Saturday, October 31, 2009
Next book in my queue: (2393) The Saboteurs by Griffin, W.E.B & William E. Butterworth IV. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
(2393) The Saboteurs by Griffin, W. E. B & William E. Butterworth IV
Publisher's Summary
If coincidence had thrown these men together in any normal military organization, and if, improbably, they had become buddies there, any commanding officer with enough sense would have broken up the gang as threats to "good military order and discipline."But they weren't in any normal military organization. They were in the Office of Strategic Services.
The Battle of the Atlantic is at its peak. Packs of German U-boats are hunting and sinking U.S. supply ships. Ships are burning at their moorings in U.S. ports, and a series of explosions has afflicted trains and train stations around the country - is it all accidental or is it sabotage?
Meanwhile, Allied forces are secretly preparing to invade first Sicily and then Italy, and there is a lot of work that needs to be done beforehand, some with the most unlikely of helping hands.
As the war heats up, "Wild Bill" Donovan's agents - Dick Canidy, Eric Fulmar, Stan Fine, and the rest of the crew, answerable only to Donovan and the president - suddenly find themselves battling on two fronts at once...and fate is just about to deal them a few surprises.
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Saboteurs-Men-at-War/dp/B001AP2XCC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256483656&sr=1-1
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=BK_BRLL_000333&BV_SessionID=@@@@1135039033.1256482411@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccceadeijhemglicefecekjdffidfij.0
Michigan eLibrary: http://elibrary.mel.org/record=b17079914~S15
(2392) Lost Boys by Card, Orson Scott
Publisher's Summary
Step Fletcher, his pregnant wife DeAnne, and their three children move to Steuben, North Carolina, with high hopes. But Step's new job with a software company turns out to be a snake pit, and 8-year-old Stevie's school is worse. As Stevie retreats into himself, focusing more and more on a mysterious computer game and a growing troop of imaginary friends, the Fletchers' concern turns to terror. Young boys, whose names match a list of Stevie's nonexistent friends, have mysteriously vanished from Steuben. And as evil strikes out from the most trusted corners, it's suddenly clear that Stevie is next on the list.On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Boys-Orson-Scott-Card/dp/0061091316/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256483358&sr=1-1
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=BK_BLAK_000827&BV_SessionID=@@@@1135039033.1256482411@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccceadeijhemglicefecekjdffidfij.0
Michigan eLibrary: http://elibrary.mel.org/record=b13900502~S15
(2390) OTR, Podcasts & Music by Various Performers
Podcast: Leo Laporte - The Tech Guy Show #563
Music: The Outlaws "Ghost Rider" album
Podcat: Prometheus Radio Theatre "Foundation & Desire Act 3"
Old time radio show: Six Shooter starring Jimmy Stewart "Audition Program (07-01-1953)"
Old time radio show: The Saint starring Vincent Price, "Contract Out on Saint (07/09/1950)"
Music: The Carpenters, "The Singles 1969-1973" album
Friday, October 30, 2009
(2389) Last Enemy (Librivox) by H. Beam Piper
An undercover Paratimer has disappeared on assignment while in an alternate time line, and it’s up to Verkan Vall of the Paratime Police to save her. To do so, he must infiltrate a universe in which assassination is an honorable profession, and reincarnation a scientific fact. Will Verkan Vall survive in a world of killers and the undead? (Summary by Mark Nelson)
On Librivox: http://librivox.org/last-enemy-by-h-beam-piper/
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Last-Enemy/dp/B002D48TU4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256482749&sr=1-2
Thursday, October 29, 2009
(2388) The Skies of Pern By Anne McCaffrey
Publisher's Summary
Now that Pern can look forward to a future without the threat of Threadfall, the people are free to leave their protective stone holds and spread across more of the planet, as well as improve their lives with the newly discovered ancient technology. Not everyone is happy, though. Some resist the change, and consider anything new to be an "abomination". And the dragonriders are uncertain: without Thread, what will their purpose be in Pernese society?Then a new danger - again from the skies - looms. Once again, the people must pull together...And turn to the only ones who can solve the crisis: the dragonriders of Pern!
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Skies-Pern-Anne-McCaffrey/dp/0345434692/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256482586&sr=1-1
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=BK_BRLL_000262&BV_SessionID=@@@@1135039033.1256482411@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccceadeijhemglicefecekjdffidfij.0
Starting book:(2387) Liars & Thieves by Stephen Coonts. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Next book in my queue:(2387) Liars & Thieves by Stephen Coonts. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
(2387) Liars & Thieves by Stephen Coonts
Publisher's Summary
Tommy Carmellini - who dazzled thriller fans in Stephen Coonts' Cubaand Liberty - is the CIA's top man for jobs that require extreme stealth, breaking-and-entering skills, and split-second, sometimes lethal, decisions.In Liars & Thieves, he's sent to post guard duty at a farmhouse in Virginia's remote Blue Ridge Mountains, where top government operatives are debriefing a star defector: the ultimate KGB insider, a man with records on every operation and every dirty trick the shadowy intelligence agency has ever run, from Lenin to Putin.
