With 9 volumes of short stories now out there’s no doubt there’s a plethora of SF listening available over on LibriVox.org. I love these collections, they have a good variety and not too much repetition …. oh wait, I take that last part back. It’s the constant repetition that is impairing these collections. LibriVoxateers, please stop recording Kurt Vonnegut’s 2BR02B. Otherwise, keep up the great work!
Sounding good in this collection are Jerome Lawson’s reading of The Cosmic Express and the quick humor of Frederic Brown’s Earthmen Bearing Gifts. The standout though is Irving E. Cox’s Impact. It is a tale about a deserter from an interstellar trading ship who causes the ship’s captain no end of troubles. It’s a cool old story despite the wretchedly old-fashioned woman teacher character (she’s jealous, blackmailing and shrewish).
Short Science Fiction Collection Vol. 009
By various; Read by various
10 Zipped MP3s or Podcast – Approx. 4 Hours 25 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: January 20th 2009
Science fiction (abbreviated SF or sci-fi with varying punctuation and case) is a broad genre of fiction that often involves sociological and technical speculations based on current or future science and technology. This is a reader-selected collection of short stories that entered the US public domain when their copyright was not renewed.
2BR02B
By Kurt Vonnegut; Read by smokemonkey
1 |MP3| – Approx. 17 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Previous FREE MP3 versions of this story are HERE, HERE, and HERE and HERE. You can stop recording this very mediocre story now people.
The Cosmic Express
By Jack Williamson; Read by Jerome Lawsen
1 |MP3| – Approx. 26 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: January 20, 2009
Originally published in Amazing Stories in November 1930, later reprinted in the December 1961 Amazing Stories. Unfortunately this reading excludes the 1961 introduction to the tale by Sam Moskowitz. You can read that HERE.
The Day Time Stopped Moving
By Bradner Buckner; Read by Tom Weiss
1 |MP3| – Approx. 43 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Earthmen Bearing Gifts
By Fredric Brown; Read by Alan Winterrowd
1 |MP3| – Approx. 6 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: January 20, 2009
First published in the June 1960 issue of Galaxy magazine. “Mars had gifts to offer and Earth had much in return—if delivery could be arranged!” Another reading is available HERE.
Impact
By Irving E. Cox; Read by Tom Weiss
1 |MP3| – Approx. 54 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: January 20, 2009
From Amazing Science Fiction Stories, January 1960. They were languorous, anarchic, shameless in their pleasures . . . were they lower than man . . . or higher?
Longevity
By Therese Windser; Read by Betsie Bush
1 |MP3| – Approx. 4 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
From Amazing Science Fiction Stories May 1960. A morality tale—1960 style.
The Measure of a Man
By Randall Garrett; Read by Barbara King Gardner
1 |MP3| – Approx. 25 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: January 20, 2009
From April 1960 Astounding Science Fiction magazine. “What is desirable is not always necessary, while that which is necessary may be most undesirable. Perhaps the measure of a man is the ability to tell one from the other … and act on it.” Another version is available HERE.
No Moving Parts
By Murray F. Yaco; Read by Tom Weiss
1 |MP3| – Approx. 45 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: January 20th 2009
From Amazing Stories May 1960. We call them trouble-shooters. They called ’em Gypsies. Either way, they were hep to that whole bit about….
The Nothing Equation
By Tom Godwin; Read by Daniele F.
1 |MP3| – Approx. 22 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: January 20th 2009
From Amazing Stories December 1957. The space ships were miracles of power and precision; the men who manned them, rich in endurance and courage. Every detail had been checked and double checked; every detail except—
The Stoker and the Stars
By Algis Budrys; Read by Jason Mills
1 |MP3| – Approx. 25 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: January 20th 2009
From Astounding Science Fiction February 1959. When you’ve had your ears pinned back in a bowknot, it’s sometimes hard to remember that an intelligent people has no respect for a whipped enemy … but does for a fairly beaten enemy.
Podcast feed:
http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/short-science-fiction-collection-vol-009.xml
Posted by Jesse Willis
Re: repetition
Hee! Yes, this is something I really don’t understand. I mean, yes, nobody wants to stop anybody from showing their love for their favoritest story ever. OTOH, why don’t people want to look over the stories available and do one that hasn’t been recorded seven times? Like the perverse fascination with recording Pride and Prejudice in 60-zillion different versions, I just don’t get it.
Maybe it’s a function of all the only children in this society. Those of us with siblings spend years determined to distinguish our work from all others; so maybe those without close-in-age siblings never want so badly to set themselves apart from their peers?
We could do a poll to find out I suppose. ;)
One thing about Pride And Prejudice though, at least that’s a good story – 2BR02B isn’t. It is at best ok.
Well, 2BR02B is the only public domain piece (found so far) by an extremely popular author, so I can understand why his fans would just want to record whatever they legally can. For myself, I do prefer recording ‘new’ things, and so do very many LibriVoxateers … it’s only a very small number who may not have noticed the previous versions, or who simply want to see what they can bring to a new reading (after all, why do so many versions of Shakespeare?)
And then it just comes down to giving a “choice of voice” for listeners, which is a nice side-effect of LibriVox’s ‘open door’ reader policy. LibriVox is all for the recorders; the listening audience just benefit from the output (or have to listen through another story they probably know almost by heart, hoorah for fast-forward buttons ;) … which is totally opposite most other audiobook producers, but is working pretty well overall.
Cori, your explanation makes sense. The byproduct of it being a popular author and a inviting atmosphere. Yep. But 10% less 2BR02B per SSF collection would be nice. Perhaps a separate 2BR02B Volume 001 collection is in order? ;)
The only thing I can offer regarding the Shakespeare analogy is that about 6 of Shakespeare’s plays get 99% of the attention, Vonnegut isn’t Shakespeare, and 2BR02B is not even in the top 10% of Vonnegut’s work.