The Sky Is Falling by Lester del Rey

Official Blurb

After dying in a terrible accident at a building site, Dave Hanson finds himself being brought back to life in a world where magic is real, and where the sky is breaking apart and falling. And he is expected to put it back together again. Will he be able to save this strange world, and his own new life?

My Review

This classic sci fi tale is a good 'un. It was birthed in 1954 during the science fiction golden age and appeared in the magazines of the time, that means that the story does all of the normal tropes of the time. A man out of water, a beautiful girl, a problem to be solved. In this case it's a really very interesting problem. The sky IS falling! Our hero has been resurrected in a strange alien world and is expected to save that world as it literally starts to fall apart. It's a world where magic actually works and nearly everything there is made with magic, but the magic is starting to fail. To add to the maelstrum there are opposing factions vying for control and fighting over our hero.

I was hooked as soon as I started listening, the strangeness of the world was original and intriguing from the outset. The story is outrageous and perhaps even silly at times, but I never lost my interest and listened straight5 through without break.

On top of that cool story the reader was outstanding, she brought a voice with marvelous expression and pacing to the story.

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

Total Score 7/9

Listen to the first chapter.
Download it from Librivox

Blake's 7: Rebel, Traitor, Liberator

Official Blurb

In the third century of the second calendar, the galactic Federation, once a beacon of democracy and peace, has become a corrupt tyranny.

Freedom and Justice are things of the past.

Roj Blake stood up for the ordinary people. When the establishment tried intimidation he laughed in their faces. When they tried to crush him he fought back. When they tried to brainwash him into obedience, he broke their conditioning. Finally they framed him and sentenced him to permanent exile on the notorious prison planet Cygnus Alpha.

The Federation thinks it has seen the last of Roj Blake.

The Federation will wish it had...

My Review

I remember watching Blaske's 7 when it was first run on television. As a kid I was glued to this amazing series. As an adult I saw some re-runs and realised just how low the production values were!

I've been listening to Spotify of late and was rather pleased to discover that it includes some audio books. Mostly these are the classics, some from Librivox and the other free locations, but I was supremely delighted to discover some "new" material too., including this particular presentation.

This full cast audio drama was produced in 2010 by a professional audio company and includes everything that entails. Good acting and great sound effects!

This three part (3 CD's I guess) story starts with Blake breaking free of the Federation and building his team, just like the TV series did. I can't say if this follows the same story path as the TV version as I don't recollect but if was a fun ride. It's a straight up adventure of world building, narrow escapes and brave stand offs. Throw in some space battles and the mysterious ship "Liberator" that has a life of its own and you have everything for a great story.

There are 3 significant episodes in this story. That is, the story is episodic, just like a TV or radio series, it does not follow a single story arc.  And that was where this superb production let me down. I like my audiobooks to have a beginning middle and end, but this is just the first three episodes of an ongoing story. If I'd known that going in, I wouldn't have had the disappointment factor when I reached the end. It was just an expectation thing, and does not reflect on the book itself which is great!

In fact, there are other stories in the series on Spotify, and knowing their episodic nature I'm still interested in them. Watch this space.

In summary, Good.

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

Total Score 8/9

Listen for free on Spotify

SHAT by S. Lawrence Parrish

Official Blurb

In a post-plague world where plants have suffered as much as animals, a colony of human survivors has gathered in a fortified former-luxury condominium complex they call “The Park”. These remnants of humanity are inextricably bound to their domestic cats, from which Dose (a temporary plague vaccine) is derived.
A forager army is rumored to be heading toward The Park. The Park people must prepare to defend themselves and all they have worked for, because they have made a discovery: not all cats are created equal; while regular Dose only staves off plague symptoms, the dose derived from Simon, The Park’s only Siamese cat, can be refined into SHAT, a super-dose that rejuvenates the growth of plant life. . . and which also may hold the secret to a permanent plague-cure. Problem: Simon is a neuter. If he should die, so, too, dies humanity’s one hope for survival.
Enter Sasha, a purebred female Balinese of breeding age that also produces SHAT. With the sky-rocketing tensions of increasing militarization, Sasha’s humans want to take their cat and leave The Park. But The Park people will use whatever means necessary to make them stay.

