The Hour of the Dragon by Robert E. HOWARD

Official Blurb

The Hour of the Dragon, also known as Conan the Conqueror, is a fantasy novel by American writer Robert E. Howard featuring his sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian. It was one of the last Conan stories published before Howard's suicide although not the last to be written. The novel was first published in serial form in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1935 through 1936.

My Review

A classic of pulp era fantasy story telling. Conan starts in this story as a king but is soon thrown down to the level of a wandering vagabond. But if you know Conan, like I know Conan, then you know that he won't take that lying down!

This is one of the best Conan stories from the master, it features a great story arc and the unrelenting tenacity of Conan's character comes right through. Yet at the same time, you find that Conan is no machine, he feels fear, and yes even runs from a foe now and then!

If your only experience with Conan is the first film, then you might recognise some the names and places mentioned in this story as the first film seems to have lifted many of the names it used from this story, although not the plot. This story is straight up heroic adventure from beginning to end, a good pace that never lets up.

As to the reading, well. Awesome. Another Mark Nelson classic.

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

Total Score 8/9

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The Creature from Beyond Infinity by Henry Kuttner

Official Blurb

A lone space traveler arrives on Earth seeking a new planet to colonize, his own world dead. At the same time a mysterious plague has infected Earth that will wipe out all life. Can a lone scientist stop the plague and save the world? Or will the alien find himself on another doomed planet?

My Review

This is a classic age Science Fiction story. It starts rather unusually in ancient times before humans even exist on Earth.  An alien space ship crashes on Earth and two human like aliens are the only survivors...Now you're already starting to think Adam and Eve aren't you! It's not like that, these survivors are both male. They are the only survivors of their entire race, and one of them is mortally wounded.

So starts this story, where an alien puts himself to sleep to await the rise of intelligent human life. The author makes an odd presumption here, that Human life will always arise, it being the only way intelligent life forms.

I like the way this story works, the Alien wakes up and interacts with humans a number of times and the stories of these visits are interwoven with the main story about chap living at the time the story was written. It's a super-science story where super geniuses can make anything at the drop of hat. I like these stories! This adventure is a blast and even has touching moment or two to give you contrast.

The reader is the marvelous Mark Nelson who never disapoints.

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

Total Score 7/9

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The Ghost Pirates by William Hope Hodgson

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

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Storm Over Warlock by Andre Norton

Official Blurb

The Throg task force struck the Terran survey camp a few minutes after dawn, without warning, and with a deadly precision which argued that the aliens had fully reconnoitered and prepared that attack. Eye-searing lances of energy lashed back and forth across the base with methodical accuracy. And a single cowering witness, flattened on a ledge in the heights above, knew that when the last of those yellow-red bolts fell, nothing human would be left alive down there.

And so Shann Lantee, most menial of the Terrans attached to the camp on the planet Warlock, was left alone and weaponless in the strange, hostile world, the human prey of the aliens from space and the aliens on the ground alike.

ANDRE NORTON has become one of the highest rated authors of science-fiction adventure now writing. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, a book collector, and s-f fan, Ace Books have had the pleasure of presenting her best novels in newsstand editions.

My Review

This is a classic sci fi story, telling a good pulpy sci fi story including heroes, aliens, battles and mysteries. With that description how could it be bad! As the blurb describes a powerful alien forces attack a human camp on new world, and a young lad is the only survivor.

What can he do? How will he survive? What dangers lurk on this new planet? Will the aliens come looking for him?

Lots of questions, and all the answers are explored in typical sci fi style. I really enjoyed the story. The narrator is Mark Douglas Nelson, one of my favourite Librivox readers, who has now posted this book over at Podiobooks.

My only niggle with the Audiobook, is some of the incidental music which at times seemed a little inappropriate and perhaps a little loud at times too. But this is a minor negative on what is an excellent book.

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

Total Score 7/9

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Operation Terror by Murray Leinster

Official Blurb

An unidentified space ship lands in a Colorado lake. Equipped with a paralyzing ray weapon, the creatures begin taking human prisoners. A loan land surveyor and a journalist are trapped inside the Army cordon, which is helpless against the mysterious enemy. Can they stop the aliens before it is too late?

