Steven Gould, author of Jumper and Reflex gives away an MP3 short story

Online Audio

Steven Gould, much lauded author of the recently KAMN’d novel Jumper has released his first ever sold story as two MP3 files. We like this writer, his only other audiobook release so far is Reflex, the sequel to Jumper. Read a review of that audiobook HERE.

Analog Science Fiction September 1980 issueThe Touch Of Their Eyes
By Steven Gould; Read by Steven Gould
2 MP3s – [UNABRIDGED]
|PART 1 of 2|PART 2 of 2|
Released: January 9th 2007
Originally published in Analog Science Fiction’s September 1980 issue. Read the surprising origins story surrounding this tale on Gould’s group blog: Eat Our Brains.

[Thanks to SFsignal for the tip-off]

SFFaudio Challenge MET with an unabridged reading of Badge Of Infamy by Lester Del Rey!

SFFaudio Online Audio

Meta SFFaudio - SFFaudio Contest - Make audiobook win an audiobookPodiobooks.com has just posted the now completed audiobook of Badge Of Infamy by Lester Del Rey. This means that this reading by Steven H. Wilson of Prometheus Radio Theatre is our 2nd place winner in our FIRST “Make and Audiobook, Win An Audiobook Challenge.” Steven will be contacted by email and asked which of the remaining two incentive prizes he’d liked delivered to him by mail.

In a related matter, looking over at the forums on LibriVox I note that The Cosmic Computer by H. Beam Piper also appears to be aiming at a release in the very near future!

Steven has also informed me that Badge Of Infamy will also be uploaded to LibriVox sometime in the near future. And perhaps most exciting of all Steven writes:

“I also have some more good news on the public domain SF front: Four of my cast — Marty Gear, Cindy Woods, June Swords and Paul Balze — have all stated their intent to record an audio book for Prometheus to release in the coming year. You and I know that this is easier said than done, but I’m thrilled that there’s so much interest in my group alone, and we do have a record for finishing projects, albeit slowly sometimes. So I’m hoping to have a modest increase in freely available SF audio on the horizon.”

WOW! Let me be the first to say it then – Marty, Cindy, June, Paul, you folks ROCK!

Steven, congratulations and let me offer you a big thanks from everyone who will be enjoying Badge Of Infamy now and in perpetuity.

Badge Of Infamy
By Lester del Rey; Read by Steven H. Wilson
15 MP3s – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Podiobooks.com
Status: RELEASED (January 14th 2006)

Daniel Feldman was a doctor once. He made the mistake of saving a friend’s life in violation of Medical Lobby rules. Now, he’s a pariah, shunned by all, forbidden to touch another patient. But things are more loose on Mars. There, Doc Feldman is welcomed by the colonists, even as he’s hunted by the authorities. But, when he discovers a Martian plague may soon wipe out humanity on two planets, the authorities begin hunting him for a different reason altogether.

CBC Radio One’s Writers & Company interviews P.D. James

CBC Radio One Writers & CompanyCBC Radio One‘s excellent author focused show Writers & Company had a timely and in-depth interview with P.D. James on Sunday. Best known as a crime writer, James is getting some deserved attention for her novel The Children Of Men because of the current film version.

Writers & Company is hosted by the always insightful Eleanor Wachtel. I’m still dismayed that Writers & Company and Wachtel’s other progamme (The Arts Tonight) still aren’t podcast.

You can listen to this interview via RealAudio HERE (skip ahead to the 38 minute mark).

While I really appreciate that CBC is podcasting, I love it in fact, I am less than thrilled it isn’t podcasting enough. ABC Radio Australia, with a total of budget just short of $100 million, currently has more than 120 different podcasts. CBC has fewer than two dozen English language podcast programmes but has a $1.3 billion budget. Australia, with two-thirds the population of Canada, has 5 times as many podcast from their national public radio service. That’s a wonky disparity. CBC, streaming audio is passé – time for more podcasts!

Shakespeare And Dragons Podcast has Worldbuilding 101

Imaginary WorldsHere’s an interesting premise for a podcast: A course on the creation of Fantasy worlds. The Imaginary Worlds: Shakespeare and Dragons podcast is designed to foster, in its listeners, the techniques and methods for weaving a rich and immersive Fantasy world. The host is an English teacher who intends to use a literary approach to building a world filled with strong characterization, classic themes that will allow for functional plot structures. This is the English class you wish you had in school.

Worldbuilding Ep. 001: World of the Story |MP3|
Worldbuilding Ep. 002: Power of Tone and Emotional Effects on the Story World |MP3|
Worldbuilding Ep. 003: Economy of the World and the Needs of the Characters |MP3|
Worldbuilding Ep. 004: Objectives of Worldbuilding and an Introduction to the Designer’s Workshop |MP3|
Worldbuilding Ep. 005: Premise of Your Story World |MP3|

Want to audit the course? Subscribe to the feed:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/ImaginaryWorldsPresents

BBC Radio 4’s In Our Time Podcast tackles Life On Mars

BBC Radio 4 Podcast In Our TimeIn Our Time is a BBC Radio 4 podcast that covers the “big ideas” of our age. Each week the host, Melvyn Bragg, and three guests investigate the history of the ideas on a topic and debate their application to modern life. On offer this week is the history of Life on Mars |MP3| here’s the description

“For centuries there has been fierce debate about whether there is life on Mars and from the 19th century it was even thought there might be a system of canals on the planet. This insatiable curiosity has been fuelled by writers like H.G. Wells and C.S. Lewis and countless Sci-Fi films about little green men. So what do we know about Mars – its conditions, now and in the past? What is the evidence that there might be water and thus life on Mars? And when might we expect man to walk on its surface?”

Subscribe to the podcast:

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/rss.xml

Solomon Kane, Robert E. Howard’s Puritain devil-fighter, in 3 MP3 poems

SFFaudio Online Audio

Three poems by master fantasist Robert E. Howard are available in MP3 format. Read by Paul Blake, they were released as a promotion for a Wandering Star book on Kane.

The Savage Tales Of Solomon Kane

Listen to the poems:

1. The One Black Stain |MP3|
2. The Return Of Sir Richard Grenville |MP3|
3. Solomon Kane’s Homecoming |MP3|

And for interested parties trying to find hardcopies, here are the details:

The Savage Tales of Solomon KaneThe Savage Tales Of Solomon Kane
By Robert E. Howard; Read by Paul Blake
1 CD – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Wandering Star
Published: 1998
ISBN: 0953425304 (Limited Edition), 0953425304 (Ultra Limited Edition)
The CD, only available with purchase of one of two boxed sets, contains three Howard poems about his dour Puritan hero:
The One Black Stain
The Return of Sir Richard Grenville
Solomon Kane’s Homecoming
This CD is only available with purchase of either the The Savage Tales Of Solomon Kane “Limited Edition” boxed set (limited to 1050 copies) or the “Ultra Limited Edition” (same package but bound in goatskin and limited to just 50 copies).

I’m pleased to say we should have some more Robert E. Howard news for you in the coming weeks and months too!