News, Reviews, and Commentary on all forms of science fiction, fantasy, and horror audio. Audiobooks, audio drama, podcasts; we discuss all of it here. Mystery, crime, and noir audio are also fair game.
I found the classic Neuromancer BBC Audio drama hosted online recently, with an easy to use flash play button:
http://bluesuncorp.co.uk/article/neuromancer-bbc-radio-play
First broadcast on BBC World Service in 2003. Also available through RadioArchive.cc. You maybe be suprised to find seeds of The Matrix as you listen. If you think it sounds like noir, it’s because that was the original intention of the book.
Posted by Tamahome
A 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; 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:
[Many thanks to Gorgon776]
Posted by Jesse Willis
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!
A 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:
Posted by Jesse Willis
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 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.
And here’s the cover and splash page for Marvel Comics’ Worlds Unknown, which featured a 14 page adaptation of the story:
Posted by Jesse Willis
