fantasy – Page 88

LibriVox: She by H. Rider Haggard

SFFaudio Online Audio

“She is a classic of the imagination, a milestone and foundation stone of a whole sector of fantastic novels upon which others have built and still build novels of wonder. The sector is that of the lost land, the lost race, the wonder that lies over the next mountain or beyond the farthest sea.” – Donald A. Wollheim (author of H. Rider Haggard’s Empire of the Imagination)

Complete and unabridged, H. Rider Haggard’s She! What’s that you say? You’ve been hankering for a story about a lost civilization ruled by gorgeous 2000 year old female-despot? That’s even what you thought the word Fantasy meant for all these years? Don’t know what I’m talking about?

She was a 19th century best-seller from the author of King Solomon’s Mines, its another tale set in Africa. A mysterious African kingdom in fact. It explores themes of “imperial arrogance, sexual obsession, power and isolation” and it’s all wrapped up in a high adventure format. Best of all, it’s out now in the form of a Public Domain audiobook from LibriVox!

She
By H. Rider Haggard; Read by various
29 Zipped MP3 Files or Podcast – 11 Hours 36 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: February 2008
At 5 years old Leo Vincey is left in the care of a Cambridge professor by the name of Horace Holly. His father leaves him a strange casket which he is to open on his 25th Birthday. On opening the Casket Leo and Horace discover the strange history of Leo’s ancestors. Leo and his adoptive father Horace must travel all the way to Africa in order to uncover the solve his family’s strange history.

Podcast feed:

http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/she-by-h-rider-haggard.xml

Posted by Jesse Willis

PodCastle The Fantasy Fiction Podcast update

SFFaudio News

SF author Anne Leckie reports on her blog that:

“PodCastle will begin running on April 1.”

And a check of the official podcastle blog and the Podcastle.org sites makes us think this oft-delayed Escape Pod spin-off is an increasingly likely reality.

Here’s the official lineup of stories so far:

EPISODE 1 – April 1: “Come Lady Death” by Peter Beagle
Bonus Flash – April 4: “Skyscrapers” by Rachel Swirsky
EPISODE 2 – April 8: “For Love of Dragons” by C. L. Vaughn
EPISODE 3 – April 15: “Run of the Fiery Horse” by Hilary Moon Murphy
Bonus Flash – April 18: “Pahwahke” by Gord Sellar
EPISODE 4 – April 22: “Goosegirl” by Margaret Ronald
EPISODE 5 – April 29: “The Girl with the Sun in Her Head” by Jeremiah Tolbert
Bonus Flash – May 2: “Giant” by Stephanie Burgis
EPISODE 6 – May 6: “The Dead Girl’s Wedding March” by Cat Rambo

Also, apparently in the back-uncatalogued, but as of now not yet scheduled are:

“The Ant King” by Benjamin Rosenbaum
“The Dog Prince” by Sarah Prineas

Posted by Jesse Willis

LibriVox and Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “John Carter / Barsoom” books

SFFaudio Online Audio

Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) is best known for his Tarzan series of books. His second best known series is our topic for the day. The first three books in the John Carter of Mars series (AKA The Barsoom Series) are available via the tireless volunteers at Librivox! Enjoy…

A Princess of Mars (book one in the John Carter series)
By Edgar Rice Burroughs; Read by various readers
29 Zipped MP3 Files or Podcast – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: May 2006
“Part One of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Mars-Series. Easy, swank, pulp read about an omnipotent gentleman teleported to Mars, finding an outlandish society of ape-, tree- and lizardmen, red-, white-, yellowmen, brains on legs, strange bastions and curious apparatuses, where the strongest survives and women are needy beauties to be saved. How can something be so platitudinous and at the same time so imaginative and enthralling?”

Podcast feed:

http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/a-princess-of-mars-by-edgar-rice-burroughs.xml

The Gods Of Mars (book two in the John Carter series)
By Edgar Rice Burroughs; Read by JD Weber
22 Zipped MP3 Files or Podcast – Approx. 7 Hours 41 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: November 2006
“The Gods of Mars is a 1918 Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the second of his famous Barsoom series. It can be said that the novel set the tone for much science fiction to come. Its influence can clearly be seen in franchises such as Star Trek and Farscape. While Burroughs no doubt borrowed liberally from the pulp fiction of his day, particularly westerns and swashbuckling tales, the pacing and themes set the tone for the soft science fiction genre. The protagonist, John Carter, with his proficiency in hand-to-hand combat and flirtations with beautiful alien women, could be said to have set the mold for later influential icons like Captain James T. Kirk and James Bond. At the end of the first book, A Princess of Mars, John Carter is unwillingly transported back to Earth. The Gods of Mars begins with his arrival back on Barsoom (Mars) after a ten year hiatus, separated from his wife Dejah Thoris, his unborn child, and the Red Martian people of the nation of Helium, whom he has adopted as his own. Unfortunately, John Carter materializes in the one place on Barsoom from which nobody is allowed to depart: the Valley Dor, which is the Barsoomian heaven.”

http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/the-gods-of-mars-by-edgar-rice-burroughs.xml

The Warlord Of Mars (book three in the John Carter series)
By Edgar Rice Burroughs; Read by JD Weber and Kara Shallenberg*
16 Zipped MP3 Files or Podcast – Approx. 5 Hours 24 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: August 2007
“Warlord of Mars is an Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the third of his famous Barsoom series. John Carter continues his quest to be reunited with his wife, the princess Dejah Thoris, and discovers more fantastic creatures and ancient mysterious Martian races.”* One point of interest, the reader for Warlord, JD Weber, mysteriously disappeared before recording the last chapter. After waiting several months, Kara Shallenberg recorded the last chapter.

