Release Day: Bitterwood by James Maxey, read by Dave Thompson

Posted on 2013-03-08 at 14:22 by Sam

Ah, the joys of a long, long, long-awaited audiobook finally arriving. Since meeting author James Maxey a few years ago, I’ve been pestering him about bringing Bitterwood to audio. Now, via ACX and narrator (and fellow AudioBookaneer!) Dave Thompson, it’s finally here:

First published in print by Solaris in 2007 and later brought to ebook formats by Maxey himself, Bitterwood begins a 3-book series chronicling the efforts of the titular Bitterwood, dragon hunter: “Bitterwood has spent the past twenty years hunting down dragons, one at a time. But he is getting old and the hate that he has carried in his heart since a group of dragon-soldiers killed his family is beginning to fade. When he kills the royal prince dragon, the king decides the only retribution is genocide of the human race. Bitterwood is forced to enter the Free City, the grand trap designed to eradicate mankind, with thousands of others. Can he lead from within, or can a select few dragons unite to stop the king’s madness from becoming reality. Full of rich characters and drama, this is an amazingly astute vision of our own culture by way of a feudal kingdom where dragons rule, and humans are used as workers or pets.”

For the ebooks, Maxey put together his own covers, but here for the audiobook he has gone all-out, licensing the original cover artwork from Michael Komarck and booking Thompson, longtime short fiction podcaster at PodCastle and now, with Bitterwood, his third full-length professional audiobook credit. Congrats to James and Dave, I look forward to experiencing “The Dragon Age” in audio.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bitterwood, dave thompson, james maxey

Release Week: Joyce Carol Oates, Zachary Jernigan, M. John Harrison's Empty Space, Brian Francis Slattery, and more

Posted on 2013-03-06 at 16:11 by Sam

FEBRUARY 27-MARCH 5, 2013: And here we are in March, and when you include the titles from my midweek wrapup it is quite a week indeed, with a 23-hour Joyce Carol Oates novel of possession in early 20th-Century Princeton, another entry in what is shaping up to be quite a run of debut fantasy novels, the conclusion of M. John Harrison's Kefahuchi Tract trilogy, and (of course) The Sound of Rebellion which continues John Scalzi's The Human Division, now in its 8th episode.

PICKS OF THE WEEK:

The Accursed By Joyce Carol Oates, Narrated By Grover Gardner for Harper Audio — Length: 23 hrs — Scheduled Release Date: 03-05-13 — “A major historical novel from “one of the great artistic forces of our time” (The Nation) – an eerie, unforgettable story of possession, power, and loss in early-20th-century Princeton, a cultural crossroads of the powerful and the damned.”

Secondly, what appears to be the next in a strong run of fantasy debuts this year, No Return By Zachary Jernigan, Narrated By John FitzGibbon for Audible Frontiers, simultaneous with print/ebook release from Night Shade Books. "On Jeroun, there is no question as to whether God exists - only what his intentions are. Under the looming judgment of Adrash and his ultimate weapon - a string of spinning spheres beside the moon known as The Needle - warring factions of white and black suits prove their opposition to the orbiting god with the great fighting tournament of Danoor, on the far side of Jeroun's only inhabitable continent. From the 13th Order of Black Suits comes Vedas, a young master of martial arts, laden with guilt over the death of one of his students. Traveling with him are Churls, a warrior woman and mercenary haunted by the ghost of her daughter, and Berun, a constructed man made of modular spheres possessed by the foul spirit of his creator. Together they must brave their own demons, as well as thieves, mages, beasts, dearth, and hardship on the perilous road to Danoor, and the bloody sectarian battle that is sure to follow. On the other side of the world, unbeknownst to the travelers, Ebn and Pol of the Royal Outbound Mages (astronauts using Alchemical magic to achieve space flight) have formed a plan to appease Adrash and bring peace to the planet. But Ebn and Pol each have their own clandestine agendas - which may call down the wrath of the very god they hope to woo."

