New Releases

New Release – The Day the Earth Stood Still

SFFaudio Recent Arrivals
A new release now available at Audible.com and iTunes. The remake of the classic movie will be coming out this December. But find out how the story really goes by listening to this classic from the golden age of science fiction.

The Day the Earth Stood Still: Selected Stories of Harry Bates
By Harry Bates; Read by William Coon
7 hours 21 min.- [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Wonder Audio
Published: 2008

Available at Audible and iTunes.

Farewell to the Master first appeared in the October 1940 issue of Astounding Stories. It became the basis for the 1951 film, The Day the Earth Stood Still. The story morphed from Bates’s original conception into a cerebral SF cinematic classic. Much of the sense of wonder of that original story was lost in its adaptation to film. In fact, a fundamental characteristic that can be found in the stories by Bates’s is that sense of wonder. While other author’s stories generally held optimistic views of humankind, Harry Bates’s sensibilities were often much darker. He dealt with philosophy, particularly the metaphysical, with mind-exploding ideas that predates similar explorations by such authors as A.E. van Vogt and Philip K. Dick.

In Farewell to the Master, Cliff Sutherland, a freelance reporter, is determined to get more photos of the giant robot that stands as a silent sentinel over his dimensional space-traveling ship. Cliff is determined to have an overnight vigil to get behind the mystery of the slain alien known as Klaatu.

Alas, All Thinking is the story of one man’s journey in time to the end of humanity. But he is much more that just an observer as he takes matters into his own hands. A Matter of Size takes the listener for a journey of scale and the meaning of identity.

Death of a Sensitive is the tale of psychic who is thought to be mad with his benevolent treatment towards the cockroaches that infest his apartment. A haunting tale with a dire warning that is based on the pioneering parapsychology of J.B. Rhines. Death of a Sensitive is a forgotten classic that is presented here for the first time in over 50 years. Four classic short novels from a Golden Age giant of Science Fiction.

Posted by The Time Traveler of the Time Traveler Show

The SFFaudio Podcast #011 – NEW RELEASES/RECENT ARRIVALS

Podcast

The SFFaudio Podcast #011 – in which our desperate heroes attempt to display the manliness and fortitude, listing all the recent arrivals, and some recent listens.

Talked about on today’s show:
audiobooks, epic fantasy, science fiction, The Runelords, David Farland, Blackstone Audio, Brilliance Audio, Dragonheart, Todd McCaffery, Pern, Penguin Audio, Jim Butcher, Codex Alera, Furies of Calderon, Kate Reading, Random House Audio, The Widows Of Eastwick, John Updike, Peter Straub, Poe’s Children – an anthology, Stephen King, Star Wars – Millennium Falcon, James Luceno, Macmillan Audio, Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, Michael Kramer, Richard Stark, Books On Tape, Frank Herbert, Heretics Of Dune, the Alan Smithee version of Dune (1984), Neal Stephenson, Anathem (28 CDs long!), The Book Of Lies, Brad Meltzer, Ender In Exile, Orson Scott Card, Team America World Police, Sherlock Holmes Theatre, Yuri Rasovsky, audio drama, 2000X, Repent Harlequin Said The Tick-Tock Man, Harlan Ellison, Mercedes Lackey, Foundation, Wizard’s First Rule, Terry Goodkind, Legend Of The Seeker, SFSignal.com, iTunes, Infinivox, Guest Law, John C. Wright, Audio Realms, Shadow Kingdoms, Robert E. Howard, Fallout 3, and Team America: World Police‘s song we’re gonna need a montage!

Posted by Jesse Willis

It’s been a while since we did a new release update, though we’ve been announcing quite a few on The SFFaudio Podcast. Here are a few, expect more to follow soon.

