SciFiFest 2010: Olympia Timberland Library, October 23

SFFaudio News

Timberland Regional LibraryLibrarian Kelsey Smith sez:

“SciFi fans, please join us for our second annual SciFiFest! Hugo & Nebula award winning authors Ted Chiang and Nancy Kress will read their work, answer questions, and challenge you to a SciFi trivia throwdown. Spiritual Successor (featuring the infamous Zach Mandeville) will lull you with tunes about suicidal superheroes, terminally ill space babies, and moon janitors. Local heroes Mutoid Men will close out the evening with their special brand of ‘particle-accelerated, Moog synthesized, scientific rock’n’roll.’ Come in costume and win a prize! The library is normally closed at this time and is only open for the program. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Olympia Timberland Library.”

This event is FREE and open to the public.

SciFiFest 2010
Date: Saturday, October 23, 7:30pm
Location:
Olympia Timberland Library
313 8th Ave SE
Olympia, WA
Phone: 360-352-0595

As a special SFFaudio bonus, the first five attendees to send me (by email) a photograph (or suitable hand drawn facsimile) of themselves and Ted Chiang together at the October 23rd event will receive, by mail, his or her choice of one of the following unabridged audiobooks:

Carnival by Elizabeth Bear (Recorded Books, 11 CDs)
On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers (Blackstone Audio, 10 CDs)
The Caves Of Steel by Isaac Asimov (Tantor Media, 6 CDs)
The Speed Of Dark by Elizabeth Moon (Brilliance Audio, 12 CDs)
Zero History by William Gibson (Penguin Audio, 11 CDs)

To be eligible the emailed images must be received no later than 11:59 pm on October 31, 2010. Prizes shall be awarded in order of their receipt by email. The suitability of any hand drawn entries shall be determined by me. Please title your emailed entries “SciFiFest 2010”.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Seeing Ear Theatre: Nancy Kress and Bruce Holland Rogers

SFFaudio Online Audio

Here are two more releases from the long deleted Seeing Ear Theatre collection. They were lovingly uploaded to Archive.org and they shall be just as lovingly added to our master list of Seeing Ear Theatre‘s goodness.

Seeing Ear Theatre - ReadingsUnto The Daughters and Margin Of Error
By Nancy Kress; Read by Nancy Kress
1 |MP3| – Approx. 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Seeing Ear Theatre
Published: 1999
Provider: Archive.org
Recorded at the 1998 Baltimore WorldCon.

Seeing Ear Theatre - ReadingsThe Goblin King and The Dead Boy At Your Window
By Bruce Holland Rogers; Read by Bruce Holland Rogers
1 |MP3| – Approx. 11 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Seeing Ear Theatre
Published: 1999
Provider: Archive.org

[You’re indispensable Roy. Thanks!]

Posted by Jesse Willis

Review of Aliens Rule, ed by Allan Kaster

SFFaudio Review

Science Fiction Audiobook - Aliens Rule, ed. by Allan KasterAliens Rule
Edited by Allan Kaster
Stories by James van Pelt, Carolyn Ives Gilman, and Nancy Kress
Read by Vanessa Hart and Tom Dheere
3 CDs – 244 minutes – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Infinivox
Published: 2009
ISBN: 9781884612879
Themes: / Science Fiction / Aliens / Junior High School / Relocation / Dogs / Survival / Invasion /

From Allan Kaster and Infinivox, a collection of three stories in which aliens are in control:

“How Music Begins” by James van Pelt
I’ve enjoyed James van Pelt ever since reading his collection Strangers and Beggars, which I highly recommend. He’s a high school teacher as well as a writer, and as such school and teaching are elements that he returns to often. In this story, a teacher and his junior high music class are held by aliens who observe them while they rehearse. The teacher knows that perfection is elusive, and has to deal with the kids and their emotions on what seems to him to be an endless road trip. I loved the story — it rang true on every level.

“Okanoggan Falls” by Carolyn Ives Gilman
This is the story of a woman who, while the rest of the town she lives in is protesting a forced relocation, takes a different approach. She decides to try to get to know one of the aliens, and learns some surprising things.

“Laws of Survival” by Nancy Kress
This story, the longest of the three, is a gem. A young girl, scavenging for food, ends up in an alien oppressor’s ship. She’s given the opportunity there to train dogs in exchange for survival. She struggles to understand what the aliens are telling her and also struggles with the dogs, who had long since grown wild. Another great story from Nancy Kress.