Podcast feed:

http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/the-warlord-of-mars-by-edgar-rice-burroughs.xml

Posted by Jesse Willis

Review of A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain

SFFaudio Review

A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court
By Mark Twain; Read by Steve Anderson
45 Zipped MP3 files or Podcast – 13 Hours 43 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Librivox.org
Publshed: 2006
Themes: / Fantasy / Time Travel / Satire /

“This is the first book I recorded for LibriVox. As is the first recording, it is a bit rough in places, but I am happy with it, it is certainly enjoyable listening, if you are not me; and you are not. The Yankee is a long time favorite of mine, though some might be surprised to know that. I encourage you to download and listen, it’s free. Give copies to your friends.” – Narrator, Steve Anderson

In the opening chapters of A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court, Mark Twain magically transports the titular Yankee, Hank Morgan, into the mythical world of King Arthur and sets him up to be burned at the stake, then lets Hank weasel his way out with his modern knowledge. The plot is nothing more than a constant rehash of this same type of set-up and escape, but the character is what is most memorable about the book. Twain has a talent for making his characters simultaneously over-the-top and real, creating a person both exasperating and fascinating. Hank, as “The Boss”, is constantly making grand plans and trying to convince his medieval compatriots to adopt a late 19th century lifestyle.

Apart from the unforgettable characters, the other hallmark of Twain’s works is his misanthropy. Toward the end, the sarcasm becomes a bit too harsh to be enjoyable as Twain’s love for persons individually begins to be outweighed by his distaste for people in general. Before this vitriol starts to take effect, though, Twain gently but effectively ridicules organized religion, politics, advertising, personal hygiene, war, and, of course, the Arthurian legend. It helps if you have tried to read (and, perhaps, failed to finish) Mallory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, but anyone familiar with chivalrous tales of knights in shining armor is bound to get the joke.

Librivox volunteer Steve Anderson’s reading is full of enthusiasm. He lends just the right amount of sarcasm to his telling and makes Hank’s story come alive with wit. Anderson doesn’t “do voices” for other characters very often, which since the story is told as a 1st person narrative, is just fine. There’s a bit of background hum and the louder tones are cut off, giving the voice a tinny character at times. The sound quality, however, should not distract most people from Twain’s excellent story or the reader’s infectious love of the book.

Here is the podcast feed for the audiobook:

http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/a-connecticut-yankee-in-king-arthurs-court-by-mark-twain.xml

Posted by Listener of the Free Listens blog

Maria Lectrix Podcast: The Moon Pool by A. Merritt

SFFaudio Online Audio

Maureen O’Brien, of the Maria Lectrix podcast, may be the hardest working narrator in podcasting, she has started recording yet another novel, The Moon Pool by Abraham Merritt. Maureen sez of it:

“Fantasy and horror in the South Seas! This 1919 classic influenced many writers and filmmakers, including the creators of the TV show Lost and the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons. Abraham Merritt was a journalist, editor, and pulp writer. He died in 1943. His novels Burn, Witch, Burn! and Seven Footprints to Satan have been adapted into movies.”

This was A. Merritt’s first novel and it was written in two parts. The first was called “The Moon Pool” it appeared June 22, 1919 in the early pulp called All-Story Weekly. Merritt followed up the successful tale with a longer sequel, “The Conquest of the Moon Pool,” which appeared in six installments starting February 15, 1919. Later they were combined to form the novel below…

The Moon Pool
By A. Merritt; Read by Maureen O’Brien
35 MP3 Files – [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: Maria Lectrix
Podcast: January 2008 –
Dr. Walter T. Goodwin is sailing on the Southern Queen back to New York, after a botanical expedition to the d’Entrecasteaux Islands when he meets his old friend, Dr. David Throckmartin. Throckmartin looking haunted, relates a tale of disaster and death during an expedition on the Caroline Islands in the western Pacific Ocean. On the island of Ponape they found a strange stone door which…

You can download the MP3 files directly from the Internet Archive page for it or subscribe to the fantasy podcast feed:

http://marialectrix.wordpress.com/category/fiction/fantasy/feed/

Posted by Jesse Willis

3 FREE The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas in MP3

SFFaudio Online Audio

Rich Carlson, he of Radio Tales Of The Strange & Fantastic, has written in to remind us of The Twilight Zone radio dramas over on the Twilight Zone Radio website. Rich sez:

“3 free episodes!”

And indeed there are three full length professional Twilight Zone stories each running about 40 minutes long. Nice find!

“Five Characters In Search Of An Exit” |MP3|
“Ring-A-Ding Girl” |MP3|
“Long Distance Call” |MP3|

Posted by Jesse Willis