Neil Gaiman speaks about his new collection, Fragile Things, in an interview with Bill Thompson in the October 7 episode of The Bookcast. You can download the mp3 file of this podcast from the RSS feed or from the iTunes podcast listing or from here. The Bookcast mp3 files remain available for download for 90 days after the program. Check the link to Gaiman’s home page for an audio excerpt from this work.
posted by Moriond
Two new audiobooks from Neil Gaiman and Harper Audio:
This one actually shows as being available back in December of 2005, but I never saw it released then….
MirrorMask
By Neil Gaiman; Read by Stephanie Leonidas
CD – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Harper Audio
Published: 2005
ISBN: 0060899328
Helena is about to embark on a most amazing journey. Raised in a family of circus performers, she’s always dreamed of leading a more ordinary life. But when haunting music draws her into a strange and magical realm, one where anything can happen, her real life is stolen by a runaway from the…
This one streets today….
Fragile Things
By Neil Gaiman; Read by Neil Gaiman
8 CDs – Approx. 9 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Harper Audio
Published: September 2006
ISBN: 0061142379
A mysterious circus terrifies an audience for one extraordinary performance before disappearing into the night, taking one of the spectators along with it . . . In a novella set two years after the events of American Gods, Shadow pays a visit to an ancient Scottish mansion, and finds himself trapped in a game of murder and monsters . . . In a Hugo Award-winning short story set in a strangely altered Victorian England, the great detective Sherlock Holmes must solve a most unsettling royal murder . . . Two teenage boys crash a party and meet the girls of their dreams—and nightmares . . . In a Locus Award-winning tale, the members of an exclusive epicurean club lament that they’ve eaten everything that can be eaten, with the exception of a legendary, rare, and exceedingly dangerous Egyptian bird . . . Such marvelous creations and more—including a short story set in the world of The Matrix, and others set in the worlds of gothic fiction and children’s fiction—can be found in this extraordinary collection, which showcases Gaiman’s storytelling brilliance as well as his terrifyingly entertaining dark sense of humor. By turns delightful, disturbing, and diverting, Fragile Things is a gift of literary enchantment from one of the most unique writers of our time.
And note that it is read by Neil Gaiman himself! Cool!
posted by Jesse Willis
Anansi Boys
By Neil Gaiman; Read by Lenny Henry
2 MP3-CDs – Approx. 10 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Harper Audio
Published: 2005
ISBN: 0060836857
Themes: / Fantasy / Gods / Legends / Humor /
“It begins, as most things begin, with a song.”
Some children revere their fathers like gods, Fat Charlie Nancy sure didn’t, this despite his father actually being one. You see Mr. Nansi, made Charlie the butt of his many practical jokes – that is until he and his mother up-and moved away from the impecunious god. Now living in England as an adult Fat Charlie Nancy is engaged to be married and has a solid job working for a talent agent. His only problem is his future mother-in-law, who despite Charlie’s every attempt, still treats Charlie like a maliflous odor. It is very unfortuate therfore when a phone call reveals that Charlie’s father is dead. Even in death Mr. Nancy can embarass his son. In this case it is in the way he’s died. It seems Mr. Nancy died while on stage, in a karaoke bar, with his hands on another bar patron’s breasts. It is only when Fat Charlie returns to America for the funeral that he learns he may not be the only orphan that his father has left. Apparently all these years Fat Charlie has had a brother he’s not known about! A brother named… “Spider”?!? Spider, along with inheriting his father’s easy charm also got his father’s ‘special gifts’?!? When Charlie and Spider eventually do meet Spider decides to move into Charlie’s flat. This is followed by him framing Charlie for embezzlement and stealing his fiance. Fat Charlie’s only recourse is to fight dieties with dieties. So it’s off to America again where he’ll get an arachnivorous avian ally in the fight against his brother.
If you liked American Gods you’ll like Anansi Boys too, I know I sure did, and for much the same reason – and perhaps for one more. I’d always thought American Gods was inspired by Douglas Adams’ Long Dark Tea-Time Of The Soul; given that both novels feature the Norse god Odin walking the streets of modern world and being a bit out of sorts about the fact I think that’s a pretty safe assumption. Need more proof? Gaiman, in his early career actually wrote a book about Adams, entitled Don’t Panic: Douglas Adams & the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy it was part biography of Adams, part biography of his most famous novel. With Anansi Boys though, Gaiman proves himself truly and fully the worthy heir to Douglas Adams legacy. Gaiman writes as cleverly as Adams did, and now with Anansi Boys he starts making the jokes Adams could have made – something for the most part absent from American Gods. Though not aiming for all out hilarity, as Adams often did, Gaiman makes Anansi Boys quite, quite funny, and in ways that can only be described as Adamsonian. Both Gaiman novels are set in the same universe as each other but one needn’t read American Gods first to enjoy and follow Anansi Boys.
Lenny Henry, the narrator, is an English television actor and comedian. He’s an absolute delight to listen to. When I heard George Guidall’s reading of American Gods back in 2001 I was floored, so I was disappointed when I found out that he wouldn’t be reading Anansi Boys. But imagine my delight when I was floored again by Lenny Henry’s reading of Anansi Boys – Guidall and Henry’s reading styles couldn’t be more different, but they are both of that oh-so-stunning quality you hate to stop listening even for a minute. I pity those who sat down and read the paperbook version of Anansi Boys, they’ve really missed something special. Harper Audio has used light accenting of music here and there. It is quite wonderful.
Posted by Jesse Willis
A little more from Neil Gaiman – on his website he’s got a page of audio, which includes some audiobook samples and some streaming stuff from some of his appearances. Click here to see the page.
Posted by Scott D. Danielson
Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Award winning author Neil Gaiman, who is on tour promoting his latest novel Anansi Boys and his new film Mirrormask, was interviewed on WNYC Radio’s The Leonard Lopate Show on Thursday, September 29th 2005. You can download the MP3 of that interview HERE.
Gaiman was also in Australia recently (July 2005) and the State Library of Victoria has posted three MP3s of the talk he gave there. He explains about his varied career, reads from Anansi Boys and answers questions from the audience. You can download all three segments:
Here are the New Releases for September – a fine looking bunch of audiobooks, I must say…
Anansi Boys
By Neil Gaiman; Read by Lenny Henry
Harper Audio, Unabridged
The sequel to American Gods – can’t wait!
Dragonflight
By Anne McCaffrey; Read by Dick Hill
Brilliance Audio, Unabridged
This is a mass market re-release of this title, now available on CD and MP3-CD
The Road to Dune
By Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson
Read by Scott Brick
Audio Renaissance, Unabridged
Click here for the SFFAudio Review!
Speaker for the Dead
By Orson Scott Card; Read by Various
Audio Renaissance, Unabridged
Click here for the SFFAudio Review!
Star Wars: The Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
By Troy Denning; Read by Jonathan Davis
Random House Audio, Abridged
The Warrior’s Apprentice
By Lois McMaster Bujold; Read by Grover Gardner
Blackstone Audio, Unabridged
Available on cassette, CD, and MP3-CD
This is the second Vorkosigan novel released by Blackstone.
Thud!
By Terry Pratchett; Read by Stephen Briggs
Harper Audio, Unabridged
The latest Discworld novel.