Torchwood Audio Dramas "Lost Souls" "Asylum" "Golden Age" "The Dead Line" Directed by Karen McAll

Torchwood Audio Dramas
"Lost Souls"
"Asylum"
"Golden Age"
"The Dead Line"
Directed by Karen McAll
each episode approx 1 hour.

Once again I'm astounded by the creative sci-fi writing for British television. I've been a fan of Doctor Who from way back. Get past the what are now, and even then, considered cheesy special effects, and you find some very smart writing in these series. When the Doctor Who TV series experienced a rebirth back in 2005 I was wary. I was afraid they would not be able to keep up with my image of Doctor Who, I was a huge fan of Tom Baker's portrayal of the Doctor. How could they keep up with the humor and the fun in space and time travel? Well only recently I decided to give it a try. I had six seasons to watch and I watched them all. I was astounded. The writing was excellent and all of the new doctors kept the tradition alive. David Tennant was my favorite of the New Doctors, since he was the closest to what Tom Baker brought to the character.

The cool thing about the new series was that it launched two spin-off series. One was aired on CBBC (the children's portion of BBC tv), "The Sarah Jane Adventures." This series focused on the longtime Doctor Who companion Sarah Jane Smith. The adventures were more of a live action Scooby Doo series (sans semi-talking dog, unless you count K-9) It was a kids show but the Doctor made a couple of appearances and the aliens were all ones that were experienced on Doctor Who. There was even a crossover episode of Doctor Who which featured Sarah and her alien hunting crew along with the crew of the other spin-off, "Torchwood."

This second spin-off series, "Torchwood," was one that really got my attention. "Torchwood," is a series about alien hunters that were established by Queen Victoria in 1879. The Doctor saved the Queen from a werewolf at the Torchwood Estate, in Scotland. After the Doctor saves her she knights him and then banishes him and establishes Torchwood to keep out all aliens. (Something note here; Torchwood is an anagram for Doctor Who.) Later in the Doctor Who Series Torchwood blasts an alien ship out of the sky, which The Doctor had just made it's passengers promise to never come to Earth again. Going against the Doctor on this the British Prime Minister learns not to cross the Doctor. In yet another episode of Doctor Who Torchwood is destroyed by the Daleks.

The Torchwood team is led by Captain Jack Harkness, who is a time agent and can never die. He met up with Doctor Who early in the new series and several times there after. After Torchwood is destroyed, Captain Jack rebuilds Torchwood because "The 21st Century is when Everything changes." He rebuilds the base in Cardiff, Wales, because there is a rift in time and space above/around Cardiff that aliens and time travelers find their way through. His team's job is to detain the arrivals or if possible send them back, keeping the world safe from aliens. So far the series has run 3 seasons with a fourth one coming soon, according to rumor at the time of this writing.

Set between the end of Series Two and the beginning of Series Three, the BBC aired four Torchwood radio dramas featuring the cast of the series, with the first airing September, 2008 and the last three July, 2009. That is the focus of this review. After I watched all of the new Doctor Who series and all the Torchwood series, I had to find more material. There are other audiobooks available but I wanted to start out with these radio dramas. They are available separately on amazon.com at last check.

So, let's talk about these audio dramas. They all feature the full cast and are written just as well as the TV series. If you want to continue in the Torchwood world it is best to start with these since they do feature the full cast. They also include the same music as the TV broadcasts as well as phenomenal sound effects that blast you into the middle of the story.

Here's a summary of each episode:

"Lost Souls" written by Joseph Lidster, begins with Captain Jack Harkness and his crew chasing weevils (annoying aliens that are constantly coming through the rift). Jack gets a call from Doctor Martha Jones, a former companion of The Doctor, who needs his help at CERN. Just hours away from a major discovery in particle physics people have gone missing. Torchwood arrives to find that the people have a particle missing from their atoms and must save the Earth from something brought to our univers via the Hadron Collider.

