New Arrivals – PKD, Bujold, Bova, and more

Science Fiction Audiobook Recent Arrivals

A big box of goodness from Blackstone Audio today! One title, includes a previously released title, the full length novel Martian Time-Slip (although this is a new recording with a new narrator) and a new short story The Golden Man, which is the basis for the new film Next.

Science Fiction Audiobook - Second Skin by   Paul J. McAuleyA Galaxy Trilogy: Star Ways, Druids’ World, and The Day the World Stopped
By Poul Anderson, George H. Smith & Stanton A. Coblentz; Read by Tom Weiner
12 CD, 1 MP3CD, 12 cassettes; 13.5 hrs – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781433202255 (CD), 9781433202261 (MP3CD), 9781433202247 (cassettes)

Long before Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, or Isaac Asimov, there was an earlier generation of dreamers and writers who defined the science-fiction genre, in what today is affectionately known as the pulp era. Heralding back to the early television days of Flash Gordon and the earlier tales of Jules Verne, Bram Stoker, and H. G. Wells, these great science-fiction writers of the 1950s and 1960s included among their ranks such icons as Poul Anderson and the prolific Robert Silverberg, who would write some of the hippest genre literature of its era. Now you can experience this unique moment in genre literature with three exciting, imaginative short novellas from some of the pioneers of pulp science fiction.

Science Fiction Audiobook - Martian Time-Slip by Philip K. DickMartian Time-Slip & The Golden Man
By Philip K. Dick; Read by Grover Gardner
8 CDs, 1 MP3CD, 7 Cassettes; 9.5 hrs – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781433200663 (CDs), 9781433200694 (MP3CD), 9781433200670 (cassettes)

Martian Time-Slip:
On the arid colony of Mars, the only thing more precious than water may be a ten-year-old schizophrenic boy named Manfred Steiner. Although the UN has slated “anomalous” children for deportation and destruction, some suspect that Manfred’s disorder may be a window into the future. But what sort of future? In Martian Time-Slip, Dick uses power politics and extraterrestrial real-estate scams, adultery, and murder to penetrate the mysteries of being and time.
The Golden Man:
In the post-nuclear America, monstrous mutants roam freely. A government agency, the DCA, is formed to rid the world of mutants. But there is one of the new species that is not a monster: eighteen-year-old Cris Johnson. He is a perfect specimen of young manhood, an icon of masculine beauty. He is the golden man. But the DCA’s fear that he might mate and produce a new race of golden men with survival skills far superior to ordinary men makes his destruction paramount.

Science Fiction Audiobook - Komarr by Lois McMaster BujoldKomaar: A Miles Vorkosigan Adventure
By Lois McMaster Bujold; Read by Grover Gardner
10 CDs, 1 MP3CD, 9 cassettes; 12.5 hrs – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781433202582 (CD), 9781433202599 (MP3-CD), 9781433202575 (cassettes)

Komarr could be a garden with a thousand more years’ work, or an uninhabitable wasteland if the terraforming fails. Now, the solar mirror vital to the terraforming of the conquered planet has been shattered by a ship hurtling off course. The Emperor of Barrayar sends his newest imperial auditor, Lord Miles Vorkosigan, to find out why. The choice is not a popular one on Komarr, where a betrayal a generation before drenched the name of Vorkosigan in blood. Thus, the Komarrans surrounding Miles could be loyal subjects, potential hostages, innocent victims, or rebels ready for revenge. Lies within lies, treachery within treachery, Miles is caught in a race against time to stop a plot that could exile him from Barrayar forever. His burning hope lies in an unexpected ally, one with wounds as deep and honor as beleaguered as his own.

Science Fiction Audiobook - Voyagers 2 by Ben BovaVoyagers II: The Alien Within
By Ben Bova; Read by Stefan Rudnicki
11 CDs, 1 MP3CD, 9 Cassettes 13 hrs – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781433202346 (CD), 9781433202353 (MP3CD), 9781433202339 (cassettes)

When Keith Stoner awoke, he found himself in a world changed almost beyond recognition. Eighteen years before, Stoner had been the American member of a joint U.S.-Soviet mission to capture an alien ship. The Soviets had to pull out, but Stoner persisted, and while on the strange ship, he fell into suspended animation.Jo Camerata, the ambitious young student who fell in love with Stoner, is now head of Vanguard Industries, which has recovered the alien ship. As a result, her company is now in control of its vast new technology and the fortune it reaps—and in control of Keith Stoner. What Camerata doesn’t know, however, is that someone else has been awake, someone who dwells within Stoner’s mind. The alien presence that has kept Stoner alive all this time is now free and intends to explore our world, letting nothing stand in its way.

Science Fiction and Politics University Course continues

Online Audio

Science Fiction and Politics Professor Courtney Brown‘s course at Emory University is a Political Science course entitled Science Fiction and Politics (Political Science 190). We’ve talked about this course more than once. But, as the new lectures appear in the feed, this podcast gets renewed interest, and thus prompts new posts. So here’s another, this one lists all the currently available lectures (Spring 2007 is now completed at Emory). Brown’s lectures below are from two semesters and feature some incisive political insights found in more than a dozen SF novels.

