SFFaudio – Page 693 – 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.

WNYC’s Radio Lab talks the MULTIVERSE

Friday, August 15, 2008Monday, March 22, 2010 Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

You want to hear about the multiverse? No? Well, in some universe you do and in it you’ll be checking out WNYC’s Radio Lab‘s podcast/radio show talk about the multiverse! Have a listen |MP3|!

Here’s the description:

Have you wondered if there is another you out there? Somewhere? Sitting in the same chair, reading the same blog post, wearing the same clothes and thinking the same thoughts? Well, Brian Greene says there must be one. Or two. Or lots and lots and lots and lots and… Why? You ask, well listen to Greene’s argument in this week’s podcast.

We are still furiously working on Season 5, so while you wait we bring you today’s podcast of a conversation between Robert Krulwich and Brian Greene, physics and mathematics professor and director of the Institute of Strings, Cosmology, and Astroparticle Physics at Columbia University. The interview is part of a series called “Giants of Science” hosted by venerable New York institution, the 92nd St Y.

Robert and Brian discuss what’s beyond the horizon of our universe, what you might wear in infinite universes with finite pairs of designer shoes, and why the Universe and swiss cheese have more in common than you think.

[via io9.com]

Posted by Jesse Willis

Five Children and It on BBC7

Friday, August 15, 2008Friday, August 15, 2008 Rich

SFFaudio Online Audio

Good stuff is happening on BBC7 lately, like Mike Walker’s remarkable 6-part historical drama series, Caesar!, that aired over the last two weeks. This Saturday, 7 Drama will present the full cast dramatization of Edith Nesbit’s Five Children and It (which certainly ranks as one of the best ever titles for a kids novel), a story about a magical sand fairy (that) grants five children a series of wishes…

A little background, quoting here from Wikipedia, Edith Nesbit popularized an innovative style of children’s fantasy that combined realistic, contemporary children in real-world settings with magical objects and adventures. In doing so, she was a direct or indirect influence on many subsequent writers, including P. L. Travers (author of Mary Poppins), Edward Eager, Diana Wynne Jones and J. K. Rowling -as well as C. S. Lewis and Michael Moorcock. Yow!

Some will recall Nesbit for her memorable novel, The Railway Children, and the film and BBC television series based on the book (presented wayyy back in the 1960’s). I said some will -if they’re willing to admit that they’re old enough to have watched Star Trek: TOS in prime time.

Now, I have to admit that I haven’t heard this production before but given the Beeb’s track record, the play should be good. At an hour and a half long, there should be enough time to cover the story while keeping things moving at a brisk pace. Also, BBC dramatizations tend to feature excellent child actors. This should be a big plus here. -A lot of “shoulds”, I know, but being a fan of Edith Nesbit’s books to begin with, of course I’m looking forward to this.

Check out Five Children and It with me on Saturday, August 16 from 12:00- 13:30 GMT. Teleport to 7 Drama here to do so. Or you can use the Listen Again feature to hear the show for six days after it airs.

Lastly, you can read and download Edith Nesbit’s novels online at Project Gutenberg. All are in the public domain. Yay!

Posted by RC of Radio Tales of the Strange and Fantastic

Fafhrd and The Gray Mouser come to Audible.com

Thursday, August 14, 2008Saturday, July 16, 2011 Jesse Willis

SFFaudio News

Audible Frontiers Steve Feldberg, director of content for Audible.com sez:

Man, am I pumped! And fans of Fritz Leiber’s classic Fafhrd & The Gray Mouser stories should be jazzed, too, because Audible has just brought all seven books of this all-time great series into audio for the first time! And even better, each title comes with an exclusive introduction by none other than Neil Gaiman. I especially like his lengthy, thoughtful introduction to THE SWORDS OF LANKHMAR. But, frankly, it’s all great. Especially since narrator Jonathan Davis has done such an outstanding job of bringing the Lankhmar series to life. Jonathan is perhaps best known for his great work on numerous Star Wars audiobooks, but I think he’s outdone himself this time.

In his email, Feldberg also included an exclusive Neil Gaiman intro to Leiber, and we’ve got it for you right here |MP3|! Check out the entire Lankhmar series HERE.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Sound Affects to air: “a good horrible story” next Sunday

Thursday, August 14, 2008Thursday, August 14, 2008 Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

Jerry Stearns, host of Sound Affects: A Radio Playground, will be airing F. Paul Wilson’s “The Slasher” (which we told you about not so long ago) next Sunday evening at 9:30 on KFAI. Sez Jerry: “It’s not very SF a story, but it is a good horrible story.” Also on offer is a time travel story from the Atlanta Radio Theater Company.

In fact, the next few months on Sound Affects will be quite interesting as it’ll look something like this:

September – Crazy Dog’s “The Last Harbinger” (begins Aug. 31)

October – A War of the Worlds Month (with excerpts from many versions and ending with the 50th Anniversary Production complete)

November – ZBS’s “Dinotopia”

December – ZBS’s “The World Beneath” (the sequel to Dinotopia)

Sound Affects airs on KFAI, 90.3 FM and 106.7 FM, in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
between 9:30 and 10:30 PM on Sundays (Central Time).

Posted by Jesse Willis

AUDIO REALMS: Dagon by H.P. Lovecraft

Thursday, August 14, 2008Friday, October 1, 2010 Jesse Willis

SFFaudio Online Audio

By all the demons of the sea, I have stupendously wondrous news!

Audio Realms has begun its long awaited podcast!

I don’t think there has ever been a podcast I’ve been more excited about. Each week the AR podcast will present tales from their truly awesome audiobook catalogue. Future releases, all in unabridged form, will also include “interviews, related news and preview clips of upcoming productions.” Expect to hear short stories and “full length productions in serialized segments.” Authors in the Audio Realms catalog include: H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Andre Norton and Lin Carter! Check out the first podcast, taken from The Dark Worlds Of H. P. Lovecraft, Volume 2. I’m of the opinion that it will forever be the DEFINITIVE reading of…

Dagon
By H.P. Lovecraft; Read by Wayne June
1 |MP3| – Approx. 16 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: Audio Realms Podcast
Podcast: August 12th 2008
The testament of a tortured, morphine-addicted man who plans to commit suicide over an incident that occurred early on in World War I when he was a merchant marine officer.