young adult – Page 4

Review of The Plant People by Barnes and Engle

Science Fiction Audiobook Review

Plant People
By Johnny Ray Barnes Jr. and Marty M. Engle; Multicast recording
2 CDs – 2 Hours [ABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781423308508
Themes: / Science fiction / Alien Invasion / Intelligent plants /

Rachel Pearson is a loner. Her only close friend, Tess, now lives in another city, and her life is measured in the days and hours between phone calls. One afternoon, as she is exploring the house under construction in a wooded lot near her home, she spies a strange plant from which something large has hatched, and its smell lures her to the edge of disaster. Two months later, the house is completed and a new family with teenaged children moves in. But strange things begin to happen around them, and Rachel wonders if they aren’t more than just odd people. Could they be something else entirely, something inhuman, with dark designs for mankind?

Plant People has a spunky heroine with a delightful upper-Midwestern twang, and an entertaining little dash-about plot that is short and mindlessly fun. Even the prose mostly soars, though not without frequent bumps. The worst occur during action sequences, when phrases like “…and just at that moment, what should I find but…” appear with distracting frequency. But it also borrows a little too heavily from classic works like Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and The Day Of The Triffids, and strips the borrowed elements from their deeper subtext. On the whole, Plant People is like a sugar-free chocolate meringue: Briefly enjoyable, but ultimately empty of even the calories it took to chew.

[Editor’s Note: Plant People was originally written as part of the “Strange Matter” series (created by Marty M. Engle and Johnny Ray Barnes Jr.). The series takes place in the fictional town of Fairfield. Stories in the series generally center on the children attending Fairfield Middle School who encounter paranormal situations.]

Posted by Kurt Dietz

New Arrivals – Dragonlance and other Brilliance titles

Science Fiction Audiobook Recent Arrivals

Brilliance Audio has sent us lots of goodies this week.

Dragons Of The Highlord Skies: The Lost Chronicles Volume Two
By Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman; Read by Sandra Burr
13 CD, 16 hrs – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781423316206

From the popular Dragonlance series. The first volume, Dragons of the Dwarven Depths, was reviewed by SFFaudio.

The Companions are back, and so are their enemies in the second volume of the Lost Chronicles.

Kitiara discovers that a former lover, Tanis Half-elven, and his friends were responsible for the death of Highlord Verminaard. This revelation puts Kit in danger, for Emperor Ariakas hears of the connection and suspects Kit of having arranged the assassination. He orders his witch, the exotic Iolanthe, to spy on Kit, who clinches her own doom by becoming obsessed with finding Tanis, convincing Ariakas that she is indeed a traitor. But Kit is not one to take a sentence of death easily.

Kit’s rival, Laurana, begins her own journey to destiny, as she travels to Icereach with Sturm, Flint, Tasslehoff, and three Solamnic knights led by Sir Derek Crownguard. The knights are on a quest for the fabled dragon orb that will be the salvation of Solamnia. What none of them know is that they are all being led into a deadly trap laid for them by the winternorn, the dark elf wizard Feal-Thas.

But it is Kitiara who faces the greatest challenge. To save herself, she vows to Takhisis that she will spend the night in Dargaard Keep, the dread castle of the death knight, Lord Soth. As she and Skie fly to challenge the death knight, Kit is well aware that in three hundred years, not one person who has ever faced Lord Soth has survived the ordeal.

Seeker: Book One of the Noble Warriors
By William Nicholson; Read by Michael Page
9 CD, 10 hrs – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781423318354

A young adult novel that sounds promising. We received Jango: Book Two a couple weeks ago, and Brilliance was kind enough to send us this one!

On the rocky island of Anacrea, in a garden within the great castle-monastery called the Nom, lives the All and Only, the god who made all things. He is protected by an elite band of fighter monks. These are the Nomana, the Noble Warriors.Seeker, who lives on the island, is now sixteen, at last old enough to follow his brother into the ranks of the Nomana.

Far away, Morning Star, also just sixteen, is leaving home to achieve her lifelong wish to join the Nomana.

And when a beautiful, violent river bandit known as the Wildman finds himself helpless before two Nomana, he, too, is determined to become a Noble Warrior.

But these are dangerous times. Secret enemies have sworn to destroy Anacrea, and in the imperial city of Radiance, where human sacrifices are thrown to their deaths every evening, elaborate plans to attack the Nom are in place. Soon, in a shocking turn of events, Seeker, Morning Star, and the Wildman are caught up in a bloody and harrowing race to save the god of the Nomana – and themselves – from destruction.

And a couple titles for the young converts. These next two say 7+ for recommended age. They’re part of the Strange Matter series.

Toy Trouble
By Engle and Barnes; Multicast recording
2 CD, 2 hrs – [ABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781423308386

Karen Sanders loves toys. An avid toy collector, she’s always looking for strange and unusual playthings. Her room is practically a toy museum, from treasured rarities in collector’s cases to shoeboxes full of battered pieces and parts.