Utopia By Ahmed Khaled Towfik, Narrated By Neil Shah for Audible for Bloomsbury -- "A grim futuristic account of Egyptian society in the year 2023, Utopia takes readers on a chilling journey beyond the gated communities of the North Coast, where the wealthy are insulated from the bleakness of life outside the walls. When a young man and a girl break out from this bubble of affluence in order to see for themselves the lives of their impoverished fellow Egyptians they are confronted by a world that they had not imagined possible. Breathtaking and suspenseful, Utopia's twists and turns will keep listeners guessing until the very last moment, and may leave some wondering whether this is a vision of the future that is not too far away."

Empty Space by M. John Harrison, read by Grame Malcolm for Audible Frontiers — US release for this very well-received conclusion to Harrison's Kefahuchi Tract after Light and Nova Swing, published last year in the UK. It's the third different narrator for the trilogy, and third publisher as well, with Recorded Books producing book 2, and Neil Gaiman Presents bringing book 1, Light to wonderful life under the voice of Julian Elfer back in late 2011. Here: "In the near future, an elderly English widow is stirred from her mundane existence by surreal omens and visitations. Centuries later, the space freighter Nova Swing takes on an illegal alien artifact as cargo, with consequences beyond reckoning. While on a distant planet, a nameless policewoman tries to bring order to an event zone where ordinary physics do not apply, only to find herself caught up in something even stranger and more sublime...."

And the last two are from that "midweek" post roundup: both from Brian Francis Slattery, both from Audible Frontiers, starting with one of my most-missing of 2012, Lost Everything. Narrated By Michael Prichard it is billed thus: “From the author of the critically acclaimed literary SF novels Spaceman Blues and Liberation comes an incandescent and thrilling post-apocalyptic tale in the vein of 1984 or The Road. In the not-distant-enough future, a man takes a boat trip up the Susquehanna River with his most trusted friend, intent on reuniting with his son. But the man is pursued by an army, and his own harrowing past; and the familiar American landscape has been savaged by war and climate change until it is nearly unrecognizable.”

Speaking of Liberation, here also is Slatterly’s 2008 novel Liberation: Being the Adventures of the Slick Six After the Collapse of the United States of America, narrated by Paul Heitsch — “From the author of the literary pulp phenomenon Spaceman Blues comes a future history cautionary tale, a heist movie in the style of a hippie novel. Liberation is a speculation on life in near-future America after the country suffers an economic cataclysm that leads to the resurgence of ghosts of its past (such as the human slave trade). Our heroes are the Slick Six, a group of international criminals who set out to alleviate the worst of these conditions and put America on the road to recovery. Liberation is a story about living down the past, personally and nationally; about being able to laugh at the punch line to the long, dark joke of American history. Slattery’s prose moves seamlessly between present and past, action and memory. With Liberation, he celebrates the resilience and ingenuity of the American spirit.”

ALSO OUT THIS WEEK:

Posted in Release Week

Release Midweek: Brian Francis Slattery, Tim Akers, Stefan Rudnicki, Steampunk Specs, Robert Asprin, and more

Posted on 2013-03-03 at 13:00 by Sam

Give us a breather, audiobook publishers! The "regular" release week haul (ending Tuesday) was big enough, but already in the past few days another week's worth (and then some) of interesting titles are out. And: they come in twos!

First up are two from Brian Francis Slattery, both from Audible Frontiers, starting with one of my most-missing of 2012, Lost Everything. Narrated By Michael Prichard it is billed thus: "From the author of the critically acclaimed literary SF novels Spaceman Blues and Liberation comes an incandescent and thrilling post-apocalyptic tale in the vein of 1984 or The Road. In the not-distant-enough future, a man takes a boat trip up the Susquehanna River with his most trusted friend, intent on reuniting with his son. But the man is pursued by an army, and his own harrowing past; and the familiar American landscape has been savaged by war and climate change until it is nearly unrecognizable."

