Release Week: Railsea by China Mieville; Osama by Lavie Tidhar; CS Friedman's Magister and Coldfire trilogies; and more

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Release Week: Railsea by China Mieville; Osama by Lavie Tidhar; CS Friedman's Magister and Coldfire trilogies; and more

Posted on 2012-05-16 at 14:3 by Sam

For the third week in a row there are multiple major releases in the YA SF & F section, led by Railsea, a foray into a younger age category by the always brilliant China Mieville (Perdido Street Station, Embassytown, etc.). Narrated by Jonathan Cowley for Random House Audio, the audiobook comes in at just under 10 hours, and it also comes with heaps of praise for its ability to both engage younger audiences at a narrative level, with a world of trains and giant mole hunts, as well as offer a deeper reading with its references to Moby Dick and Mievillian critiques of power. It’s already bought, so it’s likely up next for me:

 

In adult sf/f and released Monday was another long-anticipated audiobook, Osama (2011) By Lavie Tidhar, which is narrated by Jeff Harding for Audible Ltd [Audible UK link here]:

“In a world without global terrorism Joe, a private detective, is hired by a mysterious woman to find a man: the obscure author of pulp fiction novels featuring one Osama Bin Laden: Vigilante…Joe’s quest to find the man takes him across the world, from the backwaters of Asia to the European Capitals of Paris and London, and as the mystery deepens around him there is one question he is trying hard not to ask: who is he, really, and how much of the books is fiction? Chased by unknown assailants, Joe’s identity slowly fragments as he discovers the shadowy world of the refugees, ghostly entities haunting the world in which he lives. Where do they come from? And what do they want? Joe knows how the story should end, but even he is not ready for the truths he’ll find in New York and, finally, on top a quiet hill above Kabul—nor for the choice he will at last have to make….”

Who likes this novel? Jeff VanderMeer, Christopher Priest, Paul Kincaid, theBSFA, the John W. Campbell Memorial Award jury, … I was very excited when Tidhar announced a multi-book audio rights deal with Audible, and Osama is here much, much sooner than I expected. Delightfully so! I am nearing the halfway point and am starting to put together my thoughts so far.

More! Thus far in 2012, Audible Frontiers has nearly every week produced a major author’s backlog in audio, and this week is another huge haul of audiobooks centered around a single author’s backlog as C. S. Friedman’s Magister Trilogy and Coldfire trilogy are both now out in audio, along with several standalone novels. (To toot my Bull Spec horn a bit here, I carry a review of Friedman’s Magister Trilogy along with an interview of the author by Dan Campbell in the current issue.) The Magister Trilogy is narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers, and comprises Feast of Souls: Magister Trilogy, Book 1 (2007), Wings of Wrath: Magister Trilogy, Book 2 (2009), and Legacy of Kings: Magister Trilogy, Book 3 (2011):

 

Meanwhile, the Coldfire Trilogy is read by R. C. Bray, and comprises Black Sun Rising: Coldfire Trilogy, Book 1 (1991), When True Night Falls: Coldfire Trilogy, Book 2 (1993), and Crown of Shadows: Coldfire Trilogy, Book 3 (1995), along with last week’s release of Dominion: A Coldfire Novella. Also new in audio are: The Madness Season (1990, Narrated by Jonathan Davis), This Alien Shore (1998, Narrated by Kathleen McInerney), and the Azean Empire novels In Conquest Born (1987, Narrated by Joe Barrett) and The Wilding (2004, Narrated by Marc Vietor).

ALSO NEW TUESDAY:

EARLIER THIS WEEK:

SEEN BUT NOT HEARD:

NEXT WEEK (May 22):

TWO WEEKS (May 29):

THREE WEEKS (June 5):

FOUR WEEKS (June 12):

FIVE WEEKS (June 19):

SIX WEEKS (June 26):

SEVEN WEEKS (July 3):

Posted in regular, Release Week | Tagged china mieville, cs friedman, lavie tidhar, osama, railsea, release week