Review of Cibola by Connie Willis

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Cibola by Connie WillisCibola
By Connie Willis; Read by Amy Bruce
1 Cassette – 50 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
ISBN: 1884612156
Publisher: Infinivox
Published: 1996
Themes: Fantasy / History / Time Travel

Carla Johnson from the Denver Record was used to covering nuttos such as a time machine inventor who sent people to the future with his washing machine and a psychic dentist who extracted teeth in another plane of reality. Her new assignment was to cover Rosa Turcorillio, the great-granddaughter of Coronado. Rosa claimed to know where the Seven Cities Of Gold were. Coronado trekked through the Southwest looking for the Seven Cities of Cibola in the 1540s, which poked a big hole in Rosa’s story, since any great-granddaughter of his would have to be at least three hundred years old. But before long, Carla sets out to find the Seven Cities of Gold for herself.

This novella is set in Connie Willis’ home turf of Colorado. My first thought on finishing this story was that it was that Infinivox had erred; they placed this tale in their “Great Science Fiction Stories” series and it isn’t science fiction. It’d fit far better into the fantasy category. Overall, I was disappointed, but don’t get me wrong – Connie Willis is a good writer. Her text is clear and her subjects are original. But like her Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel Doomsday Book, Cibola is way too long for the plot. Scenes are drawn out and character’s thoughts and words are often repeated over and over. The good news is that she is an amusing writer. Cibola offers no out-and-out belly laughs, but it did induce a smile or two. Personally I’m very surprised at Connie Willis’ immense and enduring popularity. Even Cibola, one of her less honored stories, was nominated for a Hugo! Willis is a decent yarn-spinner but her work is not that of an exceptional author.

Amy Bruce has a great voice. Her range isn’t tested by this particular tale, but that doesn’t stop her from having some fun with it. Her voicing of the Rosa Turcorillo character deserves special praise. Infinivox has looped in a drum beat in-between several scenes of the story – and this helps keep the pace up and show progression – something this story really needed. This drum addition could have come off sounding cheesy but it works well and helps the story’s repetition not seem so… repetitive. Also nice is the original cover art and the introductory Infinivox music. I really wish this company was still producing new titles – it’s a crying shame they don’t get the attention they deserve.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Review of The Man Who Traveled in Elephants

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The Man Who Traveled In Elephants
Adapted by Brad Linaweaver from the short story by Robert A. Heinlein; Full Cast Production
1 CD – UNABRIDGED
Publisher: Atlanta Radio Theater Company
Published: 2001
ISBN: 0929483316
Themes: / Fantasy / Pastoral / Ghosts /

Once there was a traveling salesman, a Man Who Traveled in Elephants. For years he traveled with his beloved wife. Now he travels alone and all the Carnivals and Festivals and State Fairs are blending together. Of all the human sorrows, loss and loneliness are perhaps the greatest. But there is the faint sound of a distant calliope in the air and the sugary scent of cotton candy and popcorn. And something wonderful is about to happen to the Man Who Traveled in Elephants.

This is supposed to be the most Ray Bradbury-like story of Robert A. Heinlein’s career. And it has a lot of those Bradburyesque elements to be sure; the nostalgia for the America between the wars, a peaceful pastoral setting spiced up with unusual inhabitants… but there is no mistaking the Heinleinian dual signature on The Man Who Traveled In Elephants – for one, it has those most Heinleinian of Heinleinian characters. You know the ones I mean – characters who in one scene speak with more self-assurance than anyone else in the entire universe and who just mere minutes later are unbelievably skeptical about there own ability to even tie their shoelaces! Heinlein wants to have it both ways, and this trait along with his other bad habit – that of setting up the most pathetic straw-men for a protagonist to knock down – are to put it bluntly completely infuriating. Thankfully, that’s really about all you can complain about Heinlein’s writing here – otherwise it’s simply brilliant, he’s bursting with fresh ideas, and uses a strong narrative voice. Heinlein is authorial legend who really lives up to his reputation! The Man Who Traveled In Elephants doesn’t travel the usual Heinleinian paths. It feels far more like an Ayn Rand style explanation on what is important in life. It’s also a love story. Surprisingly, it’d fit in quite comfortably as an episode of the original Twilight Zone television series. For those who’ve read a bit about Heinlein himself it may even seem like a very personal story, as if Heinlein was writing a coda for his own relationship with his wife Virginia.

The performers, including Harlan Ellison as the ringmaster, do a uniformly excellent job – sound quality is great – the only production gaff it seems to me was the barking dog, which sounded a little artificial, but then they usually are so I can’t slight them for below average on that. The audiobook comes packaged in a DVD style amaray case with liner notes on the inside – a very cool idea. Cover art is great fun, featuring a carnival and in the background and two vaguely familiar people on the cover. The CD itself has a neat introduction from Ray Bradbury at the world premier of this play. Also added is a short dramatized ghost story by Brad Linaweaver entitled A Real Babe. This is an excellent bonus story and works well on its own. My only caveat for this audiobook is that it should be heard with no ambient background noise – use good headphones, a quiet room or a solid pair of high fidelity speakers, the stereo effects and foley background sounds shouldn’t be missed – any ambient noise will seriously impair the complete experience.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Review of Koko By Peter Straub

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Fantasy Audiobooks - Koko by Peter StraubKoko
By Peter Straub; Read by James Woods
2 Cassettes – Approx. 3 hours [ABRIDGED]
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Published: November 1988 – Out Of Print
ISBN: 0671652397
Themes: Fantasy / Horror / Mystery / Vietnam / Serial Killer /

“Koko…” Only four men knew what it meant… Vietnam vets. One was a doctor. One was a lawyer. One was a working stiff. One was a writer. All were as different as men could be – yet all were bound eternally together by a single shattering secret.

