Recent Arrivals from Tantor Media

SFFaudio Recent Arrivals

Fantasy Audiobook - The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian by Robert E. HowardThe Coming of Conan the Cimmerian
By Robert E. Howard; Read by Todd McLaren
18.5 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tantor Media
Published: 2009

“Between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities…there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars…. Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand…to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet.”

In a meteoric career that spanned a mere twelve years before his tragic suicide, Robert E. Howard single-handedly invented the genre that came to be called sword and sorcery. Collected in this volume are Howard’s first thirteen Conan stories in their original versions and in the order Howard wrote them. Included are classics of dark fantasy like “The Tower of the Elephant” and swashbuckling adventure like “Queen of the Black Coast.”

Here are timeless tales featuring Conan the raw and dangerous youth, Conan the daring thief, Conan the swashbuckling pirate, and Conan the commander of armies. Here, too, is an unparalleled glimpse into the mind of a genius whose bold storytelling style has been imitated by many yet equaled by none.

The tales contained in The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian are “The Phoenix on the Sword,” “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter,” “The God in the Bowl,” “The Tower of the Elephant,” “The Scarlet Citadel,” “Queen of the Black Coast,” “Black Colossus,” “Iron Shadows in the Moon,” “Xuthal of the Dusk,” “The Pool of the Black One,” “Rogues in the House,” “The Vale of Lost Women,” and “The Devil in Iron.”
 
 
Science Fiction Audiobook - The White Plague by Frank HerbertThe White Plague
By Frank Herbert; Read by Scott Brick
20.5 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tantor Media
Published: 2009

A warm day in Dublin, a crowded street corner. Suddenly, a car-bomb explodes, killing and injuring scores of innocent people.

From the second-floor window of a building across the street, a visiting American watches, helpless, as his beloved wife and children are sacrificed in the heat and fire of someone else’s cause.

From this shocking beginning, the author of the phenomenal Dune series has created a masterpiece.

The White Plague is a marvelous and terrifyingly plausible blend of fiction and visionary theme. It tells of one man’s revenge, of the man watching from the window who is pushed over the edge of sanity by the senseless murder of his family and who, reappearing several months later as the so-called Madman, unleashes a terrible vengeance upon the human race. For John Roe O’Neill is a molecular biologist who has the knowledge, and now the motivation, to devise and disseminate a genetically carried plague—a plague to which, like those that scourged mankind centuries ago, there is no antidote, but one that zeros in, unerringly and fatally, on women. As the world slowly recognizes the reality of peril, as its politicians and scientists strive desperately to save themselves and their society from the prospect of human extinction, so does Frank Herbert grapple with one of the great themes of contemporary life: the enormous dangers that lurk at the dark edges of science.

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Recent Arrivals from Tantor Media

SFFaudio Recent Arrivals

Both of these titles from Tantor Media arrived in MP3-CD format which is the finest audiobook format known to the human race. The audio contained in versatile DRM-free MP3 files that take just minutes to put on my iPod. When I’m done with the book, there’s no need for me to keep those MP3 files on a hard disk somewhere because the MP3-CDs are already in right format – instant backup! The audiobooks take 2 CDs rather than 20. And there’s nice cover art on the cases!

Fantasy Audiobook - Imager by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.Imager (The First Book of the Imager Portfolio)
By L.E. Modesitt, Jr.; Read by William Dufris
2 MP3-CDs – 18 hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tantor Media
Published: 2009
ISBN: 9781400161805
| MP3 Audio Sample |

Although Rhennthyl is the son of a leading wool merchant in L’Excelsis, the capital of Solidar, the most powerful nation on Terahnar, he has spent years becoming a journeyman artist and is skilled and diligent enough to be considered for the status of master artisan—in another two years. Then, in a single moment, his entire life is transformed when his master patron is killed in a flash fire, and Rhenn discovers he is an imager—one of the few in the entire world of Terahnar who can visualize things and make them real.

