Author: Jesse Willis

A podcast novel from just under the radar…. bu…

A podcast novel from just under the radar…. but soon to be looming large in your podcatcher…

Brave Men Run.
By Matthew Wayne Selznick; Read by Matthew Wayne Selznick
55 Chapters – Approx 30 Minute MP3 Installments [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: BraveMenRun.com / Podiobooks.com
Published: Started Nov 2005 – Concludes ??? 2006

Fans of Ultimate Spider-Man, silver age comics, and alternate history will enjoy this prose novel of teen angst and metahumans! Brave Men Run is a coming of age story set in an alternate 1980’s, where people with amazing talents and abilities suddenly make themselves known. Can young Nathan Charters find himself in this uncertain new world? Who is he, where did he come from, and is he part of a remarkable new minority… or just a misfit among misfits?

Described as “alternative history fantasy” and it may turn out to be just that, but whatever it is called, it’ll also be called X-CELLENT! A prose superhero novel without the funny looking long-underwear type costumes. After only three installments I’m totally hooked!

HERE‘s the promo in mp3 format.

Paul Jenkins of The Rev-Up Review podcast had this to say about the first couple of instalments of the podcast of Brave Men Run: “…well written with great dialogue. Utterly convincing and the podcast is well produced with good sound and superbly read by the author…” You can, BTW, hear the complete mini- review on the 13th episode of R.U.R. at about the 5 Minutes 40 Second mark.

I recently spoke with Matthew about how much I’m enjoying his podcast novel. I asked him about the X-Men like story. It turns out the idea for this “Soverign Era” novel came from a serialized fiction project Matthew worked on a few years ago. We also talked about the little tips of the hat to Silver Age Comics sprinkled throughout the narrative, the cerebral and realistic portrayl of what it would be like to have super powers and plenty more. I’m really jazzed about this one, and I think if you give it a shot you will be too. Matthew’s prose is clean and true and the production is matched by a terrific straight reading by the author. Like The Pocket And The Pendant this one’s available at Lulu.com in a Print On Demand paperbook edition as well.

You can also listen to the first part of a two part interview done with Matthew HERE the interviewer is Paul Puri of of the 5+5 Podcast – cool stuff. Looking forward to part 2 of that interview on the 5+5 Podcast soon too!

posted by Jesse Willis

Pssst… word on the street is that crime fiction …

Pssst… word on the street is that crime fiction on audio isn’t getting it’s due. So the creators of SFFaudio.com, the premier website for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror audio, are planning on kicking it to the skids for Crime, Detective, Police Procedural, and Thriller fiction. If it ain’t strictly legal, and it’s on audio, then that’s what it’s about – know what I’m sayin? The domain is called AuralNoir.com. And five will get you ten you’re gonna love it. Even if the reviewers did fall off the back of a truck from somewherez. And hey buddy, you didn’t hear it from me. Know what I’m sayin’?

Posted by Jesse Willis

Review of Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien

Fantasy Audiobooks - Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. TolkienLetters From Father Christmas
By J. R. R. Tolkien; Read by Sir Derek Jacobi, John Moffat and Christian Rodska
2 cassettes – 120 minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Harper Audio
Published: 2000
ISBN: 0618087842
Themes: / Fantasy / Christmas /

“Can you imagine writing to Father Christmas and actually getting a reply? For over twenty years, the children of J.R.R. Tolkien received letters from the North Pole – from Father Christmas himself! They told wonderful stories, of mischief and disaster, adventures and battles. Now, for the first time, these letters are brought to life on tape.”

While most of Tolkien’s work was published to great acclaim by ‘Tolkien the fantasy author’ or even ‘Tolkien professor of linguistics’, Letters From Father Christmas was never intended for publication at all, it was simply a collection of letters written over a twenty year period by ‘Tolkien the father’ to his own children. This makes it all the more special. There is no refinement of theme, or distinguishment of plot. Only the fanciful adventures of Father Christmas (that’s Santa Claus for most people) and the other residents of the North Pole. Sir Derek Jacobi along with John Moffat and Christian Rodska read the letters by performing in the voices of the letter writers. Accented with jingling bells in between letters. This is a skillfully adapted audiobook that transmutes the words of the original letters into audio gold. Unfortunately the letters also had wonderful colour illustrations referred to in the letters themselves. I’ve seen them – they were drawn and coloured by Tolkien himself, beautiful and funny images that can’t be adapted to audio. This is a case where the paperbook actually has something over a perfect audiobook translation of a paperbook. Harper Audio should have included a companion insert or something. But for those who already own a copy Letters From Father Christmas makes for perfect listening on the days leading up to Christmas!

Posted by Jesse Willis

New podcasts of note: Spaceship Radio OTR, Old …

SFFaudio Online Audio

New podcasts of note:

Spaceship Radio
OTR, Old Time Radio, mostly from the 1950s, mostly X-Minus One. Besides the radio dramas the show’s host Andy Dome has started a wiki project to create new radio dramatizations.

YogRadio
A lengthy British podcast from Yog-Sothoth.com that mostly focuses on the Call Of Cthulhu role playing game. Their promo is absolutely hilarious!

Posted by Jesse Willis

Escape Pod, the AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME podca…

Escape Pod, the AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME podcast magazine is doing a way cool promotion to celebrate their first half-year of continous publication! They’re offering all past donaters of $20.00 USD or more a FREE CD-MP3 of the first half-year’s worth of short stories, flash fiction and more! That’s 26 Weeks of Science Fiction and Fantasy audio goodness. What’s more, your donation will help to create even more stories! The disc is a numbered limited edition of 200, if you haven’t already donated to Escape Pod (which actually pays its authors for its fiction), do so in amount of $20.00 USD or more by PayPal and you’ll be able to get one too! But maybe you’ve listened to every show and don’t want to hear them all again? Crazy, but possible I suppose. Well that’s still no problem, have the disc outfitted with a custom note of your choosing, up to 60 characters in length. It makes a great gift!

posted by Jesse Willis