Carmellini arrives to find the guards shot dead, and a ruthless team of commandos - American commandos - slaughtering everyone in sight, then setting the house on fire. He escapes a hail of bullets and a deadly mountain car chase with what seems to be the sole survivor, a beautiful and mysterious translator who steals his car and leaves him for dead at the first chance.
What secrets did the defector know? Who would have killed to prevent him from talking? And how could a hit team act so fast, so efficiently, and so murderously without intimate, inside knowledge of the debriefing?
Smart money says someone in the U.S. government is behind the massacre and is now after Carmellini. And that begs the biggest question of all: in a world where nothing is as it seems and no one is who he pretends to be, who can Carmellini trust?
Finding out will be terrifying. The answer may be deadly.
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=BK_BRLL_000149&BV_SessionID=@@@@1135039033.1256482411@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccceadeijhemglicefecekjdffidfij.0
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Liars-Thieves-Novel-Stephen-Coonts/dp/0312936214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256482423&sr=1-1
Starting book: (2386) Hunters Out of Space (Librivox) by Joseph E. Kelleam. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
Next book in my queue: (2386) Hunters Out of Space (Librivox) by Joseph E. Kelleam. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
(2386) Hunters Out of Space (Librivox) by Joseph E. Kelleam
Originally published in the May, 1960 issue of Amazing Science Fiction Stories. Jack Odin has returned to the world of Opal, the world inside our own world, only to find it in ruins. Many of his friends are gone, the world is flooded, and the woman he swore to protect has been taken by Grim Hagen to the stars. Jack must save her, but the difficulties are great and his allies are few. (Summary by Elliott Miller)
On Librivox: http://librivox.org/hunters-out-of-space-by-joseph-kelleam/
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hunters-Out-Space-Joseph-Kelleam/dp/1606643479/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256482315&sr=1-1
Starting book: 2385) Serrano Legacy Bk #5; Rules of Engagement (Part 2) by Elizabeth Moon. http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
Next book in my queue: (2385) Serrano Legacy Bk #5; Rules of Engagement (Part 2) by Elizabeth Moon. http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
(2385) Serrano Legacy Bk #5; Rules of Engagement (Part 2) by Elizabeth Moon
Esmay Suiza and Brun Meager should be friends—they're both bright, brave, likable and adventurous. But true friendship doesn't run any smoother than true love. Brun thinks Esmay's a stuck-up prig, and Esmay thinks Brun's a spoiled rich brat who's making a play for Barin Serrano, Esmay's first love. So when Brun falls into the hands of a repressive religious militia movement, Esmay finds herself n disgrace, suspected of conniving at the capture. Even Barin, now being pursued by the beautiful and ambitious Casea Ferradi, has turned against her, and Brun's powerful family doesn't want Esmay anywhere near the rescue attempt. (Part 2 of 2)
Approximate Running Time: 5 hours
ISBN: 1-59950-552-5
ISBN-13: 978-1-59950-552-7
Release Date: April 2009
Graphic Audio: http://www.graphicaudio.net/p-487-rules-of-engagement-part-2.aspx
Starting book: (2384) Robert Ludlum's the Bourne Betrayal by Lustbader, Eric. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
Next in my listening queue: (2384) Robert Ludlum's the Bourne Betrayal by Lustbader, Eric. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com
(2384) Robert Ludlum's the Bourne Betrayal by Lustbader, Eric
Publisher's Summary
Jason Bourne takes on a mission to rescue his only friend in the CIA, Martin Lindros, who disappeared in Africa while tracking shipments of yellowcake uranium. Once safely back in America, Lindros persuades Bourne to help track the money trail of terrorists buying the nuclear material in Odessa.But once there, Bourne is hampered by confusing flashbacks of unfamiliar places and events, and he wonders: is someone brainwashing him in order to throw him off the trail? Worse, is the man he saved in Africa really Martin Lindros? Now, Bourne is alone, gathering evidence while trying to stay one step ahead of the terrorists who won't let anyone stand in the way of destroying the United States.
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Robert+Ludlum%27s+the+Bourne+Betrayal+by+Lustbader%2C+Eric&x=0&y=0
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=BK_HACH_000041&BV_SessionID=@@@@1195252893.1256048800@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccgadeiimgddlgcefecekjdffidffj.0
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Starting book: (2383) Market Forces by Richard K. Morgan. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
(2383) Market Forces by Richard K. Morgan
Publisher's Summary
What do you buy and sell when the global markets reach saturation point? The markets themselves. Thirty years from now the big players in global capitalism have moved on from commodities. The big money is in conflict investment. The corporations keep a careful watch on the wars of liberation and revolution that burn constantly around the world. They guage who the winners will be and sell them arms, intelligence, and power. In return for a slice of the action when the war is won.The reward? A stake in the new nation. It's cynical, brutal, and it has nothing to do with democracy and the rule of law. So what else is new? The executives in this lethal game bid for contracts, fight for promotion, secure their lives on the roads. Fighting lethal duels in souped up, heavily armoured cars on the empty motorways of the future. Chris Faulkener has a lethal reputation and a new job at Shorn Associates. Has he got what it takes to make a real killing?
On audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=BK_TANT_000110&BV_SessionID=@@@@1195252893.1256048800@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccgadeiimgddlgcefecekjdffidffj.0
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Market+Forces+by+Richard+K.+Morgan&x=0&y=0
Next in my listening queue: (2383) Market Forces by Richard K. Morgan. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Starting book: (2382) Skylark #4; DuQuesne by E. E. 'Doc' Smith. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
Next in my listening queue: (2382) Skylark #4; DuQuesne by E. E. 'Doc' Smith. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
(2382) Skylark #4; DuQuesne by E. E. 'Doc' Smith
Dick Seaton and Marc DuQuesne are the deadliest enemies in the universe. Their feud has blazed among the stars and changed the history of a thousand planets. But now a threat from outside the galaxy drives them into a dangerous alliance as hordes of strange races drive to a collision with mankind.
Seaton and DuQuensne fight side by side to fend off the invasion - as Seaton keeps constant, perilous watch for DuQuesne's inevitable double-cross.
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=BK_BIMO_000181&BV_SessionID=@@@@1195252893.1256048800@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccgadeiimgddlgcefecekjdffidffj.0
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Skylark+%234%3B+DuQuesne+by+E.+E.+%27Doc%27+Smith&x=0&y=0
Starting book: Librivox Short Sci-fi Story Collection, Vol. 015 By Various Authors. http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
Next in my listening queue: Librivox Short Sci-fi Story Collection, Vol. 015 By Various Authors. http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com
(2381) Librivox Short Sci-fi Story Collection, Vol. 015 By Various Authors
Science fiction (abbreviated SF or sci-fi with varying punctuation and case) is a broad genre of fiction that often involves sociological and technical speculations based on current or future science or technology. This is a reader-selected collection of short stories that entered the US public domain when their copyright was not renewed.
Stories in this collection:
Librivox: http://librivox.org/short-science-fiction-collection-015/
Stories in this collection:
| A Scientist Rises | D. W. Hall |
| As Long as You Wish | John O\'Keefe |
| Beyond Lies the Wub | Philip K. Dick |
| Hard Guy | H. B. Carelton |
| I\'m a Stranger Here Myself | Mack Reynolds |
| The Crystal Egg | H. G. Wells |
| The New Accelerator | H. G. Wells |
| The Radiant Shell | Paul Ernst |
| Vanishing Point | C. C. Beck |
| Viewpoint | Randall Garrett |
Librivox: http://librivox.org/short-science-fiction-collection-015/
(2380) OTR, Podcasts & Music by Various Performers
Old Time Radio Show Gunsmoke; "Ambush at Medicine Lodge"
Podcast: Le Jazz Affair Show #356
Old Time Radio Show: OTR Cat's Monster Collection "Hansons Ghost"
Podcast: Prometheus Radio Theatre: "Foundation & Desire Act 2"
Music: Peter, Paul & Mary "Ten Years Together"
Podcasts: Windows Weekly: #100 "Crysis in the Cloud"
Music: Paul McCartney & Wings "Wings Over America" Disc 1
Switch book order in my queue so I'm now listening to the Great War by Harry Turtledove. More detail http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com
(2378) The Great War; American Front by Harry Turtledove
Harry Turtledove's second multivolume saga of 20th-century "alternative history," How Few Remain, takes place in a world in which the Confederate States win the Civil War and in 1914, allied with England and France, go to war against the United States once more. All the horrors of World War I, such as trench warfare and mustard gas, are present, only this time they're situated in a North American theater of operations where the U.S. fights enemies on both its northern and southern borders while Confederate blacks, studying up on left-wing radicals Karl Marx and Abe Lincoln, prepare for the revolution. As in Turtledove's earlier Worldwar series, the majority of attention is paid to an assortment of people at the battlefields and home fronts, their stories unfolding in gradual increments that, at least so far, only intermittently connect with each other. And there's not as much in the way of "real" historical figures popping up in this first volume of The Great War series, save for cameo appearances by U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt, Confederate president Woodrow Wilson, an aging General Custer, and a handful of others. It remains to be seen whether future entries in the series will feature such obvious candidates for inclusion as the young Ernest Hemingway, and how they'll appear in this strange new world. --Ron Hogan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
This masterpiece of alternate history takes place in the same world as Turtledove's How Few Remain and begins a projected tetralogy of a First World War fought with Germany and the U.S. allied against Britain, France and the Confederacy. The reader is drawn in at once as a German cruiser approaches Boston and Jeb Stuart III trains his artillery on the Capitol Dome, and Turtledove sustains high interest throughout the lengthy narrative. As in How Few Remain, the author gives full recognition to social and economic factors (e.g., how conscription impacts politics; how labor shortages affect the position of barely emancipated blacks in the Confederacy). He also plausibly depicts the opening stages of race war. In addition, he unleashes the horrors of trench warfare on American soil and shows how an American army of occupation might look from the point of view of the occupied Canadians. With shocking vividness, Turtledove demonstrates the extreme fragility of our modern world, and how much of it has depended on a United States of America. This is state-of-the-art alternate history, nothing less. Author tour.
