Neil Gaiman audio roundup

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If you start looking around the net for Neil Gaiman audio you’ll be hard pressed not to find it. The quantity is overwhelming in fact. Most of it consists of interviews, most from relatively mainstream media sources. But the guy gets podcast interviews like nobody’s business too. The MP3 files listed below are by no means the newest nor most exclusive but they are all good and they’re new links for us…

NeilGaiman.net / DreamHaven BooksFirst, from the DreamHaven Books and NeilGaiman.net bookstore we’ve got three ultra-short “sample” (but unabridged) MP3s:

Poetry: “Instructions” |MP3| from Speaking In Tongues.
The liner notes for this one reads: “This is a poem about what to do if you find yourself in a Fairy Tale. It is guaranteed to work. If you find yourself in a Fairy Tale, and, despite following these instructions to the letter, you are eaten by wolves or lost, never to be seen again, the publisher will refund the cost of this CD.”

A Christmas card (a very short story): “Nicholas Was” |MP3| from Warning: Contains Language.
Gaiman sez of it: “This is a Christmas card. Exactly a hundred words long (102, including the title).”

Poetry: “A Writer’s Prayer” |MP3| from Telling Tales.
Gaiman describe it as “…written shortly before I began American Gods. I knew the first two verses when I began it, and the conclusion was there when I reached it. This is why I love writing.”

Zombie AstronautNext up, the always reliable Zombie Astronaut has a bit of Neil Gaiman poetry: “The Day The Saucer Came” |MP3|.

And also, from the same moulderingly cosmic source, this recent radio drama gem…

Anansi Boys
Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – 1 Hour [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: BBC World Service / World Drama
Broadcast: Nov 17th 2007
God is dead. Meet the kids. When Fat Charlie’s dad named something, it stuck. Like calling Fat Charlie “Fat Charlie.” Even now, twenty years later, Charlie Nancy can’t shake that name, one of the many embarrassing “gifts” his father bestowed — before he dropped dead on a karaoke stage and ruined Fat Charlie’s life.

And from another site entirely comes…

Authors On Tour PodcastCheck out this 2006 “authors on tour” piece |MP3| of Neil Gaiman speaking to a receptive audience at The Tattered Cover bookstore. Gaiman reads from Anansi Boys tells stories and answers questions about the comic book, book, audiobook and movie businesses.

Posted by Jesse Willis

New Releases

New ReleasesScience Fiction Audiobook - Escape Route by Peter F. HamiltonEscape Route
By Peter F. Hamilton; Read by Jared Doreck
– 2 hours and 35 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Infinivox
Published: 2007
The starship Lady Macbeth encounters a long-abandoned alien spacecraft, with its escape route still intact – but leading where? If the crew claims salvage rights, the technology inside could make them wealthy enough to buy planets. But first they need to make sure it’s as empty as it seems.
Listen to an |MP3| sample.

This one is a follow up to the “Infinite Crisis” series from DC Comics…

Superhero Audio Drama - 52 Part 1 - DC Comics52 – Part 1 (of 2)
By Greg Cox; Based on the DC Comics series; Performed by a full cast
6 CDs, 1 MP3-CD, or WMA Download – Approx. 6 hours [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Graphic Audio
Published: December 2007
ISBN: 1599503689
A year without Superman. A year without Batman. A year without Wonder Woman. But not a year without heroes… Earth’s most revered heroes have vanished. In their absence, the cities of Metropolis and Gotham have fallen prey to the machinations of super-villains and the criminal activities of Intergang. Booster Gold, a hero from the future, has stepped into Superman’s boots only to find them too big to fill, especially when rival hero Supernova arrives on the scene. Recruited by the mysterious crime fighter known as the Question, detective Renee Montoya investigates an even more mysterious vigilante prowling the streets: Batwoman. These and other veteran and rookie heroes around the world must unite against a vast conspiracy of evil about to usurp control of the Earth once and for all… (Part 1 of 2)

The first book in the Doc Smith’s “Skylark” series…

Science Fiction - Space Opera - Audiobook - The Skylark Of Space by E.E. Doc SmithThe Skylark Of Space
By E.E. Doc Smith; Read by Reed McColm
Audible Download, CDs, Tapes or MP3-CD – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Books In Motion
Published: November 2007
ISBN: various
The Skylark of Space is the first and one of the best space operas ever written. Breezy dialogue, romantic intrigue, fallible heroes, and complicated villains infuse humanity and believability into a conflict of galactic proportions.

