The SFFaudio Podcast #036

Podcast

The SFFaudio PodcastThe SFFaudio Podcast #036 – Jesse and Scott are joined by Julie of Forgotten Classics to talk with Allan Kaster, the editor of Infinivox’s new audiobook anthology: The Year’s Top Ten Tales Of Science Fiction! We discuss this terrific audiobook, in depth, as well as a few other new releases and recent arrivals.

Talked about on today’s show:
Infinivox (an imprint of Audiotext), biology, study guides, chemistry, Great Science Fiction Stories, Bioware (from medical software to video games), Mass Effect, The Year’s Top Ten Tales Of Science Fiction, A Walk In The Sun by Geoffrey A. Landis |READ OUR REVIEW|, Guest Of Honor by Robert Reed, The Shobies’ Story by Ursula K. Le Guin, Hollywood Kremlin by Bruce Sterling, immortality, Hard SF, Robert Reed, vampires are rather liberal (for being immortal), Five Thrillers by Robert Reed, sociopathy, Ted Chiang, StarShipSofa’s (#88) interview with Ted Chiang, Exhalation by Ted Chiang, consciousness, souls, religion, transcendence, Ray Gun: A Love Story by James Alan Gardner, meta-science fictional stories, “ray guns and spaceships”, Adrift by Scott D. Danielson, World Of The Ptavvs by Larry Niven, Star Trek Animated Series (The Slaver Weapon), “The Soft Weapon” by Larry Niven, romance, Galileo’s Children: Tales of Science vs. Superstition edited by Gardner Dozois, The Dream Of Reason by Jeffrey Ford, The Empire Of Ice Cream by Jeffrey Ford, The Dreaming Wind by Jeffrey Ford (on StarShipSofa AD #75), sense of wonder, 26 Monkeys, Also The Abyss by Kij Johnson, Fantasy vs. Science Fiction, Mini-Masterpieces Of Science Fiction, The Gambler by Paolo Bacigalupi, Fast Forward 2, Fencon 2009 (Dallas, TX), Aliens Rule edited by Alan Kaster, How Music Begins by James Van Pelt, Carolyn Ives Gilman, Laws Of Survival by Nancy Kress, City Of The Dead by Paul McAuley, Shoggoths In Bloom by Elizabeth Bear, H.P. Lovecraft, lovecraftian homage, we need an audio collection of stories inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, frontier, space western, archaeology, aliens, Ray Bradbury, Mrs. Carstairs And The Merman by Delia Sherman, Dercum Audio, 1930s, 19th century, sea creatures, squids, Greg Egan, Peter Watts, The Art of Alchemy by Ted Kosmatka, industrial espionage, The N Word by Ted Kosmatka, Seeds Of Change edited by John Joseph Adams, future releases from Infinivox, Infinivox on Audible.com, Mike Resnick’s Kirinyaga cycle, Guest Law by John C. Wright, Beggars In Spain by Nancy Kress, physics, pirates, Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers, Charles Stross, Antibodies, Lobsters, A Colder War, The Chief Designer by Andy Duncan |READ OUR REVIEW|, Michael Swanwick, The Edge Of The World by Michael Swanwick, The Griffin’s Egg by Michael Swanwick, the state of the magazine industry, Fast Forward 2, Sidewise In Time, Eclipse 2, Extraordinary Engines, Penguin Audio, Level 26: Dark Origins by Anthony E. Zuiker and Duane Swierczynski, Brilliance Audio, The Beastmaster by Andre Norton, Richard J. Brewer, Audible Frontiers, The Short Victorious War by David Weber, The Rise Of Endymion by Dan Simmons, caterbury tales in space, Luke Burrage’s SFBRP on the Hyperion series, Kick-Ass Mystic Ninjas on Simmons’ Hyperion series, Ilium by Dan Simmons, The Terror by Dan Simmons, novella length stories, Escape Route by Peter F. Hamilton, a recent interview with Audible’s founder, The Law Of Nines by Terry Goodkind, Mark Deakins, Rammer by Larry Niven, narrator Pat Bottino, the MP3-CD format vs the CD format, The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, Gateway by Frederik Pohl, Robert J. Sawyer, Man Plus by Frederik Pohl

Posted by Jesse Willis

LibriVox: Dracula by Bram Stoker

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

Listening For The League's Gentlemen At LibriVoxHere’s another older LibriVox audiobook featuring a character found in Alan Moore’s League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Wilhelmina “Mina” Harker (née Murray) is lucky enough to survive this novel and then go on to be the core characters around which the events of Moore’s first comix collection swirl. She’s the proper Englishwoman wearing a large scarf over her neck. She plays a literally pivotal role in Vol. 1 of The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen. This version is not read by a single narrator, but, that’s okay in this case because Dracula is told from multiple (and ever shifting) viewpoints.