"Asylum" written by Anita Sullivan, is about a girl that comes from the future through the rift, she is caught shoplifting clothes and Torchwood is called in because of the weapon she's carrying. Turns out the young girl is from a bleak future and has a secret. Why did she come back in time and more important who sent her?

"Golden Age" written by James Goss, tells the story of the Delhi branch of Torchwood which was closed down by Captain Jack Harkness back in 1924 yet the people inside are not only still receiving packages addressed to Torchwood but have also found a way to freeze time. This can't be good for planet Earth.

"The Dead Line" written by Phil Ford is more of a haunting tale of a phone call you never want to receive. People in Cardiff are winding up in the hospital after answering the phone and going into a coma. When the call is traced the phone number is one that has not been connected since 1975. When Jack answers one of those calls it is up to Ianto Jones and Eve Myles, the other two members of Torchwood to find answers.

Four great sci-fi stories that will leave you wanting more. You can always go back and watch the series and check out the other audiobooks based on the series. Glad I could get you started.

Hostage to Death by L. Ron Hubbard

Hostage to Death
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multi-cast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio (2009)
Approx. 2 hours

Once again it's time to dive into the Golden Age of Stories, when many Americans could get great escapism fiction from pulp magazines. One of the most prolific pulp fiction writers was L. Ron Hubbard, writing stories from many genres and being published in nearly all the pulps. This time around we go on a far flung adventure and join up with the French Foreign legion.

I can remember when I was young that a young man would instead of run away and join the circus had the option of running away and joining the Foreign Legion, I think I remember some TV show where a kid threatened to do so but being only 9 years old was talked out of it by his parents. The French Foreign Legion has been known to be an elite force with training that is more intense than any other military allowing anyone from any nationality to serve the French Army.

This story, "Hostage to Death" was originally published in "Five Novels Monthly" July, 1935 and is an adventure that will lead to double crosses within double crosses. Legionnaire Officer, Bill Reilly receives a severed hand that serves as a message and a threat. The hand is that of some unlucky soul that crossed into Abd El-Ulad's territory and that if nothing is done an Englishwoman, Kay MacArthur's hand will be sent next, basically challenging the Legion to rescue her. Knowing it could be a trap, Reilly's sense of honor overrides and he sends his squad in to rescue the woman. The good news, the woman is rescued. The bad news, it was a trap and the railroad they were supposed to be guarding is blown up. Reilly is tried and convicted to 15 years for abandoning his post.

But the Legion has other plans for Reilly. Now that Reilly is known to be sent to the roughest prison in history the Legion plans for his escape so he can infiltrate another enemy's camp, that of Abd El-Krim. Reilly takes to Krim the plans for movement of ammunition and basically sells Krim several trainloads of Legion weapons. The Legion does this so the enemy can attack and weaken Spain, who is threatening the French. The problem is that the French have one more plan of double-crossing Reilly which could put him and Kay MacArthur in the path of certain death.

Once again Galaxy Audio productions along with a superb cast present an adventure from the Stories from the Golden Age. The sound effects alone put you in the middle of the fight with rattling machine guns and clashing of blades. You may find yourself ducking the gunshots while trying to rescue the dame while listening.

"Sh*t My Dad Says" by Justin Halpern

"Sh*t My Dad Says"
by Justin Halpern
read by Sean Schemmel
Published by Harper Audio (2010)
Approx 3 hours

I've been listening to some pretty heavy duty literature lately and decided I needed some light-hearted entertainment. Also I am taking part in the local library's Adult Summer Reading program and for every ten books read I get an entry into the drawing for some cool prizes, so I needed to find some shorter books. I have been a follower of Justin Halpern's twitter feed for "Sh*t My Dad Says" before the book and the TV series and and have found the musings to be hilarious at times. This book surprised me in that it not only has those funny quotes but also includes some short stories/essays on various events in Justin's upbringing. Some of them surprisingly poignant. Justin's Dad, Sam Halpern, who provides the colorful views of the world comes across a bit harsh at first but after listening to this book I was left with the overview of a worldly wise man that sincerely loves his family.

