Recent Arrivals from Brilliance Audio

SFFaudio Recent Arrivals

Science Fiction Audiobook - Live Free or Die by John RingoLive Free Or Die
By John Ringo; Read by Mark Boyett
17 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2010

FIRST CONTACT WAS FRIENDLY

When aliens trundled a gate to other worlds into the solar System, the world reacted with awe, hope and fear. The first aliens to come through, the Glatun, were peaceful traders and the world breathed a sigh of relief.

WHO CONTROLS THE ORBITALS, CONTROLS THE WORLD

When the Horvath came through, they announced their ownership by dropping rocks on three cities and gutting them. Since then, they’ve held Terra as their own personal fiefdom. With their control of the orbitals, there’s no way to win and Earth’s governments have accepted the status quo.

LIVE FREE OR DIE

To free the world from the grip of the Horvath is going to take an unlikely hero. A hero unwilling to back down to alien or human governments, unwilling to live in slavery and with enough hubris, if not stature, to think he can win.
Fortunately, there’s Tyler Vernon. And he has bigger plans than merely getting us from under the fist of the Horvath.
Troy Rising is a book in three parts — Live Free or Die being the first part — detailing the freeing of Earth from alien conquerors, the first steps into space using off-world technologies and the creation of Troy, a thousand trillion ton battlestation designed to secure the Solar System.

 
 
Science Fiction Audiobook - Saucer: The Conquest by Stephen CoontsSaucer: The Conquest
By Stephen Coonts; Read by Eric Conger
9.5 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2010

After discovering the secrets of a 140,000-year-old spacecraft in Saucer, Rip Cantrell and beautiful test pilot Charley Pine think their days of high-flying extraterrestrial adventure are over. But when Pine takes up flying spaceplanes to the moon for the French lunar base project, she discovers that the project director has installed a world-threatening antigravity beam.

The French kidnap Rip’s Uncle Egg and force him to fly a saucer, hidden in Area 51, to the moon. Rip and Charley have no choice; to rescue Egg and save the world, they must steal the first saucer from its new home, the National Air and Space Museum, and hit the not-so-friendly skies again.

Stephen Coonts’s first Saucer was a smash-hit nationwide. Now the unlikely duo of Rip Cantrell and Charley Pine are back, so strap in and leave your passports behind as the fight for freedom on the new frontier begins.
 
 
Fantasy Audiobook - Where Angels Fear to Tread by Thomas E. Sniegoski border=Where Angels Fear to Tread
By Thomas E. Sniegoski; Read by Luke Daniels
9 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2010

Six-year-old Zoe York has been taken, and her mother comes to Remy for help. He thinks the cops would be a better choice—until the desperate woman shows Remy why she chose him out of all the private detectives in Massachusetts.

There are drawings. Crude childlike drawings that show Zoe’s visions of the future. Everything leading up to her abduction, and some beyond. Such as the picture of a man with wings who would come and save her—a man who is an angel. This is more than a mere kidnapping.

Zoe’s preternatural gifts have made her a target for those who wish to exploit her power for their own destructive ends. And the search takes Remy to dark places he would rather avoid. But to save an innocent, Remy will ally himself with a variety of lesser evils—and his soul may pay the price.
 
 
Science Fiction Audiobook - Fearless by Jack CampbellThe Lost Fleet: Fearless
By Jack Campbell; Read by Christian Rummel
10 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2010

Outnumbered by the superior forces and firepower of the Syndicate Worlds, the Alliance fleet continues its dangerous retreat across the enemy star system. Led by the legendary Captain John “Black Jack” Geary, who returned to the fleet after a hundred-year suspended animation, the Alliance is desperately trying to return home with its captured prize: the key to the Syndic hypernet, and the key to victory…

Geary is convinced that the Syndics are planning to ambush the fleet and finish it off once and for all. Realizing the fleet’s best (and only) chance is to do the unexpected, Geary takes the offensive and orders the fleet to the Sancere system. There, a multitude of possible routes home give the Alliance fleet a better chance of avoiding their pursuers — and an attack on the Sancere shipbuilding facilities could decimate the Syndic war effort.

Weary from endless combat, the officers and crew of the Alliance fleet can’t see the sense in charging deeper into enemy territory — prompting a mutiny that divides them and leaves Geary with higher odds against him than ever before…

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Rings, Swords, and Monsters Reviewed at The Silver Key

SFFaudio Review

Over at The Silver Key, our friend Brian Murphy posted a review of Rings, Swords, and Monsters, a Modern Scholar course taught by Michael D.C. Drout. I’m a big fan of Drout’s – I thoroughly enjoyed this course, and his science fiction course (From Here to Infinity: An Exploration of Science Fiction Literature) as well.

|CLICK HERE| to visit The Silver Key to read what Brian has to say about Rings, Swords, and Monsters. Also: look around a little! He’s been posting incredible stuff about Tolkien over the past couple of months.

(NOTE: Actually, the entire review can be found at The Cimmerian.)

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Review of Human Weakness by Karen Traviss

SFFaudio Review

The 7th Anniversary Reviewapalooza continues! May contain nuts.

Science Fiction Audiobook - Halo EvolutionsHuman Weakness
By Karen Traviss; Read by Jen Taylor
Contained in Halo: Evolutions
90 Minutes – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Published: 2010
Themes: / Science Fiction / Military SF / Artificial Intelligence / Computers / Aliens /

I have died more deaths per minute in Halo than anyone else I know. I spawn, look around, and thud. Or boom. Or thump thump thump. I spend a LOT of time waiting to spawn. Don’t like to brag, but my rate of death has to be some kind of record.

