Official Blurb
Science Fiction is speculative literature that generally explores the consequences of ideas which are roughly consistent with nature and scientific method, but are not facts of the author’s contemporary world. The stories often represent philosophical thought experiments presented in entertaining ways. Protagonists typically “think” rather than “shoot” their way out of problems, but the definition is flexible because there are no limits on an author’s imagination. The reader-selected stories presented here were written prior to 1962 and became US public domain texts when their copyrights expired.
My Review
Well as usual with the Librivox collection blurb , it tells you absolutely nothing about the collection!
Well let me rectify that a little. As with the last collection this set of stores is pretty good, especially as most of them are fairely recently written (last 50 years!).
I rated only one as bad, two as ok and he rest as good, making this a collection well worth listening to.
I can reccommed "The Gun" which is a Phillip K Dick story and read by Gregg Margarite who is fast becoming one of my fave Librivox readers.
My other reccomendation is "Arm of the Law" by Harry Harrison, and once again read by Gregg Margarite!.
These two stories and most of the others are classic sci fi where a friends from the future deal with robots, aliens and smoke cigarettes. All in all a good little collection with some excellent reads.
Readng 2
Production 2
Story 2
Total 6/9
Download the book from Librivox
Listen to my pick
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Saturday, 14 November 2009
The Book of Dragons
Official Blurb
A dragon who flies out of a magical book; one whose purr quiets a fussy baby; another who eats an entire pack of tame hunting-hippopotomuses: These eight dragon tales are filled with the imaginative wit of children’s author Edith Nesbit.
My Review
The official blurb about nails it. THis is a book of eight seperate stories all about dragons, but not the expected fire breathing dragons you might expect. Sure, some of them do breath fire but it's pretty much incidental to these stories.
These are bed time stories that wont terrify, but will excite a childs imagination.
It's a childs book, and I think it holds up in todays world.
Readng 2
Production 2
Story 2
Total 6/9
Download the book from Librivox
Listen to the first chapter
A dragon who flies out of a magical book; one whose purr quiets a fussy baby; another who eats an entire pack of tame hunting-hippopotomuses: These eight dragon tales are filled with the imaginative wit of children’s author Edith Nesbit.
My Review
The official blurb about nails it. THis is a book of eight seperate stories all about dragons, but not the expected fire breathing dragons you might expect. Sure, some of them do breath fire but it's pretty much incidental to these stories.
These are bed time stories that wont terrify, but will excite a childs imagination.
It's a childs book, and I think it holds up in todays world.
Readng 2
Production 2
Story 2
Total 6/9
Download the book from Librivox
Listen to the first chapter
Monday, 9 November 2009
Short Science Fiction Collection Vol. 017
Official Blurb
Science fiction (abbreviated SF or sci-fi with varying punctuation and case) is a broad genre of fiction that often involves sociological and technical speculations based on current or future science or technology. This is a reader-selected collection of short stories, first published between 1951 and 1962, that entered the US public domain when their copyright was not renewed.
My Review
Another great collection from Librivox. Ten short stories from various authors. Some of them being very very big names in the Sci fi genre. We've got E.E. Doc Smith Harry Harrison and Phillip K. Dick, among others.
I rated 6 of the stories as good and 3 more as good, meaning I only disliked 1!
If you like a variety of short stories these collections are great, especially since they are now including these more modern authors and therefore more modern stories.
As to my favourite, well it's truely hard to say. But I do reccomend "The Vortex Blaster" and "Postmark Ganymede" as a couple of goodies.
The readers are a good bunch.
Readng 2
Production 2
Story 2
Total 6/9
Download the collection from Librivox
Listen to my pick
Science fiction (abbreviated SF or sci-fi with varying punctuation and case) is a broad genre of fiction that often involves sociological and technical speculations based on current or future science or technology. This is a reader-selected collection of short stories, first published between 1951 and 1962, that entered the US public domain when their copyright was not renewed.
My Review
Another great collection from Librivox. Ten short stories from various authors. Some of them being very very big names in the Sci fi genre. We've got E.E. Doc Smith Harry Harrison and Phillip K. Dick, among others.
I rated 6 of the stories as good and 3 more as good, meaning I only disliked 1!
If you like a variety of short stories these collections are great, especially since they are now including these more modern authors and therefore more modern stories.
As to my favourite, well it's truely hard to say. But I do reccomend "The Vortex Blaster" and "Postmark Ganymede" as a couple of goodies.
The readers are a good bunch.
Readng 2
Production 2
Story 2
Total 6/9
Download the collection from Librivox
Listen to my pick
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Discovered Country
Official Blurb
Rosemary Halpern, a mild-mannered librarian from Boston, found herself trapped hundreds of years in the future. A future that faced a new Ice Age. A future where ghouls walked the Earth, ravenous for human flesh.
My Review
Not good. A bizarre narrative story. The protagonist finds herself thrown forwards in time to a future where people starve and the undead plague the living. You or me, might wonder how that happened, not the protagonist, she doesn't care and its not explained. She then goes on a journey having a series of episodic disjointed events that leave no stain or effect on the story, just disconected things happening.
The story is a typical heros journey but without any of the good bits! No explanation for why anthing happens, no questioning from those involved, no character development, all together quite bland.
I "think" this is YA novel, but some parts make me think otherwise, so I can't quite place it, or forgive it.
The only thing that kept me listening was the readers excellent voice.
Readng 3
Production 2
Story 1
Total 6/9
Download the book from Podiobooks
Listen to the first chapter
Rosemary Halpern, a mild-mannered librarian from Boston, found herself trapped hundreds of years in the future. A future that faced a new Ice Age. A future where ghouls walked the Earth, ravenous for human flesh.
My Review
Not good. A bizarre narrative story. The protagonist finds herself thrown forwards in time to a future where people starve and the undead plague the living. You or me, might wonder how that happened, not the protagonist, she doesn't care and its not explained. She then goes on a journey having a series of episodic disjointed events that leave no stain or effect on the story, just disconected things happening.
The story is a typical heros journey but without any of the good bits! No explanation for why anthing happens, no questioning from those involved, no character development, all together quite bland.
I "think" this is YA novel, but some parts make me think otherwise, so I can't quite place it, or forgive it.
The only thing that kept me listening was the readers excellent voice.
Readng 3
Production 2
Story 1
Total 6/9
Download the book from Podiobooks
Listen to the first chapter
Monday, 2 November 2009
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
Download the book from Librivox
Listen to the first chapter
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
Download the book from Librivox
Listen to the first chapter
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