My Review

This a classic Sci Fi story set on earth when aliens turn up with super weapons. As the blurb says, it actually follows the exploits of a few ordinary people caught up in the attack. The characters are pretty believable and I have to say I found the main protagonist to be my kind of guy. Driven by love yet honourably self deprecating makes for a character I'll cheer for.

The plot closely follows the protagonist as he has to look after himself and his friends while the aliens buld up their base of operations and send out patrols.

The book runs for just over five hours but it didn't seem like that long because the story was captivating and the reader Mark Nelson gave a brilliant delivery.

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

Total Score 7/9

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The Intrusion of Jimmy by PG Wodehouse

Official Blurb

The action begins with playboy bachelor Jimmy Pitt in New York; having fallen in love on a transatlantic liner, he befriends a small-time burglar and breaks into a police captain's house as a result of a bet. The cast of characters head to England, and from there on it is a typically Wodehousian romantic farce, set at the stately Dreever Castle, overflowing with imposters, detectives, crooks, scheming lovers and conniving aunts.

My Review

As the blurb says this story is typically Wodehousian. It's a light comedic farce, where everything can and will go wrong, people will make bad decisions and everyone is a stereotype!

I'm a fan of P.G. Wodehouse's work, its just so typically silly upper class twittery that it always makes me smirk and makes them a delight to listen to. This one is no different. As the blurb says an upper crust twit takes part in a crime to win a bet. Of course he's going to get caught and have to use some fast talking to stay out of trouble, oh and of course he'll find a girl and fall in love and not know how to talk to her.

That's it really, I cant say much more about the story, its simple light silly faire and fun to listen to.

It's read by the excellent Mark Nelson who proves here that he's not limited to just Sci Fi readings!

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

Total Score 7/9

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Listen to the first chapter.

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A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Official Blurb

John Carter, an American Civil War veteran, goes prospecting in Arizona and, when set upon by Indians, is mysteriously transported to Mars, called “Barsoom” by its inhabitants. Carter finds that he has great strength on this planet, due to its lesser gravity. Carter soon falls in among the Tharks, a nomadic tribe of the planet’s warlike, four-armed, green inhabitants. Thanks to his strength and combat abilities he rises in position in the tribe and earns the respect eventually the friendship of Tars Tarkas one of the Thark chiefs.

The Tharks subsequently capture Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, a member of the humanoid red Martian race. The red Martians inhabit a loose network of city states and control the desert planet’s canals, along which its agriculture is concentrated. Carter rescues her from the green men to return her to her people.

My Review

When I saw the new version of this audio book popup at librivox I was astounded to see I hadn't reviewed the original version.

I promptly downloaded this recording from Mark Nelson and set to!

This is the first book in a series by Edgar Rice Burroughs starring John Carter, of Mars. As the blurb suggests the story is a real pulp style story with swords and science intimately mixed. The story is riddled with constant action, mostly combat, that keeps everything interesting. The story may be a bit far-fetched to modern ears but lets face it, were talking about a man on mars battling aliens with a sword so we have to accept that sometimes things might sound a bit that way.

The book is clearly written, constantly exciting and boldly heroic. So if you like science fiction and don't object to hig action and daring do, then this is a great audio book to download.

It's read by the marvelous Mark Nelson so there is of course a perfect reading to be heard.

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

Total Score 8/9

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Spacehounds of IPC by E E Smith

Official Blurb

When the Inter-Planetary Corporation's (IPC) crack liner “IPV Arcturus” took off on a routine flight to Mars, it turned out to be the beginning of a unexpected and long voyage. There had been too many reports of errors in ship's flight positions from the Check Stations and brilliant physicist Dr. Percival (“Steve”) Stevens is aboard the Arcturus on a fact-finding mission to find out what's really happening, and hopefully save the honor of the brave pilots of the space-liner Arcturus from the desk-jockeys' in the Check Stations implications of imprecision - the nastiest insult you could cast at a ships pilot. He and the pilots are right, it was the Check Stations that were out of position, not the ships. But that's cold consolation because before the Arcturus reaches Mars it's attacked by a small, mysterious, globe shaped spaceship.

My Review

Pulpy Sci Fi at its best! This is an excellent classic sci fi story written when men were men and women were beautiful ( and darn good with a bow and arrow ).