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/American-Front-Great-War-Book/dp/0345405609/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256484373&sr=1-3
Michigan eLibrary: http://elibrary.mel.org/record=b13179152~S15
(2396) American Empire; Blood & Iron by Harry Turtledove
Publisher's Summary
Best-selling master of alternate history Harry Turtledove offers a new vision of America after World War I. In 1920, as veterans question the very nation they fought for, socialist Upton Sinclair challenges Teddy Roosevelt for the presidency. And in the defeated Confederacy, a fiery racist whips his followers into a frenzy.On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=BK_RECO_001665&BV_SessionID=@@@@2046654115.1255625340@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccdadeiihmlglicefecekjdffidfgi.0
Starting book: 2378) American Empire; Blood & Iron by Harry Turtledove. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Next in my listening queue: (2378) American Empire; Blood & Iron by Harry Turtledove. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com
(2394) Futility, Or the Wreck of the Titan (Librivox) by Morgan Robertson
This novel was published a full 14 years before the sinking of the Titanic, but listeners may be surprised at how many parallels this fictional tale has with subsequent true events.On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wreck-Titan-Futility-Morgan-Robertson/dp/0848814614/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256483862&sr=1-1
The Titan is the largest and most technologically advanced steamship of her time. She is considered unsinkable. Her full speed crossings of the Northern Lane Route carry her rich passengers in the highest standards of luxury and comfort. The less well-off travel in rougher quarters but still benefit from the speed of travel. These crossings, however, are fraught with navigational hazards, the greatest of which is ice.
Unlike the ship, one member of her crew is not of the highest standard. At least, not anymore. John Rowland is a broken man who drinks to forget his past. However, when the Titan crashes into an iceberg during her attempt to break a speed record, he is forced to confront his past. Can he overcome his enemies and escape as the ship begins to sink? And can he make his way back to civilization and find self-respect once more? Adventure and soul-searching await Rowland, with a surprise ending.
Summary by Tom Weiss and Cori Samuel.
On Librivox: http://librivox.org/futility-or-the-wreck-of-the-titan-by-morgan-robertson/
Michigan eLibarary: http://elibrary.mel.org/record=b17869808~S15
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
(2377) Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
Publisher's Summary
Acclaimed visionary author Kim Stanley Robinson is a Hugo and Nebula Award-winner. Blue Mars is the final volume in Robinson's seminal science-fiction trilogy, which began with Red Mars and continues with Green Mars.The once red and barren terrain of Mars is now green and rich with life - plant, animal, and human. But idyllic Mars is in a state of political upheaval, plagued by violent conflict between those who would keep the planet green and those who want to return it to a desert world.
Meanwhile, across the void of space, old, tired Earth spins on its decaying axis. A natural disaster threatens to drown the already far too polluted and overcrowded planet. The people of Earth are getting desperate. Maybe desperate enough to wage interplanetary war for the chance to begin again.
Blue Mars is a complex and completely enthralling saga - as convincing and lushly imagined a future as anyone has ever dreamed. Richard Ferrone narrates this sweeping epic with engaging personality and finesse.
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=BK_RECO_001705&BV_SessionID=@@@@2046654115.1255625340@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccdadeiihmlglicefecekjdffidfgi.0
Thursday, October 22, 2009
(2376) Gulliver of Mars (Librivox) by Edwin L. Arnold
Summary:
This escapist novel first published in 1905 as Lieutenant Gullivar Jones: His Vacation follows the exploits of American Navy Lieutenant Gulliver Jones, a bold, if slightly hapless, hero who is magically transported to Mars; where he almost outwits his enemies, almost gets the girl, and almost saves the day.
Somewhat of a literary and chronological bridge between H.G. Wells and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jones’ adventures provide an evocative mix of satire and sword-and-planet adventure.On Librivox: http://librivox.org/gulliver-of-mars-by-edwin-l-arnold/
(Summary by James Christopher and Wikipedia)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
(2375) The Survivalist #12; The Rebellion by Jerry Ahern
John Rourke, The Survivalist, must serve as judge, jury and executioner in the pursuit of justice and the defense of freedom in The Survivalist 12: The Rebellion.
Approximate Running Time: 6 hours
ISBN: 1-59950-535-5
ISBN-13: 978-1-59950-535-0
Release Date: March 2009
On Graphic Audio:
(2374) Acorna's World by Anne McCaffrey & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
From Publishers Weekly
Gentle Unicorn Girl Acorna makes her fourth appearance in this galaxy-spanning successor to Acorna's Quest. Her shy, empathetic race, the pacific Linyaari, are still menaced by the horrid insectoid Khleevi, whose cannibalistic Young feast on their own elders as well as on other races they torture and destroy. Acorna, aboard the Condor, a spacegoing salvage ship captained by her friend Jonas Becker and accompanied by the vile-tempered Makahomian Temple Cat Road Kill and her Linyaari friend, Aari, who was previously maimed by the Khleevi, answers a distress call that leads her to a planet of sticky-veined sentient vines holding the secret to sapping the Khleevi and saving the Linyaari from extermination. Along the way, Acorna and Aari fall in love, a giant new Moon of Opportunity marketing venture (MOO) opens up for Acorna's adopted neo-Bedouin Uncle Hafiz, and the former slave children Acorna rescued earlier enjoy suitable education, gainful employment and a future of endless Happy Meals. Predictably strong on sweetness and light, noble self-sacrifice and plenty of teeny-bopper growing-up pangsAthough correspondingly superficial in characterizations and future scientific wondersAthis latest chapter in Acorna's adventures also offers (especially toward its close) some wry social commentary on capitalistic machinations and elder-eating younger generations: harmless good spacefaring fun. The novel includes a glossary of terms and proper names and "Brief Notes on the Linyaari Language." (Aug.)Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Acornas-World-Anne-Mccaffrey/dp/0061050954/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255625541&sr=1-1
(2373) The Zombie Chronicles Bk 1; Escape (Podiobooks) by James Melze
When an asteroid passes by our planet and leaves a trail of death in its wake, a quarter of the population have become the living dead.