Karen’s friends tell her about a new store that just opened in Fairfield! A new toy store. She can’t believe it! Wasting no time, she and her friends rush to the opening of . . . Kepler’s Toys and Collectibles.

The selection is wonderful but Karen and her friends wonder why they are the only customers there when it first opens. Maybe it’s the strangeness of the shopkeeper, Mr. Kepler, that frightens people away. To their amazement, they find most every toy they ever wanted, each buying armloads, so many they can barely carry them home.

Soon they discover their toy-friends have a life all their own.And the name of their game is . . . trouble.

Plant People
By Engle and Barnes; Multicast recording
2 CD, 2 hrs – [ABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9781423308508

Something strange is moving into the house behind Rachel Pearson’s – and only she knows it.

While exploring the vacant house, Rachel comes across some weird looking plants. They are large, green shells that have blossomed. . . letting whatever was inside them out.

Then, two months later, the Smith family moves into the empty house. They’re very odd people. Not only do Mr. and Mrs. Smith and their two weird children, Jane and Richard, look unsettling, they act strange as well. Jane seems to have a taste for bugs, while Richard disappears late at night with a shovel in hand, only to return early the next morning. It’s made Rachel very suspicious.

But soon that suspicion turns to fear when strange things happen to those who come into contact with the Smiths. Kids get sick. Parents disappear. And plants come to life.

Now no one’s left to believe Rachel, except for the Smiths. . .

posted by The Time Traveler of the Time Traveler Show

Review of Rocket Ship Galileo by Robert A. Heinlein

SFFaudio Audiobook Review

Rocket Ship Galileo
By Robert A. Heinlein; Read by Spider Robinson
5 CDs, 4 Cassettes or 1 MP3-CD – 5.5 hrs [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9780786162765 (CDs), 9780786147892 (cassettes), 9780786172092(MP3-CD)
Themes: / Science Fiction / Young Adult / Space Travel / Rocket Science / Espionage / Moon /

Ross Jenkins, Art Mueller, and Morrie Abrams are not your average high school students. While other kids are cruising around in their cars playing ball, this trio, known as the Galileo Club, is experimenting with rocket fuels and preparing for their future education at technical colleges.

Robert Heinlein created something new when he started writing his “juvenile” SF novels. He wasn’t the first person to write what publishers would categorize as Young Adult SF but he was the first respected SF author to do so. Not only did it not harm his reputation, it actually enhanced it. Some of these, like Citizen of the Galaxy, The Star Beast, and The Rolling Stones still stand as some of his best books and are considered classics.

His first juvenile, from 1947, was Rocketship Galileo. It’s a tale of three young fellows that have their own amateur rocketry club. When one of their rocket experiments go awry with an explosion, they find that one of the boys’ uncles was injured on the grounds. The injured man is Doctor Donald Morris Cargraves. He’s a scientist with his own background in atomic propulsion. With true do-it-yourself ethos, Cargraves recruits the boys to build their own rocket to the moon. There are incidents of sabotage, which creates the mystery of who is responsible for the sabotage.

Eventually the boys with Cargraves in tow head to the moon. On occasion the story seems to stop for a science lesson. Once they reach the moon, they learn they are not alone. I’ll leave the nature of the co-habitants to the listener. I will say the answer that lies behind the sabotage attempts are less than satisfactory. What seems dated and implausible today was likely just as implausible in 1947 when the book was written. Although this novel is not the best of Heinlein’s juveniles, it is still an enjoyable ride with an optimistic future for mankind.

The book is narrated by SF author Spider Robinson. Spider is a gifted narrator with a flair for voice characterizations. His natural narrator’s voice seems a bit nasally at times, but he still conveys ease, and his pacing is unhurried.

This is not the first paring of Robert Heinlein with Spider Robinson. Spider recently coauthored a book with Mr. Heinlein called Variable Star. Using notes and an unfinished outline, Spider Robinson was chosen by Heinlein’s estate to complete it. The story is said to be reminiscent of one of the master’s juvenile novels circa 1955. The good news doesn’t end there. Robinson was tapped by Blackstone Audio to narrate the audiobook for Variable Star, which has just been released.

posted by The Time Traveler of the Time Traveler Show podcast

Mark Nelson reads Tom Swift and starts a podcast

SFFaudio Online Audio

Amateur narrator extraordinaire Mark Nelson informs us that his latest auditory effort is already a smash hit, with downloads “off the charts.” Who knew that Tom Swift book would have such audiobook appeal? This 1961 novel comes from the 2nd series, following the adventures of Tom Swift’s son, Tom Swift Jr.. Tom Sr. engages in various kinds of research and still does a bit of inventing, which into science-fiction territory. The adventures from this series extend from the center of the Earth to the bottom of the ocean to the moon and, eventually, the outer solar system; with stops along the way at African antimatter volcanoes, lost New Guinea cities, and various wandering asteroids. You can visit this audibook through LibriVox.org or through Mark Nelson’s new podcast! Details follow…

