Audiobook release Tuesday: Two from Neil Gaiman Presents; Elizabeth Hand's "Generation Loss"; Tom Clancy; "The Leopard"; "The Broken Ones"; and "Rebellion"

Posted on 2011-12-13 at 20:49 by Sam

Neil Gaiman Presents returns today with two new audiobooks. The first is Viriconium By M. John Harrison Narrated by Simon Vance. It’s the second Harrison audiobook for Gaiman’s line, after Light, and with a big-time narrator in Vance (The Prestige, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Interview with the Vampire, The Third Reich, Casino Royale, The Steel Remains) to boot. A few words from Neil on Viriconium: ”Viriconium is three novles and a short story collection, spanning much of M. John Harrison’s illustrious career - what an ambitious task to imagine an alternate version of someplace that may be London, albeit a punk-sensibility London in a post-apocalyptic future. It’s as if Mike Harrison remembered a place that will never exist, or at least not for millennia, and fleshed it out with art and legends and glorious gods hiding amidst the population…. the first novel, The Pastel City, introduces Lord tegeus-Cromis, called upon to be the reluctant defender of Virconium from a barbarian onslaught. Eighty years later, in the novel A Storm of Wings, a race of demi-gods rises to threaten Viriconium. The short stories In Viriconium are glorious and terrifying by turns, but they are always incredibly human and incredibly real, and you get the joy of M. John Harrison’s prose, which is crystalline and sharp and uplifting…. Viriconium Nights is my favorite novel of the sequence…. Simon Vance is the gold-standard of narrators, and I’m thrilled and proud to have him. He’s brilliant, and he’s brought entire worlds to life before in the Millennium Trilogy and in Anthony Powell’s twelve-book cycle Dance to the Music of Time. He is the man of a hundred voices, a thousand voices, and as soon as Mike and I heard him, we knew we’d found the man to carry us there and back again.”

The second is Anita, the second Gaiman selection of a title by Keith Roberts, Narrated by Nicola Barber. A few words from Neil on Anita: ”Anita is an almost forgotten novel by one of the finest UK writers. But it is a favorite of mine. Anita works on two levels: on the one hand, the stories are a product of the 1960s - they come out of a swinging world and a “Georgy Girl” time, and Keith Roberts, then a young art director, has captured the feel of the sixties. At the same time, he writes about a bettenage witch being brought up by her Granny; he writes about a young witch falling in love, getting her heart broken, about change and growing up and compromise, about what magic is and how you can lose it sometimes and how you can get it back. And the character of Anita’s Granny is amazing, one of Keith Roberts’ best characters. She set the template for all the teenage witch stories that come after, and she did it better and more magically. I wanted these stories back in “print”, where people could hear them, could fall in love with Anita and Granny, as I did.”

ALSO OUT TODAY:

Posted in regular | Tagged neil gaiman presents, release week

The Guilded Earlobe reviews A. Lee Martinez's MONSTER

Posted on 2011-12-12 at 17:56 by Sam

Link: The Guilded Earlobe reviews A. Lee Martinez’s MONSTER

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Untitled

Posted on 2011-12-10 at 01:31 by Sam

Received: Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, narrated by Scott Brick for Macmillan Audio, Jan 3, 2012: “83 years after the last thinking machines were destroyed in The Battle of Corrin, great changes are brewing that will shape and twist all of humankind. … [A] riveting science fiction epic that explores the growing contest between Reason and Faith.” Audio excerpt available at the link.

Also pictured: Link, stoically observing the desert that is an area rug.

Posted in photo | Tagged brian-herbert, cat-link, cats, kevin j anderson, macmillan-audio, received, sisterhood-of-dune

Audible.com release day: John Crowley's "Little, Big"

Posted on 2011-12-10 at 00:48 by Sam

Oh boy. I’ve been waiting for this one so long that I forgot I was waiting for it — and then, here it is: Little, Big: or, The Fairies’ Parliament written and narrated by John Crowley for Blackstone Audiobooks — this 1981 modern fantasy novel was hailed as “A book that all by itself calls for a redefinition of fantasy.” by Ursula K. Le Guin, it won the 1982 World Fantasy Award and was nominated for that year’s Nebula, Hugo, BSFA, and Locus Award, it’s, well, a novel I’ve wanted to come to audiobook for a long, long time:

“Edgewood - which is not found on any map - is many houses, all put inside each other or across each other. It’s filled with and surrounded by mystery and enchantment; the further in you go, the bigger it gets. Smoky Barnable, who has fallen in love with Daily Alice Drinkwater, travels from the City on foot to Edgewood, her family home. There he finds himself on the magical border of an otherworld.”

