Tuesday 25 March 2008

Brave Men Run

The Official Blurb

"Brave Men Run" is the story of Nate Charters. Born different, unsure of his origins, he's an outcast at Abbeque Valley High School, a self-proclaimed "boy freak" with few friends and low self-esteem. When the Sovereign Era dramatically dawns, Nate finds himself in quest to discover the truth: is he more than he seems, a misfit in a miraculous and powerful new minority... or something else entirely?

My Review

The "Soverign Era" is the dawn of "supers", that is super powered people taking control of their own lives and coming out of the closet as it were. The story has been described as a "Breakfast Club" meets "Super Powers" and thats a good summary. The story follows the coming of age of a slightly withdrawn teenager during great happenings/changes in the world. The author is able to draw the focus easily from the grand scale to the microscopic in a delightful and engaging manner.

The characters are absorbing and interesting, their problems both every-day and outlandish at the same time. It's a wonderful mix. Add to this the smooth and easy voice of the author who's reading his work and you have a hit!

Reading = 3/3
Production = 3/3
Story = 3/3

Total = 9/9

You can find it at Podiobooks

Audio promo MP3

Monday 24 March 2008

Tom Swift and the Visitor From Planet X

The Official Blurb

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.

My Review

This is a classic Sci-Fi story, written in the hey-day of scifi where transistors where the new gee-whizz technology. It does therefore show its age a little.

However the story is a fun light adventure.

If your looking for a serious sci-fi story, this is not it. If your looking for a light adventure where the hero wins out just in the nick of time then this is the story for you.

This is another Mark Nelson, recording. Nelson makes outstanding recordings and does a nice range of voices.

Reading = 3/3
Production = 3/3
Story = 2/3

Total = 8/9

You can find this at Librivox

Wednesday 19 March 2008

Noggle Stones

The official blurb

Shunned by his people and tormented by nightmare visions, Bugbear, the mad goblin scholar, ventures into the wilderness with his ne'er-do-well cousin, Tudmire, to seek out an ancient ruin and the lost wisdom it holds.

Soon the cousins find themselves embroiled in cosmic events as their magical world of Annwfn is merged with 19th Century Earth after an accident concerning a mysterious scroll Tudmire acquires in a crooked game of Noggle Stones. While fleeing the enraged ogres they cheated, Bugbear and Tudmire happen upon Martin Manchester, who appears to be a creature of mythology known as a human. Bugbear takes Manchester as his apprentice, agreeing to teach him the empowering ways of Non-Logical Thought. The trio soon discovers that dark forces have aligned against them, and the two worlds may have been merged only to be destroyed!

My Review

This is a light hearted fantasy that has it's darker moments.

It's journey of discovery and enlightenment. The main characters are appealing and engaging and their relationships develop as the story progresses from adventure to fight to prophesy fufillment.

Always entertaining and read by a distinct voice that is perfect for the tone of the story, Noggle Stones was an eagerly listened to story.

This a family friendly story that could easily be listened to as part of family time.

Reading = 3/3
Production = 3/3
Story = 2/3

Total = 8/9

You can find this at Podiobooks

Tuesday 18 March 2008

Space Casey

The Official blurb

Space Casey is an original sci-fi comedy audiodrama written and produced by Christiana Ellis, because she is a glutton for punishment.

My Review

The official blurb doesn't give a lot away. The story is a fun sci fi blend of con artist comedy and laughable space adventure. Casey is a hip streetwise woman out to get what she can from any suitable mark. Until that is, she bites off more than she can chew and finds herself out of her depth.

This is a full audio cast dramatisation with sound effects, and very well done. THis is the second audio presentation by Christiana Ellis and she has stepped up a long way in production presentation.

The story is fun and engaging, with just enough cliff-hanger to make you keep coming back for more.

Reading = 3/3
Production = 3/3
Story = 2/3

Total = 8/9

You can get it from the Space Casey site.

Audio Promo MP3

Thursday 13 March 2008

South!

The official blurb

Shackleton’s most famous expedition was planned to be an attempt to cross Antarctica from the Weddell Sea south of the Atlantic, to the Ross Sea south of the Pacific, by way of the Pole. It set out from London on 1 August 1914, and reached the Weddell Sea on January 10, 1915, where the pack ice closed in on the Endurance. The ship was broken by the ice on 27 October 1915. The 28 crew members managed to flee to Elephant Island, bringing three small boats with them. Shackleton and five other men managed to reach the southern coast of South Georgia in one of the small boats (in a real epic journey). Shackleton managed to rescue all of the stranded crew from Elephant Island without loss in the Chilean’s navy seagoing steam tug Yelcho, on August 30, 1916, in the middle of the Antarctic winter.

