KCRW Bookworm Podcast Interviews Tom McCarthy

Jenny

SFFaudio Online Audio

KCRW BookwormA great literary podcast is Bookworm on KCRW, featuring the insightful Michael Silverblatt interviewing authors about their work.  One memorable episode is with Tom McCarthy, author of C, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2010. |MP3|

The novel C follows the story of Serge Carrefax, who has grown up around an environment of invention, at a school for the deaf run by his father.  From there he travels through a period of drug-ridden military service toward his own realization of his abilities that I wouldn’t want to spoil.   The style of the writing makes the novel read as venturing into speculative fiction, maybe alternate history, without ever fully embracing either genre.  Each quarter of the book self-references other authors, which you don’t have to understand to appreciate the novel, but the interview Michael Silverblatt has with Tom McCarthy is very illuminating in that regard.

More than anything, I appreciate Michael Silverblatt’s exuberance about books and learning.

Podcast Feed: http://www.kcrw.com/podcast/show/bw

Posted by Jenny Colvin

Hallowe’en In A Suburb by H.P. Lovecraft

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

Need Coffee Dot ComHallowe’en In A Suburb
By H.P. Lovecraft; Read by ????
1 |MP3| – Approx. 2 Minutes [POETRY]
Podcaster: NeedCoffee.com’s 32 Days Of Halloween
Podcast: October 6, 2010
First published in the March 1926 issue of National Amateur (as “In A Suburb”).

Podcast feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/32days

Here’s Virgil Finlay accompanying illustration, and the text itself, as it appeared in the September 1952 issue of Weird Tales:

Hallowe'en In A Suburb by H. P. Lovecraft - illustration by Virgil Finlay

Hallowe'en In A Suburb by H. P. Lovecraft

[Many thanks to Gorgon776]

Posted by Jesse Willis

X Minus One: A Pail Of Air based on the short story by Fritz Leiber

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

Here’s an adaptation of a science filled Science Fiction story (about climate change) that I’ve posted about previously – I’m quite fond of it. Check out the wonderful original magazine illustrations to go with it!

X-Minus OneA Pail Of Air
Based on the short story by Fritz Leiber; Adapted by George Lefferts; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – Approx. 30 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: NBC
Broadcast: March 28, 1956
Provider: Internet Archive
|ETEXT|
The dark star passed, bringing with it eternal night and turning history into incredible myth in a single generation! First published in the December 1951 issue of Galaxy magazine.

Illustrations by Ed Alexander:

A Pail Of Air by illustrated by Ed Alexander

A Pail Of Air by illustrated by Ed Alexander

Posted by Jesse Willis

X Minus One: A Gun For Dinosaur based on the short story by L. Sprague de Camp

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

I was surprised to learn this X-Minus One audio drama had never been posted to SFFaudio before. We’ve talked about L. Sprague de Camp’s A Gun For Dinosaur on the SFFaudio Podcast a couple of times (episodes #055 and #035), but for some reason it had never actually been posted on the website!

Now that I’ve got a copy of the original magazine where the short story was first published, and I’m looking at the fantastic illustrations by Ed Emshwiller, I think I’ve found the perfect time!

X-Minus OneX-Minus One – A Gun For Dinosaur
Based on the short story by L. Sprague de Camp; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – Approx.30 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: NBC
Broadcast: March 7, 1956
Provider: Internet Archive
In the bloodiest and most ferocious arena of all prehistoric Earth, hunting reptile heavyweights isn’t for human lightweights. First published in the March 1956 issue Galaxy magazine.

A Gun For Dinosaur illustrated by EMSH
A Gun For Dinosaur illustrated by EMSH
A Gun For Dinosaur illustrated by EMSH

And here’s the cover and splash page for Marvel Comics’ Worlds Unknown, which featured a 14 page adaptation of the story:

Worlds Unknown #2 - A Gun For Dinosaur - COVER

Worlds Unknown #2 - A GUN FOR DINOSAUR Adapted by Roy Thomas, art by Val Mayerik and Ernie Chua - Page 1

Posted by Jesse Willis

CBC: Rewind: Alan Maitland’s readings of three stories by Stephen Leacock, Saki, and O. Henry

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

As It Happens, a long running CBC Radio series, used to feature the occasional short story reading by host Alan Maitland. In fact we reviewed one of the collections, Scary Stories with Alan Maitland |READ OUR REVIEW| back in 2005. Using the pseudonyms “Front Porch Al”, “Fireside Al” and “Graveside Al” Maitland would read classic stories of humor and drama. A recent CBC podcast episode of Rewind, hosted by Michael Enright, features three “Front Porch Al” readings. First up is The Great Election in Missinaba County a “tale of an election in the imaginary county of Missinaba, in the Dominion of Canada, as viewed by the twinkling eye of Stephen Leacock.” Following that Maitland reads a fantastically humorous story, Tobermory by Saki, which is about a talking cat with some very unpopular opinions. Lastly, there’s A Service Of Love by O. Henry, which of course features a surprise ending.

CBC RewindThe Great Election in Missinaba County, Tobermory, and A Service Of Love
By Stephen Leacock, Saki and O. Henry; Read by Alan Maitland
1 |MP3| – Approx. 53 Minutes [UNABRIDGED?]
Podcaster: Rewind
Podcast: July 28, 2011
“It’s summer and the days are lazy and long, perfect for sitting on the front porch, sipping some lemonade and listening to a story. And if you don’t have the front porch and the lemonade, well at least we have the story for you. A couple, actually. They’re from my old friend Al Maitland, also known as Front Porch Al.”

Podcast feed: http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/includes/rewind.xml

Posted by Jesse Willis

P.S. Speaking of Als. I guess Apocalypse Al will never be featured on Rewind, at least not until he is actually freed from CBC prison.