A group of Vietnam vets flies back to Asia in search of a former member of their old unit, someone who they think may have become a serial killer, someone calling himself “Koko”. Koko’s motivation and identity are inextricably linked to their tour in ‘Nam, and specifically to one experience they all shared in a Vietnamese village. But in order to discover Koko’s true nature, a few of them may have to die.

Simon & Schuster Audio have used the same cool cover art from the paperback for this audiobook, which is great, but they’ve heavily abridged the novel, which isn’t. Thankfully, the story still works despite the abridgement, and the reader, James Woods, has the chops to become a full time narrator if that Hollywood thing doesn’t work out. Also added to the production is suitably accented music, which works well despite happening at seemingly random intervals. Peter Straub is really able to carve the words into your mind in such a way as to freak you right out of your skin. But it’s not just the words themselves; it’s the characters and the thoughts they have, and the motivations that drive them. It’s certainly a horror novel, but more in the tradition of Joseph Conrad’s Heart Of Darkness than Stephen King’s It. What’s really weird though is that Koko won the World Fantasy Award for best novel. Despite lacking any fantastic elements, Koko is more mystery than fantasy and more horror than fantasy. But don’t get me wrong, Koko deserved the award. It’s just that it is so far outside the boundaries of typical fantasy fiction that only a phrase like “speculative fiction” can capture it at all. Were the work not so impressive nobody would bother debating whether it was fantasy or not. It’s definitely worth the debate.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Review of Mystic Warrior by Tracy and Laura Hickman

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Fantasy Audiobooks - Mystic Warrior by Tracy Hickman and Laura HickmanMystic Warrior
By Tracy and Laura Hickman; Read by Lloyd James
12 CDs – Approx 15 hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2004
ISBN: 0786186860
Themes: / Epic fantasy / Dreams / Magic / Dragons /

Thrice upon a time there was a world that was three worlds; one place that was three places; one history that was told in three sagas all at the same time. Thrice upon a time the gods foresaw a time when three worlds would become one; when the children of their creation would face the binding of the worlds.

Thus begins Book One of The Bronze Canticles: Mystic Warrior by Tracy and Laura Hickman. Fans of Hickman’s work should be extremely pleased with this audiobook. Lloyd James does a fantastic job performing, really embracing the epic fantasy and giving it an energy and depth on par with the finest narrators in the business.

This book is the first volume of a fantasy series in which the Human world, the Goblin world, and the Faery world are being slowly drawn together. The main human character is Galen Arvad, who experiences the drawing together of the worlds through dreams, as do couterparts in the other two worlds. Unfortunately, Galen’s world views these dreams as lunacy, and they seek to put such people to death. Galen does his best to avoid this while discovering the reasons behind all the trouble.

There are scenes from all three worlds in the book, each one interesting in its own right. There are swords, dragons, dwarves, and magic wrapped in an interesting story peopled with good characters. Matched with Lloyd James’ first-rate narration, this is a winner for fans of epic fantasy.

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Check out our new feature! The SFFAudio Author Fo…

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SFFaudio News

Check out our new feature! The SFFAudio Author Focus items will highlight the audio publications of specific authors. Our first is James Patrick Kelly. Check it out here.

Are there any authors you’d like to see? Send us your suggestions by clicking here and sending us an e-mail.

Other news:

Looks like things are finally coming together for the broadcast of the Tertiary Phase of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on BBC Radio 4. Click here for a page announcing the show – looks like September 21, 2004 is the scheduled broadcast date. There is a 4 minute preview on that page which sounds just great. Can’t wait to hear it! Find even more info at Above the Title Productions.

Have an excellent day, and thanks for visiting SFFAudio!

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Review of Unique Visitors By James Patrick Kelly

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Unique Visitors
By James Patrick Kelly; Read by James Patrick Kelly
FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD (link to jimkelly.net) – 15 Minutes (7.11 MB) [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: www.jimkelly.net
Published: April 2004
Themes: / Science Fiction / Time Travel / Immortality / Internet / Personality Uploading /

Submit query. There are currently 842 unique visitors monitoring this session. The average attention quotient is 27 percent. Twenty-seven percent! Don’t you people realize that you’ve got an eyewitness to history here?

Afraid to die? Want to watch reruns of The Beverly Hillbillies for all eternity? All you have to do is give up your body. Even better you can visit the future throught the miracle of forward time travel, just set your alarm clock for a million or so years and turn yourself off.

First published in the hardcover anthology Redshift: Extreme Visions of Speculative Fiction (2001), the short story “Unique Vistors” takes its name from the term for webpage hits and posits a future where you are you can become your own webpage! Full of wry humor, nostalgia, philisophical insight, and internet savvy, this the prototypical James Patrick Kelly tale.

Told in the first person, what would have been an otherwise straightforward performance by Kelly is accented and enhanced with electronica music, echoing voice effects and canned laughter. I’m not sure the canned laughter or the echoing voice work – but I liked the techno music and the sound quality and production values were good. As with the all the other audio stories of Kelly’s we’ve reviewed, “Unique Visitors” is available for download on Kelly’s website for FREE – become a unique visitor, try it yourself! Kelly only asks that if you enjoyed hearing the tale you consider making a donation to his PayPal account. Donate as little or as much as you like, but seriously consider giving him a little something – after all, its in our own interest – because if we do he’ll give us more stories like this!

Posted by Jesse Willis