Swallowing Darkness
By Laurell K. Hamilton; Read by Claudia Black
10 CDs – 11 Hours 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Random House Audio
Published: November 4th, 2008
ISBN: 9780739370445

I am Meredith, princess of faerie, wielder of the hands of Flesh and Blood, and at long last, I am with child–twins, fathered by my royal guard. Though my uncle, Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, claims that he is the true father since he abducted me from my home, betrayed, and defiled me. And now he has branded my guards as a threat to my unborn children. Bearing an heir has placed me halfway to my aunt’s throne, that much closer to my reign over the Unseelie Court–and well ahead of her son, my cousin Cel, in this race. Now I must stay alive to see my children born and claim my place as queen. But not all in faerie are pleased with the news, and conspirators from every court in the realm plot against me and mine. They seek to strip my guards, my lovers, from me by poisoned word or cold steel. But I still have supporters, and even friends, among the goblins and the sluagh, who will stand by me. I am Meredith Nic Essus, and those who would defy and destroy me are destined to pay a terrible price–for I am truly my father’s daughter. To protect what is mine, I will sacrifice anything–even if it means waging a great battle against my darkest enemies and making the most momentous decision ever made as princess of faerie.

Brisingr
By Christopher Paolini; Read by Gerard Doyle
23 CDs – Approx. 27 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Published: September 20th, 2008
ISBN: 0739368044

BRISINGR EXCLUSIVE: The audio edition of Brisingr features a revealing Q & A between best-selling author Christopher Paolini and editor Michelle Frey. OATHS SWORN . . . loyalties tested . . . forces collide. Following the colossal battle against the Empire’s warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep. First is Eragon’s oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran’s beloved, Katrina, from King Galbatorix’s clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength—as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices— choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice. Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once-simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?

Red Planet
By Robert A. Heinlein; Read by William Dufris and a full cast
6 CDs- 7 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Full Cast Audio
Published: October 2008
ISBN: 9781934180518
Jim Marlowe’s Martian pet, Willis, seems like nothing more than an adorable ball of fur with an astonishing ability to mimic the human voice. But when Jim takes the creature to academy and runs afoul of a militantly rigid headmaster, his devotion to his pet launches the young man on a death-defying trek across Mars. Accompanied by his buddy, Frank, Jim must battle the dangers of a hostile planet. But it is not only the boys’ lives that are at stake: They have discovered explosive information about a threat to the survival of the entire colony—information that may mean life or death for their families. An irresistible mix of thrilling adventure, crackling dialogue, and brilliant speculation, deftly seasoned with politics, philosophy, and a touch of the mystic, Red Planet is classic Heinlein. Note: This recording uses the author’s preferred text, restoring many cuts made by the original editor.

Guest Law
By John C. Wright; Read by Tom Dheere
1 CD – 52 minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Infinivox
Published: October 2008
ISBN: 9781884612831
There be pirates in the vast void of space! Does not the poet say: “Beware the strangeness of the stranger. Unknown things bring unknown danger?” The noble ship Procrustes was silent as a ghost. Warships can be silent if they are slow; only their missiles need speed. And so it was silently, slowly, that the Procrustes approached the stranger’s cold vessel.

Posted by Jesse Willis

METAtropolis from Audible Frontiers: Lake, Scalzi, Bear, Buckell, Schroeder

New Releases

METAtropolis
By Jay Lake, John Scalzi, Elizabeth Bear, Tobias Buckell, Karl Schroeder; Read by Michael Hogan, Scott Brick, Kandyse McClure, Alessandro Juliani and Stefan Rudnicki
Audible Download – Approx. 9 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Audible Frontiers
Published October 21st 2008
Five novellas by five of the hottest SF authors of today.
Novellas included:
In the Forests of the Night by Jay Lake; read by Michael Hogan
High in Oregon’s Cascades, a mysterious stranger named Tygre Tygre walks into the off-the-grid settlement known as Cascadiopolis and claims asylum. He is a man with no past and seemingly otherworldly abilities. Will he be the Cascadians’ salvation?
Stochasti-city by Tobias Buckell; read by Scott Brick
OK, Reg. You’re a bouncer who’s barely eking out a meager existence in the decaying Wilds outside Detroit. So a little job tracking the Eddies on their patrols seems like easy money. Well, think again, Reg. Because a riot’s about to happen… and you’re going to be the cause…
The Red in the Sky is Our Blood by Elizabeth Bear; read by Kandyse McClure
How does the stranger know Cadie’s real name – and why she’s on the run – and what it all has to do with the Ukrainian mob? He’s offering her freedom from possessions and a totally new way of life. But he wants just this one little favor…
Utere Nihil… by John Scalzi; read by Alessandro Juliani
The only thing Benji lacks more than ambition is luck. And his new job has to be the lowest of the low. But something is stirring in the zero-footprint economy of New St. Louis. And Benji’s about to find himself chin deep in the muck!
To Hie from Far Cilenia by Karl Schroeder; read by Stefan Rudnicki
Gennady’s an expert on nukes, so when the Interpol man hires him to track some stolen plutonium, it seems like business as usual. Except for this: all signs lead to – a place that doesn’t exist.