The story introduces our heros and almost immediately throws them into challenging scenarios and conflict. Of course being heros they are not easily killed and able to rise to pretty much any challenge.

The bad guys in this story are totally bad, in fact single minded and unthinking in regards to anything but "attack". It makes them rather two dimensional. Although the story presents them as highly technical and advanced, they are not fleshed out. This left them as a rather card board cut-out enemy, who although "bad" didn't really evoke a feeling of menace. I might also mention that in a couple of places the author has indulged in a paragraph techno-bable. These faults are however very small problems.

This is a fun adventure in space with aliens, spaceships, space-battles and heros. It's read by the impecable Mark Nelson who gives us an outstanding performance.

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

Total Score 7/9

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The Moon Pool by Abraham Merritt

Official Blurb

Dr. David Throckmartin’s scientific expedition to the South Sea Islands discovers among ancient ruins a portal into Muria, an unknown underground world. After the disappearance of Throckmartin, his wife and two companions, his old friend Dr. Walter Goodwin enters Muria with a rescue party, only to confront an fantastic world filled with incredible beings, astounding scientific advances, and the worship of the most evil of all creatures, The Dweller.

My Review

What we have here is a classical pulp style adventure. Look at the elements involved, an entire underground world containing multiple cultures, civilisations, evil religions and cults, mad dwarves and monsters!

You want it, then this story has it.

Personally I found it a little slow in the beginning but it soon moved up to a better pace. There are the usual investigating-the-strange-worlds chapters. The chase-across-the-landscape chapters. The love chapters! Of course we can't do without the huge final confrontation.

The reader is Mark Nelson who does a loverly job in creating voices for most of the characters and bringing the story to life in his well paced cadence. He's brought the skill with which he reads Sci Fi into this fantasy story with aplomb.

If you enjoyed Vernes "Journey" story I think you'll find this one very much to your taste.

Reading 3
Production 2
Story 2

Total 7/9

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Space Tug

Official Blurb

Joe Kenmore heard the airlock close with a sickening wheeze and then a clank. In desperation he turned toward Haney. “My God, we’ve been locked out!”

Through the transparent domes of their space helmets, Joe could see a look of horror and disbelief pass across Haney’s face. But it was true! Joe and his crew were locked out of the Space Platform.

Four thousand miles below circled the Earth. Under Joe’s feet rested the solid steel hull of his home in outer space. But without tools there was no hope of getting back inside. Joe looked at his oxygen meter. It registered thirty minutes to live.

My Review

Mark Nelson has provided us with yet another excellent sci fi audio book. The story is set in the very early days of space craft, where the good ole US of A are building a huge space platform with the intention of making is a peace platform. But of course "the enemy" don't see it that way. They see the platform as a weapons platform of untold destruction and a threat to the world.

The story is exciting throughout, not much time is left for character development, as the action doesn't stop.

I felt that the action and spontaneous ingenuity smelled a little of the Tom Switft stories but with a grittier feel, and slightly more grounded in reality.

If your a fan of classic sci fi, this is well worth loading onto your MP3 device.

Reading 3
Production 2
Story 2

Total : 7/9

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Space Prison

Official Blurb

AFTER TWO CENTURIES….The sound came swiftly nearer, rising in pitch and swelling in volume. Then it broke through the clouds, tall and black and beautifully deadly — the Gern battle cruiser, come to seek them out and destroy them. Humbolt dropped inside the stockade, exulting. For two hundred years his people had been waiting for the chance to fight the mighty Gern Empire … with bows and arrows against blasters and bombs!

My Review

I got through this book very quickly because it was a great experience. The story is a classic space opera type story. Man is pitched against aliens and a harsh ( very harsh ) environment in a deadly struggle for survival and with only a slim hope of success.

The story is fairly epic in scope and travels across time as a group of marooned people and their decendents, struggle to survive and fight back against those that marooned them.

The reading is excellent, as it usually is by Mark Nelson, and he's brought this good quality story to life with his smooth voice and great charactisation. So this is a recommended listen.

Reading 3
Production 2
Story 3

Total 8/9

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The Creature From Beyond Infinity

Official Blurb

A lone space traveler arrives on Earth seeking a new planet to colonize, his own world dead. At the same time a mysterious plague has infected Earth that will wipe out all life. Can a lone scientist stop the plague and save the world? Or will the alien find himself on another doomed planet?