My Review

I found this story when I was trawling Podiobooks looking for new sci fi books, and when I saw this revolved around cats I HAD to listen to it.

I was hooked almost from the first instant. Being a cat owner, I found the cat P.O.V. used in some segments totally absorbing.  And that was a major part of the appeal throughout the book.  It seemed like every third chapter or so was told from the a cat's perspective. The animals relationships to one another was anthropomorphic, even to the point of them "speaking" to each other. However by making sure this never crossed over into talking to humans, it didn't ruin the mood of the piece.

Don't get me wrong this is not all about the cats, it has very strong characters who all come across as individuals with their own motivations. They are believeable people in a weird world and I wanted a happy ending for all of them.

A warning of sorts for cat lovers. Cats get torn up in hideous ways in this book. When I was considering this review, I asked myself, who was this book aimed at, not cat-lovers as the poor beasts suffer, nor was it aimed at cat-haters because the cat characters are appealing. Then it hit me. The cats in this book are treated no worse than the human characters who also get torn up in the same way. What the author's done here, is to create a post apocalyptic world that is as horrid to cats as it is to people and we the reader get to see just how horrid it is to everyone.

The book kept me hooked all the way through, the tension kept building towards the finale in just the way you want a book to.  It was a very good reading too,with a neat use of sound effects to help bring the whole thing to life.

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

Total Score 9/9

Listen to the first chapter 

Download it from the Podiobooks

The Lucky Strike by Seeing Ear Theatre

Official Blurb

None

My Review

You've heard of the Enola Gay?  What! Go Google it now!  Right, now you know. This story starts with the Enola Gay crashing on a training mission, which of course means that another machine and another crew has to take on the big mission.

It's an interesting proposition, what if it were a different crew, and what if they were having second thoughts about bombing that Japanese city. That's what this story does, its focus is on the man who has his finger on the trigger.

If you have any interest in WWII you will find this interesting. Even if that is not an interest, of yours, I'm sure you'll find the character based focus of this story as fascinating and thought provoking as I did.

Full cast audio drama, in two parts, top notch quality all round.

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

Total Score 9/9

Download it from the Internet Archive

Listen to the first chapter.

Beyond the Black River by Robert E. Howard

Official Blurb

Conan the Barbarian in this exciting story is selling his sword to one of the civilized countries to help in it's push to claim lands from the primitive Picts. The Picts are not excited about the idea however. Old gods and mythical creatures are called up by the Pict witches to contest the invading army and Conan finds himself battling for his life amid the blood thirsty hordes that include saber-toothed tigers, 40 foot long venomous snakes and a demon from another dimension who is intent on crushing him. The huge dog Slasher makes an appearance here and distinguishes himself so well in a desperate battle to delay the onrushing Picts that Conan openly praises his courage and pledges 7 Pict heads in his honor. 

My Review

I believe that this is the first Conan audiobook I have listened to. It was a real pleasure to hear one of the original stories that started this character on his journey to myth-dom...is that a word?

I read a lot of Conan books in my youth and I remember him to be a fairly uncaring kick-ass good good-guy-ish. This story backs that up. Conan is doing good, but in the end it's only because he's a sword for hire not because he's a super hero.

As the official blurb says, Conan and friends are pitched against all kind of enemies that require liberal application of hard steel and the spilled blood of foes. It's high action adventure almost from the get-go and throughly thrilling. Yeah, I loved it. 

I enjoyed the reading by Phil Chenevert. He has a sing-song voice that lilts its way through the story and I found it really very easy on the ears.


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

Total Score 8/9

Download it from Librivox

Listen to the first chapter.

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

Download it from Librivox.

Listen to the first chapter.

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Snow Glass Apples by Neil Gaiman

Official Blurb

None.