Listen to two METAtropolis authors discussion (John Scalzi and Tobias Buckell) |MP3| disucss the collection…

“The authors converse about writing for audio, how they artfully handle peculiar prose called infodumps, and the fun behind world-building in collaboration. How this team of five incorporated their lives into their novellas for METAtropolis and whether their frightening visions of the future could ever happen are also among the topics covered.”

Posted by Jesse Willis

New Release – The Status Civilization by Robert Sheckley

New Releases

The Status Civilization
By Robert Sheckley; Read by Mark Douglas Nelson
5.5 hrs. – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Wonder Audio
Availiable at Audible and iTunes

Will Barrent has no memory of the murder for which he was convicted. He will now have to live his life sentence on the prison planet Omega. The few that survive there do it by committing crimes. And the more adept the planet inmates are at higher crime, the more they climb their bizarre anti-social ladder. They all must live in a society where drug addiction is mandatory, as is the worship of the Dark One. Barrent’s goal is to find why he was sent to this mad world and to clear his name and return to Earth. But first he must survive – for a life sentence on Omega is usually a short sentence indeed.

Posted by The Time Traveler of the Time Traveler Show

New Releases

I heard of this author, Orhan Pamuk, through the Entitled Opinions podcast. Looking the novel up on Wikipedia, it appears this is a historical murder mystery set in the Ottoman Empire. But, there are some fantastic elements too.

My Name Is Red
By Orhan Pamuk; Translated by Erdag Goknar; Read by John Lee
16 CDs – 20 Hours 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Random House Audio
Published: September 2008
ISBN: 9780739369241

The Sultan has commissioned a cadre of the most acclaimed artists in the land to create a great book celebrating the glories of his realm. Their task: to illuminate the work in the European style. But because figurative art can be deemed an affront to Islam, this commission is a dangerous proposition indeed. The ruling elite therefore mustn’t know the full scope or nature of the project, and panic erupts when one of the chosen miniaturists disappears. The only clue to the mystery–or crime? –lies in the half-finished illuminations themselves.

Here’s a new space opera title from the author of Eifelheim…

The January Dancer
By Michael Flynn; Read by TBA
8 Cassettes, 1 MP3-CD or 9 CDs – Approx. 10.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: September 30th 2008
ISBN: 9781433250965 (cassette), 9781433250996 (mp3-cd), 9781433250972 (cd)
The January Dancer tells the fateful story of an ancient prehuman artifact of great power and of the people who found it. Starting with Captain Amos January, who quickly loses it, and then the others who fought, schemed, and killed to get it, we travel around the complex, decadent, brawling, mongrelized, interstellar human civilization that the artifact might save or destroy. Collectors want the Dancer, pirates take it, rulers crave it, and all will kill, if necessary, to get it. This is a thrilling yarn of love, revolution, music, and mystery, and it ends, as all great stories do, with shock and a beginning.

Podiobooks.com has a new release which has a description designed to make me listen to it: “[A] Kickass scifi and crime fiction collection in the tradition of Philip K. Dick and Jim Thompson.” yum, yum!

The Kiribati Test
By Stacey Cochran; Read by Stacey Cochran
6 Short Stories – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Podiobooks.com
Published: September 2008 –

Posted by Jesse Willis