How nutz is Dean Koontz? This nutz…
Dean Koontz and his dead dog wrote a book, here’s an excerpt |MP3|.
My only question is, is this going to get shelved in Self Help or Fantasy section of the bookstore?
Posted by Jesse Willis
Tag: anthropomorphic fiction
Call Of The Wild by Jack London FREE @ SimplyAudiobooks.com (too bad it sucks)
September’s Free Download over on Simply Audiobooks website is Jack London’s The Call Of The Wild.
The Call of the Wild – Jack London’s classic 1903 story of Buck, a courageous dog fighting for survival in the Alaskan wilderness, is widely considered to be his masterpiece. Sometimes wrongly considered simply a children’s novel, this epic vividly evokes the harsh and frozen Yukon during the Gold Rush. As Buck is ripped from his pampered surroundings and shipped to Alaska to be a sled dog, his primitive, wolflike nature begins to emerge. Savage struggles and timeless bonds between man, dog, and wilderness are played to their heartrending extremes, as Buck undertakes a mystic journey that transforms him into the legendary “Ghost Dog” of the Klondike.
Call OF The Wild
By Jack London; Read by Michael Scott
WMD – [ABRIDGED]
Provider: SimplyAudiobooks.com / ThoughtAudio.com
Available: September 2008
Unfortunately, after a simple entry of a name and email address the download comes in a WMD file (Windows Media Download) making it virtually unusable. The MP3 files are in there, but they are very hard to get at. Unless you want to fiddle with it for more than an hour (that’s how long it took me) you’ll have to play it using a windows media device (a Zune presumably) or in a windows media player (sitting in front of your computer).
It’s absolutely not worth it. It turns out the audiobook pictured is not the audiobook you get. Simply Audiobooks displays the free audiobook as the UNABRIDGED Tantor Media version, as read by Patrick Lawlor, but instead what you actually download is the ThoughtAudio.com version (which is ABRIDGED and read by Michael Scott).
So, here’s my suggestion, download the public domain LibriVox version. That version of Call Of The Wild is UNABRIDGED, and is available in naked MP3s, a Zipped MP3 bundle, by torrent and as a podcast :
Call OF The Wild
By Jack London; Read by various readers
Zipped MP3s or Podcast – Approx. 3.25 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: October 2005
http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/call-of-the-wild-by-jack-london.xml
The downside is that it is read by multiple readers, which is annoying, but at least it’s not going to suck up your valuable time.
Posted by Jesse Willis
Five Free Favourites #9
Jesse here, with another batch of Five Free Favourites, five listens that won’t cost you a penny, but that will pay hefty rewards.
Have you got your own list of free favourites that you can count on the fingers of one non-hyperdactyli’d hand?
1.
Despoilers Of The Golden Empire
By Randall Garrett; Read by Maureen O’Brien
5 Zipped MP3s – Approx. 2 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: Maria Lectrix
Podcast: April 1st 2008
A seasoned military commander travels to another world to find the metal that brings power, and ends up bringing down a barbaric empire.
Maureen O’Brien’s Maria Lectrix podcast, has lots of content I care nothing about (theological audiobooks) – but, it also has several digital tons of content I care dearly about. On April 1st, 2008 released Despoilers Of The Golden Empire. She called it “…a very good story by Randall Garrett, and it makes a very good comment on sf as a genre….it was originally published in Astounding Science Fiction, for April Fools’ Day.” This story is probably better enjoyed by fans of history, than by fans of science fiction. But if you’re like me, a fan of both, you’ll absolutely love it.
2.
EP073: Barnaby in Exile
By Mike Resnick; Read by Paul Fischer
1 |MP3| File – [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: Escape Pod
Podcast: September 28th 2006
Few authors have as many of their stories podcast as Mike Resnick, (although James Patrick Kelly’s definitely got to be in first place). Back in September 2006 Escape Pod podcast this tearful tale. At the time I was comparing to Pat Murphy’s classic Rachel In Love. Which is about as high a compliment you can give to an SF story. Powerful listening, bring a hanky.
3.