Sam Halpern, is a retired doctor (Nuclear Medicine) and former Navy man and can cuss better than anyone I know. In the book Justin says his favorite is "Bullsh*t," and can use the word to mean a variety of different things and all those things vary by his intonation. On top of that the reader, Sean Schemmel is able to portray Sam exactly the way I heard him when I read the tweets, and is able to discern the different intonations of "Bullsh*t." Sean does a superb job of voicing this fun book.

I will say that if foul language highly offends you, you may want to stay away...but they are only words in fact Sam Halpern says this, ""They're offended? F--k, s--t, a----le, s--tf--k; they're just words...Fine. S--tf--k isn't a word, but you get my point." I found the book extremely funny and for 3 days my commute to and from work was the best ever. I could list several quotes in this review but instead I'll just provide the link to the twitter feed so you can get a good idea of some of the quotes, but keep in mind many of the good parts of this audio book are the stories told. Many of the stories are in reference to a father providing help in the different phases of any kid growing up, at times I recognized myself in the stories and while Justin Halpern had a more colorfully described life, I could definitely relate.

When all is said and done this book is basically about a man that loves his family and will do anything for them, the rest of the world can go to hell.

Here's the link for the twitter feed: http://twitter.com/Shitmydadsays

"Son of a Witch" by Gregory Maguire

"Son of a Witch"
by Gregory Maguire
Read by the author
Produced by Harper Audio (2005)
Approx 14.5 hours

I still haven't had the chance to see "Wicked" the musical, but I couldn't just stop after reading the book. I found Gregory Maguire had written two sequels to the book so I thought I would get going on that aspect of the story. So here it is I've just finished "Son of a Witch" and have found the story to be interesting but didn't seem to close out the story. In the interview at the end of the audiobook the author says he doesn't have any plans to come up with another book in the spin off from the world of the Wizard of Oz. But it seems as though this book screams for a sequel. In that same interview Maguire says he got the idea from two sources; the numerous letters from young female fans who wondered what happened to Nor (daughter of the witch) and after seeing the torture photos from Abu Gharib prison. The problem with this is that this book seems to leave even more questions about what happened to Nor, although the prison scene is in the book.

This audiobook is read by the author and after reading stories (he also writes children's stories) to children he has honed his craft of quality voice acting. Maguire delivers the story probably the way it should be, the voices all sound as he intended so you get more depth to the characters. His delivery is perfect for the story and the different characters come across well defined. Keep in mind this is a story from the "Land of Oz" so there are some interesting characters such as, a talking Goose, a Phoenix and an Elephant disguised as a human princess. Each one comes across just as you and the author would think they should sound.

The first section of the book consists of a series of flashbacks that jump back to after the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) is killed by Dorothy and Liir (the Son of the Witch) accompanies her and her band (Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion and Toto to) back to the Wizard, and the "present" when Liir's body is found along the roadside thought to be another victim of "The Scrapings." Citizens are found dead with their faces scraped off by some mysterious force. When Liir is found to be still alive he is brought back to the Cloister of Saint Glinda in the Shale Shallows. The Superior Maunt recognizes the young man and identifies him as Liir, the young boy who left the Cloister with Elphaba a decade or so ago.

In the "present" time Liir is brought back to health by A Quadling girl, Candle who rarely speaks, and only in her native tongue, Qua'ati (though she understands other speech). Raised in Ovvels, she and some relatives became itinerants. She is left at the Cloister of Saint Glinda by her uncle, and ends up working in the kitchen under Sister Cook. She becomes a skilled player on the domingon, a Quadling musical instrument which sounds like it closely resembles a lute. When a phoenix plucks one of its own feathers to give to Candle and place in the domingon, the instrument seems to be complete, and Candle is able to "play" Liir Back to health by making him remember his past.