Tom Dheere and Vanessa Hart narrate, and no complaints from me. Vanessa Hart’s was exceptional with “Laws of Survival”.

Allan Kaster, the editor, told us that Infinivox will be publishing more collections in the future (as opposed to the single story releases they’ve done in the past), and I for one couldn’t be more pleased. This collection is well worth your time.

Check out The SFFaudio Podcast #036, which contains an interview of Allan Kaster, editor of the Infinivox line of science fiction audiobooks.

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Recent Arrival: Aliens Rule, ed by Allan Kaster

SFFaudio Recent Arrivals

Science Fiction Audiobook - Aliens Rule, ed. by Allan KasterAliens Rule
Edited by Allan Kaster
Stories by James van Pelt, Carolyn Ives Gilman, and Nancy Kress
Read by Vanessa Hart and Tom Dheere
3 CDs – 244 minutes – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Infinivox
Published: 2009
ISBN: 9781884612879

From Allan Kaster and Infinivox!

This collection of unabridged readings chronicles the lives of people striving to survive as aliens rule Earth. In James Van Pelt’s “How Music Begins,” a junior high school band director struggles to keep the band members’ spirits up after they’ve been shanghaied, by unknown and unseen aliens, and confined to a dormitory and practice auditorium. In “Okanoggan Falls,” by Carolyn Ives Gilman, a housewife subtly resists the forceable relocation of her townspeople by an alien military captain. Finally, in order to stay alive, a woman must make dogs act correctly for aliens in “Laws of Survival” by Nancy Kress. Read by Vanessa Hart and Tom Dheere.

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

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

The SFFaudio Podcast #033

Podcast

The SFFaudio PodcastThe SFFaudio Podcast #033 – Jesse and Scott are burning bright this podcast. We’re talking new releases, recent arrivals, and future audiobook releases. We also briefly discuss the 2009 Hugo Awards. Around the middle we talk about BBC radio drama, specifically those based on the writings of Iain M. Banks and Alfred Bester. Feeling tenser? Perhaps you know the answer to this question…

“How can you get away with murder when everyone knows your thoughts?”

Talked about on today’s show:
New Releases, Recent Arrivals, Infinivox, Aliens Rule edited by Alan Kaster, How Music Begins by James Van Pelt, Okanaggan Falls by Carolyn Ives Gilman, Laws Of Survival by Nancy Kress, Full Cast Audio, Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce, Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein, William Dufris, Have Space Suit Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein |READ OUR REVIEW|, Tantor Media, The White Plague by Frank Herbert, Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert, The Road To Dune |READ OUR REVIEW|, Ireland, Whipping Star by Frank Herbert, The Coming Of Conan The Cimmerian by Robert E. Howard, Todd McLaren, METAtroplis The Dawn Of Uncivilization |READ OUR REVIEW|, Brilliance Audio, Audible.com, Brilliance Audio is releasing hardcopy DRM free versions of the Audible Frontiers audiobooks, Kurt Vonnegut, Audible Modern Vanguard, Dennis Boutsikaris, A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving, Fear Nothing by Dean Koontz, Keith Szarabajka, Sfsignal.com story on Iain M. Banks’ next novel Transition (podcast or audiobook?), RadioArchive.cc, State Of The Art (BBC Radio Drama) based on the story by Iain M. Banks, BoingBoing story on Geoff Ryman’s novel The Child Garden to be podcast (with music), Simon Bloom: The Octopus Effect by Michael Reisman, Simon Bloom: The Gravity Keeper by Michael Reisman |READ OUR REVIEW|, The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester or Tiger Tiger by Alfred Bester, there is no audiobook version of The Stars My Destination, the 1991 BBC Radio Drama version of Alfred Bester’s Tiger Tiger, telepathy, teleportation (jaunting), The Demolished Man would make an amazing audio drama, Fondly Fahrenheit by Alfred Bester, the 2009 Hugo award winners, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman |READ OUR REVIEW|, Shoggoths In Bloom by Elizabeth Bear (SSS Aural Delights version), Exhalation by Ted Chiang, The Erdman Nexus by Nancy Kress (is not available in audio), Inside Job by Connie Willis (is), Drive by James Sallis (a novella, is too), Wii Sports Resort, Wii Motion Plus, Bowman, turning off cable TV, X-Box 360, Wii Fit, Netflix, watching soccer/football without TV, Free:The Future Of A Radical Price by Chris Anderson, YouTube Star Wars fan Lego animation vs. Lucas Star Wars on DVD.

Posted by Jesse Willis