My Review

I've just finished listening to a dramatisation of Snow Glass Apples by the Seeing Ear Theater. I was really impressed.  It's a full cast drama and very well written and acted. Just like the previous presentation from them.

This is a new look at the Snow White story. All the elements seem to be in the story, Snow White, the dwarves, the poisoned apple, the magic mirrow, yet they are not arranged in the way you remember!

This is plain and simple a monster story, and the monster is not the queen. This is a harsh, horrid story that's not safe for work. It's more Brothers-Grim than Disney.

I really enjoyed the story, despite its dark and horrific nature. Half the pleasure was finding out how the classic story had been twisted!


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

Total Score 9/9

Download it from the Internet Archive
Listen to the first part

History of the Devil by Clive Barker

Official Blurb

None.

My Review

I've just finished listening to a dramtisation of History of the Devil by the Seeing Ear Theater. I was really impressed.  It's a full cast drama and very well written and acted.

The story is based around a court case in which the devil is on trial. If the devil is found innocent of corrupting mankind he will go back to heaven. It's filled with flash back scenes to events throughout history where the devil was involved, from the original garden through to events around WWII.

As you might expect with a Clive Barker story things get horrific at times and I don't think the producers of this show held back. The prose is quite belly-churning at times, the brutalness is very raw at times.

The devil himself is no simple one-dimensional character in this story, you tend to hear a lot of story from his own lips and the actor chosen to play him actually makes him appealing to the listener.

As stated above, this is full cast audio drama with music, sound effects etc. It's very well produced although I found this recording a little muddy.

In summary, I really enjoyed this, not safe for public listening, you'll get a few funny looks if you do!

Reading 3/3
Production 2/3 (would have been 3, but this recording was a bit muddy)
Story 3/3

Total Score 8/9

Download it from the Internet Archive
Listen to the first part

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Interference by Eric Luke

Official Blurb


SOMETHING wants in. To your head. Through this audiobook.

Ethan, a digital sound engineer in Los Angeles, becomes aware that his life is unraveling when the audiobook he's listening to reveals his deepest, darkest secrets, escalating until the narrator addresses him directly, threatening to destroy him from within. Vivian, a single mother running an antique store in San Francisco, listens to her audiobook to distract herself from missing her young daughter, but is shaken when the narrative is interrupted by her daughter's voice, faintly calling for help.

Ethan and Vivian are drawn together as they fight to solve a generation-spanning conspiracy that begins with a boy listening to the Orson Welles broadcast of War of the Worlds in 1938 and evolves through the latest innovations in digital technology, unearthing the mind-bending concept of a POSSIBILITY PARASITE bent on unleashing an explosion of APOCALYPTIC META HORROR.


My Review

I caught my first wiff of this audio book over on the Audio Drama Talk forums and loved the sound of it so nipped over to Podiobooks and downloaded it immediately.  It was well worth the effort and time.

As the blurb above hints, it takes one of the little moments of coincidence that we experience every day, you know, where the book your reading or the song your listening suddenly matches what's going on around you, and takes that to the next step. That idea of building on the listeners own experiences makes this drama and premise of this story leap almost to reality.

There's a whole "meta" experience to be had listening to an audio book about someone listening to an audio book that is apparently listening to them, that is so much fun. We audio book listeners are like a little community that has its own clique-i-ness.  You're either in, an audio book listener, or your out, a normal person who does not listen to audio books. This audio book seems to panda to that feeling of being-in. By being a regular audio book listener you'll get more out of this audio book.

Quite apart of the "Meta" experience I can safely say that this is a great audio book. Drama, horror and an excellent plot to bind them together, with an excellent reader producing an excellent quality product make this a real treat to stick in your ears.

The creators use of minimal sound effects is just right, adding to the mood when needed.  From the opening titles you'll be hooked, the creators use of sections from the original Orson Wells radio show really bring the show to life, and once again this adds to the "realism" feel of it that I was getting at earlier.

In summary, please understand this, if you don't download this book you're hurting yourself.  It was a blast!