Twenty-five years later the zombies are under the control of the government. Citizens are chosen to participate in Project Mirror, a cloning project in which their "mirrors" are used as food for the undead. When one man discovers that something in his blood is being used to create an army of super-zombies, he decides to help his mirror escape. In doing so he uncovers a secret so guarded that the powers that be will stop at nothing to eliminate him and all those that he loves.
The Zombie Chronicles: Escape is the first book is a series of edge-of-your-seat thrillers that will take you on an adventure beyond your wildest imagination and leave you wanting more with each episode.
On Podiobox: http://www.podiobooks.com/title/the-zombie-chronicles-escape
Starting book: (2372) The Odyssey (Librivox) by Homer, Transl. Samuel Butler. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
Next in my listening queue: (2372) The Odyssey (Librivox) by Homer, Transl. Samuel Butler. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
(2372) The Odyssey (Librivox) by Homer, Transl. Samuel Butler
The Odyssey is one of the two major ancient Greek epic poems (the other being the Iliad), attributed to the poet Homer. The poem is commonly dated to between 800 and 600 BC. The poem is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, and concerns the events that befall the Greek hero Odysseus in his long journey back to his native land Ithaca after the fall of Troy.
It takes Odysseus ten years to return to his native land of Ithaca after ten years of war; during his 20-year absence, his son Telemachus and his wife Penelope must deal with a group of unruly suitors who have moved into Odysseus’ home to compete for Penelope’s hand in marriage, since most have assumed that Odysseus has died.
The poem is a fundamental text in the Western canon and continues to be read in both Homeric Greek and translations around the world.
(Summary from Wikipedia)
On Librivox: http://librivox.org/the-odyssey-by-homer/
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
(2371) Trojan Odyssey by Clive Cussler
Adventure tales for boys (and girls) of all ages have no more vigorous champion today than Cussler, who has kept the spirit of Joe and Frank Hardy alive, albeit on a grander scale, in numerous bestsellers. This 17th Dirk Pitt extravaganza finds Cussler (literally, as he makes a cameo at book's end) and his entourage of paint-by-number characters in fine fettle, foiling a dastardly plot by outlandish villains to launch a new ice age, and at the same time demonstrating that the Achaeans were not Greeks but Celts, and that Troy was a town in what's now England. After a prelude set during the Trojan War, the novel proper starts with a roar, as a monstrous hurricane sweeps toward the Caribbean, endangering not only Pitt's twin son and daughter, engaged in undersea exploration, but also the Ocean Wanderer, a luxury floating hotel owned by a mysterious billionaire known as Specter. In a manly manner, Pitt and his longtime sidekick, Al Giordino, both of NUMA (the National Underwater and Marine Agency), save the hotel and Pitt's grown kids, but not before those kids discover a trove of underwater relics that indicate that the Celts, aka Achaeans, reached the New World millennia ago. And the Celts are still here, in the guise of a female Druidic cult linked to Specter and aiming for world domination by altering ocean currents via a vast underground mechanism in Nicaragua, which will plunge the earth into cold, then selling a new type of cheap fuel cell to supply needed heat. The action never flags, the heroics never halt and the bodies pile up as Pitt and Co. take on the villains; some big changes in Pitt's personal life close the book.
Michigan eLibrary: http://elibrary.mel.org/record=b13221530~S15
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Trojan-Odyssey-Dirk-Pitt-Adventure/dp/0425199320/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255376193&sr=1-1
(2370) OTR, Podcasts & Music by Various Performers
Album: Simon & Garfunkel "Bookends"
Old time radio show: Candy Matson "The Valley of the Moon" http://otrcat.com/
Old time radio show: Exploring Tomorrow "Over Population" http://otrcat.com/
Podcast: Le Jazz Affair #355 http://lejazzaffair.com/
Podcast: Prometheus Radio Theatre "Foundation & Desire Act 1" http://prometheus.libsyn.com/
Album: Barry Manilow "The Essential Barry Manilow" Disc 1
Podcast: this WEEK in TECH - MP3 Edition show #187 http://twit.tv/
Old time radio show: Candy Matson "The Valley of the Moon" http://otrcat.com/
Old time radio show: Exploring Tomorrow "Over Population" http://otrcat.com/
Podcast: Le Jazz Affair #355 http://lejazzaffair.com/
Podcast: Prometheus Radio Theatre "Foundation & Desire Act 1" http://prometheus.libsyn.com/
Album: Barry Manilow "The Essential Barry Manilow" Disc 1
Podcast: this WEEK in TECH - MP3 Edition show #187 http://twit.tv/
(2369) The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham
Publisher's Summary:
John Wyndham's classic tale of monsters from the deep, alien invasion, and ecological disaster comes alive in this full-cast BBC radio dramatisation.At first, the fireballs seemed to be nothing more than a dazzling display of lights in the sky, plunging into the deepest oceans and disappearing without trace. But when ships started sinking inexplicably and the sea-lanes became impassable, it seemed that the world was facing a threat of unprecedented proportions.