LibriVox - Dracula by Bram StokerDracula
By Bram Stoker; Read by various
27 Zipped MP3 Files or Podcast – Approx. 16 Hours 31 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: May 10, 2006

Podcast feed:

http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/dracula-by-bram-stoker.xml

iTunes 1-Click |SUBSCRIBE|

Posted by Jesse Willis

LibriVox: King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

Listening For The League's Gentlemen At LibriVoxThis is the first in a series of posts in which I will examine LibriVox’s back catalogue looking for the characters and references that Alan Moore has put into his comic The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen. This, the first post, features Allan Quatermain, adventurer and man of action, in his first novel. This is prior to his descent into a despicable opium addiction. It’s a single voiced narration, and I’ve made some cool cover art for it too.

Read now Haggard’s introduction from the 1898 edition:

“The author ventures to take this opportunity to thank his readers for the kind reception they have accorded to the successive editions of this tale during the last twelve years. He hopes that in its present form it will fall into the hands of an even wider public, and that in years to come it may continue to afford amusement to those who are still young enough at heart to love a story of treasure, war, and wild adventure.”

LibriVox - King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider HaggardKing Solomon’s Mines
By H. Rider Haggard; Read by John Nicholson
20 Zipped MP3 Files or Podcast – Approx. 9 Hours 50 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: 2006
King Solomon’s Mines, first published in 1885, was a best-selling novel by the Victorian adventure writer H. Rider Haggard. It relates a journey into the heart of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain in search of the legendary wealth said to be concealed in the mines of the novel’s title. It is significant as the first fictional adventure novel set in Africa, and is considered the genesis of the Lost World literary genre. – Haggard wrote over 50 books, among which were 14 novels starring Allan Quatermain.

Podcast feed:
http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/king-solomons-mines-by-haggard.xml

iTunes 1-Click |SUBSCRIBE|

Here’s the cool map from the back of the Dell Books “mapback” edition:

King Solomon's Mines - Dell Mapback map

Posted by Jesse Willis

NPR: James Sallis talks about Chester Himes

Jesse Willis

Aural Noir: Online Audio

NPR - Fresh Air with Terry GrossI’ve been on the look out for James Sallis audio since I reviewed Drive his fast paced crime novella. Here’s an old interview (2001) in which he talks to Fresh Air‘s Terry Gross about his biography of crime writer Chester Himes. |REALAUDIO|

Does anyone know of more James Sallis audio out there?

Posted by Jesse Willis

BBC7: Black Bartlemy’s Treasure

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

BBC Radio 7 - BBC7BBC Radio 7 has a cool sounding pirate play airing today that’s based on a 1920 novel. Here’s the description from the 1944 dust jacket of the paperbook:

“Mr. Farnol brings back the pirate days of the Spanish Main in this stirring book and not since “The Broad Highway” and “The Amateur Gentleman” has he created such a company of picturesque characters. It is a full-blooded, wholesome novel that captivates the reader.

Martine Conisby, Lord Wendover, embittered by his five years of slavery on the Spanish galleon Esmeralda, escapes during a sea fight to an English ship and makes his way back to England, determined to avenge himself on Richard Brandon, who was the cause of his father’s death and his own ill-treatment. Broken in body and spirit, he arrives home one night disguised as a tramp, just in time to save from the hands of robbers a beautiful girl, Lady Jane Brandon, the daughter of the man whom he has sworn to punish. In a tavern he meets a pal, Adam Penfeather, who unfolds to him the story of Black Bartlemy, an infamous pirate, and his treasure buried on an island– treasure of fabulous value that has been the dream and hope of roving adventurers along the Spanish Main for many years.

The engrossed reader will eagerly follow the adventures of the treasure seekers who set sail on the good ship Faithful Friend and the unique experiences of Martin and the fair Lady Jane – whose family the hero hated – as they found themselves alone on the island which contained the buried treasure. He will encounter some rogues as bloodthirsty as any pirates who ever sailed the Seven Seas, and discover love episodes that stir the emotions. Mr. Farnol has never made a wider appeal than in this, his first sea story.”

