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.
“…two Roger Zelazny audiobooks … have become available in unabridged form on CDs – Nine Princes In Amber and A Night In Lonesome October as originally read by Roger. You may know about these (and future Zelazny unabridged titles to finally be rereleased) but I just happened on the news. If you don’t know, the company is Speaking Volumes. I got the news from the newsgroup alt.books.roger-zelazny on Google. According to Chris Kovacs on this group, the releases will include Roger’s readings of Blood of Amber and Knight of Shadows which were not released in unabridged form on cassettes.”
It looks like Speaking Volumes will have quite a number of Roger Zelazny audiobooks published! But this new publisher doesn’t only have Zelazny, Speaking Volumes is doing some other titles that look very cool:
Do you love the sound of a peg leg stomping across a quarterdeck? Or maybe you prefer a parrot on your arm, a strong wind at your back? Adventure, treasure, intrigue, humor, romance, danger–and, yes, plunder. Oh, the Devil does love a pirate–and so do readers everywhere.
Swashbuckling from the past into the future and space itself…
Night Shade Books published Fast Ships, Black Sails an anthology of fantastik pirate stories in 2008. Since then there have been two audiobook versions made of the 18 stories contained within the collection. If more get turned into audiobooks I’ll add them to this post!
PC064: Castor On Troubled Waters
By Rhys Hughes; Read by Alasdair Stuart
1 |MP3| – Approx. 27 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: PodCastle
Podcast: August 4, 2009
EP226: Pirate Solutions
By Katherine Sparrow; Read by Sarah Tolbert, Kate Baker, Nate Periat, and Steve Eley
1 |MP3| – Approx. 42 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: Escape Pod
Podcast: November 26, 2009
Contents:
Introduction: “Raising Anchor” by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer Boojum by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake by Naomi Novik Avast, Abaft! by Howard Waldrop I Begyn as I Mean to Go On by Kage Baker Castor on Troubled Waters by Rhys Hughes |MP3| Elegy for Gabrielle, Patron Saint of Healers, Whores and Righteous Thieves by Kelly Barnhill Skillet and Saber by Justin Howe The Nymph’s Child by Carrie Vaughn 68˚06’N, 31˚40’W by Conrad Williams Pirate Solutions by Katherine Sparrow |MP3| We Sleep on a Thousand Waves by Brendan Connell Pirates of the Suara Sea by David Freer & Eric Flint Voyage of the Iguana by Steve Aylett Iron Face by Michael Moorcock A Cold Day in Hell by Paul Batteiger Captain Blackheart Wentworth by Rachel Swirsky The Whale Below by Jayme Lynn Blaschke Beyond The Sea Gate Of The Scholar-Pirates of Sarskoe by Garth Nix
Proving that Twitter is good for more than fomenting revolutions and letting people know what you’re having for lunch, BBC Audiobooks America has assembled a collaborative audiobook written by Neil Gaiman and the “Twitterverse.” It’s available for FREE |HERE| and I’ve assembled the disparate MP3 files into a HuffDuffer podcast feed too.
Hearts, Keys, and Puppetry
By Neil Gaiman and the Twitterverse; Read by Katherine Kellgren
9 MP3 Files or HuffDuffer Podcast – Approx. 1 Hour 45 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: BBC Audio
Published: December 1, 2009 So began the Twitter Audio project, with a dazzling first line penned by New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman. What followed was an epic tale of imaginary lands, magical objects, haunting melodies, plucky sidekicks, menacing villains and much more. From mystical blue roses to enchanted mirrors to pesky puppets, this classic fable was born from the collective creativity of more than one hundred contributors via the social network Twitter.com in a groundbreaking literary experiment. Together, virtual strangers crafted a rollicking story of a young girl’s journey with love, forgiveness, and acceptance.
The SFFaudio Podcast #043 – Jesse and Scott talk about all the Recent Arrivals and New Releases that have been piling up while Scott’s been away fiddling on a roof.
They are still “recent arrivals” when I borrow them from my local public library right?
Yeah, I thought so.
The Complete Ripley Radio Mysteries
Based on the novels by Patricia Highsmith; Performed by a full cast
4 CDs – Approx. 5 Hours [RADIO DRAMA]
Publisher: BBC Audio
Published: 2009
ISBN: 9781408409473 Ian Hart stars in these BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of Patricia Highsmith’s five Ripley novels. Tom Ripley detests murder unless it is absolutely necessary. He prefers someone else to do the dirty work. But if he’s called on to act there is no one more cool, calculating and clever. In these dramatisations, BBC Radio 4 brings all Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley novels together in one thrilling series. In The Talented Mr Ripley, Tom makes a bid for another man’s inheritance and succeeds, but has he really got away with it? Ripley Under Ground is set a few years later, when Tom is living in luxury in a French chateau with his beautiful wife Heloise – but the clever art forgery which funds Tom’s expensive tastes is about to be uncovered. In Ripley’s Game,Tom sets up a man he dislikes to carry out two perfect murders, while in The Boy Who Followed Ripley, a rich young stalker arrives at Belle Ombre and he and Tom end up fighting for their lives. Finally, in Ripley Under Water, strange new neighbours show an overdeveloped interest in Ripley’s past. Will Tom’s shady dealings be exposed? Tense, thrilling and atmospheric, these dramatisations are perfect evocations of Highsmith’s unique, complex and brilliantly twisted crime novels.
Catwings
By Ursula K. Le Guin; Read by Ursula K. Le Guin
1 CD – Approx. 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Recorded Books
Published: September 2008
ISBN: 9781428174375 Le Guin wrote this highly acclaimed novel about a very special litter of kittens. Mrs. Jane Tabby has always longed to get away from the cramped alleys of the city. She knows it is too late for her, but she thinks her longing may be the reason her litter of kittens was born with wings. When they are old enough to fly, she sends the four kittens, who become known as catwings, out into the world to find their home. But they find that danger does not lurk only in city alleyways.
“Just wanted to let you know about the radio play recently made of my short story, The Resident Member. It’s a steampunky sort of humorous Victorian ghost story.”
Indeed, good show old boy! My heartiest congratulations. Hear hear and wot-ho.
Though… I will point out that the Something Wicked gentlemen have a podcast feed that’s even less substantial than the poltergeist in your story. Being as I am a gentleman myself I shall add it to my personal HuffDuffer feed. That way those for whom a podcast feed is desirous can place it in their podcatcher properly.
The Resident Member
Based on a story by Paul Marlowe; adapted by Digby Young; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – Approx. [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Something Wicked Presents…
Published: November 20, 2009 …Poltergeists, death, and romance interrupt a quiet dinner at the Etheric Explorers Club… On any given day, the intrepid members of the Etheric Explorers Club can be found frustrating prophesies, wrestling with ancient evils, and generally striding boldly down the dark alleys of life, in order to fill in those portions of man’s map of reality that are, perhaps, better left blank. As with any club, though, there are always members who stay behind so as not to miss a second helping of pudding. This is their story. First published in Something Wicked Issue 7.
Stars:
Gideon Emery
Joe Vaz
Digby Young
Damon Berry
Christa Schamberger Young
Neill Smith sez:
