Those regular readers to SFFaudio might notice the name of Mark Nelson popping up frequently on this blog. I did a search of his name on this site and came up with 28 separate entries. Mark’s name first popped up as the first winner in SFFaudio’s Challenge to make an audiobook. Since then he’s done numerous stories and 
novels for LibriVox; and his own podcast, SciPodBooks. He’s also read on the Time Traveler Show.
Starborn
By Andre Norton; Read by Mark Douglas Nelson
7 hrs- [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Wonder Audio
Availiable at Audible and iTunes.
Wonder Audio’s first audiobook of a novel is now available! Give a free listen to the first chapter. Download MP3.
“The two voyagers were neither of the same race nor of the same species, yet they worked together without words, as if they had established some bond which gave them a rapport transcending the need for speech.”
When Raf Kurbi’s spaceship from Earth burst into unexplored skies of the far planet Astra, it was made welcome by the natives of a once-mighty metropolis. But Kurbi was unaware of three vital things: (1) that Astra already harbored an Earth colony – descended from refugees from the world of the previous century; (2) that these men and women were facing the greatest danger of their existence from a new outburst of the inhuman fiends who had once tyrannized Astra; and (3) that the natives who were buying Kurbi’s science know-how were those very fiends – and their intentions were implacably deadly for all humans, whether Earth born or star born!
Much of the planet’s hopes lie with young Dalgard Nordis and his companion, Sssuri, a telepathic native of this alien world. If they fail, their planet will be subjugated and enslaved by that inhuman race.
Here is a top-notch planetary adventure novel by science fiction grand master Andre Norton.
Some great stuff in the SFFaudio mailbox to show ya.
Dark Adventure Radio Theatre: At the Mountains of Madness By H.P. Lovecraft; Performed by FULL-CAST
1 CDs, 71 min – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: H.P. Lovecraft Society
Published: 2006
This title brings Lovecraft’s tale to life as it might have been adapted for radio during his lifetime. In the style of The War of the Worlds and The Shadow, Dark Adventure Radio Theatre dramatizes HPL’s story with a cast of professional actors, exciting sound effects and original music by Troy Sterling Nies, (conductor ofThe Call of Cthulhu). Relive the excitement of 1930s radio with one of HP Lovecraft’s most exciting and fascinating stories.
This is absolutely beautifully packaged. Comes in a jewel box but also contains vintage newspaper clipping about the M.U. expedition, a map of the expedition’s route, photographs of the Elder City. And even a page from Danforth’s notebook. All these facsimile are exactingly done. The website states that “it’s beautifully produced and packaged with the same deranged attention to detail that you’ll find in other HPLHS products.” I’d have to agree.
Blade Runner (Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep?)
By Philip K. Dick; Read by Scott Brick
8 CDs – 9.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Random House Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9780739342756
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 assignmet–find them and then.. .”retire” them. Trouble was, the androids all looked exactly like humans, and they didn’t want to be found!
Joy–finally an unabridged version of this PKD classic! And now two from one of the best (if not the best) small audiobook publishers.
Beyond the Aquila Rift
By Alastair Reynolds; Read by Tom Dheere
1 CD – 72 min [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Infinivox
Published: Feb 22, 2008
ISBN: 9781884612770
Beyond the Aquila Rift. It’s shorthand for the trip no one ever hopes to make by accident. The one that will screw up the rest of your life, the one that creates the ghosts you see haunting the shadows of company bars across the whole Bubble. Men and women ripped out of time, cut adrift from families and lovers by an accident of an alien technology we use but rarely comprehend.
The Cost to Be Wise
By Maureen F. McHugh; Read by Venessa Hart
2 CDs – 135 min [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Infinivox
Published: 2007
ISBN: 188461275X
Set on a distant planet, this is a gripping tale about Sckarline, a colony that believes in “appropriate technology adoption.” A heavily armed clan arrives at the colony while it is being visited by off-world anthropologists. Sckarline’s technological beliefs are put to the test when events spiral out of control. Told from the viewpoint of a young woman, she soon learns just how high the price of wisdom can be.
Diplomatic Immunity
By Lois McMaster Bujold; Read by Grover Gardner
9 CDs – 11 hrs [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks
Published: 2008
ISBN: 9781433213144
A Miles Vorkosigan audiobook never disappoints.
A rich Komarran merchant fleet has been impounded at Graf Station in distant Quaddiespace after a bloody incident involving the convoy’s Barrayaran military escort. Lord Miles Vorkosigan and his wife, Lady Ekaterin, have other things on their minds, such as getting home in time to attend the long-awaited births of their first children. But when duty calls in the voice of Barrayar’s Emperor Gregor, Miles, as imperial auditor, has no choice but to answer. Waiting on Graf Station are diplomatic snarls, tangled loyalties, old friends, new enemies, racial tensions, lies and deceptions, mysterious disappearances, and a race with time for life against death in horrifying new forms. The downside of being a high-level troubleshooter comes when trouble starts shooting back.
Halo: Contact Harvest
By Joseph Staten; Read by Holter Graham and Jen Taylor
10 CDs – 11 hrs [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Published: 2008
ISBN: 9781427202499
This is how it began… It is the year 2524. Harvest is a peaceful, prosperous farming colony on the very edge of human-controlled space.But we have trespassed on holy ground–strayed into the path of an aggressive alien empire known as the Covenant.What begins as a chance encounter between an alien privateer and a human freighter catapults mankind into a struggle for its very existence. But humanity is also locked in a bitter civil war known as the Insurrection.So the survival of Harvest’s citizens falls to a squad of battle-weary UNSC Marines and their inexperienced colonial militia trainees.In this unlikely group of heroes, one stands above the rest…a young Marine staff sergeant named Avery Johnson.
Mates, we’ve got some interesting looking titles just arrived in our headquarters from Down Under. They’re from the Austrailian based audiobook company, Bolinda Publishing. Bolinda sent us a slew of cool titles from authors we’ve never seen in audio before. These audiobooks have worldwide distribution so they’re available to all. Put some shrimp on the barbie and a Bolinda audiobook in your player and enjoy.
Swords of Quentaris: Book One of the Quentaris Chronicles
By Paul Collins; Read by Richard Aspel
3 CDs – 3 hrs 15 min [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Bolinda Audio
Published: 2004
ISBN: 9781740935197
The Quentaris Chronicles is a fantasy series set in the magical city of Quentaris. With popular authors Michael Pryor and Paul Collins in charge, The Quentaris Chronicles brings to you books by different writers, each with their tales to tell of this city of infinite variety. Full of magic, mystery and adventure, each book explores Quentaris and its people and brings to you stories of peril and triumph, quests and discoveries, heroes and villains.
Rad de La’rel is a street urchin who yearns to be a guide to adventures in the rift caves of Quentaris. Before he can claim his birthright, he must escape the Theives’ Guild and the notorious Vindon Nibhelline with the help of his friend Tulcia. Only then will he be proclaimed to the greatest guide since his ancestor; the legendary Nathine de La’rel.
Giants of the Frost
By Kim Wilkins; Read by Edwina Wren
13 CDs – 15 hrs 18 min [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Bolinda Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781740939676
An epic saga of love, fate and betrayal. Victoria has chosen career over love, but starts to question this decision when she finds herself working at a remote weather research station on a tiny island off the coast of Norway. In this world of midnight sunshine, the Old Gods still watch the affairs of humanity … and one of them has become fixated on Victoria, certain that she is the reincarnation of a woman he fell in love with over a thousand years before; a love affair which threatened the very existence of Asgard.Dangerous love and desire are soon running out of control, as the spectacularly supernatural obliterates Victoria’s refuge in scientific rationalism.