Rhenn is forced to leave his family and join the Collegium of Imagisle. Because of their abilities (they can do accidental magic even while asleep) and because they are both feared and vulnerable, imagers must live separately from the rest of society. In this new life, Rhenn discovers that all too many of the “truths” he knew were nothing of the sort. Every day brings a new threat to his life. He makes a powerful enemy while righting a wrong, and he begins to learn to do magic in secret. Imager is the innovative and enchanting opening of an involving new fantasy story.
 
 
Science Fiction Audiobook - Revelation Space by Alastair ReynoldsRevelation Space
By Alastair Reynolds; Read by John Lee
2 MP3-CDs – 22 hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tantor Media
Published: 2009
ISBN: 9781400159550
| MP3 Audio Sample |

Nine hundred thousand years ago, something annihilated the Amarantin civilization just as it was on the verge of discovering space flight. Now one scientist, Dan Sylveste, will stop at nothing to solve the Amarantin riddle before ancient history repeats itself. With no other resources at his disposal, Sylveste forges a dangerous alliance with the cyborg crew of the starship Nostalgia for Infinity. But as he closes in on the secret, a killer closes in on him because the Amarantin were destroyed for a reason. And if that reason is uncovered, the universe—and reality itself—could be irrevocably altered.

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Review of Witchling by Yasmine Galenorn

SFFaudio Review

Greetings fellow SFFaudio readers! I just thought I’d introduce myself as one of the new geeks slated to post reviews for the site. I’m legally blind, and have relied on SFFaudio for years to direct me to fantasy and SF audio, from new blockbuster releases to hidden diamonds in the rough scattered around the Interwebs. I’m therefore thrilled to be contributing to the site, and look forward to giving something back to this awesome community. Okay, that should suffice for an introduction–now on to the review!

Witchling by Yasmine GalenornWitchling
By Yasmine Galenorn; Read by Cassandra Campbell
Audible Download – 10 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tantor Media
Published: 2008
Themes: / Supernatural Romance / Urban Fantasy / Vampires / Dragons / Faeries / Seattle /

I was a little hesitant to delve into Yasmine Galenorn’s Sisters of the Moon series, since it’s generally categorized as “supernatural romance”. Yes, this shows contempt prior to investigation on my part. I’ve never read any “paranormal romance”, or much “romance” at all, for that matter. Yet from the first page, I found myself enjoying the world and characters of Witchling. The book reaffirms my belief that genre labels like “paranormal romance” have more to do with marketing convenience than actual substance.

“Urban fantasy” hits nearer the mark. The events of Witchling unfold in Seattle and the surrounding countryside, including the stunning Mount Rainier. The story follows the three D’Artigo sisters, half-human half-faerie beings from Otherworld who conduct work for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency (OIA) to keep their homeland safe. The murder of Jocko the gentle giant by a demon sets the detective-story plot in motion, told through the voice of witch Camille D’Artigo.

For the most part, the pages of Witchling are populated with fantasy staples. Delilah D’Artigo is a changeling able to transform into a tabby cat, and the third sister Menolly was changed into a vampire. Dragons, demons, and sprites also lumber, skulk, and flit about. Though these might seem trite and cliché, Galenorn lends them all enough life and originality that they seldom detract from the story. More inventive figures also make appearances, most notably the Japanese kitsune (fox) demon Morio.

Like other first-person urban fantasy books I’ve read, Witchling’s style is contemporary, witty, and laced with humor. Despite hailing from Otherworld, Camille has apparently spent enough time on Earth to learn its ways, its slang, and its pop culture references, which she uses to good effect in her speech and exposition. The sprightly writing more than makes up for the slow pacing in the book’s first half. In fact, I really enjoyed the dialogue-driven, character-based opening chapters.

While at its heart Witchling is a fun trans-dimensional detective story, it does touch, in a desultory way, on some more serious themes. Since the D’Artigo sisters are half-bloods, born of a human mother and faerie father, they face prejudice and discrimination from both sides of the race divide. Sadly, this dynamic seldom crops up in the plot, but Camille does occasionally reflect on its ramifications for her family.

