SFFAudio is back online… thanks for visiting!
A few items of interest:
Locus Online has an interesting article by Jeff Berkwits on science fiction and fantasy songwriters – find it here.
Jesse points us to the XM Theater of the Mind, an XM radio station.
The science fiction world, of which audio is a part, is abuzz discussing this article by Spider Robinson, in which he questions the direction of Hard SF.
Enjoy! It’s great to be back.
Posted by Scott D. Danielson
And now, a short intermission…
Due to some other obligations (i.e. my day job), I’ll be out of town the week of Sep. 7th. SFFaudio will be back on Sep. 15th with some new posts.
Some of the things we’re working on – a comprehensive list of audio editions of Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy award-winning fiction, reviews of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead on unabridged audio, and Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age, also on unabridged audio.
Back soon!
Posted by Scott D. Danielson
Congratulations Hugo winners!
The Hugo Awards for best science fiction works in 2002 were presented Saturday, August 30 at the 61th World Science Fiction Convention, Torcon 3, in Toronto, Ontario.
Best Novel: Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer (Analog 1-4/02; Tor)
Best Novella: Coraline by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins)
Best Novelette: “Slow Life” by Michael Swanwick (Analog 12/02)
Best Short Story Category: “Falling Onto Mars” by Geoffrey A. Landis (Analog 7-8/02)
Best Related Book: Better to Have Loved: The Life of Judith Merril, Judith Merril and Emily Pohl-Weary
Best Dramatic Presentation: “Conversations With Dead People” (20th Century Fox Television/Mutant Enemy Inc.)Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form Category: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (New Line Cinema)
Best Professional Editor: Gardner Dozois
Best Professional Artist: Bob Eggleton
Best Semiprozine: Locus edited by Charles N. Brown, Jennifer A. Hall, and Kirsten Gong-Wong
Best Fanzine: Mimosa edited by Rich and Nicki Lynch
Best Fan Writer: Dave Langford
Best Fan Artist: Sue Mason
On audio, Gaiman’s Coraline, read by the author, is available from Harper Audio and Swanwick’s “Slow Life” is included in Audible.com‘s The Best of Analog Science Fiction and Fact Magazine 2002.
Posted by Scott D. Danielson
The Andromeda Strain
By Michael Crichton; Read by Chris Noth
2 Cassettes – 3 Hours [ABRIDGED]
Publisher: Random House Audio
Published: 1993
Themes: / Science Fiction / Mystery / Disease / Disaster / Scientist / Medical /
A top secret research satellite falls to Earth near a small town in Arizona. Hours later a recovery team discovers that something has killed off the town’s entire population except for an old man and a new-born baby, statistically the most likely age groups to succumb to any normal disease. In anticipation of such an event a team of microbiologists assembles in a top-secret, underground laboratory in the Nevada desert. This laboratory was designed to handle an accidental introduction of virulent organisms into Earth’s atmosphere and ecological systems. The team begins to study the survivors and the “toxic” satellite and discovers several black/green patches of deadly bacteria that they have code-named: The Andromeda Strain.
First Published in 1969, The Andromeda Strain is one of Crichton’s best science fiction tales and a terrific scientific mystery story! As the microbiology team races against the clock, trying to figure out the toxic effect of the alien infection, the US government contemplates a nuclear cauterization of the infected crash site. But when The Andromeda Strain mutates it begins to eat through plastic lab suits and rubber gaskets protecting the scientists and the population from escaping toxins. Its a real thriller of a story, and was successfully turned into a great feature film directed by Crichton himself.
This fine novel is only available as an abridgement, and this is unfortunate. The missing portions actually improve the novel to a very large degree because the novel is written in the style of a non-fiction report of events. The original text includes, images, citations, timelines and references, their absence is a disservice to the remaining story. Chris Noth, most famous for his role on the NBC television series Law And Order, reads with a rich and compelling voice. But Noth does merely a satisfactory reading, he makes good attempts with the scientific jargon replete throughout the novel, but they are often mispronounced. Added to this is his lack of range for the voices. Given more audiobook experience Noth will probably become a good reader, in this audiobook however, his performance is merely satisfactory. All in all well worth a listen, but I sincerely hope an unabridged edition is released.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Genesis Force
By John Vornholt; Read by Tim Russ
4 CD’s – 4.5 hours [ABRIDGED]
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Audio
Published: 2003
Themes: / Science Fiction / Star Trek / Genetic Engineering / Planet Destruction /
This book is the fourth in John Vornholt’s Genesis Wave series, which are all available on audio. It is a stand-alone novel about the inhabitants of the planet Aluwna, which finds itself in the path of the ultra-destructive Genesis Wave, which was created in the previous novels in the series. This book mainly involves characters from this planet, as they figure out how to save as many of their race as possible and then deal with the aftermath of the Wave’s passage.
Genesis Force is a very satisfying novel in it’s own right. The story is fast-paced and the stakes high for the rulers and inhabitants of Aluwna. Ambassador Worf and a fleet of Klingon warships play an important role, and we are given a good look at Worf’s relationship with his sons, along with a rare view of Klingons who have arrived to help, not to destroy.
Tim Russ is a very skilled narrator. I’d enjoy hearing more of his narration both in and outside of Star Trek.
See more about audio Star Trek on SFFAudio’s Star Trek page…
The Voice from the Edge Vol 1: I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
By Harlan Ellison; Read by Harlan Ellison
5 CD’s – 6 hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Fantastic Audio
Published: 2002
Themes: / Science Fiction / Fantasy / Short Stories / Artificial Intelligence / Time / Demons /
This is a collection of Harlan Ellison’s best (well… most popular) stories. The most oft-reprinted tales are here, among them: “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream”, “‘Repent, Harlequin,’ Said the Ticktockman”, “Paladin of the Lost Hour”, and “A Boy and His Dog”. The stories are read by the author, who himself is a first-rate reader, lending an infectious energy to every story in the collection.
I personally know of no other author’s stories with which to compare Harlan Ellison’s. He’s arguably the finest writer of short fiction on the planet, building stories of great impact in such a short space. In “‘Repent, Harlequin'”, he gives us a parable of society’s dependence on the clock, making schedules look ridiculous enough to make one wonder what the heck we’re all doing. And this was written in the 1960’s! In “Paladin of the Lost Hour”, a man is given responsibility over the world’s last hour. The characters in “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream” are trapped by a malevolent computer. These are great stories, every one. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection.
Stories included in the collection: “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream”, “Laugh Track”, “Grail”, “‘Repent, Harlequin,’ Said the Ticktockman”, The Very Last Day of a Good Woman”, “Paladin of the Lost Hour”, “The Time of the Eye”, “The Lingering Scent of Woodsmoke”, and “A Boy and His Dog”.
