And…. we’re back! Sorry folks, we had a bandwidth issue. Everything is normal here now. Everything’s under control. Situation normal. We had ah slight weapons malfunction, everything is perfectly all right now. We’re fine. We’re all fine here now, thank you. How are you?
Blake’s 7 The Audio Adventures series, now streaming exclusively on the Sci-Fi Channel UK website, has been pumping out their short audio drama segments at a delightfully quick pace. Added to the cast, in the more recent episodes, has been Robin Of Sherwood alumnus, Michael Praed. The total run for this show is going to be 36 segments, with new parts released Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Rebel – Chapter 1: Hard Targets
By Ben Aaronovitch; Performed by a full cast
Streaming Audio – 7 Minutes [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Sci-Fi Channel UK
Published: May 2007
Rebel – Chapter 2: Enemy Of The State
By Ben Aaronovitch; Performed by a full cast
Streaming Audio – 9 Minutes [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Sci-Fi Channel UK
Published: May 2007
Rebel – Chapter 3: First Contact
By Ben Aaronovitch; Performed by a full cast
Streaming Audio – 7.5 Minutes [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Sci-Fi Channel UK
Published: May 2007
Rebel – Chapter 4: The Derelict
By Ben Aaronovitch; Performed by a full cast
Streaming Audio – 7 Minutes [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Sci-Fi Channel UK
Published: May 2007
Rebel – Chapter 5: No Surrender
By Ben Aaronovitch; Performed by a full cast
Streaming Audio – 6 Minutes [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Sci-Fi Channel UK
Published: May 2007
Rebel – Chapter 6: Plan B
By Ben Aaronovitch; Performed by a full cast
Streaming Audio – 6 Minutes [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Sci-Fi Channel UK
Published: May 2007
Rebel – Chapter 7: Space Fall
By Ben Aaronovitch; Performed by a full cast
Streaming Audio – 5 minutes 30 Seconds Minutes [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Sci-Fi Channel UK
Published: May 2007
Rebel – Chapter 8: Survivors
By Ben Aaronovitch; Performed by a full cast
Streaming Audio – 7 Minutes 30 Seconds [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Sci-Fi Channel UK
Published: May 2007
Rebel – Chapter 9: Tertiary Stage
By Ben Aaronovitch; Performed by a full cast
Streaming Audio – 6 Minutes 30 Seconds [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Sci-Fi Channel UK
Published: May 2007
Rebel – Chapter 10: Hero
By Ben Aaronovitch; Performed by a full cast
Streaming Audio – 6 Minutes [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Sci-Fi Channel UK
Published: May 2007
Rebel – Chapter 11: The Offer
By Ben Aaronovitch; Performed by a full cast
Streaming Audio – 7 Minutes [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Sci-Fi Channel UK
Published: May 2007
Rebel – Chapter 12: Exiles
By Ben Aaronovitch; Performed by a full cast
Streaming Audio – 6 Minutes [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Sci-Fi Channel UK
Published: May 2007
Also, Resonance FM, a community based radio station in London, U.K., has a lengthy “behind the scenes” style interview with the creators of the Blake’s 7 The Audio Adventures. It was recorded at this year’s Bristol international Comic Expo. U.S.A. audio drama creators will be extremely jealous of the obvious popularity of audio drama in the U.K.. Not mentioned in the interview, but also fascinating, is that the actors union in the U.K. has negotiated a precedent setting contract with the B7 Audio Adventures team. Have a listen |MP3|.
Subterranean Press, which produces the “Subterranean Online” magazine, has just released their Summer 2007 issue, and is offering another free audiobook, this one from the issue’s primary focus SF author Elizabeth Bear! This audiobook is read by the talented narrator, and SFFaudio’s very own, Mary Robinette Kowal! Wax is the second standalone tale in Bear’s new mosaic novel New Amsterdam.
Wax
By Elizabeth Bear; Read by Mary Robinette Kowal
7 MP3s – Approx. 1 Hours 14 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Published: May 2007
|MP3 Chapter 1|MP3 Chapter 2|MP3 Chapter 3|
|MP3 Chapter 4|MP3 Chapter 5|MP3 Chapter 6|
|MP3 Chapter 7|
Abigail Irene Garrett drinks too much. She makes scandalous liaisons with inappropriate men, and if in her youth she was a famous beauty, now she is both formidable–and notorious. She is a forensic sorceress, and a dedicated officer of a Crown that does not deserve her loyalty. She has nothing, but obligations. Sebastien de Ulloa is the oldest creature she has ever known. He was no longer young at the Christian millennium, and that was nine hundred years ago. He has forgotten his birth-name, his birth-place, and even the year in which he was born, if he ever knew it. But he still remembers the woman who made him immortal. He has everything, but a reason to live. In a world where the sun never set on the British Empire, where Holland finally ceded New Amsterdam to the English only during the Napoleonic wars, and where the expansion of the American colonies was halted by the war magic of the Iroquois, they are exiles in the new world–and its only hope for justice.
Amazon.com has purchased audiobook publisher Brilliance Audio! Reportedly, Brilliance, a two decade old player in the audiobook business, will continue to run as an independent company. But the acquisition is part of an Amazon plan to “expand audio selection to customers.” Though Amazon does not say it in their press release, doubtless this is a part of their plan to split the downloadable audiobook market. Currently, Audible.com all-but-controls the audiobook download market with a extremely successful DRM‘d-audiobook download website and an exclusive contract with iTunes. Brilliance has a back catalogue of more than 1,000 titles and Amazon sez it has plans to increase the new audiobook the current production schedule at Brilliance.
Another Friday, so you know what that means! Yep, it’s Canadia: 2056 day, and today’s CBC Radio One broadcast is of episode 6. It’s airing on every single CBC Radio One station across Canada this morning starting at 11:30 am in all time zones (Noon in Newfoundland). And of course, if you’re not conveniently sitting by your radio at 11:30 am you still have a chance to hear it ONLINE via the Streaming Radio Map – just click the time zone in your area at 11:30am in your time zone, or do a bit of math and you can also time-shift a bit. Only four more episodes left after today’s!
Here’s the official CBC Radio hotsheet description:
“Head for outer space this morning aboard Canadia 2056, the lone Canadian government spacecraft, sent to support an American space armada fighting hostile aliens. This week, the crew loses the ability to navigate the ship, when control is taken over by a cloud. The up side is that the cloud grants them wishes, and the down side is also that the cloud grants them wishes – in other words, they make some questionable choices! Also, Anderson is pining away for Connie, his first love. Canadia 2056, this morning at 11:30 (noon NT) on CBC Radio One.”
I’m sad to say, there’s been no response to my queries to the CBC, about the status of a Canadia:2056 podcast. Perhaps their tired of hearing my lone voice? If you want CBC to make their Radio Dramas available via podcast, or at least by something equivilent to the BBC “Listen Again” service try calling the toll-free phone number (Canada only): 1-866-306-4636 or using the web-contact form.
What’s this? A fan Audio Drama of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency? Based on the novel by Douglas Adams? Who would have guessed? Not I. Especially since there is a plan for an official version already in the works.
Check out the first three installments of the fan version via its podcast feed:
http://dirkgently.podomatic.com/rss2.xml
posted by Jesse Willis