robert Silverberg |READ OUR REVIEW|, Stephan Rudnicki, Greg Margarite, LibriVox.org, Deathworld by Harry Harrison, Philip K. Dick, Andre Norton, William Coon, Amazon Kindle, ebooks, where the great lakes came from, Comics, The Iliad by Homer; Adapted by Roy Thomas, The Punisher: From First To Last by Garth Ennis, The Golden Slave by Poul Anderson, The Lies Of Loch Lamora by Scott Lynch = Lankhmar meets Oliver Twist, Harry Potter, Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert, messiahs, clairvoyance, the dangers of charismatic leaders, Dune, Harkonnen government was poor management, BBC versions of the Falco books by Lindsey Davis, Radio Downloader, the Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters, The Name Of The Rose (1986), Umberto Eco.

And last, but not least, a complete short story, courtesy of Wonder Audio, by Robert Bloch:

Founding Fathers
By Robert Bloch; Read by William Coon
Approx. 40 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: The SFFaudio Podcast
Podcast: July 20th, 2009
A humorous time travel tale.
First published in Fantastic Universe July 1956.

Get more Robert Bloch read by Willam Coon HERE.

Posted by Jesse Willis

More of The Scarifyers coming September 1st

Sunday, July 19, 2009 Jesse Willis

SFFaudio News

Rich of Radio Tales of the Strange & Fantastic reports…

A new The Scarifyers adventure is coming on September 1st 2009. Nicholas Courtney, Terry Molloy and Brian Blessed star in the fourth Scarifyers audio adventure.

The Scarifyers: The Curse Of The Black Comet

Sir Basil Champion (Brian Blessed) is the world’s worst explorer. In a career that has seen him lost in the Kalahari, captured by pygmies, and held captive for two-and-a-half years in a pit of rabid guinea fowl, it seems his luck can get no worse – until he is eaten by a rhinoceros. Some weeks after his unlikely demise, MI-13 is called upon to investigate a mysterious outbreak of the Black Death – at a Chelsea solicitor’s during the reading of Sir Basil’s will…

Has Sir Basil’s legendary bad luck reached out from beyond the grave, or is there a more sinister explanation? And what is the connection with his ill-fated Egyptian expedition fourteen years earlier? Lionheart (Nicholas Courtney) and Dunning (Terry Molloy) must journey from London to the highlands of Scotland and the lost tombs of Egypt, to uncover the truth behind Champion’s death… and The Curse of the Black Comet.

Here is Brian Blessed (Doctor Who, Blackadder, and Cats) in an out-take from The Curse of the Black Comet.

|MP3|

Posted by Jesse Willis

Tom Baker doing new Doctor Who audio

Sunday, July 19, 2009 Jesse Willis

SFFaudio News

Doctor Who The Once Upon A Geek Blog is reporting:

“Tom Baker is returning to Doctor Who! Baker has recorded five audio dramas that will be released by the BBC starting in September at a rate of one a month.”

Baker’s Doctor will be joined by former DW cast member Richard Franklin (reprising his role as Mike Yates) in a series of five linked adventures.

Here are the descriptions of each CD:

Doctor Who: Hornets’ Nest – The Stuff of Nightmares 1 of 5
By Paul Magrs; Performed by a full cast
1 CD – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Release Date: September 3, 2009
‘Wanted: retired army Captain for light household duties and fireside companionship. Must tolerate mild eccentricity and strong scientific advice. Knowledge of Giant Maggots, Super Intelligent Spiders and Prehistoric Monsters a positive boon.’ Responding to an advert apparently worded for him alone, Captain Mike Yates (retired) is reunited with a ghost from the past. But why has the Doctor, that mysterious traveller in Time and Space, sent for his former UNIT acquaintance? Trapped by a horde of vicious creatures in an apparently innocuous English country cottage, the two old friends are on the brink of an enormous adventure. As the Doctor relates his recent escapades, it becomes clear to Mike that they – and the Earth at large – are facing an enemy of unimaginable power and horrific intent. The nightmare is only just beginning…

Doctor Who: Hornets’ Nest – The Dead Shoes 2 of 5
By Paul Magrs; Performed by a full cast
1 CD – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Release Date: October 8, 2009
What is so special about a pair of ballet shoes on display in Cromer’s Palace of Curios? When the Doctor meets Ernestina Scott there in 1932, they discover the horrific truth together.

Doctor Who: Hornets’ Nest – The Circus of Doom 3 of 5
By Paul Magrs; Performed by a full cast
1 CD – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Release Date: November 5, 2009
In Blandford, 1832, ringmaster Antonio exerts a strange influence on the townsfolk. When the Doctor steps into the ring, he discovers that Antonio has some familiar demons of his own…

Doctor Who: Hornets’ Nest – A Sting in the Tale 4 of 5
By Paul Magrs; Performed by a full cast
1 CD – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Release Date: December 3, 2009
In a bleak midwinter, an order of nuns protect their Mother Superior from ravaging dogs. But something is very wrong here indeed – and the Doctor is about to get badly stung.

