space opera – Page 7

Zombie Astronaut has: Johnny Chase Agent Of Space!

SFFaudio Online Audio

The Zombie Astronaut, that magnificent malnourished monster, has posted some highly coveted episodes from one of the most sought after radio dramas in recent memory: Johnny Chase Agent Of Space!

Johnny Chase Agent Of Space was a space opera radio serial that was broadcast for two seasons on CBC Radio between 1978 to 1981. The show was set 700 years in the future. According to wikipedia the show runs “a fine line between being a serious space opera and being an over-the-top spoof of them.”

Chase works for the Earth Empire aboard his spaceship the Aleph-9. Also on board is his talking computer, voiced by Chris Wiggins (of Friday The 13th: The Series). Together they battle space pirates, space vampires, and evil space aliens – all of whom are in space!

Johnny Chase Agent Of Space Episode #11 -The Living Crystals |MP3|

Ep. #13 – Emporess In Exile |MP3|
Ep. #14 – Mozart Mystery |MP3|
Ep. #15 – Doctor Death |MP3|
Ep. #16 – The Mirror Demons |MP3|
Ep. #17 – The Phantom Troop Ship, Pt. 1 |MP3|
Ep. #18 – The Phantom Troop Ship, Pt. 2 |MP3|
Ep. #19 – The Last Human |MP3|
Ep. #20 – The Clone Killers |MP3|
Ep. #21 – Space Dracula |MP3|
Ep. #22 – The Easter Conspiracy |MP3|
Ep. #23 – The Power Of Org |MP3|

Lots of other goodness can currently be found on ZA’s blog too (as opposed to the also excellent ZA’s website or addictive ZA’s podcast).

One other show that caught my eye, and my ear, is a more recent CBC Radio Drama series called Deep Night. It’s clearly in the CBC radio drama tradition of shows like Nightfall. I have fairly fond memories of the original broadcasts of Deep Night, it aired on summer evenings a few years ago. The scripts aren’t terrific, but theme song is haunting, and the acting is great.

Posted by Jesse Willis

LibriVox: Masters Of Space by Edward Elmer Smith and Edward Everett Evans

SFFaudio Online Audio

Australian reader/listener and correspondent, Dennis Stocks, points out that there’s a new release from LibriVox.org we should have a look at and a listen to…

Masters Of Space was co-authored by good friends E. Everett Evans and E.E. Smith, they collaborated on just this one novel, at least officially. Smith has his Lensman series, but Evan’s work isn’t nearly as well known. Evans’ major work solo was Man of Many Minds (which is one of our 2nd SFFaudio Challenge titles). If you like Masters Of Space, and think you might be capable, why not sign on board as the narrator for Man Of Many Minds, I’m sure the folks at LibriVox would give it a nice cozy server just like the did for this…

Masters Of Space
By E. E. “Doc” Smith and E.E. Evans; Read by R.J. Davis
14 Zipped MP3 Files or Podcast – Approx. 6 Hours 43 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox.org
Published: November 2008
The Masters had ruled all space with an unconquerable iron fist. But the Masters were gone. And this new, young race who came now to take their place–could they hope to defeat the ancient Enemy of All?

Podcast feed:

http://librivox.org/bookfeeds/masters-of-space-by-edward-elmer-smith-and-edward-everett-evans.xml

Posted by Jesse Willis

A Bite of Stars, a Slug of Time, and Thou has Aye and Gomorrah by Samuel R. Delany

SFFaudio Online Audio

The second series of A Bite of Stars, a Slug of Time, and Thou is underway, and the podcast radio show (on Resonance FM 104.4 FM in London, U.K.) has out-done itself by recording a terrific and moving reading of Aye and Gomorrah by Samuel R. Delany. Victoria de Rijke joins Mark Sinker and Elisha Sessions to talk about the story and Delany in general. This is insightful listening about one of the most well written and unusual stories in all of Science Fiction.