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=RT_BBCW_001671&BV_SessionID=@@@@0416708527.1255375630@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccdadeiifhliggcefecekjdffidfhn.0
Monday, October 19, 2009
(2368) Tom Swift & His Electric Runabout (Librivox) by Victor Appleton
Summary:
Tom Swift enters an upcoming race with his specially-designed prototype electric race car. But as he makes the final preparations and adjustments, days before the race, he discovers a plot that would bankrupt not only his family, but also everyone else that relies on the local bank (which is the target of a nefarious bank-run scheme). Tom must solve the mystery and stop the criminals behind the plot before he’ll test himself on a 500 mile race against some of the best electric cars and skilled drivers in the United States. Listeners are forewarned that some elements and characters included in Tom Swift books portray certain ethnic groups in a very dated manner that modern readers, and listeners, may find offensive. Despite the racially stereotyped behavior and pronunciation in the books, the Reader believes it makes sense to read what’s written in order to be faithful to the author’s intent.Librivox: http://librivox.org/tom-swift-and-his-electric-runabout-by-victor-appleton/
Summary from Wikipedia and modified by the Reader.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
(2367) Horizons by Peter Prellwitz
Publisher's Summary:
For 20 years Earth has been exploring the stars using faster-than-light stardrives in which a manmade black hole pulls the ship through space. Dangerous to themselves and everything in the vicinity, the24 starships, led by the flagship Horizon, have opened up new worlds to colonize.Now mankind stands on the brink of a momentous breakthrough: Hyperidor drives; faster-than-light travel that is inexpensive, risk free, and available to all. All that stands in the way of vast exploration and colonization is a corporate behemoth that wants to see the hyperidor drive fail; no matter what the cost. It is left to the Horizon's Captain Pamela Carlson and Third Engineer Mahlon Stewart to decipher the means, motives and murders that threaten not only mankind's future in space but the Horizon and its crew as well.
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=BK_DODR_000017&BV_SessionID=@@@@0823585532.1255265050@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccladeiifiehlgcefecekjdffidflj.0
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Horizons-Peter-W-Prellwitz/dp/1554041619/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255268248&sr=1-1
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Starting book: (2366) Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. This is a long book. More details: http://audiobookaddit.blogspot.com.
(2366) Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
Publisher's Summary:
In Red Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson imagined a near future in which humankind established the first colonies on Mars and began to make the planet inhabitable for humans. In this stunning sequel to that Nebula Award-winning novel, Robinson takes the colonization of Mars to a new generation, with a new set of problems and concerns.The initial Martian pioneers had fierce disagreements about how the planet should be used by humans. This led to a war that threatened the lives of billions of people on both Mars and Earth. Now, the second generation of settlers continues the struggle to survive the hostile yet strangely beautiful environment of the red planet. Their decisions and actions will ultimately determine whether Mars will simply be a sanctuary for scientists, a source of raw materials for Earth, or something much more.
Richard Ferrone's robust narration of this thrilling, timeless tale captures the fascinating diversity of Robinson's compelling characters, taking listeners to the farthest frontier of humanity's struggle to survive.
©1994 Kim Stanley Robinson; (P)2001 Recorded Books
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=BK_RECO_001713&BV_SessionID=@@@@0823585532.1255265050@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccladeiifiehlgcefecekjdffidflj.0
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Green-Mars-Trilogy-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553572393/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255267719&sr=1-1
Michigan eLibrary: http://elibrary.mel.org/search~S15?/aRobinson%2C+Kim+Stanley/arobinson+kim+stanley/1%2C1%2C81%2CB/frameset&FF=arobinson+kim+stanley&28%2C%2C81
(2365) Deathlands #15; Chill Factor by James Axler
America's legacy of annihilation continues for Ryan Cawdor and his band of post-apocalypse survivors on a quest to find a peaceful new life. Trekking through the ruins of a devastated America, they search for secrets of the past that might promise a future. This is the odyssey called Deathlands.
Ryan travels to the snowy wastes north of the forty-ninth parallel to rescue his young son, enslaved in a mining colony. In this forbidding landscape, one of Ryan's oldest enemies lies in wait, orchestrating a deadly finale to their private war.
In the biting cold, Ryan must battle a legion of hunter androids designed to track and kill any intruders with ruthless ingenuity. But for Ryan Cawdor, the need to save his son is greater than any threat the one-eyed warrior may encounter.