Doctor Who: Hornets’ Nest – Hive of Horror 5 of 5
By Paul Magrs; Performed by a full cast
1 CD – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Release Date: December 3, 2009
The Doctor and Mike must face their enemy in a final battle. They have an unwilling accomplice – and loyalties are about to be tested to the limit.

[Thanks Rich!]

Posted by Jesse Willis

BBC Radio 4: Chronicles Of Ait and The First Men In The Moon

Thursday, July 16, 2009Thursday, July 16, 2009 Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

Thanks to Roy and an “advance copy” of the latest Radio Times we’ve got the skinny on a couple cool programs airing on BBC Radio 4 next week!

First up, in the Book At Bedtime slot…

The First Men In The Moon
By H.G. Wells; Read by Tim Pigott-Smith
5 Parts – Approx. 75 Minutes [ABRDIGED?]
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4 / Book At Bedtime
Broadcast: July 20th – 24th @ 22:45-23:00
An impoverished businessman, Mr. Bedford, and an eccentric scientist, Dr. Cavor,journey to the moon only to find it already inhabited by an extraterrestrial species called “Selenites.” A similar 5 part Book At Bedtime reading was done by Tom Baker back in July 1999.

And in the Afternoon Play slot…

Chronicles Of Ait
By Michael Butt; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 45 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4 / Afternoon Play
Broadcast: July 22nd @ 14:15-15:00
A psychologist investigates a young girl’s claims to second sight. Butt is a veteran radio dramatist with many dozens of radio plays to his credit.

[Thanks Roy!]

Posted by Jesse Willis

Review of Elantris, Part 1 by Brandon Sanderson

Tuesday, July 7, 2009Monday, July 6, 2009 Scott D.

SFFaudio Review

We are so pleased to post this review by Susan Dunman, aka AudiobookDJ. You can find her at her wonderful AudiobookDJ blog, or over at SF Site talking audio. Thanks Susan!

Elantris, Part 1
By Brandon Sanderson; Performed by a Full Cast
Adaptation by Johann Dettweiler
6 CDs – 7 hours – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Graphic Audio
Published: 2009
ISBN: 9781599505558
Themes: / Fantasy / Audio Drama / Religion / Romance / Leadership / Magic /

Elantris was once the city where all men dreamed of living. Full of magic and marvels, its citizens were godlike in their appearance and had superhuman abilities. But now, Elantris is a place for the damned, offering only misery and despair for those unfortunate enough to be locked inside the walled city.

For something is terribly wrong with the Dor, a mysterious force that randomly and instantaneously changes individuals from mortals to immortals. Now that change, called the shaod, transforms people, not into gods, but into grey-skinned, hairless creatures whose bodies cannot heal from wounds or illness. However, those same pain-racked bodies cannot die and are banished to the crumbling city of Elantris, away from the “normal” population of Arelon.

The Crown Prince of Arelon awakens one morning to find his skin covered in the black splotches that are the first signs of the shaod’s transforming power. That same day his father orders the priests to perform a funeral service and send Prince Raoden to Elantris – a fate that befalls all who are considered “dead” after their transformation because they cease to have a heart-beat and do not need food or water to survive.

This turn-of-events is not only disastrous for Prince Raoden, but also for his fiancee, Princess Sarene. She has just arrived from a neighboring country to meet her soon-to-be husband for the first time. Serene is only told that the prince is dead – not that he has been condemned to Elantris. But the suspicious Serene decides to remain in Arelon despite her betrothed’s death, vowing to uncover the truth about Prince Raoden’s untimely demise.

This sets the stage for listeners to experience a remarkable story – made even more enticing by this audio adaptation. With a full compliment of narrators (28 to be exact), sound effects and background music, listeners can hear a three-dimensional production of Sanderson’s work – it’s like wearing 3-D glasses for your ears. To do justice to the book, this adaptation is produced in three parts, each approximately seven hours long.

I know some audiobook fans prefer single voice narration, but if you do enjoy audio drama, or have never tried it, then you should listen to a Graphic Audio production. The sound effects can be powerful,
but only rarely do they invade the narrator’s sound space. In addition, the background music really sets the tone for the various scenes. And if you listen closely, you might find surprises. For example, in one ballroom scene, the music playing softly in the background is The Blue Danube Waltz, making me wonder if Johann Strauss, Jr. had done some kind of universe/time shift maneuver to get his music played in Arelon.

Elantris was Sanderson’s first published work, coming out in April of 2005. He explores themes of love, politics, religion, and eternity in intriguing and imaginative ways. This audio production compliments his work in a very satisfying way and I’m looking forward to hearing part two!

Note: For those who do prefer single-voice narration, Recorded Books offers an unabridged narration by Jack Garrett.

Posted by Susan Dunman