Official Blurb
This is a collection of short science fiction stories by various writers, circa 1930. Writers include Paul Ernst, Miles Breuer, Ray Cummings, Sewell Wright, and others.
My Review
The blurb does not give a lot away does it! Well what we have here is a reading of a sci fi magazine from 1930. This reading includes whole stories, parts of stories ( from serials being run over multiple editions of the magazine ) and even the letters section and the addendum.
Here are a few good stories, I particularly liked the "Marooned Under The Sea" which a classic sci-fi-pulp type story. The others were also pretty good and worth a listen.
However I didn't care for the partial story, there does not seem much point listening to one chapter of a story when you have no chance to read or listen to the rest.
The Letters page and the addendum are only really for the completists amoung the listeners. If you have an interest in the letters page then go listen, but other wise I'd skip it.
Reading 2
Production 2
Story 1 ( marked down because of partial story, would have been a 2 otherwise )
Total 5/9
Download the book from Librivox
Listen to part one
Sunday, 24 January 2010
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
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
Download the book from Librivox
Listen to chapter one
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
Download the book from Librivox
Listen to chapter one
Monday, 11 January 2010
Eden
Official Blurb
The tree is beautiful and they call her Eden. Her branches reach for the stars. She is like all other trees on planet Earth save for her enormous size. Still, she has leaves and she has bark. She turns sunlight into life. But this tree does not sprout from the dirt. Eden fills the sky, high in orbit above the blue expanse of Uranus. There she changes humanity's very concept of extraterrestrial life. Dr. Malcolm Green is sent to Eden to audit a science team studying this extraordinary tree from the dark confines of space station Lola. But with unexplainable accidents plaguing the team, tensions are mounting between scientists and custodial staff. Is there a future for this project and Lola? Only Malcolm Green can make that call. From the second he sets foot on Lola, Malcolm’s own future becomes at stake. He soon finds that love, friendship, and his own mortality tremble like a leaf at the sound of Eden's call.
My Review
Well this is the second audio book from this author, Phil Rossi, that I've listened to. The first was "Crescent" which was a sci fi horror story, and this audio novella follows that excellent mould.
Set in the future where humans and even commerce are out in space planting science stations above the worlds, but not so distant that the technology is too far removed from what we have today. This gives us with a totally believable situation with people in bulky spacesuits struggeling to cope with zero G, a good base for this type of story.
The story follows an auditor who turns up at the specialist research space station that is studying a giant alien tree floating above Uranus. As the blurb says, things start going wrong with the station, people start doing weird things. Why? We follow the lead character as he finds the people and station around him falling apart.
It is a compelling story and Phil does an awesome job of reading and production, the whole book is a totally professional affair.
It's good, and at the end I found myself wishing that it had been longer. Ooh, and I wouldn't say its work safe and it's creepy.
Reading 3
Production 3
Story 2
Total 8/9
Download the book from Podiobooks
Listen to chapter one
The tree is beautiful and they call her Eden. Her branches reach for the stars. She is like all other trees on planet Earth save for her enormous size. Still, she has leaves and she has bark. She turns sunlight into life. But this tree does not sprout from the dirt. Eden fills the sky, high in orbit above the blue expanse of Uranus. There she changes humanity's very concept of extraterrestrial life. Dr. Malcolm Green is sent to Eden to audit a science team studying this extraordinary tree from the dark confines of space station Lola. But with unexplainable accidents plaguing the team, tensions are mounting between scientists and custodial staff. Is there a future for this project and Lola? Only Malcolm Green can make that call. From the second he sets foot on Lola, Malcolm’s own future becomes at stake. He soon finds that love, friendship, and his own mortality tremble like a leaf at the sound of Eden's call.
My Review
Well this is the second audio book from this author, Phil Rossi, that I've listened to. The first was "Crescent" which was a sci fi horror story, and this audio novella follows that excellent mould.
Set in the future where humans and even commerce are out in space planting science stations above the worlds, but not so distant that the technology is too far removed from what we have today. This gives us with a totally believable situation with people in bulky spacesuits struggeling to cope with zero G, a good base for this type of story.