The Magician’s Guild: Book One of The Black Magician Trilogy
By Trudi Canavan; Read by Richard Aspel
14 CDs – 15 hrs 45 min [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Bolinda Audio
Published: 2005
ISBN: 9781740939348
Caught up in a confrontation between the hated Guild magicians and the angry youth of the slums, to her dismay Sonea discovers that she possesses the same powers as the reviled magicians. To avoid capture, she must seek protection from the city’s feared underworld, The Thieves. In return she must use her powers for them, but her magic never seems to do quite what she intends it to …
Dreamhunter
By Elizabeth Knox; Read by Edwina Wren
9 CDs – 11 hrs 10 min [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Bolinda Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781740938280
Set in 1906, Dreamhunter describes a world very similar to ours, except for a special place, known simply as The Place, where only a select group of people can go. These people are called Dreamhunters and they harvest dreams which are then transmitted to the general public for the purposes of entertainment, therapy – or terror and political coercion. Fifteen-year-old cousins Laura Hame and Rose Tiebold both come from famous dreamhunting families, but only Laura proves to be blessed with the gift and once inside The Place she finds out what happened to her missing dreamhunter father and reveals how the government has used dreams to control an ever-growing population of convicts and political dissenters.
Billy Thunder and the Night Gate
By Isobelle Carmody; Read by Rebecca Macauley
8 CDs – 9 hrs [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Bolinda Audio
Published: 2006
ISBN: 9781740933971
Rage Winnoway’s mother has been asleep since she had a terrible accident. In a quest to find healing magic, Rage and her animal friends travel through a strange gateway to Valley, a land of mythical beasts, talking dogs and streets that change shapes. But Valley is no paradise. Harsh guardians rule a sinister black city, and fugitive witch folk work forbidden magic. Rage desperately wants to go home, but the one person who can help her, a wizard, has disappeared. Her only guides are the treacherous firecat and an enchanted hourglass …
Blake’s 7 – Trilogy Box Set
Performed by FULL-CAST
4 CDs, 225 min – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: B7 Media
Published: 2007
This box set contains the episodes Rebel, Traitor, and Liberator as well 40 minutes of bonus features.
In the third century of the second calendar, the galactic Federation, once a beacon of democracy and peace, has become a corrupt tyranny. Roj Blake stood up for the ordinary people. The establishment framed him for crimes he didn’t commit and sentenced him to permanent exile on the notorious prison planet of Cygnus Alpha.
The Federation thinks it has seen the last of Roj Blake.
The Federation will wish it had.
Phantoms
By Dean Koontz; Read by Buck Schirner
12 CDs – 15 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2008
ISBN: 9781423339267
They found the town silent, apparently abandoned. Then they found the first body strangely swollen and still warm. One hundred fifty were dead, 350 missing. But the terror had only begun in the tiny mountain town of Snowfield, California. At first they thought it was the work of a maniac. Or terrorists. Or toxic contamination. Or a bizarre new disease. But then they found the truth. And they saw it in the flesh. And it was worse than anything any of them had ever imagined…
Airman
By Eoin Colfer; Read by John Keating
9 CDs – 11 hrs 20 min [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Random House Audio
Published: December, 2007
ISBN: 0739359746
In the 1890s Conor and his family live on the sovereign Saltee Islands, off the Irish coast. Conor spends his days studying the science of flight with his tutor and exploring the castle with the king’s daughter, Princess Isabella. But the boy’s idyllic life changes forever the day he discovers a deadly conspiracy against the king. When Conor tries to intervene, he is branded a traitor and thrown into jail on the prison island of Little Saltee. There, he has to fight for his life, as he and the other prisoners are forced to mine for diamonds in inhumane conditions.
There is only one way to escape Little Saltee, and that is to fly. So Conor passes the solitary months by scratching drawings of flying machines on the prison walls. The months turn into years; but eventually the day comes when Conor must find the courage to trust his revolutionary designs and take to the skies.