Candle and Liir are forced to leave the Mauntery and seek shelter in an abandoned farm which also served once as a press for an underground newspaper. Liir then learns he must go back to Oz and destroy the dragons, reclaim his broom and cape (which belonged to his mother) and guide the Council of Birds to Safety. In the process Liir learns his uncle Shel is now the Emperor of Oz and is running a corrupt government. The big lesson for Liir in this is that the he cannot simply sit back and let the world go by, he must take part in it in order to make change.

The story remains very interesting and entertaining, but I feel the book was not complete. I guess that's why Maguire wrote the sequel "A Lion Among Men," which is on my summer reading list.

"The Cylons' Secret" by Craig Shaw Gardner

"The Cylons' Secret"
by Craig Shaw Gardner
Published by Tor Books (2006)
303 pages

It seems as though not a day goes by that I don't have a thought about how great the reconceived "Battlestar Galactica" tv series was. The storylines were multidimensional, the actors were perfect and the whole series had a purpose. Why did it have to end? Well they did try to revisit the glory with the short-lived series "Caprica," but it seemed they weren't given the chance to tell the story. It seemed like a J. Michael Straszinski story that was constantly building into something but you had to have patience. But people wanted it to be awesome too fast so the show somewhat failed.

So what do we do for our Galactica fix for now? Well, I'm not sure about you but I have found one release, books. I have started reading some fiction based on the new and old series and have decided to create my own world based on the series with reading. Before the reimagined series came out Richard Hatch (yes the actor that played Apollo in the original series and Tom Zarek in the reimagined series) wrote a few. There was the Glen A Larson book which told of the beginnings from the original series point of view (this one featured the long lost daggit). There was a novelization of the pilot miniseries and now I found this gem which is a prequel to the reimagined series and features Adama, Tigh, and Zarek in a post Cylon war / pre Galactica seeks Earth adventure. A couple of fun things thrown into this book are the appearance of Viper pilot Athena, who was in the original series but was never written into the new series, and the Battlestar Pegasus, which made a major appearance in the new series.

The story created in this novel centers around a research base on the outskirts of space that has been forgotten. The original function of the base was to examine ways the Humans and Cylons could work together in harmony. The problem is that the Cylons sought to destroy humankind and the Cylon war broke out. When the war broke out this base was forgotten. Now 30 years later scavengers/pirates are out seeking lost treasures from things on the fringes of navigable space. The scavenger Cruiser Lightning comes across Omega Base and hear an antiquated recorded warning message transmited from the base saying the planet is under quarantine. Finding the recording to be from before the Cylon war they decide to scavenge what they can. When arriving at the planet they find it populated by a few research scientists and Cylons. When the scavengers begin shooting the Cylons fight back. The Cruiser is forced to flee when a Cylong Dreadnought ship appears and destroys the Cruiser's shuttle and Vipers. The shuttle actually only crashes since its last minute pilot, Tom Zarak has no experience flying, let alone running away from Cylons out to kill. The captain of the Cruiser Lightning never loses any of his crew and escapes but with revenge creeping close to the surface.

Meanwhile the Battlestar Galactica, with executive officer, William Adama and Flight crew Officer, Saul Tigh, is patrolling that sector of space trying to track down scavengers who have a path of destruction in their wake. When the Galactica approaches the planet and Omega Base, they are warned that they have Cylons, but the Cylons are Companions not the war seeking models from the war. And that they would like to share their experiment results with the colonies and some of the humans on the base would like to return to the Colonies. Adama is sent down as a diplomat and sets out to find the secrets of Omega Base. It seems the humans aren't the only ones who have taken an interest in the base that has been forgotten. When the Cylon Dreadnaught makes it's appearance near the Galactica the Cylon war seems like it's about to begin again.

Craig Shaw Gardner weaves a tale that keeps with the in depth plots and characters that made the reimagined series a hit.

"Under the Diehard Brand" by L. Ron Hubbard

"Under the Diehard Brand"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multi-cast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio
Approx 2 hours

I've said it before, and I'll say it again; I never thought I'd enjoy reading a Western novel or story. In the past these just never interested me, actually I'm still not all that interested in just any old Western story. A friend once tried to get me to read some Louis L'Amour, but I just couldn't get past 10 pages without becoming utterly bored. But here I am reading yet another Western story from L. Ron Hubbard.