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

Total Score 9/9

Download it from the Podiobooks
Listen to the first part

Underwood and Flinch by Mike Bennett

Official Blurb


All David Flinch ever wanted was a normal life.

But when you're a member of the Flinch family, normal has never been easy.

For hundreds of years, the eldest male Flinch has been servant and guardian to the Lord Underwood. While the Flinches have changed through the generations, Underwood, a vampire, has been eternal. David had hoped to be spared the horror of serving his family's lord and master, but when he is summoned to the Flinch home in Spain by his dying older brother, he knows his luck has run out. Underwood must be resurrected from the grave in a ritual of human sacrifice, and David must be the man to do it. Because if he doesn't, an even greater evil than Underwood will rise: the evil that is David's sister.

Underwood and Flinch is an epic horror-thriller that spans the centuries. From the teeming slums of 17th Century London to an ex-pat community in modern-day Spain, this is the new novel from Mike Bennett, author of 'One Among the Sleepless' and 'Hall of Mirrors'.

My Review

I was a little tentative about starting this one.  The whole urban fantasy/vampire genre seems to have bloomed out of all control, with vamps sparkling left and right and the vamps all having hearts of gold, it's  starting to get a bit tired.

This book is not like that!

As the blurb says our protagonist is not the vampire, nor even a willing servant of the vampire. This books lead is very endearing. The man is a wreck, with a history that has broken his spirit and as you listen you will "feel" for him and start rooting for him through his trials and tribulations.

Of course it's about a vampire and there is therefore blood spilt, or rather deliberately bled from unwilling victims. It's gory, horrible, at time stomach churning and unsafe for work. However this gore and pain is not a constant ongoing thing but rather well paced, with high moments that set the tone for those occasions where more detail is not required. Truely, I am jealous of the authors ability to write in that style, it's not something I've been able to achieve.

The authors reading perfectly paced in just the right tone for the work. A British accent simply, put to its best purpose.  His voice work is rather good and only slipped for a moment once or twice in scenes with multiple voices in use.

In summary, a very good audio book.


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

Total Score 8/9

Download it from the Podiobooks
Listen to the first part

ASUNDER by John Mierau

Official Blurb

Twenty years after the American civil war, former slave Marcus Riggs fights for his life in a British harbor, in a world where Invaders came to enslave all of humanity.

They came. They conquered... they died.

Now, new powers battle Empires and Nations in a world torn... Asunder.

My Review

Wow. Cool. Need I say more? What do you mean, "that's not a review!"

Well as the blurb says, this sci fi story is set twenty years after the American civil war and after the invaders of H.G. Wells have passed away. So the lead characters are ex slaves caught in England by the invasion of aliens. What a great concept, that alone hooked me and made sure I was going to listen. Once it started it turned out to be action packed, and as a bonus read by a great narrator.

The heroes are caught up in a society fractured by the coming of the aliens. The British nation and empire is dissolved as warlords have set themselves up are using the alien tech' to make grabs for any and everything.

It's a conflict rich environment that is peppered with so many strange and exciting things that I was totally hooked on that side of things. The characters likewise feel real and are also filled with conflicts that seem designed to hook the reader.

Simply put, I was blown away with how great this story was, and was very sad on reaching the end. This audio book is the first in a series, and the subsequent parts are not released yet ( at least my Googling couldn't find it).

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

Total Score 8/9

Download it from the Podiobooks
Listen to the first part

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The Scars by William Tennant

Official Blurb

Peter Everett is a man stained with grief, his life becomes a struggle of decisions as he watches the lives of the people around him dissolve and burn.

Mags Donne is a damaged, bruised young girl, reaching out into the darkness, trying to take control of her life.

Their Scars are what begin to unite them, with the people that surround them.

The Scars is a novel of difficulty, hatred, love, intrigue, kidnap, wrongdoing, abuse, laughter and beauty.

My Review

This is a thriller/soap style book with high drama at its core. To be honest I was not sure I was going to enjoy it and only tried it as a punt in the dark.