Crowley also self-narrated for Aegypt, and from the sample here for Little, Big it sounds to be a marvelous production.

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Audible.com release day: Drew Bowling's The Tower of Shadows, Peter F. Hamilton's A Quantum Murder, Anno Dracula, and Larry Niven's Destiny's Road

Posted on 2011-12-08 at 17:30 by Sam

First: The Tower of Shadows (2006) By Drew Bowling Narrated by Paul Boehmer For Audible, Inc. — praised by both Terry Brooks and R.A. Salvatore, Bowling’s 2006 debut is described as: “From the boundless imagination and talented pen of a young storyteller springs the fabulous first novel in a major new epic fantasy series. Steeped in the traditions of its classic forebears, yet boldly original in its vision and sense of wonder, The Tower of Shadowsswells with heroism, sings with enchantment, and carries the reader at full gallop into a marvelously wrought world of breathtaking adventure.”

In a 2008 interview with Aidan Moher, Bowling talked about “an upcoming sequel, The Sea of Dreams” — but so far this appears to be Bowling’s only novel.

Second, firing up the wayback machine (for low values of wayback, I suppose), is A Quantum Murder (1994) By Peter Hamilton Narrated by Toby Longworth For Audible Frontiers — Book 2 in the Greg Mandel Trilogy which began with Mindstar Rising: The Greg Mandel Trilogy, Part 1 which came to Audible.com just a week ago — ”Dr Edward Kitchener, a brilliant researcher into quantum cosmology, lies dead with his lungs spread out on either side of his open chest. Only a mercenary or professional killer could have breached the premier-grade security system - but why would a professional waste time in ritual slaughter? Greg Mandel, psi-boosted ex-private eye, is enticed out of retirement to launch an investigation into a past which - according to Kitchener’s theories - might never have happened.”

I assume this means that before too long we’ll see Hamilton’s 1995 trilogy finale, The Nano Flower. UPDATE: I should have waited a few more hours — The Nano Flower: Part 3 of the Greg Mandel Trilogy was indeed added later in the day.

Lastly: Nudge the wayback dial just a hair, for a novel which turned it up to 100 and added vampires: Anno Dracula (1992) By Kim Newman Narrated by William Gaminara For Audible Frontiers — described as “With the versatile voice talent of William Gaminara, acclaimed novelist Kim Newman explores the darkest depths of a reinvented Victorian London. It is 1888, and Queen Victoria has remarried, taking as her new consort the Wallachian Prince infamously known as Count Dracula. Peppered with familiar characters from Victorian history and fiction, the novel tells the story of vampire Geneviève Dieudonné and British spy Charles Beauregard as they strive to solve the mystery of the Ripper murders.” — blurbed as “Kim Newman’s Anno Dracula is back in print, and we must celebrate. It was the first mash-up of literature, history and vampires, and now, in a world in which vampires are everywhere, it’s still the best, and its bite is just as sharp. Compulsory reading, commentary, and mindgame: glorious.” (Neil Gaiman)

ALSO OUT TODAY:

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Audible.com release day: The Postmortal: A Novel by Drew Magary

Posted on 2011-12-08 at 04:15 by Sam

This is the debut novel for Magary, published by Penguin in the US earlier this year: “Imagine a near future where a cure for aging is discovered and - after much political and moral debate - made available to people worldwide. Immortality, however, comes with its own unique problems, including evil green people, government euthanasia programs, a disturbing new religious cult, and other horrors.”

Some reviews of the book:

• “A must-read for fans of postmodern dystopia in the vein of Margaret Atwood, Chuck Palahniuk, and Neil Gaiman.” (Library Journal)
• “The Postmortal is both deep and heavy, offering a message steeped in the importance of our mortality. With quick and realistic dialogue, and an absolutely harrowing plot, Magary’s novel is a different sort of dystopia, one as tangible as it is plausible.” (J.P. Wickwire, Bull Spec)

Maybe not the cheeriest sounding holiday fare, but it’s a book I really hope to get to soon.