The story follows an auditor who turns up at the specialist research space station that is studying a giant alien tree floating above Uranus. As the blurb says, things start going wrong with the station, people start doing weird things. Why? We follow the lead character as he finds the people and station around him falling apart.
It is a compelling story and Phil does an awesome job of reading and production, the whole book is a totally professional affair.
It's good, and at the end I found myself wishing that it had been longer. Ooh, and I wouldn't say its work safe and it's creepy.
Reading 3
Production 3
Story 2
Total 8/9
Download the book from Podiobooks
Listen to chapter one
Saturday, 2 January 2010
The Poison Belt
Official Blurb
Three years after the events that took place in The Lost World, Professor Challenger urgently summons his fellow explorers (Professor Summerlee, Lord John Roxton, and reporter E.D. Malone) to a meeting. Oddly, he requires each to bring an oxygen cylinder with him.
What he soon informs them is that from astronomical data and just-received telegraphs of strange accidents on the other side of the world, he has deduced that the Earth is starting to move through a region of space containing something poisonous to humankind.
Shutting themselves tightly up in Challenger’s house, they start to consider what may be done. But as their countrymen start to drop, will their oxygen last long enough to determine and implement a solution?
My Review
I remember being completely drawn into the Professor Challenger adventures when I was a kid, eagerly reading about the Lost World late into the night. So when I saw this title pop up at Librivox I was pleasantly surprised to note it was a Challenger story that I had never heard of.
I listened to the whole thing in a single sitting ( with breaks for tea and biscuits ) and throughly enjoyed it. Challenger is his usual unpleasant self although perhaps just a little mellowed from the "Lost World" days, he didn't get into a physical fight once in this story.
The story is a little less "action" and a little more "thought" than the Lost World story and does not rely on exploration adventure. In fact the majority of the story is spent entirely in Challengers house. Yet this lack of scene changes does not negatively impact the story. The characters here are the same as those in the "Lost World" and as we know them they are already more appealing than strangers and are anyway, quite appealing anyway. Each has their own mood and way of speaking which keeps you listening even when they just chat.
As I said this is no great adventure story, but world changing events do happen so even if it is a bit slow in getting going you wont be disapointed by the end. Big things happen and its down to Challenger to be the only one who knows what's happening.
Now, I really must recommend this audio book, Mark Smith is the reader and he has done an outstanding job of reading and "voicing" this book. Each character is given a different "voice" and Marks reading of them is splendid. If you haven't listened to "Lost World" yet, then I would suggest you start there before coming here.
Reading 3
Production 2
Story 2
Total 7/9
Download the book from Librivox
Listen to chapter one
Three years after the events that took place in The Lost World, Professor Challenger urgently summons his fellow explorers (Professor Summerlee, Lord John Roxton, and reporter E.D. Malone) to a meeting. Oddly, he requires each to bring an oxygen cylinder with him.
What he soon informs them is that from astronomical data and just-received telegraphs of strange accidents on the other side of the world, he has deduced that the Earth is starting to move through a region of space containing something poisonous to humankind.
Shutting themselves tightly up in Challenger’s house, they start to consider what may be done. But as their countrymen start to drop, will their oxygen last long enough to determine and implement a solution?
My Review
I remember being completely drawn into the Professor Challenger adventures when I was a kid, eagerly reading about the Lost World late into the night. So when I saw this title pop up at Librivox I was pleasantly surprised to note it was a Challenger story that I had never heard of.
I listened to the whole thing in a single sitting ( with breaks for tea and biscuits ) and throughly enjoyed it. Challenger is his usual unpleasant self although perhaps just a little mellowed from the "Lost World" days, he didn't get into a physical fight once in this story.
The story is a little less "action" and a little more "thought" than the Lost World story and does not rely on exploration adventure. In fact the majority of the story is spent entirely in Challengers house. Yet this lack of scene changes does not negatively impact the story. The characters here are the same as those in the "Lost World" and as we know them they are already more appealing than strangers and are anyway, quite appealing anyway. Each has their own mood and way of speaking which keeps you listening even when they just chat.
