Jesse Willis – Page 235

LibriVox: The History Of Rasselas, Prince Of Abissinia by Samuel Johnson

SFFaudio Online Audio

There are a lot of new audiobooks showing up on LibriVox every day of the week. This means I get to pick and choose amongst a vast roster of titles that I could possibly tell you about. One that I was not planning to post about was a 1759 Fantasy novel by Samuel Johnson. I had nothing against Johnson. I just hadn’t read any of his books. Sure I knew he had written a dictionary, but it wasn’t one of the ones that I had read. The problem really was I just didn’t know enough about Johnson to be interested in his novel. Frankly, the first thing that came to mind when I thought of Dr. Samuel Johnson was how great a character he was in the “Ink and Incapability“ episode of Blackadder. That one never gets old.

But, then today I was listening to my favourite Australian podcast, ABC Radio National’s The Philosopher’s Zone, and they mentioned this book. I suspect this wasn’t fated, it being the 300th anniversary of Johnson’s birth people around the world are thinking about old Johnson – but even if it was fate – either if I changed my mind or my mind was changed – after listening to that show I’m telling you about this novel now. The show |MP3| was actually on Johnson’s stoic christian philosophy – or rather his reaction to the ancient stoics. Host Alan Saunders, and guest, John Wiltshire, talked about a poem and then this book and it’s position in Johnson’s philosophy. It was fascinating! Now to listen…

The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia
By Samuel Johnson; Read by Martin Geeson
17 Zipped MP3 Files or Podcast – Approx. 5 Hours 31 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: September 25, 2009
In this enchanting fable (subtitled The Choice of Life), Rasselas and his retinue burrow their way out of the totalitarian paradise of the Happy Valley in search of that triad of eighteenth-century aspiration – life, liberty and happiness. According to that quirky authority, James Boswell, Johnson penned his only work of prose fiction in a handful of days to cover the cost of his mother’s funeral. The stylistic elegance of the book and its wide-ranging philosophical concerns give no hint of haste or superficiality. Among other still burning issues Johnson’s characters pursue questions of education, colonialism, the nature of the soul and even climate alteration. Johnson’s profoundest concern, however, is with the alternating attractions of solitude and social participation, seen not only as the ultimate life-choice but as the arena in which are played out the deepest fears of the individual: “Of the uncertainties of our present state, the most dreadful and alarming is the uncertain continuance of Reason.”

Podcast feed:

http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/rasselas-prince-of-abyssinia-by-samuel-johnson.xml

iTunes 1-Click |SUBSCRIBE|

In addition to the reader, Martin Geeson, this audiobook was produced by:

Dedicated Proof-Listener: Stav Nisser
Meta-Coordinator/Cataloging: Leni

[Thanks to all three LibriVoxateers]

Posted by Jesse Willis

Blake’s 7 The Early Years: The Dust Run / The Trial

SFFaudio News

Blake's 7 - The Early Years - The Dust Run / The Trial Blake’s 7 audio drama writer Ben Aaronovitch is showing off the the latest addition to the Blake’s 7: The Early Years series on his blog. Sez Aaronovitch:

“Amazon [UK] are already taking pre-orders for The Dust Run/The Trial, the latest addition to the Blake’s 7: The Early Years audios. This one, featuring Carrie Dobro as Jenna and is written by the frighteningly fecund and swift Simon Guerrier.

As readers of our production blog can discover script editing is not the non-stop round of glamour and excitement that you might imagine it to be but it’s always a thrill to see the covers out there in the world.”

And it looks like Amazon.com has it too HERE.

Hmmm, that makes me think about B7 yet again. I’ve got the current release, Blood & Earth / Flag & Flame, sitting in front of me here. I’ve listened to it twice already. Yep, I’m going to give it one more listen before I review it.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Brain Plucker: OSC on NPR

SFFaudio Online Audio

Rick Jackson, an SFFaudio alumnus (and owner of Wonder Audio), has been minding a new blog called Brain Plucker. Here is his latest post in full:

Heard an interesting interview with Orson Scott Card today on NPR’s Talk of the Nation. He talks about the Ender Series. I have to admit I was all onboard with the initial series but lost interest after the parallel Ender’s Shadow series. I liked the original series because each book was unique. Ender’s Shadow wasn’t a bad book by any means. OSC also talks about the comic book adaptation which sounds very interesting. I’m going to take a look at it. But then again after reading the books, my time is probable better spent on something unique to me. He also talks about the Hollywood adaptation of Ender’s Game.

Orson Scott Card interview |MP3|
Talk of the Nation |site summary|

[via the well named Brain Plucker blog]

Posted by Jesse Willis

Radio Drama Revival: The Most Dangerous Game AUDIO DRAMA

Aural Noir: Online Audio

COOL! Fred Greenhalgh, of Radio Drama Revival, was inspired by my post called “The Most Dangerous Meme” to re-adapt Richard Connell’s short story, The Most Dangerous Game, as a new audio drama! Sez Fred:

“Closing the month of September is a production I’m thrilled to share with you. It’s the first work out of a three-part collaboration of FinalRune Productions and the Mad Horse Theater Company. The project took classic old time radio plays and brought them to life with modern day field recording, and what fun it was!

The play today is The Most Dangerous Game, by Richard Connell, which was broadcast originally on Escape! and Suspense.”

Recording The Most Dangerous Game

As you can see by the pic above, a “modern day field recording” sound is really what this is. I fell deeply in love with this style of audio drama after listening to Roger Gregg’s Infidel. Have a listen!