So I listened to this Halo story by Karen Traviss. “Human Weakness”, it’s called. It’s a good story about an artificially intelligent computer that is left behind when The Flood arrives and the humans run for their lives. The story is about something called “The Gravemind”, a borg-like malevolent entity that assimilates data, and it’s attempt to infiltrate the left-behind AI. No matter how much the Gravemind tries to convince the AI to allow it access, the AI refuses. Interesting! Not too many humans in this story.

I mentioned this to a friend of mine whose Halo death rate is respectable. I told him that the AI’s name was Cortana, and he knew exactly who that was. Then I realized that she’s the girl that talks to me at the beginning of Halo 3. That sent me to the Halopedia, where everything started coming together. I haven’t played much Halo in story mode, obviously, but I’m more interested in doing so than I was. A big storyline!

And oh yeah! The narrator was top-notch. Her name is Jen Taylor.

The description of the Halo: Evolutions anthology:

When humanity expanded beyond the safety of Earth to new stars and horizons, they never dreamed what dangers they would encounter there. When the alien juggernaut known as the Covenant declared holy war upon the fragile human empire, millions of lives were lost—but, millions of heroes rose to the challenge. In such a far-reaching conflict, not many of the stories of these heroes, both human and alien, have a chance to become legend. This collection holds eleven stories that dive into the depths of the vast Halo universe, not only from the perspective of those who fought and died to save humanity, but also those who vowed to wipe humanity out of existence.

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Podcast: The Scarecrow’s Boy by Michael Swanwick

SFFaudio Online Audio

Science Fiction AudiobookInfinivox is offering a free listen to “The Scarecrow’s Boy” by Michael Swanwick, a story we talked about last week that’s part of the just-released We, Robots anthology.

Find it here: The Scarecrow’s Boy by Michael Swanwick

Thanks, Infinivox!

[via infinivoxsf.com]

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Recent Arrival: We, Robots ed. Allan Kaster

SFFaudio Recent Arrivals

Science Fiction Audiobook - We, Robots edited by Allan KasterWe, Robots
Stories by Elizabeth Bear, James Cambias, Jeffrey Ford, Dominic Green, Daryl Gregory, Ian McDonald, and Michael Swanwick
Read by Amy Bruce and J.P. Linton
4.5 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Infinivox
Published: 2010
ISBN: 9781884612893

While we patiently wait for the next Year’s Top Ten Tales of Science Fiction, Allan Kaster and Infinivox offer this cool anthology. NOW AVAILABLE!

This is a collection of seven contemporary robot tales written by some of today’s most acclaimed science fiction authors. A sentient war machine combs a beach for trinkets to create memorials for its fallen comrades in the Hugo Award winning story, “Tideline,” by Elizabeth Bear. In “Balancing Accounts,” by James Cambias, a small-time independent robotic space tug is hired by a mysterious client for a voyage between two of Saturn’s moons. “The Seventh Expression of the Robot General,” by Jeffrey Ford, involves a robot general coming to grips with his position in a world that no longer requires, or even understands, his role. A city awakens its ancient guardian as it is about to be invaded by a mining company in “Shining Armour” by Dominic Green. In “The Illustrated Biography of Lord Grimm,” by Daryl Gregory, a country ruled by a super villain comes under attack by American super heroes. In “Sanjeev and Robotwallah,” by Ian McDonald, a young boy becomes enamored with the armed robots that do the fighting in a Civil War and the celebrity boy-soldiers who pilot them. A robot acting as a scarecrow could be a desperate young boy’s one chance of staying alive in “The Scarecrow’s Boy” by Michael Swanwick. These are unabridged readings by Amy Bruce and J. P. Linton.

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Review of Eros, Philia, Agape by Rachel Swirsky

SFFaudio Review

Yet another story in SFFaudio’s 7th Anniversary Exposition of Excellent Stories! Step right up…

Science Fiction Audiobook - Eros, Philia, Agape by Rachel SwirskyEros, Philia, Agape
By Rachel Swirsky; Read by Rachel Swirsky
1 Hour 12 Minutes – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tor.com (Tor Story Podcast #013)
Published: 2010
Themes: / Science Fiction / Love / Robots / Divorce / Children / Relationships /

Adriana shrugged. “They’re all beautiful, right?”

“We’ll need specifications.”

“I don’t have specifications.”

The salesman frowned anxiously. He shifted his weight as if it could help him regain his metaphorical footing. Adriana took pity. She dug through her purse.

“There,” she said, placing a snapshot of her father on one of the display tables. “Make it look nothing like him.”

I’ve been really lucky this month. I’ve listened to thirteen stories, and they’ve all been winners. This one may be the best of the lot!

Adriana goes through with the purchase in that scene above – she buys herself a robot husband named Lucian. She then has a baby named Rose. Though Rose has none of Lucian’s DNA (he has none to give, of course), this is a family. The decision to purchase a robot whose body is made to order and whose personality can be molded to fit does not prevent relationship problems, though. It introduces different ones.

You can probably tell from just that short section that Adriana is a character with a lot of internal conflict. I immediately cared about her, and Lucian, and little Rose. This is a wonderful story that I’ll be reading again.

You can grab the story |HERE|

Or subscribe to the Tor Story Podcast at this link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TorDotStories

Enjoy!

Posted by Scott D. Danielson