Tom Swift and The Visitor From Planet X
By Victor Appleton II; Read by Mark Nelson
1 Zipped Folder of MP3 Files – 4 Hours 17 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: LibriVox
Completed: April 2007
“Tom Swift Jr. and his associates at Swift Enterprises wait breathlessly for what may well be the most important scientific event in history—the arrival of the visitor from Planet X—a visitor in the form of energy. But there are factions at work determined to snatch the energy, which Tom has named Exman, from the young scientist-inventor’s grasp. First, a series of unexplainable, devastating earthquakes threaten to destroy a good portion of the earth, and Tom suspects the Brungarian rebels who obviously would like to capture Exman and use the space visitor to further their own evil purposes. With the security of Enterprises and Exman at stake, Tom creates two of his greatest inventions—a Quakelizor to counteract the simulated earth tremors, and a container or ‘body’ to house the energy from outer space. If the earthquakes cannot be stopped, the entire world will be threatened by destruction, and the Brungarian forces will conquer the earth. How Tom utilizes all his scientific knowledge to produce swift-action results and outwit the Brungarians makes one of the most exciting Tom Swift adventures to date.”

The SciPodBooks podcast, is the new podcasting arm of amateur audiobook narrating legend Mark Nelson. Each week a new chapter from one of Mark’s audiobooks will be in the feed. You’ll find readings of tales by such SF legends as H. Beam Piper, Andre Norton, Lafcadio Hearne, and William F. Harvey.

Subscriptions to the feed through this URL:

http://rss.mac.com/marknelson2/iWeb/SciPodBooks/SciPodCast/rss.xml

posted by Jesse Willis

Review of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

SFFaudio Review

A Wrinkle in Time
By Madeleine L’Engle; Read by Madeleine L’Engle
5 CDs – Approx. 5 Hours 17 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Random House/Listening Library
Published: 2005
ISBN: 0307243230< Themes: / Fantasy / Space travel / Family / YA / Psychic Abilities / Newberry / The elementary school I attended as a kid had a big poster in the library showing the covers of all the Newberry Medal award winners. I remember A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle jumping off of the poster; the cover featured an almost photo-realistic mother-of-pearl centaur that was pretty damn cool looking to a ten year-old. I checked the book out, read it, and loved it, but my recent listen of the new audio edition of A Wrinkle in Time (Listening Library, 2005) made me wonder how much of the book I really understood as a kid. I’ve often thought that they should just come right out and say that books win the Newberry Medal not because they are outstanding children’s books, but rather outstanding children’s books for adults. A Wrinkle in Time definitely falls within this category. The fast-moving story and sympathetic characters definitely make it appealing to kids, but, like Philip Pullman’s stuff , there are thematic elements that are very mature, and maybe even a little subversive. If the book were any less intelligently or subtly written, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it show up on banned-book lists.

L’Engle reads the book herself, and does a fine job. She obviously has an intimate understanding of the material, and her expressive voice lets her keep the story flowing without having to use different voices to distinguish the characters. L’Engle apparently suffered a cerebral stroke in 2002, the effects of which are obvious in her voice; it’s slurred a lot like Johnny Cash’s on his later albums. The only criticism I have of this production is of the decision to use an echo effect for the dialogue of Ms. Which. In the book all of this character’s dialogue appeared in italics, but the in the audio book, the effect comes off as a little cheap.

The audiobook starts off with an introduction explaining how L’Engle read the story to her children as she was writing it. Those were some lucky kids. Hop in bed with A Wrinkle in Time, some cocoa and some good headphones and you’ll probably come pretty close to recreating that experience.

posted by Cory

Review of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz By L. Frank Baum

SFFaudio Review

The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz
By L. Frank Baum; Read by James Spencer
MP3, OGG or AAC files download – 3 hours, 36 minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: TelltaleWeekly.org
Published: 2005
Themes: / Fantasy / Young Adult / Adventure / Magic /

Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incident. Having this thought in mind, the story of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.

And that, taken from the introduction, is exactly what author L. Frank Baum and narrator James Spenser deliver. The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz is a delightful and thoroughly wholesome romp through a safe fantasy landscape who’s denizens are, with the exception of the title character, all exactly what they appear to be. A refreshing and satisfying listen, it is sure to please children of a certain age and the adults who listen along with them. I especially liked the repetitive ritualistic scenes that happened about once a chapter. Dorothy, the Tin Woodsman, Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion each and always decry their bad luck whenever an obstacle blocks their journey along the yellow brick road or proclaim with delight their renewed hope at acheiving their respective goals. One curious point, the Tin Woodsman, who is very prone to tears, keeps rusting up when he cries. In point of fact tin does not rust when exposed to salt water.

Narrator James Spencer brings this classic to life, making about a dozen distinct voices for the many characters. His Scarecrow is thoughtful, his Cowardly Lion loveably fierce, his Tin Woodsman empathetic, his Dorothy girlish, and his Oz is truly a humbug! Sound quality is superb and there was no compression degredation in the MP3 edition I listened to. Priced at $6.00, you are looking less than $0.03 per minute. This is the best audio edition of The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz in existence.

Posted by Jesse Willis