Episode 11 – Aye, and Gomorrah
By Samuel R. Delany; Read by Elisha Sessions
Podcast – 1 Hour [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: A Bite Of Stars, A Slug Of Time, And Thou
Podcast: September 23rd, 2008
Winner of the 1967 Nebula Award for best short story. First in Harlan Ellison’s seminal 1967 anthology, Dangerous Visions.It takes place in a world where astronauts, known as Spacers, are neutered before puberty to avoid the effects of space radiation on gametes. They are fetishized by a subculture of ‘frelks’, those attracted by the Spacers’ unattainability and unarousability (‘free-fall-sexual-displacement complex’). The mischief-loving Spacers exploit this for amusement and money — and possibly out of loneliness and a desire to recapture their lost sexuality. The story tells of a Spacer’s poignant meeting with a female frelk.

The previous show presents a J.G. Ballard short story, a tough one, not quite as easily accessible (which is saying something)…

Episode 10 – Track 12
By J.G. Ballard; Read by Elisha Sessions
Podcast – 1 Hour [UNABRIDGED?]
Podcaster: A Bite Of Stars, A Slug Of Time, And Thou
Podcast: September 16th, 2008
A Science Fiction short story about electromusic? Yup. A retelling of Poe’s The Cask Of Amontillado? Very likely. Fully comprehensible? Maybe. Published in a 1958 issue of New Worlds.

And, the first show, of the second series, has a classic Robert Sheckley tale, only 5 pages long, but also a massive epic [I just wish there wasn’t any background music or SFX during the reading]…

Episode 09 – Zirn Left Unguarded, The Jenghik Palace in Flames, Jon Westerley Dead
By Robert Sheckley; Read by Elisha Sessions
Podcast – 1 Hour [UNABRIDGED?]
Podcaster: A Bite Of Stars, A Slug Of Time, And Thou
Podcast: September 10th, 2008
“It’s got swords, vast space battles and God’s receptionist.”

The one bad thing about this podcast (other than the lack of title and author name at the beginning of the story) is there are no direct links available (for hotlinking), you’ll have click through or subscribe to the podcast to get the files – which likely means about ~~75%~~ 60% of the people who listen to podcasts via direct links won’t get to hear it. Slug Of Time guys, it’s time to fix that!

Here’s the podcast feed for the few of you who know how to use it:

http://freakytrigger.co.uk/slugoftime-podcast/feed/

Posted by Jesse Willis

Space Force

SFFaudio Online Audio

Space Force
Starring Barry Foster, Nigel Stock, Nicky Henson and Tony Osoba
Written by Charles Chilton
6 episodes airing Monday, September 15 through Monday, September 22 during the 7th Dimension time slots*

This is the log of Magnus Carter…

Space Force (1984-85), by Charles Chilton, was intended to be a sequel to his previous space opera, Journey into Space (1953-56, and beyond), itself a popular radio series that spawned four sequels of its own (including Frozen in Time which first aired on BBC 7 last April).

I’ve read slightly differing accounts of why the decision was made to create a new series. I suspect the Beeb just wanted something fresh after JIS had spent nearly 30 years in mothballs, and that Chilton was only happy to oblige…by ripping himself off! The result was a scientifically updated but very similar series, with similar themes in play and the same bridge crew character archetypes and personalities, albeit with names changed. Note though that the character “Chipper” Barnet is referred to as being the grandson of “Lemmy” Barnet, a crew member (and “comic relief”) from JIS, and a character much beloved by fans.

Like JIS, Space Force is episodic space opera in the classic sense but with emphasis on high adventure rather than galactic empires and space war (despite its militaristic sounding title).

The story takes place in the far flung future of 2010 when manned trips to the moon are routine. Captain Saxon Berry is traveling there to assume command of the new spaceship, “Space Force”, when strange events begin to happen that will eventually lead him and his crew across the solar system to a first encounter with…well, I shouldn’t spoil the story. Listen to the show to see how it goes!

