SFFaudio Challenge – Page 2

SFFaudio Challenge Audio: Rebels Of The Red Planet by Charles L. Fontenay

SFFaudio Online Audio

Produced as part of the 2nd Annual SFFAudio Challenge, Rebels Of The Red Planet is now a FREE UNABRIDGED audiobook! All props go to Paul Campbell of Estalvin’s Legacy and Cossmass Productions for the entirety of the production. Paul tells us he’s taking a holiday in Spain staring tommorow. After this marathon of audiobook narration we should probably pay for the whole trip. Instead, cheap bastards that we are, we’ll offer him something far less expensive, but far more esteemed than mere money – our sincere appreciation. We at SFFaudio salute you Paul Campbell – and thank you for the hours of rebellious Martian fun you’ve brought to life!

I’m going to listen to the whole novel straight away.

When Paul gets back from that trip, he can choose his prize from among the Challenge offerings. If you’re inspired by Paul’s acheivement, check out the challenge, there are plenty of prizes left and titles to be claimed.

Now, here it is, first published by Ace Books in 1961 and now available for the first time as an audiobook (and podiobook) we are pleased to present…

Rebels Of The Red Planet
By Charles L. Fontenay; Read by Paul Campbell
18 MP3 Files – 5 Hours 54 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Cossmass Productions / Podiobooks.com
Published: December 2007 – April 2008
MARS FOR THE MARTIANS! Dark Kensington had been dead for twenty-five years. It was a fact; everyone knew it. Then suddenly he reappeared, youthful, brilliant, ready to take over the Phoenix, the rebel group that worked to overthrow the tyranny that gripped the settlers on Mars. The Phoenix had been destroyed not once, not twice, but three times! But this time the resurrected Dark had new plans, plans which involved dangerous experiments in mutation and psionics. And now the rebels realized they were in double jeopardy. Not only from the government’s desperate hatred of their movement, but also from the growing possibility that the new breed of mutated monsters would get out of hand and bring terrors never before known to man.

Subscribe to the podcast feed:

http://cossmass.co.uk/series/rebelsredplanet/feed

Or download the individual files from HERE.

Or get a custom Podiobooks feed HERE.

Posted by Jesse Willis

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

SFFaudio News

A 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!

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

Audiobook version of Red Nails by Robert E. Howard is underway

OnlineAudio

SFFaudio’s Make An Audiobook Win An Audiobook Challenge #2 I credit the speed to which the Broken Sea folks are getting their audiobooks produced to the years of experience in recording audio drama. One among the BSAP crew is a virtual celebrity of the amateur audio drama community. Mark Kalita is a writer, producer and actor in audio drama scene. You’ll find his work, writing and voice over at both Darker Projects and Broken Sea, he’s played roles in the production of at least a good dozen productions including both Doctor Who and Star Trek as well as numerous original series.

His latest venture is the audiobook version of Robert E. Howard’s Red Nails. This is a Conan adventure also featuring a wily she-pirate named Valeria and is one of the titles from the Second Annual SFFaudio Challenge. Mark has already released 4 of the 7 chapters of this novella. Red Nails first appeared in 1936 as a three part serial in three issues of WEIRD TALES magazine. In it Conan encounters a lost city in which the degenerate inhabitants are pro-actively resigned to their own destruction. Also, of note, there’s a cool-looking animated movie version headed for a DVD-only release in 2008.

Red Nails is the last Conan story Howard wrote and the last major fantasy he completed. On the verge of abandoning fantasy for more commercial concerns, Howard devoted considerable thought and effort to his final allegorical statement. In a letter to Clark Ashton Smith, Howard had this to say about Red Nails:

“Sent a three-part serial to Wright yesterday: “Red Nails,” which I devoutly hope he’ll like. A Conan yarn, and the grimmest, bloodiest and most merciless story of the series so far. Too much raw meat, maybe, but I merely portrayed what I honestly believe would be the reactions of certain types of people in the situations on which the plot of the story hung…”

Intrigued? Have a listen, and judge for yourself…

Red Nails – A Tale Of Conan
By Robert E. Howard; Read by Mark Kalita
MP3s – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Broken Sea Audio Productions / Hooligan Audiobooks
Published: December 2007 – ???
“Red Nails, a tale featuring the legendary Conan the Barbarian, was written by Robert E. Howard and began its written serialization in the July 1936 issue of Weird Tales. This thrilling audio novella begins with pirate-adventuress Valeria of the Red Brotherhood on the run after slaying a notable brigand. She is followed by Conan and the two soon fight their way to a great, walled city inhabited by two warring peoples. The adventure seekers soon find themselves embroiled in the feud and mayhem ensues as the city’s rulers make unholy plans for the mighty Cimmerian and his feisty female companion. Listen now as an ancient evil returns from oblivion and a wicked sorceress seeks to gain immortality at the cost of our Hyborian heroes!”

