robots – Page 17

Subterranean Press’ Winter 2008 mag is Trunk And Disorderly thanks to Charles Stross

SFFaudio Online Audio

Subterranean Press, which produces the “Subterranean Online” magazine, is proving itself a reliable source for excellent (and FREE) audiobooks. The latest proof of this comes from the Winter 2008 issue which includes a Charlie Stross novelette in audiobook form. Trunk And Disorderly was first published in textual form in the January 2007 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine.

Trunk And Disorderly
By Charles Stross; Read by Sam Mowry
13 MP3s – Approx. 1.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Published: December 2007
|Part 1 MP3|Part 2 MP3|Part 3 MP3|Part 4 MP3|Part 5 MP3|Part 6 MP3|
|Part 7 MP3|Part 8 MP3|Part 9 MP3|Part 10 MP3|Part 11 MP3|Part 12 MP3|Part 13 MP3|
“In some distant future, a socialite with the most tenuous of relationships bounces from activity to activity with only the slimmest idea of what is going on. Bringing along his sister’s mini-elephant and his butler, he consumes prodigious amounts of alcohol and still manages to survive a coup masquerading as a wild party.”
[Summary by Jeff of FILLING MY MIND WITH GEH]

Posted by Jesse Willis

New Arrivals – Asimov, Novik, Harrison, and Bear, Oh My!

Science Fiction Audiobook Recent Arrivals

Received some nice goodies this week at SFFaudio HQ.

The Caves of Steel
By Isaac Asimov; Read by William Dufris
6 CD, 7 hrs – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781400104215

It’s nice to see this SF classic get the audio treatment.

A millennium into the future, two advancements have altered the course of human history: the colonization of the galaxy and the creation of the positronic brain. Isaac Asimov’s Robot novels chronicle the unlikely partnership between a New York City detective and a humanoid robot who must learn to work together.

His Majesty’s Dragon
By Naomi Novik; Read by David Thorn
5 CD, 6.5 hrs – [ABRIDGED]
Publisher: Random House Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9780739354131

Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors rise to Britain’s defense by taking to the skies . . . not aboard aircraft but atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons.

When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Capt. Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future–and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.

For a Few Demons More
By Kim Harrison; Read by Marguerite Gavin
14 CD, 17 hrs – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 978006788384

Despite dating one vampire and living with another, Rachel Morgan has always managed to stay just ahead of trouble…until now. A fiendish serial killer stalks the Hollows, claiming victims across society, and the resulting terror ignites a vicious Inderland gang war. And when the vampire master Piscary is set free and the demonic Algaliarept dares to walk openly under the sun, even Rachel Morgan can’t hide forever.

Quantico
By Greg Bear; Read by Jeff Woodman
11 CD, 13.5 hrs – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9780792748441

It’s the second decade of the twenty-first century, and terrorism has escalated almost beyond control. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem has been blown to bits by extremists, and, in retaliation, thousands have died in another major attack on the United States. The War on Terror has reached a deadly stalemate. Now the FBI has been dispatched to deal with a new menace. A plague targeted to ethnic groups–Jews or Muslims or both–has the potential to wipe out entire populations. But the FBI itself is under political assault. There’s a good chance agents William Griffin, Fouad Al-Husam, and Jane Rowland will be part of the last class at Quantico. As the young agents hunt a brilliant homegrown terrorist, they join forces with veteran bio-terror expert Rebecca Rose. But the plot they uncover–and the man they chase–prove to be far more complex than anyone expects.

posted by The Time Traveler of the Time Traveler Show

The Sonic Society podcasts Roger Gregg’s amazing Infidel

Online Audio

Hosts Jack Ward and Shannon Hilchie of The Sonic Society podcast are wrapping up their 2nd Season. And they’ve got an unmissible collection of programs. Prominent among their offerings are Dream Realm Enterprises‘ Robotz of the Company series! Also on board is an informative interview with J.C. Hutchins of 7th Son fame, Jack Ward wrings J.C. of quite possibly all of his podcast marketing secrets. But the goodness is not complete without talking about quite arguably the greatest audio drama yet to be podcast…