I am very glad I did try it. The reader has a delicious voice that is like lovely sweet treacle and it was his voice that kept me downloading the chapters.

The story starts out like a love story, and rapidly turns to tragedy that turns a knife in your gut. Part of this is the story itself, and part the fact that the reader has a way of presenting that pain so that you can almost feel it.

The middle section of book started to feel a bit soap-like while I was listening and I thought the author had lost his way for a while but as the story neared its climax I realised just how he had set me up! Nothing was wasted, nothing was "filler".

In summary, this was a tremendous book, and I heartily recommend it, although the subject matter is not safe for work.

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

Total Score 7/9

Download it from the Podiobooks
Listen to the first part
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Spirit Blade by Paeter Frandsen

Official Blurb

In a future where the government mandates the spiritual beliefs of its citizens, only a few rebellious "Seekers of Truth" remain to free the world from deception.

On his quest for meaning, Merikk follows a path that leads him across our world, and into another. Against his will he is thrown into action alongside members of the Underground Liberation, standing face to face against forces human, alien and demonic. Science fiction and the supernatural collide in a genre-bending adventure! Open your mind and then brace for impact as you discover the power of the Spirit Blade!

My Review

This is a high action story with a message.

As the blurb says, it's in the future, but not too far and the major aspect of the future outlined here, is that any religion claiming to the "only way" is outlawed. Bibles, Torah, Quoran are all banned and followers of the old faiths are ostracised and driven underground. The new religion is where "everyone is right".

I found this background highly interesting. As a Christian I can see a movement like that described starting to appear in today's world, and this story may well represent a possible future. The protagonists in this story are an underground movement that is nothing less than a group of Christians.

I opened this by stating that the story is high action, and the previous two paragraphs may have you questioning that, do not be misled. The action includes a lot of cinematic fight scenes, people leaping out of windows, gun fights, sword fights versus demons, and a dramatic pace that had me captivated.

There were a couple of moments that I thought were getting "preachy", but after due consideration I'm willing to admit they were really just advancing the character motivations so I'm not going to let that effect my rating.

The narration was sound, although a few of the "voices" sounded a bit samey. It's full of background music and sound effects that really make this book a stand-out example of how to do a good audio book.

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

Total Score 8/9

Download it from the Podiobooks
Listen to the first part

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Harvey by Phil Rossi

Official Blurb

Television singing sensation Calvin Hubbard has been caught with his hand in cookie jar. An illicit affair with a contest judge costs him not only the competition crown, but his musical credibility as well. Fleeing the media fallout, Calvin exiles himself to the backwoods town of Harvey, Virginia. With a little solitude and a lot of cheap beer, he plans to write the next great rock and roll album and resurrect his career. But Calvin doesn't know that a man has just been buried alive in the woods outside of town, and that this quiet murder is just the first in a string of macabre events. As the town goes silently mad around him, Calvin is unable to abandon the record of his dreams. Drunk on inspiration and blinded by an inexplicable lust, he careens headlong into the maelstrom, only to discover that he may be the town's only salvation. Something is alive in the trees—an ageless, nameless evil—and it's coming for everyone in Harvey. Now Calvin has to decide whether to run or to stay and fight… if it isn’t already too late.

My Review

This is not the first Phil Rossi story I've listened to, and I've loved all of his other books. I liked this one, didn't love it, just liked it.

The blurb tells you everything you need to know about the story itself. What it doesn't tell you is that the characters created are very real and it's easy to relate to them and that helps to draw you into the story. He's got some really nasty characters in there and some loveable ones and I felt interested in all of their individual stories, so every time the POV changed I happy to follow along.

I've said that I liked this story, and I did, but I did not love it, so let me tell you why. Some weird stuff happens in this story, weird and scary, but I never felt it was sufficiently explained. Also I felt the ending was too easy for the good guys, I felt like they didn't have to work too hard to get to where they got. That was only a minor disappointment.