My Review

Well there is an interesting premise here. An alien arrives at earth, earth in the pre-mammal age, so he decides to hang around for people to develop and goes to sleep. A really really long sleep.

It's a good idea for a story and a fun listen. The alien in this case is just like us and so we have a lot of fun when he goes mixing with the earthlings. A human story but with all of the classic sci fi traits, aliens, time travel ( of a sort ) and massive super science. An excellent and fun piece literature. I especially loved the old world feel of this sci fi , for instance when photographers are still using "plates".

Read by the excellent Mark Nelson, who gives an outstanding professional reading as usual.

Readng 3
Production 2
Story 2

Total 7/9

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Last Enemy

Official Blurb

An undercover Paratimer has disappeared on assignment while in an alternate time line, and it’s up to Verkan Vall of the Paratime Police to save her. To do so, he must infiltrate a universe in which assassination is an honorable profession, and reincarnation a scientific fact. Will Verkan Vall survive in a world of killers and the undead?

My Review

This is one of H. Beam Pipers time line traveling para-time stories. The plot is given away in the official blurb.

The story itself is a little slow in getting started, or at least slower than is usual in Pipers stories, but progress' and builds towards a great and exciting end. What more can you want? All in all there is not a lot of sci fi. The time travel is incidental in the story and does not feature, the weapons and tech are meerly incidental. What it does feature is an investigation into the behaviour of a society where reincarnation is a fact and assassination is common thing and death nothing to be feared.

The reader is Mark Douglas Nelson who is an excellent reader. He's done an outstanding job in reading this story.

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

Total Score 7/9

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Five Sci-Fi Short Stories by H. Beam Piper

Official Blurb

Five short stories by classic science fiction writer H. Beam Piper.

Recorded by Mark Nelson

My Review

The official blurb on this one doesn't give much away does it! The short stories here are "almost" a set. The first first four are all time travel stories that appear to come from the same universe involving the para-time travellers in various capacities, from police men to miners.

Each is engaging and an absorbing listen although the stories are showing their age. For instance I find it hard to imagine a future where everyone smokes! That aside these are classic sci fi stories well written.

The last story in the set IS a short story in itself but I'd heard it before as part of a bigger story. I believe the author must have expanded this short story into a full length novel at some time. I've reviewed that novel and gave it 9 out of 9.

The reading and production of this collection is outstanding, the reader Mark Nelson has done an outstanding job one again.

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

Total Score 7/9

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Listen to the first story

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Voodoo Planet

The Official Blurb

The sequel to Plague Ship, Voodoo Planet finds the Solar Queen banned from trade and starting her supposed quiet two-year stint as an interstellar mail carrier. But instead her crew accepts a visit to the safari planet of Khatka, where they find themselves caught in a battle between the forces of reason and the powers of Khatka’s mind-controlling wizard.

My Review

For start you cant go wrong listening to this story if you like classic Sci Fi. Nortons's stories are always fun and action driven, and of course once again we have the fabulous Mark Nelson doing the reading. Mark favours us with a lot of Sci Fi readings and they are always excellent.

There's not a lot more I can add to the official blurb storywise except to say it was fun and enjoyable story with science vs magic. Excellent stuff.

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

Total Score 6/9

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Oomphel in the Sky

The Official Blurb

Natives of the distant planet of Kwannon believe that their world is about to end, and in preparing for the apocalypse, may be unnecessarily bringing about their own demise. The planetary government can’t overcome its own bureaucracy to help them, and the military is overwhelmed. Can a single newsman change the course of a whole people, and save their world?

My Review

What we have here is an absolutly classical bit of SciFi. Our heros are interacting with the native primatives of the planet and trying to help them out, yet the total lack of shared culture gets in the way.

This is not an exciting space adventure type story, but rather a more thoughtful and slower paced investigation of the issues. A few exciting things do happen and you might even find your self a little anxious about the outcome.

In short if your a SciFi fan, you'll find this an amusing pasttime, but not a rip roaring yarn. If your a fan of Mark Nelson's readings, then your'll enjoy this quality reading.

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

Total Score 7/9

Available from Librivox