I think, no wait, I know what it is that keeps me interested. It's the great production that goes into these Stories from the Golden Age produced by Galaxy Audio. The sound effects are perfect and keep you trapped in the story. The incidental music, between chapters and stories, just screams the "old west." But most importantly is the actors. The characters in the stories by L. Ron Hubbard are always super real and over the top and the characterizations provided by the voice actors in these productions represent them perfectly. Whether it's an outlaw named Holy George who speaks as though from a pulpit or a cantakerous gold prospector left alone in a ghost town, the actors let you know every aspect of the characters in these stories by superb acting and vocal expertise.

Galaxy Audio and Galaxy Press have been releasing the short stories from the master storyteller, L. Ron Hubbard for a few years now and continue to do so. These releases are from the mid-20th century writings which were originally published in the "pulp" magazines of the time. These works of "pulp-fiction" proved some great escapism fiction for the American readers and the pulps represented almost every genre of fiction. Hubbard wrote stories for nearly every genre and this time around I jumped into another collection of Western stories from the Stroies from the Golden Age. Each release from Galaxy Audio and Galaxy Press are issued to closely resemble the pulps of the time. This release contains the following three stories.

"Under the Diehard Brand" was originally published March, 1938 in "Western Aces" magazine and tells the tale of the Lee Thompson, son of the sheriff of Wolf River, coming back to his father after being away to help his father. When he arrives in town his father, Sheriff "Diehard" Thompson, doesn't recognize him and tells the young boy to keep on drifting or get a job. The son finds his father has gotten older and some local ruffians and cattle rustlers have over run the town of Wolf River. Lee then comes up with a plan to build back up his father's reputation and rid the town of the criminal element by joining up with the rustlers.

"Hoss Tamer" was originally published January, 1950 in "Thrilling Western" magazine.
An ex-circus horse trainer finds himself out of a job when the circus folds and sells off all its property in a foreclosure. The trainer tries to find a job as a bronc buster, after all he could "train" horses. But he gets injured and maimed the first time he tries and is forced to work for the town's livery stable. The Gopher Hole gang, the band responsible for his bronc busting disaster attempts to rob the Wells Fargo Train town, can a circus horse trainer foil the Gopher Hole Gang's attempt to rob the Wells Fargo train through their horses?

"The Ghost Town Gun-Ghost" originally published August, 1938, in "Western Action" magazine is a humorous story of an old prospector that seems to have lost his wits after being abandoned in a town when the gold ran out. A young fellow arrives in town and is shown about the town by the prospector who acts out the role of everyone in town from the mayor, to sheriff down to the the man running the Wells Fargo. When a few unsavory characters arrive in town it seems the prospector and young man may meet their end in a battle over stolen money hidden in town.

Naked Lunch: The Restored Text by William S. Burroughs

Naked Lunch: The Restored Text
by William S. Burroughs
Read by Mark Bramhall
Produced by Blackstone Audio, Inc. (2009)
Approx 10.5 hours

Every so often I have to go back and revisit a classic novel, this time around I was going to listen to “Naked Lunch” by William S. Burroughs, but I found that there had been a restored text version released which contains sections that were thought to be lost as well as some additional essays by Burroughs. I remember last time I tried to read this I couldn't quite get through the whole book. There were and still are parts that are extremely disturbing. Burroughs wrote the better part of this book while addicted to heroin and living in Tangiers. The stories/segments really display the torn state of consciousness he must have been experiencing.

The book starts out fairly straight forward in which a junkie (Burroughs) runs from the police in New York City and heads off across the country to escape and score more drugs. His adventures take us to Mexico City, Tangiers and into a alternate reality location referred to as “the Interzone.” Once he arrives in Mexico things get really weird when he meets up with Dr. Benway. By weird I mean really blow your mind type of weird. The descriptions of junkies using drugs in the not so “normal” way and even taking drugs that are way beyond the norm border on the disgusting. The weirdness hits when the author takes the reader/listener overseas and sexual deviancy becomes extremely disturbing. I did have to stop listening to this book at times just to clear my mind of the vivid imagery created by Burroughs.