The Most Dangerous Game
Based on the story by Richard Connell; Adapted by Fred Greenhalgh; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – Approx. 32 Minutes [AUDIO DRAMA]
Podcaster: Radio Drama Revival
Podcast: September 25th, 2009
Wealthy big-game hunter Sanger Rainsford falls off his boat in the middle of the Caribbean and finds himself on a curious island. He finds the mansion of General Zaroff, a Cossack who has a taste for the hunt, and will go to any extreme to keep himself interested…

Podcast feed:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/RadioDramaRevival

Posted by Jesse Willis

LibriVox: The Brighton Boys In The Radio Service by

SFFaudio Online Audio

LibriVox What ho chaps! Now that it’s 1918 and all let’s all go fight in The Great War! It’ll be trenches of fun. Hey look our teacher thinks it’s a smashing idea! Even better, our parents seem to have no objections at all! Now we’re being trained by these jolly good officers! I tell you Uncle Sam is doing us the favor here. My don’t our uniforms look smart.

Yep. You see where this is going don’t you?

Early on in this whip-fast boy’s adventure the bad boy of Brighton, an evil sort named Herbert Wallace, tries to discourage Slim Goodwin, one of our heroes, from enlisting in the U.S. Army’s signal corp. He is of course soundly trounced by the school’s headmaster:

“Well, Wallace,” said the principal of Brighton, “I hear you’ve been studying up on military subjects. Intending to get into the fight?”

Herbert Wallace hung his head and muttered an unintelligible reply.

“Now look here, Wallace,” spoke the headmaster sternly, “where did you get the military manual from which you gave Goodwin the information that he could not pass the examination for the army?”

“I—I got it from the library, sir.”

“Got it without permission, too, didn’t you?” pursued the headmaster.

“Yes, sir,” said Wallace, in confusion.

“And didn’t know that it was out of date, and that the requirements were completely changed after the United States entered this war, eh?”

“No, sir,” answered Wallace, on the verge of a breakdown.

“I’ll decide upon your punishment later,” announced the headmaster. “See me here at four o’clock. Meanwhile, Wallace, be careful where you get information, and be careful how you dispense it.”

Yep. Almost 100 years after the event itself I’m still freaked out by the prospect of shipping off to fight in meat-grinder that was World War I. I find it hard to make a case for censorship. But if I was forced to write an essay arguing in favour of it I would present this book as my primary evidence. And since when should you get permission to go to the school library?

Still, narrator Tom Clifton seems to be having a lot of fun reading this adventure. He’s also added in some morse code transmissions with the actual sounds rather than just reading the dot dashes as they appear in the text.

The Brighton Boys In The Radio Service
By Samuel Frances Aaron; Read by Tom Clifton
20 Zipped MP3 Files or Podcast – Approx. 3 Hours 41 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: September 21, 2009
The Brighton Boys in the Radio Service is a boys adventure story set in WWI – Three College Chums join the military and face the perils of spies, submarines and enemy soldiers in the trenches of embattled Europe. An engaging story set in a period where good guys wore white hats, bad guys wore black hats and every chapter ends with a cliffhanger so you have to come back for more!

Podcast feed:
http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/the-brighton-boys-in-the-radio-service-by-james-driscoll.xml

iTunes 1-Click |SUBSCRIBE|

Posted by Jesse Willis

Hachette Audio: Transition by Iain M. Banks

SFFaudio Online Audio

The first file of an abridged version of Iain Banks’s latest thriller novel Transition was released as an iTunes exclusive podcast in the Canadian and U.S. versions of iTunes today. The UK version of iTunes has already had at least three of the files released.

Why the disparity?

Marketing.

Why only through iTunes?

Marketing.

Why not just do it the sensible way, like every other podcaster ever has?

Lets see …. oh yes, marketing!

Yeah.

Is Hachette earning any good will this way? Is it selling more of the UNABRIDGED, non free, audiobooks? Maybe, but somehow I don’t think annoying your customers into buying the regular version is what made podcasting novels a good idea. I mean look at this:

iTunes - Transition by Iain M. Banks

The feed, after subscribing, shows as broken! There’s no art in the file, and I have two copies of the same file.

That’s really pathetic.

Still, it might get healed.

Transition
By Iain M. Banks; Read by Peter Kenny
23 MP3 Files via iTunes Podcast – Approx. 6 Hours [ABRIDGED]
Podcaster: Hachette Audio
Podcast: September 2009 -???
A world that hangs suspended between triumph and catastrophe, between the dismantling of the Wall and the fall of the Twin Towers, frozen in the shadow of suicide terrorism and global financial collapse, such a world requires a firm hand and a guiding light. But does it need the Concern: an all-powerful organisation with a malevolent presiding genius, pervasive influence and numberless invisible operatives in possession of extraordinary powers? On the Concern’s books are Temudjin Oh, an un-killable assassin who journeys between the peaks of Nepal, a version of Victorian London and the dark palaces of Venice; and a nameless, faceless torturer known only as the Philosopher. And then there’s the renegade Mrs Mulverhill, who recruits rebels to her side; and Patient 8262, hiding out from a dirty past in a forgotten hospital ward. As these vivid, strange and sensuous worlds circle and collide, the implications of turning traitor to the Concern become horribly apparent, and an unstable universe is set on a dizzying course.

Oh, did I mention the regular podcast feed is either broken or disabled? It is. Likely this is because in order to use the words “This is the first time an audio has been serialised in this way, and we’re very excited to be doing something so groundbreaking.” -Disabling regular podcast feeds = good?

Check it out for yourself…

Podcast feed:

http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/features/transition/transition_podcast.xml

Thankfully some clever person in the BoingBoing thread thought to provide a link to this…

iTunes 1-Click |SUBSCRIBE|

[via BoingBoing]

Posted by Jesse Willis