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.
Norm Sherman of the Drabblecast reads Tony Frazier’s story Astromonkeys over at Escape Pod. The story first appeared in Jim Baen’s Universe. Here is the |MP3|.
Subscribe to the podcast via this feed:
http://escapepod.org/podcast.xml
Posted by Charles Tan
The Tor Forge Podcast takes the time to talk with Brent Hartinger (Dreamquest) and Cherie Priest (Not Flesh Nor Feathers) at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Trade Show on using their blogs to promote themselves. Here is the |MP3|
Subscribe to the podcast via this feed:
http://www.tor-forge.com/GenerateRSS.ashx?type=itunes
Posted by Charles Tan
In June 1936 Astounding Science Fiction magazine published H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Out Of Time a short story that is the “single greatest achievement in fiction” (according to Lovecraft propagandist Lin Carter). Carter called it “amazing [in] scope and [with a] sense of cosmic immensitude” and that’s no small praise. Have a listen to it and judge for yourself. Let “the gulfs of time” open and, submit to “the titanic sweep of the narrative.” Embrace the adjectives! This story has a massive wikipedia entry all of its own.
The Shadow Out Of Time
By H.P. Lovecraft; Read by Jim Campanella
5 MP3s – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Uvula Audio
Published: July/August 2007
The story indirectly tells of The Great Race of The Yith, an extraterrestrial species with the ability to travel through space and time. The Yithians accomplish this by switching bodies with hosts from the intended spacial or temporal destination. The story implies that the effect when seen from the outside is similar to demonic or spiritual possession. The story is told through the eyes of Nathaniel Wingate Peaslee, an economics professor from Miskatonic University who is “possessed” by a Yithian. Peaslee fears he is losing his mind when he unaccountably sees strange vistas of other worlds and the Yithian library city. However, while he was experiencing a Yithian existence in earth’s ancient past, the Yithian occupying his body was experiencing a human one in the present day. But that was only the beginning of the horror…
Part 1 |MP3| Part 2 |MP3| Part 3 |MP3| Part 4 |MP3| Part 5 |MP3|
Here’s the podcast feed for Uvula Audio:
http://www.uvulaaudio.com/Books/Books.xml
Posted by Jesse Willis
The WMPG radio show (and podcast) Radio Drama Revival recently aired a thought provoking interview with some of the talents behind the podcast audio drama series Wormwood. Host Fred Greenhalgh sez of it:
“I got the guys from Wormwood (www.wormwoodshow.com) on. Wormwood is a GREAT serialized mystery drama with broad appeal — conducted with a great sense of pacing, startling scenes and of course a storyline that keeps you begging for more. The two producers and a voice actor got on and just had a wonderful time talking about the show and what they’re trying to do.”
Its well worth a listen as the first season of this wickedly addictive show is set to conclude shortly. Listen in |MP3|.
Also on tap, though the SFF content is as yet unknown is the following:
Radio Drama Revival is airing Crazy Dog Audio Theatre’s The Salmon of Blackpool. As Greenhalgh sez:
“I needn’t harp on about the stellar caliber of Roger Gregg’s [the guy behind CRAZY DOG] work, but this is truly above and beyond even the high standards set by his previous work and is truly dazzling. If you want to talk about ‘audio movies,’ tune into this work — it is truly cinematic, and the gorgeous production, performances and sound design all combine to suck you into this tragic and gripping story.”
Crazy Dog’s work is spectacular, Roger Gregg is the Alfred Hitchcock of Radio Drama, so even if it turns out to be lacking any fantastic or horror elements this series will be worth hearing – have a listen |MP3| to part one.
Attend the weekly meetings of Radio Drama Revival by subscribing to the big tent, namely the podcast’s feed for the show:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/RadioDramaRevival
Posted by Jesse Willis
The latest from BBC7 and The 7th Dimension…
First broadcast in 1998!
Troy – King Priam and his Sons
By Andrew Rissick; Performed by a full cast
1 Part – [RADIO DRAMA]
AIRS: Sunday at 10am and 8pm
The first in a trio of compelling plays re-telling the story of events leading up to, and following the fall of Troy. As the Trojan King and his wife expect their second son, the Gods warn that disaster looms if the child lives.
Another chance to hear this “sci-fi thriller,” originally commissioned for BBC 7.
Scramble
By Martin Kiszko; Performed by a full cast
3 Parts – [RADIO DRAMA]
AIRS: Saturday at 6pm and midnight
In a futuristic totalitarian world where music has been banned, a government scientist uncovers some uncomfortable facts.
Another rerun of a special commission for BBC 7, this one described as “sci-fi horror” .
Survival
By John Wyndham; Read by Nicholas Boulton.
2 Parts – [ABRIDGED?]
AIRS: Sunday at 6.30pm and 12.30am
The instinct for survival is tested when a group of space travellers are trapped on board a shuttle to Mars.
A first broadcast for this new BBC 7 commission. This one sounds cool!
Project Raphael
By Jenny Stephens; Performed by a full cast
3 Parts – [RADIO DRAMA]
AIRS: Monday to Wednesday at 6.30pm and 12.30am
A dangerous enemy agent of British Intelligence has died, taking his secrets to the grave. The only hope of retrieving them is to send someone after him. Raphael volunteers to become a ‘revenant’, a dead agent. However, once he is dead no one can contact him, and so a ghost-hunter is recruited.
Posted by Jesse Willis
Barnes & Noble aint slouching when it comes to original interviews. They’ve a good podcast available that features several Speculative Fiction authors…
Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, Jonathan Lethem, R.A. Salvatore, Terry Pratchett, Laurell K. Hamilton and Anne Rice (who explains why she’ll never write about vampires again).
No direct links are in evidence but you can subscribe to the podcast feed and listen that way:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/rss/mtw.xml
Posted by Jesse Willis