The Silver Tongued Devil
By Roger Gregg; Performed by a full cast
2 MP3s – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Podcaster: The Sonic Society (via Crazy Dog Audio Theatre)
Podcast: October 2006
Part 1 |MP3| Part 2 |MP3|
The Sonic Society has podcast much of the finest audio drama of the modern era. Their October 2006 podcast included a program that was originally broadcast on RTÉ (Ireland National Radio). Described as A documentary of poetry, pretension, and possession. and our review of it explained it thus: “This entire piece is done like a radio documentary, NPR-style, complete with interviews of average people about the ‘Silver Tongued Devil’. The actors who did these segments were perfect! If I had listened to this on the radio without knowing that Crazy Dog had done it, I’d have thought it was news. Who is the ‘Silver Tongued Devil’? He’s an incredibly famous poet from Cork who has the god-like ability to make people swoon with his words. Again, the piece is multi-layered, achieving both hilarity and poignancy.”
4.
Badge Of Infamy
By Lester del Rey; Read by Steven H. Wilson
15 MP3s – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Podiobooks.com
Published: January 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.Here’s a novel I dearly regret not having talked more about. I never reviewed it, as I was just listening for sheer enjoyment. It was released in January 2006 as part of the First SFFaudio Challenge. It was narrated by Steven H. Wilson of Prometheus Radio Theatre, and he did an outstanding job on this terrific little novel about a disgraced doctor. Lester del Rey was a major player in his day and his novels don’t show their years as many of their contemporaries do. I love novels set on a colonized Mars, if you do too, this is a sure bet.
5.
To Build A Fire
By Jack London; Read by Betsie Bush
1 |MP3| – 40 Minutes 03 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: 2006
A man and his husky, travel through the Klondike in seventy-five below zero weather (Fahrenheit). I’d heard of this story for a long time, and I’d always liked Jack London’s novels. I’ve compared it to Tom Godwin’s The Cold Equations, saying that ‘the two tales are, essentially, the same ruthless story.’ This is also a I regret that this is not a better reading. Betsie Bush’s version is not recorded very well, her voice is fine, but the mic she’s using is weak, there’s a hum and even some noise. There is a very cheap semi-pro version available HERE and a version by a professional narrator HERE.
Posted by Jesse Willis
New Releases
I love the smell of trilogy in the afternoon, it smells like…
The Phoenix Unchained – Book One of The Enduring Flame
By Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory; Read by William Dufris
11 CDs, 2 MP3-CDs – 13 Hours 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tantor Audiobooks
Published: 11/12/2007
ISBN: 9781400135745 (CDs), 9781400155743 (MP3-CDs)
In this opening volume of a new epic fantasy trilogy from bestselling authors Lackey and Mallory, Harbormaster-to-be Harrier and the young nobleman Tiercel begin a marvelous journey to uncover their destinies. Along the way, they meet a charming female centaur, several snooty Elves, and the most powerful dragon their world has ever known.
Now this novel, like others by Harrison, takes its inspiration from classic movie titles…
Every Which Way But Dead
By Kim Harrison; Read by Marguerite Gavin
2 Mp3-CDs or 13 CDs – 16 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tantor Audiobooks
Published: December 2007
EAN: 9781400154739 (MP3-CDs), 9781400104734 (CDs)
Some days, you just can’t win. Witch and former bounty hunter Rachel Morgan has managed to escape her corrupt company, survive living with a vampire, start her own runner service, and face down a vampire master. But her vampire roommate, Ivy, is off the wagon; her human boyfriend Nick is out of town indefinitely and doesn’t sound like he’s coming back, while the far-too-seductive vampire Kisten is looking way too tempting; and there’s a turf war erupting in Cincinnati’s underworld. And there’s a greater evil still. To put the vampire master behind bars and save her family, Rachel made a desperate bargain. Now there’s hell to pay—literally. For if Rachel cannot stop him, the archdemon Algaliarept will pull her into the sorcerous ever-after to forfeit her soul as his slave. Forever.
Originally written in 1966 when its author was only 17, it was published in paperback in 1980 by Manor Books, which went bankrupt shortly afterwards. It’s been out of print for 24 years. This newly expanded/re-written edition is available now in audio too…
The Morcai Battalion
By Diana Palmer; Read by Todd McLaren
1 Mp3-CD or 8 CDs – 9 Hours 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tantor Audiobooks
Published: December 2007
EAN: 9781400155835 (MP3-CD), 9781400105830 (CDs)
Drama and excitement explode in this new, expanded version of New York Times bestselling author Diana Palmer’s legendary first book, The Morcai Battalion. A ragtag band of humans from the Terravegan colonies fights the Rojok invaders and their ship is destroyed. Rescued by the Centaurian commander of the terror-inspiring Holconcom, the humans must learn to live with their hostile alien counterparts when they are captured by the Rojoks and thrown into the galaxy’s most horrible prison camp. The female exobiologist has to save the life of the alien commander in order to save her captain, her comrades, and herself. A rocket ride full of action, humor, and sacrifice.