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Audiobook release Tuesday: Joe Haldeman's Earthbound, Pohl's The Space Merchants, The Thirteen Hallows, Cassandra Clare, Philip Palmer, and Patricia Briggs galore

Posted on 2011-12-06 at 19:53 by Sam

December gets off to a rolling start with a fairly sizable first Tuesday of big-title audiobooks:

1. Earthbound By Joe Haldeman Narrated by Annie Henk For Recorded Books — concluding Haldeman’s trilogy which began with Marsbound and continued with Starbound, Earthbound literally brings the story “home”:

2. The Space Merchants (1958) by Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth, Narrated by Dan Bittner For Macmillan Audio — “In a vastly overpopulated near-future world, businesses have taken the place of governments and now hold all political power. States exist merely to ensure the survival of huge transnational corporations. Advertising has become hugely aggressive and boasts some of the world’s most powerful executives. Through advertising, the public is constantly deluded into thinking that all the products on the market improve the quality of life. However, the most basic elements are incredibly scarce, including water and fuel.”

3. The Thirteen Hallows By Michael Scott and Colette Freedman Narrated by Kate Reading For Macmillan Audio — a dark, demonic, violent adult fantasy from the author (Scott) of the well-received young reader series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, The Thirteen Hallows begins a new series:

4. YA: The Clockwork Prince: The Infernal Devices, Book 2 By Cassandra Clare Narrated by Ed Westwick and Heather Lind For Simon & Schuster Audio — second in her The Infernal Devices series after last year’s Clockwork Angel (IndieBound; Audible.com) and her previously successful Mortal Instruments series:

ALSO OUT TODAY:

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The Guilded Earlobe reviews Jose Saramago's Cain

Posted on 2011-12-06 at 14:37 by Sam

Link: The Guilded Earlobe reviews Jose Saramago’s Cain

“Quick Thoughts: In Cain, readers will find some laugh out loud moments, and a lot of fun in the early parts of the novel as Saramago gives us a new perspective on old Biblical legends, but be prepared for a major shift in tone as the main character becomes more and more disillusioned by a God he believes is, if not totally evil, at least sadistic.”

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The Guilded Earlobe reviews Daryl Gregory's Raising Stony Mayhall

Posted on 2011-12-05 at 21:30 by Sam

Link: The Guilded Earlobe reviews Daryl Gregory’s Raising Stony Mayhall

“Quick Thoughts: Raising Stony Mayhall (audiblesff note: just announced as Audible.com’s editor’s pick for Best Zombie Book of 2011) isn’t just a great zombie novel, it’s a great novel. People who want a book with a main character that you can really cheer for and told in a unique and engaging way should give it a chance. Don’t let your prejudice against non-breathers keep you from experiencing one of my favorite books of the year. Grade: A+. … It’s been a long time since I thought this of any novel, audiobook or print but Raising Stony Mayhall was one of those books that once completed, I was very tempted to go back to the beginning and start it all over again. I really can’t think of better praise for a novel.”

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Neil Gaiman (@NeilHimself) talks audiobooks with Salon.com

Posted on 2011-12-04 at 13:10 by Sam

Link: Neil Gaiman (@NeilHimself) talks audiobooks with Salon.com

There’s a very nice interview with author (and audiobook narrator, and, now, presenter) Neil Gaiman by Laura Miller over at Salon.com, ranging from his love of audiobooks, to “Neil Gaiman Presents” and ACX.com, and the ever-fun topic, “is listening to an audiobook ‘really’ reading?”

I have read Gaiman’s thoughts about his affection for Lenny Henry’s narration of Anansi Boys in brief before, but here he offers a bit more expansion on that topic:

Then there’s “Anansi Boys,” my favorite audiobook of all of my stuff, partly because I imagined [actor] Lenny Henry reading it while I was writing it. And partly because there is no way on God’s green earth that I’m going to do an audiobook that has four little old Jamaican ladies in it. I still tell people that if they like “Anansi Boys,” the real version of it is Lenny reading it. That’s the author’s preferred text.

But maybe my favorite bit is later in the interview: “I’d like to think there will come a day when pretty much anything that was published in prose or in poetry you can listen to.”

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