Posted in Release Week

The Human Division Listen-A-Long, Episode 7: The Dog King

Posted on 2013-03-01 at 22:32 by Dave

The Human Division, Episode 7: The Dog King by John Scalzi, read by William DufrisLength: 58 minutes

Hello, and welcome back to another listen-a-long for the Human Division! Every week we look back at the serialized novel by John Scalzi, recap and discuss. Before we dive in, I will say this - if you've been wondering whether or not The Human Division is something you should give a shot or not, I think this episode is the one I'd suggest listening to. Hard to beat for under a buck.

Spoilers sprout like weeds around here, though - so if you don't want to be caught unawares before you listen, stay back! Otherwise, let's dig in to this week's episode!

Recap:

Posted in The Human Division Listen-a-Long

Release Week: Fade to Black, Dreams and Shadows, Between Two Thorns, Oz Reimagined, Deadhouse Gates, The Judging Eye, and more

Posted on 2013-02-27 at 16:12 by Sam

It's an absolutely massive release week to wind up February, with debut novels, anthologies, previously published books in two epic fantasy series coming to audio, on and on. It's a week so big that even a new book co-authored by Neal Stephenson, Book 3 of The Mongoliad, and new books in The Night of the Swarm and The Imager Portfolio, don't make it above the fold. (And, of course, more Scalzi, with The Dog King: The Human Division, Episode 7.) I can barely find it in me to complain about the "Seen but not Heard" list. (This is helped by my most anticipated title of the week, Ariel Djanikian's The Office of Mercy, being booked for a March release from Tantor Audio.) Meanwhile, I'm expecting the first few books in David Drake's Lord of the Isles series to pop up any day now, and I'm very happy to report that The AudioBookaneers' own Dave Thompson has turned in his narration of James Maxey's Bitterwood, which should also be coming soon to an Audible listing near you. From Maxey's report, he's very pleased indeed with Dave's narration, and I'm literally jumping up and down in anticipation. OK. Onto the ridiculous number of...

PICKS OF THE WEEK:

Fade to Black By Francis Knight, narrated by Paul Thornley for Hachette Audio, concurrent with the print/ebook release from Orbit — Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins — There's an excerpt available, and a Big Idea post on Scalzi's Whatever blog, but, seriously, you had me at "noir fantasy/tech secondary world". This one looks most definitely to be an interesting debut, the first in a new series: "From the depths of a valley rises the city of Mahala. It's a city built upwards, not across - where streets are built upon streets, buildings upon buildings. A city that the Ministry rules from the sunlit summit, and where the forsaken lurk in the darkness of Under. Rojan Dizon doesn't mind staying in the shadows, because he's got things to hide. Things like being a pain-mage, with the forbidden power to draw magic from pain. But he can't hide forever. Because when Rojan stumbles upon the secrets lurking in the depths of the Pit, the fate of Mahala will depend on him using his magic. And unlucky for Rojan - this is going to hurt."

Speaking of anticipated debuts, Dreams and Shadows: A Novel by C. Robert Cargill (Harper Voyager and Harper Audio, Feb 26, 2013). Here's the pitch: "A brilliantly crafted modern tale from acclaimed film critic and screenwriter C. Robert Cargill - part Neil Gaiman, part Guillermo Del Toro, part William S. Burroughs - that charts the lives of two boys from their star-crossed childhood in the realm of magic and mystery to their anguished adulthoods. There is another world than our own - one no closer than a kiss and one no further than our nightmares - where all the stuff of which dreams are made is real and magic is just a step away. But once you see that world, you will never be the same."

Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman is also new this week, read by the author for Angry Robot on Brilliance Audio: “In this intelligently-written urban fantasy novel, listeners will sink into Emma Newman’s mirror world, hidden somwhere amid the streets of Bath, England.” Another book with a recent Big Idea write-up, and one to at least check out in this crowded release week:

My last pick among the concurrent new releases this week is an anthology from Brilliance Audio, Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond edited by John Joseph Adams and Douglas Cohen. With stories from Seanan McGuire, Tad Williams, Theodora Goss, Jeffrey Ford, Rachel Swirsky, and more, narrated by Nick Podehl and Tany Eby.

Although not concurrent new releases by any means, this week also brings "new" audiobooks from two of the best epic fantasy series of this young millenium, starting with Deadhouse Gates: Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 2 By Steven Erikson, narrated by Ralph Lister for Brilliance Audio. At a hair over 34 hours, it's even longer than the first installment, Gardens of the Moon, which was published late last year.

The Judging Eye: The Aspect-Emperor, Book 1 by R. Scott Bakker, narrated by Kevin Orton for Recorded Books. This book begins the second trilogy after Bakker's Prince of Nothing trilogy, which begins with The Darkness That Comes Before and is available in its entirety from Audible Frontiers narrated by David DeVries. Book two in The Aspect-Emperor, The White-Luck Warrior, has, strangely enough, been available for a while from Recorded Books, also read by Orton. Here: "A luminary in the fantasy genre firmament, R. Scott Bakker returns fans to his acclaimed Prince of Nothing universe with The Judging Eye. Aspect-Emperor Kellhus is waging a terrifying war, subjugating all nations in his path. There are those willing to stand together against him, but these rebellious souls must act quickly and decisively to thwart his mad schemes of power and domination."

And one final pick above the fold this week, a short indie audiobook, Homo Sylvanus by Amber D. Sistla, narrated by Kimberly Jordan, coming in at just over an hour. "In a future in which genetic research is controlled by a religion, Brennan Candler wants to give his daughter, Tamsyn, a chance to live a long life. He agrees to genetic modification from a Methuselah tree but things will not prove that simple. Sistla creates a believable culture and some good characters and I'll look forward to more from this author." (SFRevu.com)

ALSO OUT THIS WEEK:

Posted in Release Week

Received, February 2013

Posted on 2013-02-25 at 17:41 by Sam

I'm still working through a few of the January incoming, but I've also already had a chance to listen to a few of these titles which were sent our way in February:

1. Digital ARC of The Rift Walker (Vampire Empire, Book Two) by Clay and Susan Griffith, read by James Marsters for Buzzy Multimedia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O2-7WttC44

"A worthy successor in story, narration and production for the Audie-nominated The Greyfriar. James Marsters as a cast of vampires could not be more perfect." -- The AudioBookaneers. (That's Sam.)

2. Receiving review copies from Blackstone Audio through its Downpour service could not really be much easier. Here's what I picked up from the offerings in January and February so far:

Posted in received

The Human Division Listen-A-Long, Episode 6: The Back Channel

Posted on 2013-02-22 at 08:39 by Dave

The Human Division, Episode 6: The Back Channel by John Scalzi, read by William Dufris Length: 47 minutes

Hello, and welcome back to the Human Division Listen-A-Long. This week, we're covering episode 6: The Back Channel. Remember, spoilers abide, so if you haven't given this sucker a listen already, grab a churro, and cue up the audio. We'll be here when you're finished!

Let's dive into the RECAP!

Posted in The Human Division Listen-a-Long

Sam's Listening Report: November 2012

Posted on 2013-02-21 at 20:02 by Sam

After seven audiobooks and excellent listening in October, it was again seven audiobooks in November, with three audiobooks which ended up making it into my year-end further mentions for new audiobooks of new books (The Long Earth, Red Country, and Clockwork Angels), one of my favorite sf novels of the 2000s coming to audio (Building Harlequin's Moon), some humor (Mogworld), some fictional history (The Mongoliad Book 2), and some mystery (Gone Girl).