At this point I would like to talk about the reader/Narrator, Mark Bramhall. Bramhall delivers this audiobook with absolute vocal perfection. His raspy voice is strangely soothing and yet some of the stuff he describes are over the top. His ability to do separate voices for each of the characters is worthy of applause not only because of the vocal gymnastics needed but also because of the ability to expose the characters through his voice alone. I'm gonna be looking for more audiobooks voiced by Bramhall, because he is just that good.

This novel presents a glimpse into the emerging counter cultures of the 1950s and gives interesting insights into how these forces effect the ongoing development of modern society. In one of the essays that Burroughs wrote in the early 60s, Burroughs continues this glimpse by further exploring the idea of treating addicts. His essay should be read by anyone involved in today's “War on Drugs.” The book was written in a non-linear fashion, in that the reader could pick up and start reading any chapter in the book and not lose the form of the storyline. I found it very interesting that the book ends exactly where it starts with the junkie running away from the cops. The story was brought full circle and at no point did I realize it was headed this way.

As for the historical significance of the book here is some of the information I found. The book is extremely controversial in both its subject matter and its use of obscene language (something Burroughs recognized and intended), the book was banned in Boston and Los Angeles in the United States, and several European publishers were harassed. It was one of the most recent American books over which an obscenity trial was held. The book was banned in Boston in 1962 due to obscenity, but that decision was reversed in 1966 by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The Appeals Court found the book did not violate obscenity statutes, as it was found to have some social value. The hearing included testimony in support of the work by Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer.

Sections of the manuscript were published in the spring, 1958 number of Robert Creeley's Black Mountain Review and in the spring 1958 University of Chicago student-run publication The Chicago Review. The student edition was not well received, and caused the university administration to discuss the future censorship of the Winter 1959 edition of the publication, resulting in the resignation of all but one of the editors. When the editor Paul Carroll published BIG TABLE Magazine alongside former Chicago Review editor Irving Rosenthal, he was found guilty of sending obscene material through the U.S. mail for including "Ten Episodes from Naked Lunch," a piece of writing the Judicial Officer for the United States Postal Service deemed "undisciplined prose, far more akin to the early work of experimental adolescents than to anything of literary merit" and initially judged it as non-mailable.

If you do chose to pick up this book I will warn you, reality will be altered and no matter who you are you will be disturbed.

"Wind Gone Mad" by L. Ron Hubbard

"Wind Gone Mad"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multicast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio
Approx 2 Hours

Whether you have ever listened to an audiobook or not, just once (that's all it will take then your hooked) grab one of these productions from Galaxy Audio. These "Stories from the Golden Age" are great stories in and of themselves, but the magic Galaxy Audio puts into the production of these adventure stories makes them superb audio dramas

I don't think I'm too far off base when I say that Galaxy Audio produces these stories by L. Ron Hubbard as if they were old time radio dramas. When I was a kid (which really wasn't that long ago...I keep saying that enough and it'll be true) I used to stay up late at night with a portable transistor AM radio and tune in to some radio shows that came from some radio station in the Midwest. I just loved the thrills and chills produced by audio only, and that feeling comes back every time I listen to these Galaxy Audio productions. They provide excellent vocal acting, sound effects that envelope you into the story and incidental music that makes the transition between chapters and/or stories smooth.

This time around I went back into their catalog and picked up an audiobook in the "Tales from the Orient" genre of Hubbard's stories. The first story "Wind Gone Mad" attracted me because I had previously listened to "The Hurricane's Roar" which was the second story to feature the character Wind-Gone-Mad. So I was all about finding out what prompted the second story. Turned out to be a fun adventure, but the best treat was that this audio book featured the first ever published story by L. Ron Hubbard.