Grfaphic Audio: http://www.graphicaudio.net/p-42-15-chill-factor.aspx
Thursday, October 15, 2009
(2364) Librivox Short Sci-fi Story Collection, vol. 014 By Various Authors
Science fiction (abbreviated SF or sci-fi with varying punctuation and case) is a broad genre of fiction that often involves sociological and technical speculations based on current or future science or technology. This is a reader-selected collection of short stories, first published between 1951 and 1962, that entered the US public domain when their copyright was not renewed.
Summary by Cori Samuel, with Wikipedia input.
Librivox: http://librivox.org/short-science-fiction-collection-014/
(2363) The HeavenField - Book One (Podiobooks) by I G Hulme
The world has changed forever; we have opened the door to something which we don’t understand, and that door cannot be closed. I only hope we can change with the world.” The man had a fevered stare, and Thomas found himself mesmerised by his words, obscure as they were.
The man suddenly stiffened, as if hearing a distant noise, then leaned close to Thomas once more.
“They’re coming,” he whispered.
When Grace Palmer and her team of research scientists discover a way into a mysterious world they name the HeavenField, they trigger a devastating chain of events. Bizarre, unexplained murders and attacks on the Project leave scientists trapped in the Field with no way to return. As their air supplies run low and their equipment begins to fail, their nightmares begin to play out before them...
On Padiobooks: http://www.podiobooks.com/title/the-heavenfield-1
(2362) Absolute Friends by Le Carré, John
Publisher's Summary:
By chance and not by choice, Ted Mundy, eternal striver, failed writer, and expatriate son of a British Army officer, used to be a spy. But that was in the good old Cold War days when a cinder-block wall divided Berlin and the enemy was easy to recognize.Today, Mundy is a down-at-heel tour guide in southern Germany, dodging creditors, supporting a new family, and keeping an eye out for trouble while in spare moments vigorously questioning the actions of the country he once bravely served.
And trouble finds him, as it has before, in the shape of his old German student friend, radical, and one-time fellow spy, the crippled Sasha, seeker after absolutes, dreamer, and chaos addict.
After years of trawling the Middle East and Asia as an itinerant university lecturer, Sasha has yet again discovered the true, the only, answer to life, this time in the form of a mysterious billionaire philanthropist named Dimitri. Thanks to Dimitri, both Mundy and Sasha will find a path out of poverty, and with it their chance to change a world that both believe is going to the devil. Or will they?
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/
Michigan eLibrary: http://elibrary.mel.org/
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
(2361) Rising Phoenix by Kyle Mills
Publishers Weekly Review:
Nearly buried by a blizzard of pre-publication hype, this debut nonetheless emerges as a fine thriller with memorable characters and enorugh twists to keep readers turning pages. Mills is not yet in the league of Len Deighton, John le Carre or even Tom Clancy, whose glowing recommendation takes top billing over the author's name on the galley proofs. Still, as the son of a former FBI agent and director of Interpol (Clancy calls Mills pere an "old friend"), he knows how to flesh out an original premise with absorbing descriptions of FBI work. When megalomaniac televangelist Simon Blake declares his own war on drugs, his security chief, John Hobart, a ruthless ex-DEA agent, manages to poison large cocaine shipments using a rare European fungus. After drug users start dying in epidemic fashion, the FBI sends for agent Mark Beamon, who has been consigned to virtual exile in Houston by a prissy director uncomfortable with his unorthodox methods. Generally acknowledged to be the best detective in the bureau, Beamon was also briefly partnered with Hobart and knows his adversary is a sadistic killer. The ensuing international hunt for Hobart attracts the DEA, a Colombian drug lord and a New York Mafia don. Complicating matters, a rising percentage of Americans begin to side with the poisoners. Ultimately, Beamon must face down Hobart alone. Mills vividly renders people and places, especially Washington's gritty South East housing projects. Although Beamon comes across as more procedurally thorough than inspired, he possesses a raffish charm and a flair for the off-the-cuff remark. Mills is definitely someone to watch. $300,000
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rising-
Michigan eLibrary: http://elibrary.mel.org/
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rising-
Michigan eLibrary: http://elibrary.mel.org/
(2360) OTR, Podcasts & Music by Various Performers
Old time radio show Boston Blackie "Mary at Sea" http://botar.us/
Children of the Gods Chapter 7, Enemy part 2 http://childrenofthegods.net/
Album: Kenny Rogers "Kenny Rogers and other Duets"
Podcast: Le Jazz Affair http://lejazzaffair.com/
Podcast:Leo Laporte The Tech Guy show #562 http://twit.tv/
Old time radio shows: OTR Cat's Monster Collection "Zombie" http://otrcat.com/
Podcast: Prometheus Radio Theatre "Contents Under Pressure - Episode 6" http://prometheus.libsyn.com/
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
(2359) The General's Daughter by DeMille, Nelson
After the wit and panache of his bestselling The Gold Coast , DeMille's latest effort may disappoint his fans. The author returns to his more customary stylish-suspense-novel mode but retains a smart-aleck narrator--here, Paul Brenner, of the Army's Criminal Investigation Division. At Fort Hadley, Ga., Ann Campbell, daughter of the post commander, is found murdered under bizarre circumstances. Brenner learns that Ann's entire personal life, in fact, veered toward the bizarre; she even had a secret basement "playroom" in her home. Moral turpitude runs riot at Fort Hadley, and Brenner must wade through muck of all sorts to discover the killer's identity. Too much muck, as it turns out: the detective work becomes repetitious, and suspense is unfortunately in short supply. Brenner's one-liners have none of the punch of John Sutter's wry observations in The Gold Coast --indeed, the device of a waggish narrator doesn't fit these proceedings; the wisecracks seem grafted on. So, too, does a resumed romance between Brenner and an old flame--we don't get a good enough picture of either to care about whatever sparks might fly. Characterization in general is fuzzy, though DeMille captures the often unquestioning regimen of life on a military base. One only wishes that his tale had more spirit and dash. Author tour.
