Airing on BBC7‘s The 7th Dimension:
Burning Chrome by William Gibson, an UNABRIDGED reading
Sun December 21st, 2003, 18:30 – 19:00, 30 mins
Adam Sims reads William Gibson’s hugely influential short story of cyberspace hackers and ruthless computer cool. [Episode 1 of 2. Rptd Monday 12.30am]
Posted by Jesse Willis
War of the Worlds
Starring Leonard Nimoy, Jerry Hardin, Gates McFadden, Dwight Schultz, Armin Shimerman, Brent Spiner, and Wil Wheaton
Adapted by Howard Koch; Directed by John de Lancie
Duration: 1 cassette, 70 minutes
ISBN: 0807235628
Producer: LA Theatre Works
Themes: / Science Fiction / Alien invasion / H.G. Wells / Civilization’s End /
In 1938, Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater of the Air frightened the American public with its realistic radio version of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. Authentic sounding radio shows were interrupted by authentic sounding news casts which reported the landing and subsequent chaos caused by several angry aliens in Grover’s Mill, NJ. The story after the broadcast was the chaos caused by folks who thought the fictitious events were really happening, despite the occasional disclaimer. Orson Welles proved to us all, once and for all, that you can’t always believe what you hear.
In 1995, LA Theatre Works recreated this performance, live, directed by John de Lancie. The same script originally used by Welles, written by Howard Koch, is used here. This is not a remake, but a re-creation. The same script, same words, and the same cues are all here, just delivered by different actors.
The idea to gather Star Trek alumni and do this live radio show was John de Lancie’s. While listening, it is interesting to pick out who is who in the show. The production quality is excellent. But, as a fan of the original Welles production, only the performance of Brent Spiner as a crazed survivor stands out as a reason to give this one a listen. The original, imbued with its history and its great performances, is still the one to get.
This re-creation spawned several fine dramatic science fiction recordings led by John de Lancie and Leonard Nimoy under the name Alien Voices, and for that I’m grateful.
Check out the Hugo Winners page – we compiled a list of all the Hugo winners and audio editions of those works, if they exist. We hope you find it helpful!
Posted by Scott D. Danielson
Anne Manx and the Trouble on Chromius
Starring Claudia Christian, Andy Hallet, and Paris Jefferson
Written by Larry Weiner
Duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Format: 2 Audio CD’s, also available at Audible.com
ISBN: 0966039289
Producer: The Radio Repertory Company of America
Themes: / Science Fiction / Mystery / Private Eye /
You know the story. Smart-ass female private eye gets embroiled in something that’s more than she bargained for. Using her brains, attitude, and savvy, she saves the day. Think V.I. Warshawski or Kinsey Milhone. The difference here is that we’re talking science fiction and the setting is somewhere like the planet Chromius instead of New York or Chicago. But still… familiar territory.
Though the plot elements aren’t uncommon, the overall production certainly is. Claudia Christian heads a very good cast in this well-produced satirical radio drama that reminds me how entertaining radio drama can be. This is real radio drama that pulls you in and doesn’t let go.
Whether Claudia Christian is trading barbs with another character or questioning an informant, she presents a believable and hilarious main character. Her sidekick, played by Andy Hallet, made me laugh out loud more than once. The original music was also quite good, as were the sound effects. Through good headphones, I was fully immersed in the action-packed story.
Anne Manx and the Trouble on Chromius won the Gold Mark Time Award for Best Science Fiction Audio of the year 2002. Story by Larry Weiner, produced by Angelo Panetta for the Radio Repertory Company of America. Find the entire credit list here, and LISTEN TO A SAMPLE here.
The Moon Moth
By Jack Vance; adapted by George Zarr
Performed by a Full Cast
Duration: 73 minutes 22 seconds
Available at: http://www.scifi.com/set/playhouse/moth/
Producer: Seeing Ear Theater
Themes: Science Fiction / Mystery / Aliens / Identity / Sociology /
A tone-deaf detective pursues a singing assassin through an opera of blood in this classic satirical thriller by Jack Vance. On the planet Sirene everyone wears a mask according to his status — or strahk — in society. Communication is accomplished through singing accompanied by a plethora of instruments, each of which signifies a different emotional mood or is used to talk to a different social caste. The problem is, the assassin Angmark is a master of Sirenese customs and — like everyone else on Sirene — his face is hidden behind a mask. Our doddering ambassador-detective’s only hope: to learn to use his own mask — the lowly Moon Moth — before Angmark relieves him of a head to put it on.
“The Moon Moth” is one of the best short science fiction stories tackling ideas of alternative social systems. Most stories of this type are found in full length novels like Robert Silverberg‘s A Time Of Changes or Ursula K. Le Guin‘s The Left Hand Of Darkness, but what is so delightful about this story is how densely packed with excellence it truly is. “The Moon Moth” is whimsical story with a truly original alien culture, the tale is part social commentary, part social satire and an absolutely terrific variation on the locked room mystery all packed successfully into 73 minutes of goodness! David Garrison and the rest of the Seeing Ear Theater cast are hilarious and effective but the real kudos has to go to George Zarr who so skillfully adapted Jack Vance‘s 1961 short story to the audio drama form. And unbeleivably, this play is still available for free on the internet! Very highly recommended!
Star Trek New Frontier: Stone and Anvil
By Peter David; Read by Joe Morton
4 CD’s; 4 hours [ABRIDGED]
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2003
ISBN: 0743533283 (CD), 0743533275 (Cassette)
Themes: / Science Fiction / Star Trek / New Frontier / Federation / Murder / Genetic engineering /
Peter David’s Star Trek: New Frontier series has been consistently excellent. Stone and Anvil is the 14th book in the series, six of which have been produced as audiobooks.
This book has Ensign Janos of the USS Excalibur under suspicion of murder. Captain Mackenzie Calhoun doesn’t believe Janos is guilty, and investigates. Through flashbacks into Calhoun’s past, the mystery is unraveled, culminating in a confrontation between Calhoun’s Excalibur and Picard’s Enterprise, and an exploration of the ethics and practice of genetic engineering.
Personally, I’ve had a lot of fun with Peter David’s novels. I think it’s safe to say that he’s my favorite of the Trek novelists – among my favorites are his Imzadi and Q Squared. In the New Frontier novels, he has the sandbox all to himself, and he seems to be enjoying himself. Along with the character of Calhoun, he brings in several secondary characters from TNG – for example, his wife is Captain Elizabeth Shelby of the USS Trident, who first appeared in the TNG episode The Best of Both Worlds. Ambassador Spock plays a role, and the Enterprise and crew show up as well. David’s playful style is infectious, and the result is very entertaining.
Joe Morton narrates, which is wonderful. He plays the moments perfectly. One thing that sticks in my mind about this one is the confrontation between Captains Calhoun and Picard. Morton successfully paints the picture with his voice, convincingly acting each character. Another: Calhoun’s handling of the infamous Kobayashi Maru exam. Morton’s timing, whether adding tension or humor, is impeccable.
Stone and Anvil, like all of the New Frontier novels I’ve read, is a cut above the average Star Trek novel. There is no need to go to the beginning and listen to the others before listening to this, but after you hear this one, you’ll want to.