Recently arrived from Brilliance Audio…
First up, two books in the Vampire Earth series. According to wikipedia, this series depicts an Earth “occupied by aliens from a world known as Kur”, they’ve “taken over the world, destroying human society and enslaving the survivors. The novels follow the life of David Valentine, a young man who enlists with Southern Command, one of the few remnants of the old U.S. government scattered around, as he follows his heart even when it conflicts with orders.”…
Tale Of The Thunderbolt (Book 3 in the Vampire Earth series)
By E.E. Knight; Read by Christian Rummel
10 CDs or 1 MP3-CD – Approx. 12 hours[UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: May 2010
ISBN: 9781441815675 (cd), 9781441815699 (mp3-cd)
Possessed of an unnatural and legendary hunger, the Reapers have come to Earth to establish a New Order built on the harvesting of enslaved human souls. They rule the planet. They thrive on the scent of fear. And if it is night, as sure as darkness, they will come. It’s the 48th year of the Kurian Order. The alien, vampiric Kur and their avatars, the Reapers, control most of Earth – their new feeding ground. Humanity is scattered and survives only at their new masters’ whims. But the Resistance is attempting to reclaim Earth. David Valentine, member of the elite Cat spy force, is in enemy uniform aboard the aging gunboat Thunderbolt. Whispers have reached him of the discovery of a long-lost weapon in the Caribbean – the first glimmer of hope for humanity to finally defeat the Reapers. Control of the ship lies in the hands of a tyrannical captain, and nothing short of full-scale mutiny can win it back. With only a few loyal sailors at his side, Valentine embarks on a terrifying journey through the deadly waters of the Gulf, searching for the weapon that will guarantee that this year – the 48th year of the Kurian Order’s domination of Earth – will be the Kurians’ last… Bonus Audio: Includes an exclusive introduction by author E.E. Knight.
Valentine’s Rising (Book 4 in the Vampire Earth series)
By E.E. Knight; Read by Christian Rummel
10 CDs or 1 MP3-CD – Approx. 10 Hours 44 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: July 2010
ISBN: 9781441815729 (cd), 9781441815743 (mp3-CD)
Possessed of an unnatural and legendary hunger, the Reapers have come to Earth to establish a New Order built on the harvesting of enslaved human souls. They rule the planet. They thrive on the scent of fear. And if it is night, as sure as darkness, they will come. Ozark Free Territory, 2071: The Kurian Order has reigned for 50 years. Using the dreaded power of their Reaper avatars, the alien, vampiric Kur hold dominion over the Earth and its inhabitants. Yet there are those who would rather die fighting than surrender to the unquenchable thirst of the enemy – those like David Valentine. Returning to the Ozark Free Territory, Valentine is shocked to find it overrun by Kurians under the command of the merciless Consul Solon. In a bid to turn the tide, Valentine leads a courageous group of soldiers on a desperate mission to drive a spike into the gears of the Kurian Order. Valentine stakes life, honor, and the future of his home on a rebellion that sparks the greatest battle of his life – one that he may not survive… Bonus Audio: Includes an exclusive introduction by author E.E. Knight.
Peter Straub likes this one, he calls it “a zombie novel like none other. Crisp, smooth and stylish, it zips along from scene to scene, accumulating tension, humor and insight as it accelerates.” And, I’ve liked a lot of Peter Straub’s audiobooks. Could this just be the zombie novel that won’t soften up my brains?
The Loving Dead
By Amelia Beamer; Read by Emily Durante
7 CDs or 1 MP3-CD – Approx. 8 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: July 2010
ISBN: 9781441868343 (cd), 9781441868367 (mp3-cd)
Kate and Michael, twenty-something housemates working at the same Trader Joe’s supermarket, are thoroughly screwed when people start turning into zombies at their house party in the Oakland hills. The zombie plague is a sexually transmitted disease, turning its victims into shambling, horny, voracious killers. Thrust into extremes by the unfolding tragedy, Kate and Michael are forced to confront the decisions they’ve made, and their fears of commitment, while trying to stay alive. Michael convinces Kate to meet him in the one place in the Bay Area that’s likely to be safe and secure from the zombie hordes: Alcatraz. But can they stay human long enough?
Back when I heard about this being released as an Audible.com exclusive in 2008 I wrote: “Recipe for happiness: Give it a Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1958, wait 50 years, make audiobook…” But now it seems like wait two more years and you get DOUBLE HAPPINESS with a DRM free version! I think this title may be headed straight to the top of my to-be- listened-to stack…
The Big Time
By Fritz Leiber; Read by Suzanne Toren
4 CDs or 1 MP3-CD – Approx. 5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: August 2010
ISBN: 9781441875129 (cd), 9781441875143 (mp3-cd)
Have you ever worried about your memory because it doesn’t seem to recall exactly the same past from one day to the next? Have you ever thought you might be changing because of forces beyond your control? Have you ever thought that the whole universe might be a crazy, mixed-up dream? If you have, then you’ve had hints of the Change War. It’s been going on for a billion years and it’ll last another billion or so. Up and down the timeline, the two sides – “Spiders” and “Snakes” – battle endlessly to change the future and the past. Our lives, our memories, are their battleground. And in the midst of the war is the Place, outside space and time, where Greta Forzane and the other Entertainers provide solace and R and R for tired time warriors.
WARNING: MILITARY SCIENCE FICTION AHEAD! … John Ringo is virtually a one man army, specifically, with regards to massing hefty audiobooks. Here’s the latest weighty release. It’s from the Legacy of the Aldenata (aka Posleen War) series…
Gust Front (Book 2 in the Legacy of the Aldenata series)
By John Ringo; Read by Marc Vietor
21 CDs or 2 MP3-CDs – Approx. 26 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: June 2010
ISBN: 9781441866141 (cd), 9781441866165 (mp3-cd)
Our choice was simple: we could be cannon fodder, or we could be…fodder. We could send our forces to fight and die (as only humans can) against a ravening horde that was literally feeding on its interstellar conquests — or remain as we were — virtually weaponless and third in line for servicing. Amazingly, thanks to a combination of raw valor and alien tech transfer, in the first two campaigns Terrans fought the Posleen to a standstill. The brief pause gave the survivors of the Barwhon and Diess Expeditionary Forces a chance to get some distance from the blood and misery of battle against the Posleen centaurs. With the Posleen invasion only months away these shell-shocked survivors might be the only people capable of saving the Earth from utter devastation.
Posted by Jesse Willis