Two Neil Gaiman titles that somehow flew-in under the radar…

Science Fiction Audiobook - Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Christopher ReavesInterworld
By Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves; Read by Christopher Evan Welch
CDs – 5 Hours 40 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Harper Audio
Published: June 2007
ISBN: 0061254606
“Nationally best–selling, award–winning author Neil Gaiman teams up with Emmy Award–winning screenwriter Michael Reaves for an exciting science fiction tale of teenagers saving many universes from evil. Fourteen–year–old Joey Harker always had a terrible sense of direction–one day he gets lost in his own town and finds himself in another version, where there’s a family and a school almost like his. When an older version of himself tracks Joey down, Joey learns that he’s a Walker–one who can travel between dimensions–and that an army of different versions of himself is battling the two evils that want to conquer all the worlds. Joey finds himself in a battle against the forces of magic and science that could destroy him–and all the others like him.”

Fantasy Audiobook - M Is For Magic by Neil GaimanM Is For Magic
By Neil Gaiman; Read by Neil Gaiman
CDs – 5 Hours 29 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Harper Audio
Published: June 2007
ISBN: 0061254592
“Stories to delight, enchant, and surprise you. Bestselling author and master storyteller Neil Gaiman here presents a breathtaking collection of tales that may chill or amuse readers—but always embrace the unexpected. Collection includes: The Case Of The Four And Twenty Blackbirds, Troll Bridge, Don’t Ask Jack, How To Sell The Ponti Bridge, October In The Chair, Chivalry, The Price, How To Talk To Girls At Parties, Sunbird, The Witch’s Headstone, Instructions.”

This one, from infrequent SFF provider Highbridge Audio, has one of the best titles ever…

HighbridgeAudio - Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin GrossmanSoon I Will Be Invincible
By Austin Grossman; Read by Coleen Marlo and Paul Boehmer
CDs – 10 Hours 18 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Published: June 2007
ISBN: 1598870963
Listen to an |MP3| sample.
Doctor Impossible—evil genius, mad scientist, diabolical time-traveler, wannabe world dominator—has just broken out of prison�again. He�s tried to take over the world in every conceivable way: doomsday devices (nuclear, thermonuclear, nanotechnological), armies (robot, insect, dinosaur, fungus, fish), mass mind control, even a corporate conquest (Impossible Industries LLC). Each time, he has been foiled. This time, it’s going to be different.

Posted by Jesse Willis

BBC: WS has Gaiman’s Anansi Boys as a Radio Drama

SFFaudio Online Audio

BBC World ServiceA BBC World Service adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys starring Lenny Henry is going to be broadcast on BBCWS Radio stations later today.

God is dead. Meet the kids. When Fat Charlie’s dad named something, it stuck. Like calling Fat Charlie “Fat Charlie.” Even now, twenty years later, Charlie Nancy can’t shake that name, one of the many embarrassing “gifts” his father bestowed — before he dropped dead on a karaoke stage and ruined Fat Charlie’s life.

Anansi Boys - Audio DramaAnansi Boys
Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – 1 Hour [AUDIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: BBC World Service / World Drama
Broadcast: Nov 17th 2007 @ 20:01 GMT

This program should be available on the World Service’s “listen again” program for 7 days following the broadcast.