Neat huh? Here are the details…

Black Bartelmy's Treasure by Jeffrey FarnolBlack Bartlemy’s Treasure
By Jeffery Farnol; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 90 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 7
Broadcast: Saturday at 1pm & 1.30am
After spending “Five years of Hell” as a rowing slave, Martin Conisby returns to England to seek vengeance on the man responsible. Jeffrey Farnol’s swashbuckling tale of the high seas is dramatised by Michael Bartlett and stars Steven Pacey, Sean Barrett and Julia Swift. It was directed by Glyn Dearman and first broadcast in 1991. Jeffrey Farnol’s swashbuckling tale of piracy, love and death on a desert island.

Starring:
Stephen Pacey (Martin Conisby)
Sean Barret (Adam Penfeather)
Julia Swift (Joan Brandon)
Ronald Herdman (Roger Tressady)
Sean Arnold (Black Bartlemy)
Fraser Carr (Joel Bym)
Mark Straker (Abnegation Mings)
Andrew Wincott (Sir Rupert Dering)
Colin McFarlane (Smiling Sam Spraggons)
Theresa Streatfield (Marjorie)

Incidentally, there’s another Jeffrey Farnol novel over on LibriVox. And, the Jeffrey Farnol Appreciation Society has details on the follow up series, and more!

Posted by Jesse Willis

BBC has a fan taping policy [tacitly PLEASE DO IT]

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio News

BBC Radio 7 - BBC7As we know by now many books, stories, TV episodes, movies, and even the Apollo moon landing footage can just somehow just get lost by the archives department of any major organization. Whether this is from mis-filing, mis-communication, oversight problems, theft, general incompetence, idiocy or other error – the missing media means it cant be rebroadcast or reprinted. This is an issue that’s come up again and again for the classic televisions series Doctor Who. Whole serials have been found around the world in the hands of fans and affiliate stations. This time this story is coming from a BBC Radio so I thought I’d share it with you. It’s also a nice thank you/shout-out to loyal BBC listeners who help “the Beeb” serve its audience all the better.

In recent years the BBC has been looking to home recordings made by BBC fans. As is done with any medium, fans make copies, either photocopying a story, recording the shows off the air, dubbing tapes for sharing or (dare I say it making torrents) so their friends and fellow fans. Of this phenomenon here’s what Mary Kalemkerian, Head of Programmes for BBC Radio 7, wrote in the September 4, 2009 BBC7 email newsletter:

“As most of you are aware, not all of the old programmes broadcast on BBC radio have been retained by the sound archive, for various reasons, and although we do not have the resources to deal with all of the “off-air” recordings we are offered, if there is a series with perhaps one or two episodes missing, we sometimes ask listeners if they happen to have kept any home-recordings which we could try to clean up for broadcast. Recent examples have resulted in us acquiring previously “missing” episodes of The Long Hot Satsuma, and Parsley Sidings.

Only 4 episodes of Parsley Sidings had been retained by the BBC, but thanks to one of our listeners, 15 further episodes were returned to us. The writer of the series, Jim Eldridge, was of course delighted. Another of Jim’s radio comedies, currently being broadcast on Radio 7, is Tony’s, set in a hairdressers and starring Victor Spinetti. The first series of Tony’s is in 6 episodes, but unfortunately episode 5 is missing from the archive!

There was also a second series of Tony’s but, sadly, no episodes from series 2 have been retained.

So if any of you ardent radio comedy fans happen to have a copy of episode 5 of Tony’s stored in your collections, or any of series 2, please e-mail to let us know, and if possible, we will arrange to have them digitised for broadcast.”

Then in this week’s newsletter (September 11, 2009) Kalemkerian writes:

“In last week’s newsletter, I asked if any of you radio comedy fans happened to have episode 5 of the sit-com Tony’s, which is missing from the BBC Sound Archive. Only minutes after my newsletter was posted on the Radio 7 website, Kevin Askew from Northampton e-mailed us to say that he indeed had a copy of the requested episode. Kevin has now sent the CD to us, and it has been sent off to be technically checked. We also received an e-mail from listener/collector David Moore telling us that, in addition to series 1, he also has the complete series 2. So thanks to those listeners, we hope to be able to bring you both full series of Tony’s.”

I think it’s great that the BBC is acting sensibly, responding to their audience’s needs by searching out these old shows. I also think it’s terrific that the BBC is now, if only tacitly, admitting that fan recordings and sharing is something that we should be doing. Wouldn’t it be great if all such corporations acted so sensibly?

Posted by Jesse Willis