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Audiobook release day: The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells and The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham
Posted on 2011-11-05 at 01:35 by Sam
The Cloud Roads By Narrated by Audible Frontiers:
This is a book I picked up earlier this summer at my local library when doing a little cover browsing of new hardcovers. (Along with Greg Egan’s The Clockwork Rocket and Col Buchanan’s Farlander — quite a haul!) I read the opening, found it interesting, and marked it as one to look for in audio. And here it is: “Moon has spent his life hiding what he is - a shape-shifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself… someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community. What this stranger doesn’t tell Moon is that his presence will tip the balance of power… that his extraordinary lineage is crucial to the colony’s survival… and that his people face extinction at the hands of the dreaded Fell! Now Moon must overcome a lifetime of conditioning in order to save himself - and his newfound kin.”
ALSO OUT TODAY:
- The Dragon’s Path by Daniel Abraham — a well-received 2011 fantasy novel that has been on my watch list a good long while
- Powersat: The Grand Tour Series By Narrated by From Blackstone Audio, Inc. — 2005 novel, 2010 production of one of Bova’s Grand Tour novels
- Rogue By Narrated by
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More audiobook news, from announcements both Little and Big (ha ha!) to today's new releases.
Posted on 2011-11-03 at 18:18 by Sam
First, Sarah Prineas (author of The Magic Thief series) announced via Twitter that “a while ago” audio rights for her forthcoming novel Winterling (HarperChildrens, January 3, 2012) were sold to Recorded Books.
Second, from the “how did I not know this was coming” department, John Crowley’s novel Little, Big will be coming out December 1 from Blackstone Audio! Crowley announced the deal in late September, revealing that he will be narrating the novel, which he did for a previous audiobook, Aegypt (also from Blackstone). I’ve heard a great deal of good things about this book over the years, and look forward to finally having it in the format I can find time to “read”.
Third, as part of a print-run “pre-order” Kickstarter campaign, the mp3 audiobook for Natania Barron’s debut novel Pilgrim of the Sky is also available for pre-order as part of most of the reward tiers. I’ve been able to get sneak peeks at the audio in progress, and I’m looking forward to the finished book.
Lastly, today’s releases. The audiobook for The Ascendant Stars: Humanity’s Fire, Book 3 By Narrated by Audible Frontiers — continuing his gritty space opera series: “Battle-ready factions converge above Darien, all with the same objective. The goal is control over this newly discovered planet and access to the powerful weapons at its heart. Despotic Hegemony forces dominate much of known space and they want this world too, but Darien’s inhabitants will fight for their future.” Also out today is The Reincarnationist By Narrated by Christian Rummel. And, coming in at over 55 hours, the 2002 Recorded Books production of the 2001 novel The Fiery Cross By Narrated by
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Audiobook release day: Rule 34 by Charles Stross
Posted on 2011-11-02 at 19:26 by Sam
Today sees the release of Rule 34 By Narrated by Recorded Books:
A “loose sequel” to Halting State, Rule 34 uses three interleaving first person perspectives to tell its story: ”Hugo Award-winning author Charles Stross takes listeners into the near future for this breathtaking thriller. As head of the Rule 34 Squad, Detective Inspector Liz Kavanaugh keeps a close eye on Internet activity, monitoring whether people are participating in harmless fantasies or engaging in illegal activities. When three criminal spammers are murdered, it’s up to Liz to determine how the victims were connected. If she can’t figure it out, more people will surely die.”
And here’s the book cover for the Ace Hardcover edition (July of this year), if that looks familiar:
The “thematic trilogy” is set to continue with The Lambda Functionary (working title) in 2014.
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Audiobook announcement: Brilliance Audio has purchased audio rights for Saladin Ahmed's Throne of the Crescent Moon (DAW Books)
Posted on 2011-11-02 at 18:26 by Sam
Saladin Ahmed broke the news on Twitter last Thursday, retweeted by his publisher DAW Books, that Brilliance Audio had purchased the audio rights to his debut novel, Throne of the Crescent Moon (hardcover, Feb 7, 2012):
And a day later, Ahmed posted the first chapter of the novel on his blog. As a fan both of Ahmed’s short fiction (which I’ve enjoyed catching at PodCastle, and which garnered him enough votes to be a finalist for both a Nebula Award and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer) and of Brilliance Audio (who, it must be noted, sends me review copies quite promptly and nicely) I wanted to find out a bit more about Ahmed’s thoughts on an audiobook for his novel. So I asked the him a few questions. And he answered. Hooray!
Q: Not that authors generally get to pick, but is there a “dream narrator” (or two) that come to mind when you think about the right voices and characters for your book?
Well, the novel has several POVs - old people, young people, men, women, quasi-Arabs, quasi-Africans… Later books, which reveal more of the world, will feature quasi-Europeans as well. So ideally I’d love a full cast.
But that pretty much never happens. And whoever narrates is going to have the challenge of doing a convincing job with quasi-Arabic pronunciations. So if I could pick just one ‘dream narrator’…probably Tony Shalhoub. I’ve heard him do imitations of his Lebanese relatives, and they’re pretty close to my own voice for my main character, Adoulla.
Q: When writing (and re-writing, and revising, and editing, and…) Throne of the Crescent Moon, did any of the characters start to develop their own voices in your head, particular accents, etc.?
Absolutely. I’ve always been a ‘funny voices’ guy. When I read my work at conventions I ‘do voices’ and - if I can toot my own horn here - usually get praise for giving an entertaining reading. If audiobook narration didn’t involve a host of skills other than just being a good vocal performer, I’d be begging Brilliance to record the book myself.
