More John Kessell short fiction audio’d

SFFaudio Online Audio

We told you about a couple of John Kessel stories on his website a while ago, then StarShip Sofa recorded one, now there are a few more on the website! So, we are adding an AUTHOR PAGE for Kessel and here is what will be on it…

Buffalo by John KesselBuffalo
By John Kessel; Read by James Campanella
1 |MP3| – Approx. 56 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: StarShip Sofa
Podcast: March 2008
In April of 1934 H.G. Wells traveled to the United States, where he visited Washington, D.C. and met with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Wells, 68 years old, hoped the New Deal might herald a revolutionary change in the U.S. economy, a step forward in an “Open Conspiracy” of rational thinkers that would culminate in a world socialist state. For forty years he’d subordinated every scrap of his artistic ambition to promoting this vision. But by 1934 Wells’s optimism, along with his energy for saving the world, was waning. A Hugo and Nebula nominee 1992 Winner of the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award and the Locus poll in 1992.

The Baum Plan For Financial Independence by John KesselThe Baum Plan For Financial Independence
By John Kessel; Read by John Kessel
1 |MP3| – 33 Minutes [UNABRIDGED?]
Publisher: John Kessel’s website
Published: 2008
Ex-con Sid and his sometime girlfriend Dot break into a house in the Blue Ridge Mountains and open a door to a world that changes everything.

Pride And Prometheus by John KesselPride And Prometheus
By John Kessel; Read by John Kessel
2 M4As – Approx 1.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED?]
Publisher: John Kessel’s website
Published: 2008
Miss Mary Bennet, the bookish younger sister of Elizabeth Darcy, meets a mysterous and handsome scientist from the continent come to Regency England on a matter of life and death.
Part 1 |M4A| Part 2 |M4A|

Every Angel Is Terrifying by John KesselEvery Angel Is Terrifying
By John Kessel; Read by Gregory Frost
1 |M4A| – [UNABRIDGED?]
Publisher: John Kessel’s website
Published: 2008
Railroad is a murderer and a man haunted by God. What happens in the aftermath of his latest crime, when the pet cat of his last victims offers him a chance to change his life?

A Clean EscapeA Clean Escape
By John Kessel; Read by John Kessel
1 |MP3| – Approx. 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: John Kessel’s website
Published: August 2007
A psychiatrist deals with a patient who seems to have lost his memory of the last twenty-four years. Or has he?

A Clean EscapeSome Like It Cold
By John Kessel; Read by John Kessel
1 |MP3| – Approx. 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: John Kessel’s website
Published: August 2007
A time traveling talent scout from the future visits 1962 in search of his next recruit. But is she ready to come?

Posted by Jesse Willis

Flatland: A Romance Of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott

SFFaudio Online Audio

Lit2GoLit2Go is a free online collection of stories and poems in MP3 format designed for use in Florida’s public schools (the service is funded by a grant from the Florida Department of Education). We’ve previously linked to their very serviceable reading of Frankenstein (BTW I’ve just now added a link to the NEW podcast feed for it).

Today I thought I’d point you at this classic of Victorian literature…

Flatland: A Romance Of Many DimensionsFlatland: A Romance Of Many Dimensions
By Edwin A. Abbott; Read by Laurey(?) Montgomery
22 MP3 Files – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Lit2Go / iTunes U
Published: 2006?
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (1884) is a classic 19th century novella that satirizes the social hierarchy of Victorian society using mathematical figures and ideas.

These recordings are copyrighted by the University of South Florida and are for educational use.

Preface to the second and revised edition |MP3|

Part 1: This World

1: “Of the Nature of Flatland” |MP3|
2: “Of the Climate and Houses in Flatland” |MP3|
3: “Concerning the Inhabitants of Flatland” |MP3|
4: “Concerning the Women” |MP3|
5: “Of Our Methods of Recognizing One Another” |MP3|
6: “Of Recognition by Sight” |MP3|
7: “Concerning Irregular Figures” |MP3|
8: “Of the Ancient Practice of Painting” |MP3|
9: “Of the Universal Colour Bill” |MP3|
10: “Of the Suppression of the Chromatic Sedition”|MP3|
11: “Concerning Our Priests” |MP3|
12: “Of the Doctrine of Our Priests” |MP3|

Part 2: Other Worlds

13: “How I Had a Vision of Lifeland” |MP3|
14: “How I Vainly Tried to Explain the Nature of Flatland” |MP3|
15: “Concerning a Stranger from Spaceland” |MP3|
16: “How the Stranger Vainly Endeavoured to Reveal to Me in Words the Mysteries of Spaceland” |MP3|
17: “How the Sphere, Having in Vain Tried Words, Resorted to Deeds” |MP3|
18: “How I Came to Spaceland, and What I Saw There” |MP3|
19: “How, Though the Sphere Showed Me Other Mysteries of Spaceland, I Still Desire More; and What Came of It”|MP3|
20: “How the Sphere Encouraged Me in a Vision”|MP3|
21: “How I Tried to Teach the Theory of Three Dimensions to My Grandson, and with What Success”|MP3|
22: “How I Then Tried to Diffuse the Theory of Three Demensions by Other Means, and of the Result” |MP3|