I recommend this series (a good 3 out of 4 stars) because it is intelligent, appealing and accessible. –This would describe the work of many 20th century British science fiction writers. They had knack for this.– You don’t have to be a hard sf buff to enjoy it, and if you are, it’s still an engaging story (even though you’ve read, seen or heard most of this before). Just creative and clever enough to keep you interested. Besides, it’s the characters that suck you in and hold this series together, as it should be.

Although it’s not listed today, it’s possible that the sequel, Space Force 2, will follow. This is sort of traditional on BBC 7, to pummel you to death with everything in one run, but we love it don’t we. I’ll be sure to check and post an update about this. (Update: Yepsk. Space Force 2 will follow, beginning on Tuesday, September 23.)

*Meanwhile, use the online Listen Again feature to keep up with each daily episode of Space Force beginning tomorrow.

Posted by RC of RTSF

New Releases

I heard of this author, Orhan Pamuk, through the Entitled Opinions podcast. Looking the novel up on Wikipedia, it appears this is a historical murder mystery set in the Ottoman Empire. But, there are some fantastic elements too.

My Name Is Red
By Orhan Pamuk; Translated by Erdag Goknar; Read by John Lee
16 CDs – 20 Hours 30 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Random House Audio
Published: September 2008
ISBN: 9780739369241

The Sultan has commissioned a cadre of the most acclaimed artists in the land to create a great book celebrating the glories of his realm. Their task: to illuminate the work in the European style. But because figurative art can be deemed an affront to Islam, this commission is a dangerous proposition indeed. The ruling elite therefore mustn’t know the full scope or nature of the project, and panic erupts when one of the chosen miniaturists disappears. The only clue to the mystery–or crime? –lies in the half-finished illuminations themselves.

Here’s a new space opera title from the author of Eifelheim…

The January Dancer
By Michael Flynn; Read by TBA
8 Cassettes, 1 MP3-CD or 9 CDs – Approx. 10.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: September 30th 2008
ISBN: 9781433250965 (cassette), 9781433250996 (mp3-cd), 9781433250972 (cd)
The January Dancer tells the fateful story of an ancient prehuman artifact of great power and of the people who found it. Starting with Captain Amos January, who quickly loses it, and then the others who fought, schemed, and killed to get it, we travel around the complex, decadent, brawling, mongrelized, interstellar human civilization that the artifact might save or destroy. Collectors want the Dancer, pirates take it, rulers crave it, and all will kill, if necessary, to get it. This is a thrilling yarn of love, revolution, music, and mystery, and it ends, as all great stories do, with shock and a beginning.

Podiobooks.com has a new release which has a description designed to make me listen to it: “[A] Kickass scifi and crime fiction collection in the tradition of Philip K. Dick and Jim Thompson.” yum, yum!

The Kiribati Test
By Stacey Cochran; Read by Stacey Cochran
6 Short Stories – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Podiobooks.com
Published: September 2008 –

Posted by Jesse Willis

BBC7 presents: Down and Safe (Blake’s 7)

SFFaudio Online Audio

Down and Safe: A Celebration of Blake’s 7
Presented by fan Mitch Benn.
Airdate: August 25, 2008 (aired 3 times).

Holy moly, I was busy and away and almost missed this excellent radio retrospective of Blake’s 7. (Fortunately for all of us, it is still available to listen to -see below.) Clocking in at three hours, Down and Safe covers the whole shebang, from the groundbreaking and influential late 70’s television series to the latest version reimagined and presented as audio drama, with clips and snippets and informed commentary and…

…And, speaking of audio drama, well, check out the BBC7 blurb: The BBC 7 bank holiday rebellion starts with the history and rebirth of a sci-fi classic, with episodes including The Syndleton Experiment (1999), Liberator (2007) and When Vila Met Gan (2008).

Yep, you heard right. Three complete full cast audio plays -they form the bulk of the show; three different and very entertaining takes on the Blake’s 7 universe that you shouldn’t miss (unless you have a very good excuse like, say, hives). So, space science fiction luvvers everywhere, be sure to check out Down and Safe here, here, here (RealPlayer required) or here (webpage – RealPlayer required) through Sunday, August 31!

Posted by RC of RTSF