Official Blurb
The
Ghost Pirates is a powerful account of a doomed and haunted ship on its
last voyage, and of the terrible sea-devils (of quasi-human aspect, and
perhaps the spirits of bygone buccaneers) that besiege it and finally
drag it down to an unknown fate. With its command of maritime knowledge,
and its clever selection of hints and incidents suggestive of latent
horrors in nature, this book at times reaches enviable peaks of power.
My Review
This is a great story, read by a great narrator. The story is creepy and the authentic ship board terminology really helps to give the story a feeling of reality. It's
set in the age of sail, on board a ship that has a history of ghosts.
But when a strange mist starts appearing and then ships appear and
disappear a feeling of mistrust and fear is bread in the ship. When one
of the able seamen seems to go mad the peril of the situation starts to
come to light!
This story is told from the point of view of a single character trying to survive in a desperate situation. It feels very Lovecraftian, but without Lovecraft's mythos, and instead relying on the creepiness being achieved by a simple ghost story.
The audiobook is read by the marvelous Mark Nelson, who never disapoints.
Reading 3/3
Production 3/3
Story 3/3
Total Score 9/9
Download it from Librivox.
Listen to the first chapter.
.
Tuesday 28 May 2013
Wednesday 22 May 2013
The Flying Saucers are Real by Donald Keyhoe
Official Blurb
The Flying Saucers are Real is a book that investigates numerous encounters between USAF fighters, personnel, and other aircraft, and UFOs between 1947 and 1950. Keyhoe contended that the Air Force was actively investigating these cases of close encounter, with a policy of concealing their existence from the public until 1949. He stated that this policy was then replaced by one of cautious, progressive revelation. Keyhoe further stated that Earth had been visited by extraterrestrials for two centuries, with the frequency of these visits increasing sharply after the first atomic weapon test in 1945. Citing anecdotal evidence, he intimated the Air Force may have attained and adapted some aspect of the alien technology: its method of propulsion and perhaps its source of power. He believed the Air Force or the US Government would eventually reveal these technologies to the public when the Soviet Union was no longer a threat.
Donald E. Keyhoe, who relates here his investigation of the flying saucers, writes with twenty-five years of experience in observing aeronautical developments. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He flew in active service with the Marine Corps, managed the tour of the historic plane in which Bennett and Byrd made their North Pole flight, was aide to Charles Lindbergh after the famous Paris flight, and was chief of information for the Aeronautics Branch, Department of Commerce.
My Review
This audobook is narrated by Roger Melin, one of my faves over at Librivox. This is not a novel ( or at least it purports itself as investigative journalism. It follows the writers investigation into the "truth" about all of the flying saucer incident that took place after the end of WWII.
I found the whole book fascinating. The details of the cases involved, the investigative process and the reactions of those being interviewed were very well presented. I felt my own curiosity woken up by the questions the author put forwards, and I ended up as doubtful of the official position as he did himself.
There are a number of UFO theories put forwards here that are still floating around today. I also found the assumptions and the thoughts he had about space travel were made even more interesting because they were written before we actually had space travel.
Well written, well read, totally absorbing. If you have any interest in ufology, this is a must-listen.
Reading 3/3
Production 2/3
Story 2/3
Total Score 7/9
Download it from Librivox.
Listen to the first chapter.
The Flying Saucers are Real is a book that investigates numerous encounters between USAF fighters, personnel, and other aircraft, and UFOs between 1947 and 1950. Keyhoe contended that the Air Force was actively investigating these cases of close encounter, with a policy of concealing their existence from the public until 1949. He stated that this policy was then replaced by one of cautious, progressive revelation. Keyhoe further stated that Earth had been visited by extraterrestrials for two centuries, with the frequency of these visits increasing sharply after the first atomic weapon test in 1945. Citing anecdotal evidence, he intimated the Air Force may have attained and adapted some aspect of the alien technology: its method of propulsion and perhaps its source of power. He believed the Air Force or the US Government would eventually reveal these technologies to the public when the Soviet Union was no longer a threat.
Donald E. Keyhoe, who relates here his investigation of the flying saucers, writes with twenty-five years of experience in observing aeronautical developments. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He flew in active service with the Marine Corps, managed the tour of the historic plane in which Bennett and Byrd made their North Pole flight, was aide to Charles Lindbergh after the famous Paris flight, and was chief of information for the Aeronautics Branch, Department of Commerce.
My Review
This audobook is narrated by Roger Melin, one of my faves over at Librivox. This is not a novel ( or at least it purports itself as investigative journalism. It follows the writers investigation into the "truth" about all of the flying saucer incident that took place after the end of WWII.
I found the whole book fascinating. The details of the cases involved, the investigative process and the reactions of those being interviewed were very well presented. I felt my own curiosity woken up by the questions the author put forwards, and I ended up as doubtful of the official position as he did himself.
There are a number of UFO theories put forwards here that are still floating around today. I also found the assumptions and the thoughts he had about space travel were made even more interesting because they were written before we actually had space travel.
Well written, well read, totally absorbing. If you have any interest in ufology, this is a must-listen.
Reading 3/3
Production 2/3
Story 2/3
Total Score 7/9
Download it from Librivox.
Listen to the first chapter.
Saturday 18 May 2013
Black Canoes
Official Blurb
None.
My Review
This is another full cast audio drama from the Seeing Eye Theater that runs for about a hour.
A potter dissatisfied with his art and being unable to replicate an ancient glazing technique flips and ends up destroying the work of months of a rampage of pot smashing. A visiting trainee potter takes his hand and leads him on an adventure.
This one is a bit "out there". The story is cohesive but it is definitely one that tries to stretch your brain. Think of it as modern urban fantasy. The woman who takes the potter on the adventure inhabits a world different from his (and ours) and she leads him on a path of discovery, mystery, adventure and sacrifice.
It's very well done, the acting believeable, the sound effects and music perfectly blended to create the atmosphere. Not really my sort of thing, but in the end I did enjoy it.
Reading 3/3
Production 3/3
Story 2/3
Total Score 8/9
Download it from the Internet Archive
None.
My Review
This is another full cast audio drama from the Seeing Eye Theater that runs for about a hour.
A potter dissatisfied with his art and being unable to replicate an ancient glazing technique flips and ends up destroying the work of months of a rampage of pot smashing. A visiting trainee potter takes his hand and leads him on an adventure.
This one is a bit "out there". The story is cohesive but it is definitely one that tries to stretch your brain. Think of it as modern urban fantasy. The woman who takes the potter on the adventure inhabits a world different from his (and ours) and she leads him on a path of discovery, mystery, adventure and sacrifice.
It's very well done, the acting believeable, the sound effects and music perfectly blended to create the atmosphere. Not really my sort of thing, but in the end I did enjoy it.
Reading 3/3
Production 3/3
Story 2/3
Total Score 8/9
Download it from the Internet Archive
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