Infidel by Roger Gregg

Crazy Dog Audio Theater‘s Infidel, bills itself as an “historical drama” – and it is that most assuredly. But it is also a very personal tale of the events of the 5th Crusade (1217-1221 ad) as seen from the perspective of Sir Hugh of Beauvais and his brother Sir Philip, two poor knights. They’ve enlisted themselves in a righteous campaign to free the holy lands from their occupation by heathen scum – and in so doing, they prove this isn’t just an historical drama. What nobody mentions is that while the events themselves are very real, and therefore don’t at first seem appropriate for SFFaudio discussion, the true genre of this stunning work is that of Horror! You’ll hear it for yourself in the final few minutes of part four of Infidel. I urge you to partake, not only is the production level on Infidel out of this world, so too is the writing. The complete podcast of all four parts of the complete drama are available now:

Infidel
By Roger Gregg; Performed by a Full Cast
4 MP3s – [RADIO DRAMA]
Podcaster: The Sonic Society
Podcast: April 2007
Sonic Society #62 (Infidel part 1 of 4) |MP3|
Sonic Society #63 (Infidel part 2 of 4) |MP3|
Sonic Society #64 (Infidel part 3 of 4) |MP3|
Sonic Society #65 (Infidel part 4 of 4) |MP3|

Hard-copies of the 2 Disc CD set of Infidel are available through ZBS.

Subscribe to The Sonic Society‘s podcast feed:

http://sonic.libsyn.com/rss

posted by Jesse Willis

Online Audio – We are having Robotz Company for Xmas

Online Audio

Dream Realm Enterprises and Robotz Of The Company, present a yule-time show for your enjoyment. Not only is this show holiday related, it also features the voice of our very own Danielle Cutler!

“A familiar story retold for a future generation! It has action, adventure, intrigue and romance!”

Download the complete MP3!

And get a preview of Robotz Of The Company – Season 3 with this MP3 promo!

Subscribe to the podcast via this feed:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/RobotzOfTheCompany

posted by Jesse Willis

Domo-arigato Dr. Roboto! We’re following up on o…

Online Audio Dr. Roboto! We’re following up on our recent review of Daniel H. Wilson Ph.D‘s How To Survive A Robot Uprising: Tips On Defending Yourself Against The Coming Rebellion we’ve got links to some cool behind the scenes-style “special features” for you:

First, HERE‘s a cool MP3 interview with the author himself, it was conducted by Rick Kleffel of the long running review site The Agony Column.

Second, IT Conversations and Dr. Moira Gunn interviews Wilson, you can snag the MP3 HERE.

Third, Wilson is the featured guest on The NeoFiles Podcast (Show #21). The MP3 for which is right HERE.

And last, Google Video invited Wilson to speak about and read from his book at their Jan 2006 “Author Series.” You can check out the audio (and the oh so useless video) of that event HERE.

posted by Jesse Willis

Review of How to Survive a Robot Uprising by Daniel H. Wilson

How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion
By Daniel H. Wilson; Read by Stefan Rudnicki
1 MP3-CD – 3 hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2006
ISBN: 0786177128
Themes: / Science Fiction / Science Fact / Humor / Robots / Computers /

Today, scientists are working hard to bring these artificial creations to life. In Japan, fuzzy little real robots are delivering much appreciated hug therapy to the elderly. Children are frolicking with smiling robot toys. It all seems so innocuous… and yet, how can so many Hollywood scripts be wrong? How could millions of dollars of special effects lead us astray? So take no chances. Arm yourself with expert knowledge for the sake of humanity. Listen to serious advice from real robotics experts. How else will you survive the inevitable future in which robots rebel against their human masters?
— Daniel H. Wilson

If you’ve been sitting up nights, concerned about this dangerous uprising of robots and other computerized gadgets against the human race, then this book is for you. In here, you’ll find tips on how to outrun a two-legged robot and how to survive a high speed chase involving a robot car. The tools you’ll learn to use will allow you to confuse, distract, and escape from all kinds of robots, from “toaster to Terminator”.

Daniel H. Wilson, the author, is a Ph.D. candidate at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University. He’s written a fabulous, funny book that is both entertaining and informative. “Every scenario in these pages,” he says, “is either possible or already being realized.” In each section, Wilson describes the current state of a certain type of robotics, then, by describing how a human can defeat the technology, he reveals the limitations.

I loved this audiobook. Stefan Rudnicki did an excellent job capturing the mock-seriousness of the subject matter. How To Survive a Robot Uprising is both a primer on the current state of robotics science, and a hilarious send-up of science fiction involving robot rebellions. Rarely has science fact been mixed with science fiction to providing such an entertaining book. I’m eager to hear it again, and will as soon as I’m done typing.

Posted by Scott D. Danielson