Sunrise Alley
By Catherine Asaro; Read by Hillary Huber
10 CDs – 11.5 hrs [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks
Published: December 2007
ISBN: 1433213007
When a shipwrecked stranger washed up on the beach near research scientist Samantha Bryton’s home, she was unaware that he was something more than human. He said his name was Turner Pascal—but Pascal was dead, killed in a car wreck. This man only held the remainder of Pascal’s consciousness in a technologically-enhanced humanoid body. He was, in fact, an experiment by the notorious criminal Charon, a practitioner of illegal robotics and android research. Charon has been secretly copying human minds into android brains, with plans to make his own army of slaves. On the run from this most ruthless criminal, Samatha and Turner seek help from Sunrise Alley, an underground organization of AIs and androids that have gone rogue. But these cybernetic outlaws are rumored to have their own hidden agenda.
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls
By Robert A. Heinlein; Read by Tom Weiner
11 CDs – 13.5 hrs [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks
Published: December 2007
ISBN: 1433212918
When a stranger attempting to deliver a cryptic message is shot dead at his dinner table, Ames is thrown headfirst into danger, intrigue, and other dimensions where Lazarus Long still thrives, where Jubal Harshaw lives surrounded by beautiful women, and where a daring plot to rescue the sentient computer called Mike can change the direction of all human history.
Five classic Science Fiction tales. Five more reasons to set up an audible.com or iTunes account.
[editor’s note – These titles below all come from a fellow editor’s audiobook company (Wonder Audiobooks). I’m begging you to give them a try. Its hard to appear purely fannish about these stories (given that I’m such good friends with the publisher) so I’ll just forget about trying to appear altogether unbiased and say these are really terrific listens. Fondly Fahrenheit alone will make you scream for joy. Reet!]
Fondly Fahrenheit & Will You Wait?
By Alfred Bester; Read by Pat Bottino
70 min – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Wonder Audiobooks
Availiable at Audible and 
Androids cannot kill! Yet that is the case for James Vandaleur’s rare multiple-aptitude android. Feeling he has no choice, Vandaleur flees the authorities, and finds himself in encompassed in even more horrendous murders. The heat is affecting the man-made servant, but scarier still is what is effecting Vandaleur’s mind. A pyrotechnic tour de forceby one the greatest writer and stylist of science fiction.
Chosen by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as one of the greatest science fiction stories.
It’s a Good Life
By Jerome Bixby; Read by William Dufris
51 min – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Wonder Audiobooks
Availiable at Audible and
What is more idyllic than a small mid-western agricultural town? Peaksville would sound like a scene right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Except , little Anthony is a monster! What happens when a child is omnipotent, and with his mind he can execute his every desire and petulant whim? Tonight, there’s a birthday party for Dan Hollis at Anthony’s house. It’s a party all the townspeople will remember . . . always!
Another story voted as one of the greatest stories by SFFWA. The story was adapted into a classic Twilight Zone episode.
The Devil on Salvation Bluff
By Jack Vance; Read by Candace Platt
61 min – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Wonder Audiobooks
Availiable at Audible and
On the planet, Glory, missionaries live in a constant unpredictable environment. Sister Mary and her husband, Brother Raymond, try to contend with the flits, which live satyr-like existences. The missionaries are exasperated with this world’s seemingly disregard for cause and effect. The only constant is the clock that they brought with them. And therein lies the problem.
The Game of Rat and Dragon
By Cordwainer Smith; Read by Matthew Wayne Selznick33 min – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Wonder Audiobooks
Availiable at Audible and
Future humanity has found the secret of faster-than-light travel, but it comes with great dangers. To minimize these dangers, man can pilot ships through the up-and-out with cats as their partners. Underhill share his mind with his cat-partner, the Lady May, and must travel to the terrible open places between the stars. Only be working together can they defend themselves and the ship’s passengers against the dragons in the emptiness of space.
The Last of the Deliverers
By Poul Anderson; Read by William Coon
32 min – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Wonder Audiobooks
Availiable at Audible and
A small town in Ohio leads a peaceful Utopian existence in a world after the collapse of the super powers. Their pastoral existence is rattled when an old communist comes to their village. Uncle Jim, the resident old capitalist wages an ideological battle with the traveling guest to the townspeople’s dismay.
Posted by Jesse Willis