"Wind-Gone-Mad," originally published in "Top Notch" October, 1935 is tale of a madman's plan to wipe out an entire province in pre-war China and how it is thwarted by the man they call “Feng-Feng”—the Chinese word for hurricane or “Wind-Gone-Mad.” Jim Dahlgren, representative of the Amalgamated Aeronautical Company, refuses to join policy to let China sort it's own problems. Lives are at stake, especially when a villain known as "The Butcher" is allowed to rise up with fire and sword carving the way on his warpath for complete control of the nation. Dahlgren goes to find a mysterious aviator, the man called "Wind-Gone-Mad" who has always fought against the province warlords. Wind-Gone-Mad sets out to fix this broken diplomacy.

The next story is the first story by Hubbard L. Ron Hubbard published. He began publishing in February 1932 with the story "Tah," which appeared in The University Hatchet, the newspaper of George Washington University, where he was attending college. Twelve-year-old Tah is sold to the army by his father and is forced on a 24 hour march to battle.

Yellow Loot, originally published in "Thrilling Adventures" October, 1934. After getting their stash of amber stolen by a renegade army a search for the precious amber ends in a tumultuous race for freedom on the Great Wall of China.

This will be the one of the most fun two hours you've ever spent. Enjoy!

"Full Dark, No Stars" by Stephen King

"Full Dark, No Stars"
by Stephen King
Read by Craig Wasson and Jessica Hecht
Published by Simon & Schuster Audio (2010)
Approx 15 hours

Okay, off the top here I've gotta admit, I'm a HUGE Stephen King fan, I would read a grocery list if he wrote it. That's the big reason I picked up this audiobook. Stephen King is the master of horror, and can always bring me to dark places and allow me to leave unscathed. This collection of novellas was no different. In fact this collection will take the reader/listener to some pretty dark places, but you will come out ok, trust me.

"Full Dark, No Stars" is a collection of four novellas dealing with the theme of retribution. In all cases someone gets retribution, in one case I'm not so sure if the retribution was steered toward the rightful person but it was there. This collection also explores the human psyche in its darkest corners. King always asks the question "What if..?" and can create some startling stories. Sometimes in King's novels the what if may be "What if an alien landed? What if a giant spider/clown thing lived underground and fed on children?" This time around, however, he takes us on a trek through some dark realities; What if you were married to a serial killer? What if you dumped your wife down the well? What if you escaped a serial killer? What if you could be cured of cancer?

The four novellas are tell of murders of some sort, two of which from a male point of view and two from a female point of view. This is why there are two different narrators, one male and one female, both do a superb job of presenting these dark stories. I think Craig Wasson shines best in his presentation of the first story "1922," he creates the down home feel in his vocal presentation, making it sound as if we are listening to Wilfred James actually talk out his confession.

Now, let's talk a bit about the four stories:

"1922"
Wilfred James, the story's narrator, writes a lengthy confession for the murder of his wife, Arlette, in Hemingford Home, Nebraska, in 1922. (King fans will recognize the town as being the center of the psychic magnet for the "good guys" in "The Stand.") Wilfred owns 80 acres of farmland that have been in his family for generations. His wife owns an adjoining 100 acres willed to her by her father. Wilfred loves his farm and scorns the thought of living in a city, but Arlette is hates the farm life and wants to move to Omaha, (Insert "Green Acres" theme song here.) She wants to sell her land to a livestock company for use as a pig farm and slaughterhouse. But if she does so, Wilfred's farm will smell like pig shit and the water will become disgusting, as he lives downstream from it. Arlette wants Wilf to sell his land to the farmers as well so they can all move to Omaha, while Wilf wants her to use the land to farm crops. They cannot agree, so Arlette decides to sell her land, divorce Wilf, and move to Omaha herself. Wilfred, who is very attached to his land, can't stand to have it be laid to waste in this way, and manipulates his reluctant 14-year-old son, Henry/Hank, into helping him murder his own mother, by convincing him of how awful and selfish she is, and how terrible their life in Omaha will be, particularly since it will take Henry away from the girl he likes.