Phil reads his own work, and has a voice to-die-for, perfect for this kind of dark material, I could listen to him all day.

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

Total Score 8/9

Download it from the Podiobooks
Listen to the first part

Enemy Lines by John Mierau

Official Blurb

In the near future, an alliance forged by powerful men will challenge the US government for control of secret technology. As their machinations gear up, the true owners of that technology will face a challenge of their own, deep in the asteroid belt. At stake? The future of the human race. ENEMY LINES is a science fiction adventure about conspiracies, spies...and aliens... in a future where the lines aren’t as clear as you think.

My Review

This is a near future science fiction book that takes place when humanity has just started mining asteroids. If you've ever wondered about the "Greys" of the popular UFO memes then this story will explain everything.

What if aliens were giving mankind a technological lift. What if someone didn't want you to know that. What if someone didn't want it happening at all. What if the only hope for mankind's survival was a criminal, or a man who's emotionally on the edge?

That's a lot of what-ifs! Well them and a lot more are included in this fantastic story. I absolutely loved it. A good dose of what I call "proper sci fi". If you like a tense story that will keep you guessing and thrilled by action all at the same time, then this is a book for you.

The reader is excellent and fits the pace and tone of the story very well. there are a couple of repeated lines and a couple of clipped sentences but that's all there is to mar this otherwise excellent audio book.

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

Total Score 8/9

Download it from the Podiobooks

Listen to the first part
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The Gearheart: Maiden Flight of the Avenger by Alex White

Official Blurb

Agent Augustus Elsworth is a Seeker of the Arcane Unknown, mechanic, pilot and thief... or so he believes. When he is caught trying to steal a magic artifact from the ruthless mobster Charles Patrick, he is offered a choice: buy it outright, or forget about his mission. In order to win the money, the young mechanic decides to enter the Cliffside Aeroprix, the most dangerous air race in the world. Can Augustus win the race, or even survive it?

My Review

This is a novella set in the Gearheart universe, as used in the "Gearheart" podiobook which I reviewed a little while ago. I believe this novella is a prequel to that book. Just as with Gearheart, this story is action packed with action, magic and super science.

We get an insight into "the Seekers" a secret organisation that protects humanity from the dangers of magic and alchemy.

It's a thrilling adventure, involving air races, magical attacks, plenty of gunfire and organised crime. It was great to hear these characters again, and I hope there is more to come

It's a great listen, I only wish I listened to it before hearing "Gearheart"

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

Total Score 8/9

Download it from the Podiobooks

Listen to the first part

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Cybrosis by P.C. Haring

Official Blurb

For Agent Ciris, the mission should have been simple: get in, apprehend the target, get out. But when the simple snatch and grab goes horribly awry, the worlds first cyborg finds herself backed into a corner. At odds with her superiors, she becomes embroiled in two conspiracies — one intended to destroy her with a cybernetic virus that will neutralize the technology that keeps her alive, the other intended to keep hidden the untold secrets of her origin. With the walls closing in around her, Ciris becomes a rogue agent with no one to trust and only one objective — unravel the shrouds of secrecy before time runs out

My Review

This story was a trip, a good trip. It was Sci Fi goodness through and through. There are lots of action scenes, high speed chases, computer hacking, uplinks, cyborgs, power guns, back stabs and great narration.

The official blurb gives you the details of the story and my summary above tells you what's in there, if any of that appeals to you, you should be downloading by now!

I can also report that the character development is good, the pacing excellent and the multi voice narration excellent.

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

Total Score 9/9

Download it from the Podiobooks

Listen to the first part

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Dreams and Wings (A Searcher and Stallion story) by Scott Howard

Official Blurb

One Man, One Machine, One Destiny.

Searcher awoke, alone on a laboratory table, with an ageless body and no knowledge of his past in a post apocalyptic world. Now in his exoskel, a powered suit of armor, he roams the galaxy with his robotic companion Stallion, seeking clues about his unknown origins. Meanwhile, His existence threatens to destroy balance among the ageless ones, a group of never dying humanoids that secretly run all aspects of human society in the shadows of the surviving colony worlds. Is the Searcher the key to humanity's salvation.....or its final destruction......