No podcast feed is available (yet), but you can find the files in the “iTunes U” section of iTunes by doing a search.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Jack McDevitt on The World Fantasy Convention 2008 Podcast

SFFaudio Online Audio

I’ve been listening to the World Fantasy Convention 2008 Podcast for a while now (in reverse order), and I’ve just come across the special episode for Christmas – which features a special Jack McDevitt panel from a convention held in Calgary, Alberta. WOW! McDevitt reads from two stories, outlines the premises behind others and answers a few questions from the audience. One of the coolest panels I’ve ever heard! Check it out via the |MP3| or by subscribing to the podcast feed:

http://worldfantasy2008.libsyn.com/rss

Posted by Jesse Willis

Maria Lectrix SF Podcast: Despoilers of the Golden Empire by Randall Garrett

SFFaudio Online Audio

Maureen O’Brien, of the Maria Lectrix podcast, has been podcasting SF novels faster than a Corellian can make a Kessel run. But for April 1st 2008 she’s turned her attention to a shorter piece called Despoliers Of The Golden Empire. This is an extremely compelling tale (that you ABSOLUTELY DON’T WANT TO RESEARCH before listening to – trust me) – Maureen sez of 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.”

And “Randall Garrett was known for his skill in writing adventure science fiction, alternate world fantasy mysteries, and stories full of great humor and horrible puns. This story, first published in Astounding in March 1959 under the pseudonym ‘David Gordon’, is truly characteristic of his body of work.”

I agree, this is a fun story, very pulpy – deliberately so – it even has its own Wikipedia entry (which is quite rare for a short story) – but don’t click on it until after you hear the story.

Despoilers Of The Golden Empire by Randall GarrettDespoilers Of The Golden Empire
By Randall Garrett; Read by Maureen O’Brien
5 Zipped MP3s or Podcast – 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.

Subscribe to the podcast via this feed:

http://marialectrix.wordpress.com/feed

P.S. This story is full of de-spoilers. So please don’t de-spoil the story for others, okay?

Posted by Jesse Willis

Texas Radio Theatre takes on a Texas-sized project – Lone Star Planet

SFFaudio News

SFFaudio’s Make An Audiobook Win An Audiobook Challenge #2A little publicity can go a long way – here’s proof. That interview with me on PodioMedia Chat |MP3| got heard by the folks at The Texas Radio Theatre Company. And that got them all fired up over the idea of the 2nd Annual SFFaudio Challenge – and so they’ve staked a claim for themselves…

And it’s a suitably Texas-sized project…

The Texas Radio Theatre Company is taking on…

Lone Star Planet (AKA A Planet For Texans) by John Joseph McGuire and H. Beam Piper!

Lone Star Planet by John Joseph McGuire and H. Beam Piper

Texas Radio Theatre member, Reg Platt, will be narrating!

This novel was the Winner of a Prometheus Award for Best Classic Libertarian SF Novel. It is a tongue-in-cheek tale featuring a planet full of Texans whose dinosaur-sized cattle have to be herded with tanks, and whose system of government derives its character from H.L. Mencken’s essay The Malevolent Jobholder. Plus it has some damn cool cover art…

Lone Star Planet - Fantastic Universe Science Fiction

Now, if we can only find an English speaking narrator from Iceland to record Space Viking

Posted by Jesse Willis

New Releases – Allen Steele and Jack Campbell

New Releases

From a mysterious new imprint called “Audible Frontiers” (that I’ll try to find out more about) check out these new Audible.com exclusive titles including some Allen Steele novellas yum yum!

First, a Hugo Award winning novella from 1998…

…Where Angels Fear to Tread by Allen Steele…Where Angels Fear to Tread
By Allen Steele; Read by Marc Vietor
Audible Download – 2 Hours 56 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Audible Frontiers
Published: March 2008
When two chrononauts from the 24th century travel back in time, they inadvertently disrupt the ill-fated voyage of the Hindenburg, causing it to land successfully. Now, lost in a parallel universe, their mistake will be felt by every single human being.
This title also features BONUS AUDIO: Author Allen Steele explains what convinced him to write this Hugo Award-winning novella, despite vowing never to touch the subject of time travel.

And, a Hugo Award winning novella from 1996…

The Death of Captain Future by Allen SteeleThe Death of Captain Future
By Allen Steele; Read by Marc Vietor
Audible Download – 2 Hours 6 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Audible Frontiers
Published: March 2008
Union laborer Rohr Furland begrudgingly takes a job on a space freighter piloted by Captain Future, an immature and slightly crazed captain with an obsession for early 20th-century science-fiction novels. When they receive a distress call from a nearby space station, Furland and the first officer blend the dangers of reality into the captain’s fantasy world. This title also features BONUS AUDIO: Author Allen Steele talks about his love of pulp fiction, and its direct influence on this Hugo Award-winning novella.