Lectures available:

01: Introduction and Overview |MP3|
02: Foundation by Isaac Asimov (1 of 2) |MP3|
03: Foundation by Isaac Asimov (2 of 2) |MP3|
04: Foundation And Empire by Isaac Asimov |MP3|
05: Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov |MP3|
06: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1 of 2) |MP3|
07: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (2 of 2) |MP3|
08: The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (1 of 2) |MP3|
09: The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (2 of 2) |MP3|
10: The Uplift War by David Brin (1 of 2) |MP3|
11: The Uplift War by David Brin (2 of 2) |MP3|
12: Darwin’s Radio by Greg Bear (1 of 2) |MP3|
13: Darwin’s Radio by Greg Bear (2 of 2) |MP3|
14: How to write your essays |MP3|
15: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (1 of 2) |MP3|
16: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (1 of 2) |MP3|
17: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (1 of 2)|MP3|
18: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (2 of 2)|MP3|
19: Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (1 of 2) |MP3|
20: Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (2 of 2) |MP3|
21: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein (1 of 3) |MP3|
22: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein (2 of 3) |MP3|
23: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein (3 of 3) |MP3|
24: Neuromancer by William Gibson (1 of 2) |MP3|
25: Neuromancer by William Gibson (2 of 2) |MP3|
26: On free will [based on Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy] (1 of 2) |MP3|
27: On free will [based on Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World] (2 of 2) |MP3|
28: The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (1 of 2) |MP3|
29: The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (2 of 2) |MP3|
30: Spin by Robert Charles Wilson (1 of 2) |MP3|
31: Spin by Robert Charles Wilson (2 of 2) |MP3|
32: The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov (1 of 2) |MP3|
33: The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov (1 of 2) |MP3|

You can subscribe to the podcast via this feed:

http://www.courtneybrown.com/classes/scifi/mp3/cb_SciFiPoliticsClass1.xml

Also, Dr. Brown tells me that he’s been getting requests from some of his students for more female Science Fiction authors. He asks if we have any “top-of-the-list suggestions?” He’s been using Hugo and Nebula award winning novels, but we all know that there are plenty of novels out there that haven’t won a Hugo or a Nebula that are still worthy of examination. Can you think of any Dr. Brown should add to his class for next year?

Blackstone Audiobooks buys the audio rights for 8 Philip K. Dick books!

News

LocusThe latest issue of Locus The Magazine Of The Science Fiction and Fantasy Field (the hardcopy edition) has a story of interest:

“Audio rights to Philip K. Dick’s The Man In The High Castle, Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said, Ubik, Valis, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Dr. Bloodmoney, and two untitled story collections went to Haila Williams at Blackstone Audio via Russell Galen.”

Thanks to Scott D. Danielson for this find!

StarShipSofa Podcast covers James Tripree Jr.

SFFaudio Online Audio

Starship Sofa PodcastStarshipSofa , the terrific U.K. podcast that specializes in Science Fiction authors has one heck of a show there. The hosts, Tony and Ciaran, have an especially crackin’ show this week, one that I am truly chuffed to tell you about. On offer today is a show on James Tiptree Jr. (AKA Alice Sheldon), a writer who lived a very extraordinary life. As the boys say, she “blazed across the Science Fiction skies” with her short stories of the 1970s. And stay tuned for her shocking ending!

Download the show direct |MP3| or subscribe to the feed:

And don’t forget to revisit their earlier subjects:

Show # 1: Classic Author: Alfred Bester |MP3|
Show # 2: Classic Author: John Brunner |MP3|
Show # 3: Classic Author: Algis Budrys |MP3|
Show # 4: Classic Author: Cordwainer Smith |MP3|
Show # 5: Classic Author: Stanislaw Lem |MP3|
Show # 6: Classic Film: Dark Star |MP3|
Show # 7: Classic Author: Philip K. Dick (Part 1) |MP3|
Show # 8: Classic Author: Philip K. Dick (Part 2) |MP3|
Show # 9: Classic Author: Philip K. Dick (Part 3) |MP3|
Show # 10: Classic Film: Capricorn One |MP3|
Show # 11: Classic Author: Henry Kuttner |MP3|
Show # 12: Classic Author: Robert Silverberg |MP3|
Show # 13: Classic Author: Joe Haldeman |MP3|
Show # 14: Classic Author: L. Ron Hubbard |MP3|
Show # 15: Classic Author: Harlan Ellison |MP3|
Show # 16: Classic Author: Douglas Adams (Part 1) |MP3|
Show # 17: Classic Author: Douglas Adams (Part 2) |MP3|
Show # 18: Classic Author: Robert Sheckley |MP3|
Show # 19: Classic Author: Roger Zelazny |MP3|
Show # 20: Classic Author: Iian M. Banks |MP3|
Show # 21: Classic Author: Ursula K. LeGuin |MP3|
Show # 22: Christmas Special Part 1 |MP3| & 2 |MP3|
Show # 23: Email Show |MP3|

Commentary: Movies are good for audiobooks

SFFaudio Commentary

Neato! There’s a new unabridged Philip K. Dick audiobook coming this spring. And these Members Only jacket-wearing men are largely responsible… do you recognize them?