The children’s fantasy classic in an all new unabridged version exclusive to audible.com…
Redwall
By Brian Jacques; Read by Stuart Blinder
Audible Download – Approx. 12.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers / audible.com
Published: November 2007
As the inhabitants of Redwall Abbey bask in the glorious Summer of the Late Rose, all is quiet and peaceful. But things are not as they seem. Cluny the Scourge, the evil one-eyed rat warlord, is hell-bent on destroying the abbey’s tranquility as he prepares to fight a bloody battle for the ownership of Redwall.
In a clockwork world who could doubt the existence of God? None, but some still doubt the existence of angels. Another exclusive to audible title…
Mainspring
By Jay Lake; Read by William Dufris
Audible Download – Approx. 13.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: macmillan audio / audible.com
Published: December 2007
The mainspring of the Earth is running down, and disaster to the planet will ensue if it’s not rewound. To do the job the Archangel Gabriel approaches a young clockmaker’s apprentice and explains the problem. He can’t be that surprised, in a clockwork solar system, where the planets move in a vast system of gears around the lamp of the Sun – how could he be. This is a universe where the hand of the Creator is visible to anyone who simply looks up into the sky and sees the track of the heavens, the wheels of the Moon, and the great Equitorial gears of the Earth itself.
The latest Hugo Award winning novel, exclusive to audible.com…
Rainbows End
By Vernor Vinge; Read by Eric Conger
Audible Download – 14 Hours 45 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: macmillan audio / audible.com
Published: December 2007
Set a few decades from now, Rainbows End is an epic adventure that encapsulates in a single extended family the challenges of the technological advances of the first quarter of the 21st century. The information revolution of the past 30 years blossoms into a web of conspiracies that could destroy Western civilization. At the center of the action is Robert Gu, a former Alzheimer’s victim who has regained his mental and physical health through radical new therapies, and his family. His son and daughter-in-law are both in the military, but not a military we would recognize, while his middle-school-age granddaughter is involved in perhaps the most dangerous game of all, with people and forces more powerful than she or her parents can imagine.
Posted by Jesse Willis
FAST FOOD Audiobook Promotion @ Wendy’s in USA and Canada
Wendy’s restuarants in the USA and Canada have kids fantasy audiobooks as the current “Kid’s Meal” premiums! A purchase of a kid’s meal will get you an audiobook and a promotional code for a 25% discount on Listening Library audiobook orders. Unforunately, the promo code is not valid for Harry Potter audiobooks.
By the way, the promo code, as listed on the official website, is: wendys
Here are the four available premium titles, but bear in mind it may be that different local restaurants offer different titles at different times:
The Curse Of The Cheese Pyramid
By Geronimo Stilton; Read by Edward Hermann
1? CD – [UNABRIDGED?]
Publisher: Listening Library / Wendy’s Restaurants
Published: June 2007
The story about a mouse reporter sent to Egypt.
Dinosaurs Before Dark
By Mary Pope Osborne; Read by Mary Pope Osborne
1? CD – [UNABRIDGED?]
Publisher: Listening Library / Wendy’s Restaurants
Published: June 2007
This is a tale from The Magic Tree House Collection, which we reviewed back in January.
Arthur’s Mystery Envelope
By Marc Brown; Read by Mark Linn-Baker
1? CD – [UNABRIDGED?]
Publisher: Listening Library / Wendy’s Restaurants
Published: June 2007
Junie B. Jones Has A Monster Under Her Bed
By Barbara Park; Read by Lana Quintal
1? CD – [UNABRIDGED?]
Publisher: Listening Library / Wendy’s Restaurants
Published: June 2007
Happy Mother’s Day Fantasy Fiction
Marsha Loftis’ Family of 7 blog features one of the shortest, and perhaps cutest of podcasts of anthropomorphic fiction ever. It is the story of a kitten named “Sniffles” who needs both an owner and a new name. In Kitten Story our hero Sniffles visits a pet zoo, leaves the city, and goes to the top of a mountain. You’ll dig the surprise ending too!
Kitten Story
By Morgan; Read by Morgan
1 MP3 File – 1 Minute 37 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: Morgan’s Kitten Story Podcast
Podcast: May 2007
Subscribe to the feed:
http://familyof7.wordpress.com/feed/
Also available, but no longer in the podcast feed is Cinderella Story , also by Morgan, which is a Battlestar Galactica -style re-imagining of the Greco-EgyptianCinderella fairy tale |MP3|.