Review of Eros, Philia, Agape by Rachel Swirsky

Scott D.

SFFaudio Review

Yet another story in SFFaudio’s 7th Anniversary Exposition of Excellent Stories! Step right up…

Science Fiction Audiobook - Eros, Philia, Agape by Rachel SwirskyEros, Philia, Agape
By Rachel Swirsky; Read by Rachel Swirsky
1 Hour 12 Minutes – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tor.com (Tor Story Podcast #013)
Published: 2010
Themes: / Science Fiction / Love / Robots / Divorce / Children / Relationships /

Adriana shrugged. “They’re all beautiful, right?”

“We’ll need specifications.”

“I don’t have specifications.”

The salesman frowned anxiously. He shifted his weight as if it could help him regain his metaphorical footing. Adriana took pity. She dug through her purse.

“There,” she said, placing a snapshot of her father on one of the display tables. “Make it look nothing like him.”

I’ve been really lucky this month. I’ve listened to thirteen stories, and they’ve all been winners. This one may be the best of the lot!

Adriana goes through with the purchase in that scene above – she buys herself a robot husband named Lucian. She then has a baby named Rose. Though Rose has none of Lucian’s DNA (he has none to give, of course), this is a family. The decision to purchase a robot whose body is made to order and whose personality can be molded to fit does not prevent relationship problems, though. It introduces different ones.

You can probably tell from just that short section that Adriana is a character with a lot of internal conflict. I immediately cared about her, and Lucian, and little Rose. This is a wonderful story that I’ll be reading again.

You can grab the story |HERE|

Or subscribe to the Tor Story Podcast at this link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TorDotStories

Enjoy!

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Recent Arrival: Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

Scott D.

SFFaudio Recent Arrivals

Fantasy Audiobook - Eyes Like Stars by Lisa MantchevEyes Like Stars
By Lisa Mantchev; Read by Cynthia Bishop and the Full Cast Family
8 CDs – 9 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Full Cast Audio
Published: 2010

A new one from the excellent Full Cast Audio!

The Theatre Illuminata is home to every play ever written – and to Beatrice Shakespeare Smith (“Bertie” for short), who was left on its doorstep as an infant. Now she lives on its stage and consorts with spirits, pirates, kings, and . . . well, in short, every character ever to stride the boards.

Constantly accompanied (whether she wants to be or not) by four cake-obsessed fairies, Bertie can’t seem to stay out of trouble. It’s gotten so bad that management is ready to throw her out, unless she can – against all odds – prove her worth to the theater.

With its willful and engaging heroine, dazzling concept, and host of Shakespearian characters, Lisa Mantchev’s debut novel is itself like a great piece of theatre. Shifting effortlessly from hilarity to romance to loss to redemption, it is bound to delight anyone who has ever dreamed of the stage.

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Review of Suicide is Painless by Don Norum

Scott D.

SFFaudio Review

Back in SFFaudio’s first year, a moose bit my sister…

Science Fiction Audiobook - Suicide is PainlessSuicide is Painless
By Don Norum; Read by Paul Campbell
55 Minutes – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Cossmass Infinities
Published: 2010
Themes: / Science Fiction / Military SF / Battles / Aliens /

If you’ve got circuits installed all over your body, does that make you a cyborg? Or do you need to have metal limbs or something? Not sure, but in “Suicide is Painless”, Don Norum presents us with Lucia, a beautiful female plus circuits. Those circuits allow her to interface with her battle machine in a deep way – submerged in fluid to help with shock absorption, she connects with machine and fights with lots of firepower. I loved the descriptions of how she joined with the machine.

Who’s the enemy? Cockroach-like creatures that infest asteroids in the asteroid belt. They’ve been there for millions of years, but they didn’t originate from there. Bring ’em on!

Paul W. Campbell himself performs the narration of this, the third story in his Cossmass Infinities podcast. He’s paying the authors with donations, so be sure to throw a tip their way if you like the story. I enjoyed Paul’s narration here and in Episode One: “Fluff and Buttons on the Teddy Bear Range” by Matthew Sanborn Smith.

Find Cossmass Infinities |HERE|

And the podcast feed:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/cossmass/infinities

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Recent Arrivals from Blackstone Audio

Scott D.