Ridley Scott and Philip K. Dick

Yup, that’s Ridley Scott on the left, and Philip K. Dick on the right, a shot taken during post-production on Blade Runner. The audiobook will be a movie-tie-in novel. No it isn’t 25 years late, this one’s tied-in to the re-release of the original 1982 Blade Runner (which is presumably coming early summer 2007).

As a curiosity, back when the film was in production Dick was offered a ‘ton’ of money from the studio’s marketing department to either re-novelize his novel — that is to make it more closely match the film — or in lieu of that, to allow someone else to do it for him. Dick turned down the offer, and all the money that would have gone with it, and instead insisted that his original 1968 novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep be the official movie-tie-in novel for the original release – either it would be his original book, or none at all – that was his stance. Still and all, the audiobook industry was in its infancy back then and no audiobook version was done at the time.

Audibook - Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. DickMore trivia, in 1995 Time Warner Audiobooks (now Hachette Audio) released a 2 cassette abridged reading of Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? by Calista Flockhart and Matthew Modine. It was a nice enough reading, except for it being so savagely abridged. It is still available via Audible, this makes it one of the very few audiobooks still “in print” after 10 years.

Nearly thirty years after it was released as a paperbook novel it looks like we’re finally going to get the real deal in audio here are the details as we have them so far…

Blade Runner (aka Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep)
By Philip K. Dick; Read by ????
? CDs – ? Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Random House Audio
PUBLICATION DATE: April 10, 2007
ISBN: 0739342754
It was January 2021, and Rick Deckard had a license to kill. Somewhere among the hordes of humans out there, lurked several rogue androids. Deckard’s assignment–find them and then…”retire” them. Trouble was, the androids all looked exactly like humans, and they didn’t want to be found!

What’s also kind of neat, this movie-tie in audiobook deal is becoming something of a trend, especially for Dick. A new Philip K. Dick movie (or in this case an old one) produces a new unabridged audiobook of the source material. Consider the following:
FILM: Minority Report (2002) – AUDIOBOOK: Collection release
FILM: Paycheck (2003) – AUDIOBOOK: Unabridged Cassette
FILM: A Scanner Darkly (2006) – AUDIOBOOK: Unabridged CD
FILM: Blade Runner (2007 rerelease) – AUDIOBOOK: Unabridged CD

FILM: Next (2007) – AUDIOBOOK:

As noted on my checklist above another PKD movie, called Next, is in the works. It takes its inspiration from a Dick story called The Golden Man, which has never before been released as an audiobook. No word on whether or not it will be, but I’d be guessing yes. PKD is a cash-cow. Because of all that studio advertising, the audiobook is essentially a sure-thing.

Oh and fellow reviewers…. I call dibs on reviewing the first audiobook copy we receive of Random House Audio’s Blade Runner! nyah nyah!

The Time Traveler Show #11 Beyond Lies The Wub by Philip K. Dick

SFFaudio Online Audio

Podcast - The Time Traveler ShowThe Time Traveler Show podcast #11 has the best podcast short story of the season as its latest episode! The story itself has absolutely nothing to do with Xmas, except in the sense that it is a gift from the Time Traveler to all the good little boys and girls out there in podcastland. Come to think of it, the Time Traveler and Santa Claus do have a lot in common!

Anyway, TT’s Xmas gift to us is an unabridged reading of Philip K. Dick’s short story, Beyond Lies The Wub. This was Dick’s first ever published tale. Apparently the Time Traveler even went all the way back to 1952 to try to get Dick to read it for us. Unfortunately Phil wanted to know how big the paycheck would be for it. When TT told him it’d be a ‘pro bono’ job, Phil went into a long rambling harangue about how ‘poor’ he was, that all he ever got to eat was ‘horsemeat’ and that if he’d had a time machine, like the Time Traveler did, he’d be using it to make goddamned money. Said Phil:

The Time Traveler Show Podcast - Beyond Lies The Wub by Philip K. Dick“Just think of the possibilities! You could buy cheap color televisions from 1975 and sell them to the people of 1951, you’d make an absolute killing! It’d be a captive market.”

This got Phil up off the couch and over to his typewriter – maybe he was inspired or something. The Time Traveler gave up and zipped forward to 2006 and got an excellent reader named Mac Kelly to narrate it for us instead. Almost as good I say!

To read the complete show notes for podcast #11 click HERE or download the show MP3 directly by clicking HERE.

Better yet, subscribe to the feed, phil your Xmas stocking automatically:

http://www.timetravelershow.com/shows/feed.xml