My Review

I was really impressed with the production in this short story. It's an enhanced reading. The narrator has a cast of actors providing the voices and a whole lot of sound effects and music to back him up and it's very well put together.

It's a gripping story that had me hooked from the beginning.

As the blurb states a man with no memory wakes up on an abandoned lab table and the trouble just get worse and worse. It's got a good hook and a fantastic driving narrative. In short it's great!

Unfortunately it's just enough to get you interested and hooked and nothing more. It's not a complete story just the opening scenes. I was sooo disappointed! I wanted to hear the whole novel not just this little tease. Oh well. If you're a rabid sci fi fan like me you'll love it, but want MORE!

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

Total Score 7/9

Download it from the Podiobooks

Listen to the first part

The Gearheart by Alex White

The Blurb

Jonathan Andrews, Initiate in the Seekers of the Arcane Unknown, joined the society two years ago with the hopes of protecting the secrets of magic from the greedy world beyond. However, a ravening shadow appears with a hunger for Seekers and Jonathan finds himself out of his depth. When Jonathan's friend is attacked and the young initiate is assailed with apocalyptic visions of the future, he must find a way to uncover the past and stop the beast before it tears his group, and the world, asunder. It's a ripping tale of magic, adventure and gunfights!

My Review

I found this book at Podiobooks when by chance I decided to take a look at the "Steampunk" category, it was the only book listed, so I decided to give it a go. As it turns out I'm not sure it qualifies as what I'd call steampunk, but it does qualify as a darn good book!

So what's under the covers? Well it's set in the our world , modern day, but with magic under the covers, known about by only be a select few. The protagonist is a new member of this group, an "Initiate". The book opens with the initiate on a mission to retrieve a magical relic from the hands of organised crime. Bullets, swords, magical blasts and car chases follow in rapid succession, a rip roaring start.

At this point I thought we'd be following this little crew on a new important mission or something along those lines. No. Instead we find a magical villain set on destroying the world and quite capable of actually doing it. The "Seekers", pitched as the good guys, turn out to not be all they promised.

I'm afraid to give too much away as I'll spoil the plot, but let me just say, magic, guns, swords, prophecy, robots, monsters and doomsday weapons. Wet your appetite?

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

Total Score 8/9

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Listen to the first part

The Dambusters

Official Blurb

Taylor played pilot David Shannon in this dramatization of Paul Brickhill's best-selling novel about World War II. The documentary series focused on the 617 Dambusting Squadron and is full of air force adventure. There were 26 half-hour episodes, and the cast also featured Charles "Bud" Tingwell
Operation Chastise was an attack on German dams carried out on 16/17 May 1943 by Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron, subsequently known as the "Dambusters", using a specially developed "bouncing bomb" invented and developed by Barnes Wallis. The MÃhne and Edersee Dams were breached, causing catastrophic flooding of the Ruhr valley and of villages in the Eder valley, while the Sorpe dam sustained only minor damage.All 26 episodes in excellent condition.

My Review

As you may have gathered from the blurb this review is not an audio book in the usual manner. It is in fact an old radio dramatisation of a book. I'm sure you've heard of the Dam Busters and the bouncing bomb designed by Barnes Wallace, this serial is not about that! It does include the bomb and the raids but that's done and dusted by episode 7 of this 26 episode series.

This drama follows the famous 617 squadron from its creation through to the end of the war. They did much more than the Dam raids, much more. After the Dam raids 617 was designated as a specialist unit. They were trained for pin point accuracy with other special bombs designed by Barnes Wallace. These included the "Tall Boy" and 10 ton monster bomb called the Grand Slam.

The most amazing trick they pulled off was being a deliberately mistaken for an allied invasion flotilla!

This old time radio drama is not cursed with too much hiss and crackle and is a real gem for drama fans.

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

Total Score 8/9

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Listen to the first part