My Review

This non fiction story is dramatic and engaging. Its a story of outstanding human effort and courage. The early chapters can sometimes be a little dry but never boring. Once the troubles begin, the story shifts into a higher gear, realising that this is non fiction and these things happened to real people just makes the whole thing so much more gripping.

While never inflating his part in things, never allowing his ego to take control we hear and understand what a heroic man Shackleton was. The adventure these men lived through under the incredible leadership of Shackleton is totally absorbing and had me holding my breath more than once. Action, mystery, fear, sadness this book has it all.

Todate, this is my absolute favorite LIbrivox recording.

Reading = 2/3
Production = 2/3
Story = 3/3

Total = 7/9

You can get it at Librivox.

Tuesday 11 March 2008

Greenmantle

The official blurb

Greenmantle is the second of five Richard Hannay novels by John Buchan, first published in 1916 by Hodder & Stoughton, London. It is one of two Hannay novels set during the First World War, the other being Mr Standfast (1919); Hannay’s first and best-known adventure, The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915), is set in the period immediately before the war started. - Hannay is called in to investigate rumours of an uprising in the Muslim world, and undertakes a perilous journey through enemy territory to meet up with his friend Sandy in Constantinople. Once there, he and his friends must thwart the Germans’ plans to use religion to help them win the war, climaxing at the battle of Erzurum.

My Review

Up front I have to admit to being a Hannay fan. I loved "The 39 Steps" in both film and audio versions. I even lapped up the BBC television series, sadly short lived. So when I spotted Greenmantle on Librivox I downloaded it immediately.

I was not disapointed. The story is action packed, the advetures of the herioc and honourable Hannay are engaging, if not downright enthralling. The phrasing and terminology in the text is extreemly evocative of the period and sets the perfect tone to what is now a "period" story.

From the very beginning you know your into a great spy thriller and if thats your thing, you'll enjoy this story.

Reading = 2/3
Production = 2/3
Story = 3/3

Total = 7/9

You can get it at Librivox.

Monday 10 March 2008

The Mysterious Island

The official blurb

A story of castaways, similar to Robinson Crusoe and The Swiss Family Robinson, this book details the escape from Civil War-era Richmond, Virginia, of five Northern men who dared to go aloft in a balloon in the midst of a hurricane. Deposited on a lonely island in the Pacific, they make do with Yankee ingenuity where Chance has left them nothing. Only later do they find they have a hidden benefactor: Captain Nemo, of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, who resides, alone, secretly on the island. In time, the tiny colony becomes so prosperous that it is able to rescue another castaway from an island a hundred miles away. But all their work will come to naught - their island’s volcano is about to awake!

My Review

This is a true "classic". Adventure and survival play a large part in the story. The ship/balloon wrecked survivors start by scratching a survival but slowly start adding to their tools and building a life on the lost island.

The story was a little dispointing for me, its well told but the series of happy coincidences one on top of another, time after time stretched the possibilities just too far for my taste. I ended up coming out of the story telling experience and saying to myself, "oh not again".

It's a long audio book and in places too long. I suspect that if you were to listen to it in an episodic, one chapter a week, the story would come across better.

Reading = 3/3
Production = 3/3
Story = 1/3

Total = 7/9

You can get it at Librivox.

Saturday 8 March 2008

Earthcore

The official blurb

Deep below a desolate Utah mountain lays the largest platinum deposit ever discovered. A billion-dollar find, it waits for any company that can drill a world's record, three-mile-deep mine shaft.

EarthCore is the company with the technology, the resources and the guts to go after the mother lode. Young executive Connell Kirkland is the company's driving force, pushing himself and those around him to uncover the massive treasure.

But Kirkland and EarthCore are not the first to find this treasure. The mountain's history reveals two centuries of disappearances, murder, and insanity.

The discovery of ancient platinum knives, razor-sharp despite lying untouched for 1,000 years, reveals evidence of an ancient culture. If the artifacts are genuine, they show a pre-historic empire that once spanned from the Southern tip of South America all the way up through the American Southwest.

Wealth and fame lie under that Utah mountain, but at three miles below the surface, where the rocks are so hot they burn bare skin, something has been waiting for centuries. Waiting ... and guarding. Kirkland and EarthCore are about to find out first-hand why this treasure has never been unearthed.

My Review

This was Scott Sigler's first podcast novel and what a shining Gem it was. Scott's stories usually follow the well trod format of introducing the characters setting the scene and then blasting into the action horror and adventure, with this story he does it oustandingly.

We have a good cast of characters going into extraordinary surroundings. They get well fleshed out and you truely get to feel that they are real people.

Scott does a voice for each character and although they are all still a bit Scott-like you can easily tell who is speaking.

The story is engaging and contains elements enough for the listener who loves thrillers, or horror stories and of course something for the SciFi fan as well.