SFFaudio Recent Arrivals

Science Fiction Audiobook - Identity Theft by Robert J. SawyerIdentity Theft
By Robert J. Sawyer; Read by Anthony Heald
2 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2010
ISBN: 9781441716729

I HEART novellas!

Identity Theft is a hard-boiled detective novella set on Mars. It’s currently in development as a motion picture, and is a nominee for both the Nebula Award and Hugo Award.

Cassandra and Joshua Wilkins are fossil hunters who have both recently transferred their minds into artificial bodies, but now Joshua has mysteriously disappeared. Cassandra must hire Alex Lomax, the only private detective on the Red Planet, to locate Joshua before sinister forces get to him.
 
 
Science Fiction Audiobook - Time's Eye by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen BaxterTime’s Eye: A Time Odyssey, Book One
By Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter; Read by John Lee
10.5 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2010
ISBN: 9781433246043

For eons, Earth has been under observation by the Firstborn, beings almost as old as the universe itself. The Firstborn are unknown to humankind—until they act. In an instant, Earth’s timeline is carved up and reassembled into a patchwork of different eras, from prehistory to the year 2037, each with its own indigenous inhabitants.

The only clue to the origin of this astonishing transformation lies in the ancient city of Babylon, where two groups of refugees from 2037—three cosmonauts and three U.N. peacekeepers—have detected strange radio signals. As the peacekeepers ally with nineteenth-century British troops and the armies of Alexander the Great, the cosmonauts join forces with the Mongol horde led by Genghis Khan. Both sides set out for Babylon, determined to win the race for knowledge—and the power that lies within.
 
 
Science Fiction Audiobook - Treason by Orson Scott CardTreason
By Orson Scott Card; Read by Stefan Rudnicki
9.3 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2010
ISBN: 9781433228384

Lanik Mueller’s birthright as heir to planet Treason’s most powerful rulership will never be realized. He is a “rad”—radical regenerative—a freak who can regenerate injured flesh and trade extra body parts to the Offworld oppressors for iron. On a planet without hard metals, or the means of escape, iron offers the promise of freedom through the chance to build a spacecraft. But it is a promise which may never be fulfilled, as Lanik uncovers a treacherous conspiracy beyond his imagination. Now charged with a mission of conquest—and exile—Lanik devises a bold and dangerous plan to break the vicious chain of rivalry and bloodshed that enslaves the people of Treason.
 
Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Review of “Turjan of Miir” by Jack Vance

Scott D.

SFFaudio Review

We forgot to mention that this short review is part of the 7th Anniversary SFFaudio Reviewapalooza! Those responsible have been sacked.

Science Fantasy Audiobook - The Dying Earth by Jack Vance“Turjan of Miir”
Contained in The Dying Earth
By Jack Vance; Read by Arthur Morey
42 Minutes – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2010
Themes: / Science Fantasy / Spells / Mathematics / Artificial Life /

“Turjan of Miir” is the first story in Jack Vance’s The Dying Earth. It’s a densely rich story – when my mind wandered, I had to stop and back up the audio because each and every word is important and very much worth hearing. And a pleasure to hear, too – kudos to Arthur Morey for the fine narration.

The story opens with Turjan trying to feed his latest creation.

Turjan sat in his workroom, legs sprawled out from the stool, back against and elbows on the bench. Across the room was a cage. Into this, Turjan gazed with rueful vexation. The creature in the cage returned the gaze with emotions beyond conjecture. It was a thing to arouse pity.

The creature won’t eat, though, and dies in front of him. Out of frustration (for he’s attempted to create life many times before), he decides to visit an otherworld where a man (or ex-man) named Pandalume will be able to help him stabilize the pattern he needs to successfully make life.

Vance is luxurious with detail. In very little space, he tells us how Turjan can only carry four spells at a time, so for the trip to the otherworld he takes “three spells of general application”. The Excellent Prismatic Spray, Fandale’s Mantle of Stealth, and the Spell of the Slow Hour. It’s marvelous. There are many descriptive gems here.

I immediately see how The Dying Earth spawned an RPG, and I can also see that Wolfe, Zelazny, and Gaiman were all influenced by Vance.

Posted by Scott D. Danielson