As I said this is no great adventure story, but world changing events do happen so even if it is a bit slow in getting going you wont be disapointed by the end. Big things happen and its down to Challenger to be the only one who knows what's happening.
Now, I really must recommend this audio book, Mark Smith is the reader and he has done an outstanding job of reading and "voicing" this book. Each character is given a different "voice" and Marks reading of them is splendid. If you haven't listened to "Lost World" yet, then I would suggest you start there before coming here.
Reading 3
Production 2
Story 2
Total 7/9
Download the book from Librivox
Listen to chapter one
Friday, 1 January 2010
Black Shadow
Official Blurb
In a world where evil walks the earth, where super villains are taken over by demonic beings . They all want one thing, and one thing only. To take over the world. There is only one man who can stop them. One man with the powers and abilities to kick some serious demon ass. In a race against time to stop a portal that opens to Hell itself. One man, one hero, one sonofabitch you don't want to mess with.
He is faceless,
He is fearless,
He is... Black Shadow.
My Review
I listened to this entire book in one day, so I didn't get to listen to a whole lot else. It was worth doing as it's a very good audio book!
It's very well written and very exciting. This is not just a reading, but an audio production. Every character has a voice and every punch, zap, and clash of swords has a sound effect. It makes it a terrific listen.
The story is very well done, the author intertwines the lead character from two time lines, one being todays heroic adventure and the other being flash backs to the heros childhood. As with most good novels that use this technique the plots then merge in the middle of the action. It's a clever and exciting technique that I much admire.
What I haven't said, it was the story is about! It's a super hero story, but not the underpants on the outside type. It more the gritty good guy in armoured suit kicking bad guys teeth down their throat, sort of thing. Very modern, very action orientated.
Now on to the bad bits. In chapter 7 the trail music appears to play over a part of the plot, about 2 or 3 minutes early. You can still hear whats being said but it is jarring. It's a simple enough goof on the technical side but that doesn't make that bit easy on the ear. There are also scattered through the rest of the book, a few silences, a second here another there. Again quite jarring and especially noticiable in such a rich soundscape.
Despite these odd glitches I still reccomend this very exciting book.
Reading 3
Production 2 ( would be 3 but for the glitches )
Story 3
Total 8/9
Download the book from Podiobooks
Listen to chapter one
In a world where evil walks the earth, where super villains are taken over by demonic beings . They all want one thing, and one thing only. To take over the world. There is only one man who can stop them. One man with the powers and abilities to kick some serious demon ass. In a race against time to stop a portal that opens to Hell itself. One man, one hero, one sonofabitch you don't want to mess with.
He is faceless,
He is fearless,
He is... Black Shadow.
My Review
I listened to this entire book in one day, so I didn't get to listen to a whole lot else. It was worth doing as it's a very good audio book!
It's very well written and very exciting. This is not just a reading, but an audio production. Every character has a voice and every punch, zap, and clash of swords has a sound effect. It makes it a terrific listen.
The story is very well done, the author intertwines the lead character from two time lines, one being todays heroic adventure and the other being flash backs to the heros childhood. As with most good novels that use this technique the plots then merge in the middle of the action. It's a clever and exciting technique that I much admire.
What I haven't said, it was the story is about! It's a super hero story, but not the underpants on the outside type. It more the gritty good guy in armoured suit kicking bad guys teeth down their throat, sort of thing. Very modern, very action orientated.
Now on to the bad bits. In chapter 7 the trail music appears to play over a part of the plot, about 2 or 3 minutes early. You can still hear whats being said but it is jarring. It's a simple enough goof on the technical side but that doesn't make that bit easy on the ear. There are also scattered through the rest of the book, a few silences, a second here another there. Again quite jarring and especially noticiable in such a rich soundscape.
Despite these odd glitches I still reccomend this very exciting book.
Reading 3
Production 2 ( would be 3 but for the glitches )
Story 3
Total 8/9
Download the book from Podiobooks
Listen to chapter one
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