And, yes, there is romance. Throughout the novel, Camille is preoccupied to some degree with her love life, and this subplot moves apace with the main narrative thread. I found Camille’s libidinous mental musings distracting from the story at times, but overall the romantic scenes and trajectory fit the book’s tone.

Likable characters, an engrossing plot, and smart, snazzy, sexy writing make Witchling an enticing read. Hints throughout the novel and especially during its conclusion reveal that the events depicted are but the tip of the iceberg in an impending battle between faeries and demons, a battle in which it’s likely that humanity will become embroiled. I look forward to exploring Galenorn’s universe further in the sequel Changeling, which it appears is told from the perspective of werecat Delilah D’Artigo.

Cassandra Campbell’s narration of Witchling is solid but uninspired. She imbues a real sense of emotion into the characters, especially the three D’Artigo sisters. The novel’s contemporary style and numerous pop culture references flow naturally into her narration. Campbell sometimes has a tendency to drift into melodrama, however, and the male villains seem particularly overdrawn. On the whole, though, Campbell handles the material well.

For more information on Sisters of the Moon and Yasmine Galenorn’s other projects you can follow her on Twitter.

Posted by Seth Wilson

Paradox: CONAN audiobook coming in June 2009

SFFaudio News

Meego ConanA Paradox Entertainment representative has posted this on the Conan.com forums:

We are glad to announce that the popular Robert E. Howard series published by Random House/Del Rey is coming as audiobooks from Tantor Audio. First out, starting in June 2009 with one release each month, are the three Conan books [The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, The Bloody Crown of Conan, The Conquering Sword of Conan], followed by “Bran Mak Morn: The Last King“, “The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard“, “Kull: Exile of Atlantis” and “The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane“.

Details go on to say that Todd McLaren will be the narrator. Here’s a sample of his voice |MP3|. Plans are for the audiobooks to be in the cd, mp3-cd and “mp3 download (online only)” formats. That last seems rather unlikely as Tantor will probably be selling direct downloads through Audible.com (which doesn’t offer MP3).

Posted by Jesse Willis

Tantor Media doing Robert E. Howard audiobooks

SFFaudio News

Meego ConanA February 28th, 2009 Paradox Entertainment press release (in Swedish), indicates that Random House/Del Rey has signed a deal with Tantor Media to release the “CONAN” licensed Del Rey’s series of paperbooks by Robert E. Howard as audiobooks. Paradox is the parent company for Conan Properties International.

I expect Tantor to do a terrific job with these. Tantor already has many other public domain texts in its audiobook catalogue, including works by Edgar Rice Burroughs, H.G. Wells, Jules Verne and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Of course this whole situation still smells godawful coming as it does less than a week after Paradox’s subsidiary sent another bogus legal threat to Broken Sea Audio Productions (a non-profit fan audio group). Hopefully the horrific stink CPI’s put on the CONAN brand won’t rub off on Tantor’s R.E.H. productions.

Posted by Jesse Willis

No STEEL REMAINS for Canada?

SFFaudio News

When I first read the email I thought it was refering to some new twist in the ongoing “buy American” campaign. But no, this is about Richard K. Morgan‘s newest novel (a Tantor Media audiobook)…

No Steel Remains (by Richard K. Morgan) - Audible.com

Steen Hansen reports…

“I signed up like a good consumer to Audible, I have 2 monthly unused credits paid for and finally I see something I want. But I cannot buy ‘The Steel Remains‘ [Richard K. Morgan’s new novel] even though I am in Canada.

Hmm, maybe I should just download it now and then buy it later…

Kinda got scared of the ‘Gay Porn’ label by some reviews on Audible, probably fundies, but nobody made a big deal about it on Amazon so I think it is not a issue. Who knows maybe gay porn isn’t that bad anyway.”

What’s weird is even after figuring out what Steen was talking about it still sounds like American protectionism to me. Don’t we have a free trade agreement?

UPDATE:

The |PDF| sell sheet for The Steel Remains says Tantor has “North American” rights.

Posted by Jesse Willis