REVIEWS:

Posted in Sam's Monthly Listening Report | Tagged monthly listening report

Release Week: The Secret of Ji, The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination, The Siren Depths, and Domino Falls

Posted on 2013-02-20 at 14:33 by Sam

The middle of February brings a bestselling French fantasy to both English and audio, as well as welcoming back Austin Grossman to the ranks of Mad Scientist storyteller, the conclusion of Martha Wells' Books of the Raksura, and a new novel from frequent collaborators Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes. (And, of course, John Scalzi's The Human Division continues with Back Channel: The Human Division, Episode 6.  Doesn't that go without saying by now?)

PICKS OF THE WEEK:

Six Heirs (The Secret of Ji, Book One) by Pierre Grimbert, translated by Matthew Ross and Eric Lamb, read by Michael Page for Brilliance Audio, out concurrent with the US print/ebook release from AmazonCrossing. Long a bestselling epic fantasy sensation in France, the first of fourteen books (so far) in the series: "The Known World is a sprawling region ruled by mortals, protected by gods, and plied by magicians and warriors, merchants and beggars, royals and scoundrels. Here, those with the gift of the Erjak share a psychic bond with animals; a far-reaching fraternity unites criminals of every persuasion in a vast army of villainy; and upon the mighty river Alt, the dead will one day sail seeking vengeance on the enemies of their descendants. But for all the Known World’s wonders, splendors, and terrors, what has endured most powerfully is the strange legacy of Ji. Emissaries from every nation—the grand Goranese Empire; desolate, frozen Arkary; cosmopolitan Lorelia; and beyond—followed an enigmatic summons into the unknown. Some never returned; others were never the same. Each successive generation has guarded the profound truth and held sacred the legendary event. But now, the very last of them—and the wisdom they possess—are threatened. The time has come to fight for ultimate enlightenment…or fall to infinite darkness."

The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination: Original Short Fiction for the Modern Evil Genius edited by John Joseph Adams, read by Stefan Rudnicki, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Justine Eyre for Brilliance Audio. Concurrent with the print/ebook publication by Tor, with stories from Diana Gabaldon, Daniel Wilson, Austin Grossman, Naomi Novik, and Seanan McGuire (among 22 in all): "Everybody loves villains. They’re bad; they always stir the pot; they’re much more fun than the good guys, even if we want to see the good guys win. Their fiendish schemes, maniacal laughter, and limitless ambition are legendary, but what lies behind those crazy eyes and wicked grins? How—and why—do they commit these nefarious deeds? And why are they so set on taking over the world? If you’ve ever asked yourself any of these questions, you’re in luck: It’s finally time for the madmen’s side of the story."

Domino Falls by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, narrated By Emily Bauer for Audible Frontiers, concurrent with print/ebook from Simon & Schuster's Atria Books: "It began on Freak Day - that day no one could explain, when strangers and family members alike went crazy and started biting one another. Some thought the outbreak was caused by a flu shot, others that it was a diet drug gone terribly wrong. All anyone knew is that once you were bitten and went to sleep, you woke up a freak."

[Note: Due to their continued use of DRM-only formats, my new content here on The AudioBookaneers will no longer where possible include links to Audible.com. -Sam]

ALSO OUT THIS WEEK:

Posted in Release Week

The Human Division Listen-A-Long, Episode 5: Tales from the Clarke

Posted on 2013-02-15 at 08:29 by Dave

The Human Division, Episode 5: Tales from the Clarke by John Scalzi. Read by William Dufris Length: 59 minutes

Welcome back to the Human Division Listen-A-Long. This week, we dive into Tales from the Clarke, the fifth episode in John Scalzi's new serial novel. Be warned, spoilers abide in the post below, so if you haven't listened yet, feel free to catch up to us once you have. We're not going anywhere.

Okay, onto the Recap!

We start off Captain Sophia Colonna, she who put her ship in front of a missile to save an alien diplomatic ship, at her resulting inquiry. No good deed and all that. Her ship (what's left of it, at least) is taken from her.

Posted in The Human Division Listen-a-Long, Uncategorized