Q: From announcing the book’s sale to DAW, to unveiling the cover, to last week’s audiobook announcement, things seem to be going very well. As a debut author, albeit one with a good amount of professional experience, how do you keep your expectations in check… or do you?
I’m a guy who fantasizes. A lot. And not just when I’m writing. Whatever preposterously unlikely ‘making it big’ scenario you can imagine, I’ve lived it in my head a dozen times already. For me it’s a matter of keeping absurd fantasy from becoming serious expectation.
UPDATE, 5 DEC 2011: Publishers Weekly has published a starred review of Throne of the Crescent Moon.
Posted in regular | Tagged interviews, saladin-ahmed, throne-of-the-crescent-moon
Audiobook release day: The Folded World by Catherynne M. Valente (and many more)
Posted on 2011-11-01 at 15:42 by Sam
On a busy day to start November, my most-anticipated title is without question The Folded World: A Dirge for Prester John Volume Two By Narrated by
Book 2 in her A Dirge for Prester John series after 2010’s The Habitation of the Blessed — also narrated by Lister and out from Brilliance Audio. In book 2, “Mythopoeic Award winner Catherynne M. Valente continues to re-imagine the legends of the Middle Ages” and we’ll see the armies of Prester John come to Constantinople’s aid in Jerusalem. Count me in.
ALSO OUT TODAY:
Read more...Posted in regular
Nnedi Okorafor's Who Fears Death wins the World Fantasy Award
Posted on 2011-10-31 at 17:13 by Sam
Link: Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death wins the World Fantasy Award
In a right sidebar spot, there’s a new “World Fantasy Award Winner” spot in light of the just-announced World Fantasy Awards. The winner in the novel category is… Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor:
And, like all of this year’s nominees, there’s an audiobook. (We live in wonderful times, really.) Who Fears Death is listed with a sale price of $8.74 $12.24, and the Audible.com front page text is: “Just awarded the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel at the World Fantasy convention, Nnedi Okorafor’s gripping story is set in post-nuclear Africa. The young sorceress Onyesonwu, whose name means Who Fears Death, must fulfill her magical destiny to end the genocide of her people.” Narrated by Anne Flosnik and released by Brilliance Audio, I posted my (5-star) review on Audible.com some time ago, and in longer form there’s an excellent review of the audiobook over at Guilded Earlobe.
While I’m at it, here are the other finalists/nominees for the World Fantasy Award:
- Zoo City By Narrated by
- Redemption in Indigo By Narrated by
- Under Heaven By Narrated by
- The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms: Inheritance Trilogy, Book 1 By Narrated by
- The Silent Land: A Novel By Narrated by
Update: The site-wide Halloween sale prices just went away. Hence the strikethroughs above.
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The Guilded Earlobe reviews Richard Kadrey's Aloha From Hell
Posted on 2011-10-31 at 14:56 by Sam
Link: The Guilded Earlobe reviews Richard Kadrey’s Aloha From Hell
A well-regarded series I’ve not jumped into yet concludes, and my go-to source for audiobook reviews (though with some divergence in taste!) takes a look at the latest (and last) installment of Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim stories, Aloha From Hell:
Bob Reiss’s quick thoughts: “Kadrey’s visions of the worlds of the afterlife, and his spin on characters that you thought you had known pushes this series past your expectations for Urban Fantasy and puts the Sandman Slim series in a category all of its own.”
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Audiobook release day: The Poison Eaters and Other Stories by Holly Black
Posted on 2011-10-31 at 14:42 by Sam
Just in time to sneak under the wire (under 90 minutes to go!) for Audible.com’s “Frighteningly Low Prices” sale, today sees the audiobook release for Holly Black’s collection The Poison Eaters and Other Stories, narrated by the author and out from Brilliance Audio:
Priced at $5.87 until 12 ET today.
Update: Also out today: A new audio version of Echo By Narrated by Alex Benedict novels, supplanting a barely year-old version narrated by Paul Boehmer.
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The Guilded Earlobe reviews Zone One by Colson Whitehead
Posted on 2011-10-28 at 20:14 by Sam
Link: The Guilded Earlobe reviews Zone One by Colson Whitehead
I haven’t decided if I will read this one in audio (in which “read” is in scare quotes I suppose) or in print — but I do plan to read it one way or another sometime after I finish up with Reamde.
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Untitled
Posted on 2011-10-28 at 18:13 by Sam
Zoo City audiobook: front cover
Zoo City audiobook: back cover
Audiobook received: Zoo City By Narrated by From Angry Robot on Brilliance Audio. Currently on sale for $5.24 at Audible.com. I would say more, but I already have my review drafted, and, really, why would I repeat myself? Back cover principle text: ”Zinzi December has a Sloth on her back, a dirty 419 scam habit, and a talent for finding lost things. But when a little old lady turns up dead and the cops confiscate her last paycheck, she’s forced to take on her least favourite kind of job: missing persons.”
Front cover blurb: “Very, *very* good!” — William Gibson
Back cover blurb: “In Zoo City we have an unfamiliar land full of familiars, a broken city of the near-future peopled with damaged wonders… Lauren Beukes is a marksman in a world of drunken machine-gunners.” — Bill (Fables) Willingham
My (brief) summary: a brilliant, original novel, a well-done audiobook, though Eyre’s accents slip a little here and there — narrating an entire novel in one non-native accent has to be a challenge, and she handled it better than many. Easily a 5-star audiobook and story, 4-star narration. Full review soon.
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