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/
Michigan eLibrary: http://elibrary.mel.org/
(2358) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Publisher's Summary
Clare and Henry have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was 36. They were married when Clare was 23 and Henry was 31. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.Clare and Henry's story unfolds from both points of view, depicting the effects of time travel on their marriage and their passionate love for each other. They attempt to live normal lives, pursuing familiar goals: steady jobs, good friends, children of their own. All of this is threatened by something they can neither prevent nor control, making their story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Time-
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/
Michigan eLibrary: http://elibrary.mel.org/
Monday, October 12, 2009
(2357) Librivox Short Sci-fi Story Collection, vol. 009 By Various Authors
Science fiction (abbreviated SF or sci-fi with varying punctuation and case) is a broad genre of fiction that often involves sociological and technical speculations based on current or future science and technology. This is a reader-selected collection of short stories that entered the US public domain when their copyright was not renewed.
Librivox: http://librivox.org/short-
Librivox: http://librivox.org/short-
(2368) Tom Swift & His Electric Runabout (Librivox) by Victor Appleton
Tom Swift enters an upcoming race with his specially-designed prototype electric race car. But as he makes the final preparations and adjustments, days before the race, he discovers a plot that would bankrupt not only his family, but also everyone else that relies on the local bank (which is the target of a nefarious bank-run scheme). Tom must solve the mystery and stop the criminals behind the plot before he’ll test himself on a 500 mile race against some of the best electric cars and skilled drivers in the United States. Listeners are forewarned that some elements and characters included in Tom Swift books portray certain ethnic groups in a very dated manner that modern readers, and listeners, may find offensive. Despite the racially stereotyped behavior and pronunciation in the books, the Reader believes it makes sense to read what’s written in order to be faithful to the author’s intent.
Summary from Wikipedia and modified by the Reader.
On Librivox: http://librivox.org/tom-swift-and-his-electric-runabout-by-victor-appleton/
(2356) Escape Route by Peter F. Hamilton
Publisher's Summary
The starship Lady Macbeth encounters a long-abandoned alien spacecraft, with its escape route still intact - but leading where? If the crew claims salvage rights, the technology inside could make them wealthy enough to buy planets. But first they need to make sure it's as empty as it seems.According to the author, of all the short stories he's written, this was the most fun and the most difficult to write. This hard SF is set firmly in the universe of the author's Night's Dawn trilogy and concerns the starship Lady Macbeth when Joshua Calvert's father, Marcus Calvert, was her captain.
Given the history already established in Reality Dysfunction, Hamilton had to write inside clearly defined parameters to make the plot dovetail with the Confederation timeline. The Lady Mac had to come out badly damaged but still space worthy. On top of that, the flight had to be an experience that stopped Marcus from wanting to fly her again.
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Escape-
(2355) Stony Man #41; Silent Invader by Don Pendleton
The ultra-covert arm of the U.S. Justice Department, Stony Man has an ongoing mission to keep the world's trouble spots from exploding, by destroying the agents of terror who threaten humanity. Now, as deadly nerve gas slaughters innocents and puts America under fire, Stony Man's crack cybernetics and battlefield commandos track evil incarnate to its darkest heart.
On Graphic Audio: http://www.graphicaudio.net/p-
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Silent-
(2354) Thirteen by Richard K. Morgan
Publisher's Summary:
Marsalis is one of a new breed...literally. Genetically engineered by the U.S. government to embody the naked aggression and primal survival skills that centuries of civilization have erased from humankind, Thirteens were intended to be the ultimate military fighting force. The project was scuttled, however, when a fearful public branded the supersoldiers dangerous mutants, dooming the Thirteens to forced exile on Earth's distant, desolate Mars colony. But Marsalis found a way to slip back and into a lucrative living as a bounty hunter and hit man before a police sting landed him in prison - a fate worse than Mars, and much more dangerous.Luckily, his "enhanced" life also seems to be a charmed one. A new chance at freedom beckons, courtesy of the government. All Marsalis has to do is use his superior skills to bring in another fugitive. But this one is no common criminal. He's another Thirteen, one who's already shanghaied a space shuttle, butchered its crew, and left a trail of bodies in his wake on a bloody cross-country spree. And like his pursuer, he was bred to fight to the death. Still, there's no question Marsalis will take the job. Though it will draw him deep into violence, treachery, corruption, and painful confrontation with himself, anything is better than remaining a prisoner. The real question is: can he remain sane and alive long enough to succeed?
Michigan elibrary: http://elibrary.mel.
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/adbl/
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