And, here’s a Hugo Award Nominated novel from 2002…

Stealing Alabama by Allen SteeleStealing Alabama
By Allen Steele; Read by Marc Vietor
Audible Download – 3 Hours 8 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Audible Frontiers
Published: March 2008
The second American Revolution has propelled the Southern-controlled United Republic of America into power, its oppressive laws enforced by the National Reform Program’s re-education camps. The citizens are suffering from a militaristic tyranny and federal extortion at the expense of an ambitious space program designed to propagate the galaxy with model citizens of the Republic. But a silent underground faction plans to commandeer a ship and make a great escape to the stars. This title also features BONUS AUDIO: Author Allen Steele explains how he drew from U.S. history to write this Hugo-nominated novella.

Next, set one-hundred-plus years into an interstellar war between two different human cultures, the protagonist of this series is discovered floating in a hibernation/escape pod one-hundred years after he made a heroic ‘last stand’ against the enemy fleet at a famous battle. In the present, he’s a renowned hero to his side and his name and actions are used to justify poor tactics and decisions. Awakened just during a secret mission that turns out to be an enemy trap, he’s suddenly dropped into the fleet commander’s chair and expected to live up to a legend that has grown to impossible levels… That sounds very cool!

Dauntless (The Lost Fleet - Book 1) by Jack CampbellDauntless (The Lost Fleet – Book 1)
By Jack Campbell; Read by Christian Rummel
Audible Download – 9 Hours 59 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Audible Frontiers
Published: March 2008
The Alliance has been fighting the Syndics for a century, and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is a man who has emerged from a century-long hibernation to find he has been heroically idealized beyond belief. Captain John “Black Jack” Geary’s legendary exploits are known to every schoolchild. Revered for his heroic “last stand” in the early days of the war, he was presumed dead. But a century later, Geary miraculously returns from survival hibernation and reluctantly takes command of the Alliance fleet as it faces annihilation by the Syndics. Appalled by the hero-worship around him, Geary is nevertheless a man who will do his duty. And he knows that bringing the stolen Syndic hypernet key safely home is the Alliance’s one chance to win the war. But to do that, Geary will have to live up to the impossibly heroic “Black Jack” legend. BONUS AUDIO: Author Jack Campbell explains how the legend of King Arthur, the Greek historian Xenophon, and other writings influenced the Lost Fleet series.

Fearless (The Lost Fleet - Book 2) by Jack CampbellFearless (The Lost Fleet – Book 2)
By Jack Campbell; Read by Christian Rummel
Audible Download – 9 Hours 51 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Audible Frontiers
Published: March 2008
Outnumbered by the superior forces and firepower of the Syndicate Worlds, the Alliance fleet continues its dangerous retreat across the enemy star system. Led by the legendary Captain John “Black Jack” Geary, who returned to the fleet after a hundred-year suspended animation, the Alliance is desperately trying to return home with its captured prize: the key to the Syndic hypernet, and the key to victory. Geary is convinced that the Syndics are planning to ambush the fleet and finish it off once and for all. Realizing the fleet’s best (and only) chance is to do the unexpected, Geary takes the offensive and orders the fleet to the Sancere system. There, a multitude of possible routes home give the Alliance fleet a better chance of avoiding their pursuers – and an attack on the Sancere shipbuilding facilities could decimate the Syndic war effort. Weary from endless combat, the officers and crew of the Alliance fleet can’t see the sense in charging deeper into enemy territory – prompting a mutiny that divides them and leaves Geary with higher odds against him than ever before. BONUS AUDIO: Author Jack Campbell describes how he brought real-world physics to the Lost Fleet series.

Courageous (The Lost Fleet - Book 3) by Jack CampbellCourageous (The Lost Fleet – Book 3)
By Jack Campbell; Read by Christian Rummel
Audible Download – 9 Hours 42 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Audible Frontiers
Published: March 2008
The Alliance has been fighting a losing battle against the Syndicate Worlds for over a century. Now, Captain John “Black Jack” Geary, who returned to the fleet after a hundred-year suspended animation, must keep the Alliance one step ahead of its merciless foe. After a series of deadly engagements, the Alliance fleet is severely damaged and its arsenal is running low. Forced to halt in the Baldur Star System to raid the Syndic mines for raw materials, Geary is anxious to get moving again. But what should the fleet’s next move be? The Syndics are starting to catch on to Geary’s tactics, and as the Alliance ships jump from system to system, it’s getting harder to keep one step ahead. What’s more, Geary has started to piece fragments of intelligence together into a highly disturbing picture: the Syndics have been keeping the existence of another potential player in the war a secret – and this unknown power may have the means to annihilate the human race. BONUS AUDIO: Author Jack Campbell explains how his own background in the military shaped the Lost Fleet series.

Posted by Jesse Willis