Posted by Jesse Willis

2nd Completed SFFaudio Challenge title: The Queen Of The Black Coast by Robert E. Howard

SFFaudio Online Audio

SFFaudio’s Make An Audiobook Win An Audiobook Challenge #2 Bill Hollweg of Broken Sea Audio Productions is the second challenger to complete a title in the Second Annual SFFaudio Challenge! Available now is a complete and unabridged reading of Robert E. Howard’s Queen Of The Black Coast read by Bill Hollweg!

This is a significant achievment as Queen Of The Black Coast is one of the world’s most important novelettes:

-There is a hefty page on Wikipedia detailing much about this influential tale.

-It took a stunning 40 issues of Conan: The Barbarian (the Marvel comic) to string out just a few lines in this tale.

-In the original Conan movie, which was not faithful to any particular Conan story, there was one clear aspect that was certainly taken from the end of Queen Of The Black Coast.

–Broken Sea Audio Productions is “doing a full cast audio drama of this and other tales of Conan” – look for the audio drama version in early 2008.

Also, the good folks over at Broken Sea Audio Productions have fenced off a separate page for what they are calling “Hooligan Audiobooks”, there you’ll find all the BSAP single voiced narration tales. If you’ve never tried a Howard story, or never read a Conan tale, have a listen to this unabridged beauty:

Queen Of The Black Coast
By Robert E. Howard; Read by Bill Hollweg
Podcast – [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: Broken Sea Audio Thursday
Podcast: November – December 2007
In the seacoast kingdom of Argos, after a brush with the Hyborian legal system, Conan hops aboard a southward bound ship. Off the coasts of Kush the ship is boarded by black corsairs under the Shemitish she-devil, Bêlit. Conan joins her crew, becomes her consort, and for a long time they harry the Hyborian and Stygian ports. During this stage of his career, Conan gains the name of Amra, the Lion, which is to follow him throughout his later life.

Chapter 1 |MP3| Chapter 2 |MP3| Chapter 3 |MP3|Chapters 4 & 5 |MP3|

Subscribe to the podcast feed:

http://brokensea.com/feed

Posted by Jesse Willis

2nd SFFaudio Challenge Title Completed: The Blue Tower by Evelyn E. Smith

SFFaudio Online Audio

SFFaudio’s Make An Audiobook Win An Audiobook Challenge #2 The first title in our 2nd Annual SFFaudio Challenge has been completed and released! Betsie Bush has recorded and released The Blue Tower by Evelyn E. Smith. Betsie has made this audiobook PUBLIC DOMAIN and it is included in the LibriVox anthology: Short Science Fiction Collection Vol. 002. As the first to complete a title from our challenge Betsie has first choice from any one of the prizes for the 2nd Challenge.

The original publication of The Blue Tower story saw print in Galaxy magazine’s February, 1958 issue. The same issue that featured Bread Overhead by Fritz Leiber. The editor at this time in Galaxy’s run was Horace L. Gold who focused….

“…less on technology, hardware and pulp adventures. Instead, he introduced themes leaning toward sociology, psychology and satire. He paid more than was common at the time and had the advantage that several authors had become alienated from John W. Campbell due to his enthusiasm for Dianetics.”

Have a listen…

The Blue Tower
By Evelyn E. Smith; Read by Betsie Bush
1 |MP3| Approx. 34.5 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: November 30th 2007
The Belphins came from the stars, they are the caretakers of humanity – but not everyone thinks they should rule.

Posted by Jesse Willis

SFFaudio’s Make An Audiobook Win An Audiobook Challenge (#1) NEWS!

SFFaudio Update

Whoa… retro! Yes we’d almsot completely forgot about our First SFFaudio Challenge.

When I first thought up the idea I didn’t think it’d generate much interest – it was just an idea – maybe somebody would do one or two. Boy, was I wrong! Wonderfully wrong!

Six audiobooks from the first challenge were completed within a year of the announcement. And since we’ve long since run out of prizes I figured we’d run out of challengers too, especially considering we’ve got the All New 2nd Annual SFFaudio Challenge to consider. But, I’m pleased to say I was wrong.

Scott D. Farquhar from Prometheus Radio Theatre (and Star Surgeon fame) has written in to claim The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell. This is one of the titles from in our first SFFaudio Challenge!

Scott released Star Surgeon through both LibriVox.org and Podiobooks.com. This time, Scott thinks he’s going to release The Black Star Passes through Podiobooks.com alone. Which I think is absolutely terrific. Podiobooks.com’s system will allow people who appreciate Scott’s narration to drop a dime or three in his virtual hat, as it were. 3/4’ths of every dime will end up in Scott’s hands, which means that he might be inclined to make even more audiobooks for us! Woot!

Look for the first few chapters of The Black Star Passes to show up on Podiobooks.com in the near future.

Posted by Jesse Willis