Posted by Jesse Willis

FREE Neil Gaiman short story A Study In Emerald

SFFaudio Online Audio

A wonderful gift from Harper Audio! A FREE Hugo Award winning (2004) Neil Gaiman short story, A Study In Emerald, it comes from Neil Gaiman’s collection entitled Fragile Things

Fantasy audiobook - short story - A Study In Scarlet by Neil GaimanA Study in Emerald
By Neil Gaiman; Read by Neil Gaiman
1 |MP3| – Approx. 49 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Harper Audio
Published: November 2007
Alluding to both the Sherlock Holmes canon and the Old Ones of the Cthulhu Mythos, this Hugo Award winning short story will delight fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H.P. Lovecraft, and of course, Neil Gaiman. A Study in Emerald draws listeners in through carefully revealed details as a consulting detective and his narrator friend solve the mystery of a murdered German noble. But with its subtle allusions and surprise ending, this mystery hints that the real fun in solving this case lies in imagining all the details that Gaiman doesn’t reveal, and challenges listeners to be detectives themselves.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Theatre Of The Mind podcast – Audio Drama from another dimension

Online Audio

The Theatre Of The MindWhen you listen to The Theater Of The Mind podcast, you’ll wonder if you’ve somehow slipped into another dimension. The creator of the podcast, Professor Daniel H. Foster, has reconstructed, adapted and generally weirded-out familiar and unfamiliar stories, particularly those that came from old radio dramas. Check out the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy as performed by Foster and friends |MP3|. Not only is some of the dialogue changed, all the characters speak with American accents too! And, Ford Prefect is now “Fran Prefect.” Which is all perfectly logical, if you’re from another dimension.

Also on tap is a Neil Gaiman story from the 1970s…

The Theatre Of The Mind - We Can Get Them For You WholesaleWe Can Get Them For You Wholesale
Adapted from a story by Neil Gaiman; Performed with a full cast
1 MP3 – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Podcaster: The Theater Of The Mind
Podcast: 2006

Subscribe to the podcast feed via this url:

http://www.thetheaterofthemind.com/thetheaterofthemind.xml

2 Seeing Ear Theatre plays, and an Asimov short story podcast + MORE

Online Audio

Pirate TV Theatre Classic Radio DramaDiscovered this cool podcast in the iTunes podcast directory… Pirate TV Theatre Classic Radio Drama is an unwieldy name for a podcast with this much terrific audio content. Some of it is classic Radio Drama, some of it is more modern Audio Drama (Radio Drama that was never broadcast on radio), none of it is “TV” and some of it is audiobook. The site itself doesn’t allow direct downloads (only online listening) but if you subscribe to the podcast you can access all of the following in the ubiquitous MP3 format…

Included in the feed are radio drama episodes from:

Suspense (The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft)

Dimension X (includes The Green Hills Of Earth by Robert A. Heinlein and First Contact by Murray Leinster, plus more)

X Minus 1 (includes Surface Tension by James Blish, and Colony by Philip K. Dick, plus many more)

Skeleton
By Ray Bradbury; Performed by a full cast
(a 1996 BBC4 Radio Drama, part of the “Tales of the Bizarre” series, introduced by Bradbury himself)

As well as two Seeing Ear Theatre audio dramas:

Murder Mysteries
By Neil Gaiman; Performed by a full cast
(a Seeing Ear Theatre audio drama in two parts)

Orson The Alien! The Untold Story Behind The War Of the Worlds
By Terry Bisson, Brian Smith and George Zarr; Performed by a full cast
(a Seeing Ear Theatre audio drama)

And one story from an audiobook:

It’s Such A Beautiful Day
By Isaac Asimov; Read by Ed Bishop
(from a 1986 audiobook in two parts – from defunct audiobook publisher Listen For Pleasure)

Plug this podcast feed into your podcatcher to get started:

http://www.nomig.net/radiodrama/itunesrss.xml

Or, visit the site and listen online – where you’ll find plenty more, including:

The Caves Of Steel
By Isaac Asimov; Performed by a full cast
(The 1989 radio dramatization that aired on BBC Radio 4)