I really enjoyed listening and was drawn into the adventure, I couldn't wait for each new episode to come out, I was listening to the original weekly podcast. You of course will be able to release all of the episodes at once if you wish at podiobooks.

Reading = 2/3
Production = 2/3
Story = 3/3

Total = 7/9

You can get it at Podiobooks

Thursday 6 March 2008

Nina Kimberly the Merciless

The official blurb

She's on a mission... To kill the man who loves her...

Why?

Because he's an idiot.

Nina Kimberly The Merciless is the story of a teenage barbarian princess who must rid herself of an obnoxious royal suitor, replace him with a hero, and then grow into her destiny as a...

Well, that she hasn't decided yet.

My Review

This is a fun story. It features a sassy princess who's not afraid in lop off the odd head now and then but has a soft core that makes her much more than just a barbarian.

I was drawn into the world of this story from the outset. The fantasy background appealed to me and the fact that the main protagonist was a girl was unusual as I havnt come across many females in leading fantasy roles.

The writing is absolutely delightful, Christiana Ellis the author, who also does the reading has done an outstanding job here. When the author reads their own work you often get a lot more feeling for the characters and that is so true here. We can actually feel the leads characters indignation, fear and yes, even love.

It's a teenager type novel, it has many sexual references but nothing explicit and tons of adventure and action.

Reading = 3/3
Production = 2/3
Story = 3/3

Total = 8/9

You can find this at Podiobooks

Audio Promo MP3

Wednesday 5 March 2008

The Silk Code

The official blurb

Phil D'Amato, New York City forensic detective, is caught in an ongoing struggle that dates all the way back to the dawn of humanity on earth--and one of his best friends is a recent casualty. Unless Phil can unravel the genetic puzzle of the Silk Code, he'll soon be just as dead.

My Review

This story started out really well, I was hooked and wanted to know what/who/where. The hinted at secret organisations and methods of killings were presented well and dramaticly. If you listen to the promo, you'll know why I was so drawn into this story.

Yet, in the middle it slowed right down during a protracted flash-back. I found myself getting a little bored. When it came back to the present the story picked up again, but at one point I nearly gave up on it. Fundamentally I'm glad that I stuck with it. The characters are well presented and rounded out nicely, the lead character is easy to get along with.

Reading = 2/3
Production = 3/3
Story = 1/3

Total = 6/9

You can find this at Podiobooks

Audio Promo MP3

Monday 3 March 2008

She

The official blurb

At 5 years old Leo Vincey is left in the care of a Cambridge professor by the name of Horace Holly. His father leaves him a strange casket which he is to open on his 25th Birthday. On opening the Casket Leo and Horace discover the strange history of Leo’s ancestors. Leo and his adoptive father Horace must travel all the way to Africa in order to uncover the solve his family’s strange history. - Blurb by Lizzie Driver

My Review

I've listened to "King Solomons Mines" by the same author so followed the authors name to this story. Sadly I was disapointed. KSM had been a real adventure, but this story was like a lost forlorn love story with a bit of "darkest aftrica" thrown in.

The story itself started alright with a mystery, but then wondered off in to boring realms. The characters were well done but the story was just lacking as far as I was concerned.

Sadly the recording also suffered. The story was read by various people taking various chapters, which is not normally a problem for me, but in this case as the story itself was not so engaging I found myself being jarred by the change in reader, and the readers styles changed dramaticly.

Reading = 1/3
Production = 2/3
Story = 1/3

Total = 4/9

You can find this at Librivox

Sunday 2 March 2008

Badge of Infamy

The official blurb

Daniel Feldman was a doctor once. He made the mistake of saving a friend's life in violation of Medical Lobby rules. Now, he's a pariah, shunned by all, forbidden to touch another patient.

But things are more loose on Mars. There, Doc Feldman is welcomed by the colonists, even as he's hunted by the authorities. But, when he discovers a Martian plague may soon wipe out humanity on two planets, the authorities begin hunting him for a different reason altogether.

My Review

This is a fun story. It starts on Earth with the main character spending the night in a doss house trying to sleep next to a dying man, and being unable to do anything about it despite being a doctor. He's held back by the laws of "medical lobby".

Thus are we introduced to this far future with a gritty feel. Yes we have space ships, but not the clean loverly looking ships of Star Wars, but the tough dirty feeling you get when watching Blade Runner. The world is run by the lobbies and men are ground up in "the machine."

It's a tough place to live and our hero see's no hope except to try and escape to the less strict world of Mars. There his skills might be of use.

This was a great light story that filled an afternoon nicely. The well produced reading is easy on the ears.

Reading = 3/3
Production = 2/3
Story = 2/3

Total = 7/9

You can find this at Podiobooks and also at Librivox