They do the deed and then dump her body down the well, at first this seems like the deed is done, but soon the rats come. The rats used to live in the well and seem to have become Arlette's minions. Haunting and torturing Wilf and his cattle. To top it off Hank gets a neighbor girl pregnant and soon his doom is unveiled. Wilf does not come out on top like he hoped and the rats follow him everywhere.

"Big Driver"
I've always heard that when you write for a living write about what you know best, I've noticed King takes this to heart in that a lot of his main characters are writers, this story is about yet another writer. Tess is a successful mystery writer who appears at a speaking engagement for the group Books & Brownbaggers at the Chicopee Public Library in Chicopee, Massachusetts. After the event, the head librarian, Ramona Norville, who had invited Tess to the library for the event, tells Tess to avoid Interstate 84, which she believes to be dangerous. Instead, she gives Tess the directions to Stagg Road, a presumably safer shortcut to Tess' home in Connecticut. However, as Tess takes the shortcut, her Ford Expedition rolls over pieces of wood with nails that lie across the road, giving her a flat tire. The place where the incident happens is by an abandoned store/gas station.

Shortly afterwards, an enormous man in a pickup drives by and offers to assist Tess. However, when Tess looks in the truck's bed and notices pieces of wood similar to those that punched out her tires, the hulking man knocks her out. She returns to consciousness as the man is raping her inside the abandoned store. This begins a horrific ordeal in which Tess is repeatedly assaulted, both sexually and physically, finally being choked to unconsciousness. Tess plays dead while the man dumps her into a culvert, where she sees the rotting corpses of several previous victims, indicating that she has encountered a serial killer. Tess manages to find her way home but is a changed person and seeks revenge. King says he got the idea for this story while going to a book signing himself and stopping at a rest stop and seeing a woman with a flat tire getting help from a friendly truck driver. Of course, King turns this into a darker story with a darker ending than what probably happened with the good samaritan at the rest stop.

"Fair Extension"
On his way home, Dave Streeter sees a man with a roadside stand by the road to the Derry airport (here King brings back the town of Derry, Maine, which has gone through all sorts of different hells). Street goes out and talks with the man, George Elvid, who tells Streeter that he sells extensions of various types. Streeter, who is dying of lung cancer, thinks Elvid might be a mental patient escapee after he claims to have existed for centuries. Elvid offers Streeter a chance to live for approximately 15 years if he pays 15 percent of his salary for every one of those years... and transfers the "weight" of his misfortune onto someone he knows, but not just someone he knows, it has to be someone he hates.

Streeter selects Tom Goodhugh, his best friend since childhood, whom he has secretly hated for years. Streeter has done everything for Goodhugh, including doing his homework. Later, Goodhugh stole Streeter's girlfriend in college and married her. Goodhugh founded a successful million-dollar waste removal business with Streeter's assistance and now lives a lavish lifestyle, has three children on the fast track to great lives, and doesn't look like age has caught up with him, unlike Streeter.

A couple of days later, Streeter goes to his doctor, who tells him his tumors are shrinking. Four months later, Streeter is declared cancer-free, which perplexes his doctor. The good luck continues in subsequent years, as Streeter is promoted several times at work and his marriage becomes joyous and rich with lavish lifestyle improvements. His children begin a long line of career successes: his son creates two bestselling video games and his daughter gets her dream job as a journalist at the Boston Globe right out of college after graduating from the Columbia School of Journalism.

At the same time, Goodhugh's wife develops breast cancer, one son has a heart attack and lives but suffers brain damage, his daughter's husband dies, she gives birth to a stillborn baby (due to same heart defect that caused the heart attack in his other son). Streeter wins a longer life but at what cost.

"A Good Marriage"
Darcy Anderson has been married to Bob, a partner at a Portland, Maine accounting firm, for 27 years. They have two children, Donnie and Petra, who have left home for college. They also have a mail order business selling and appraising rare coins. But one night, while Bob is away on a business trip, Darcy goes into the garage to search for batteries. When she rummages through Bob's belongings, she stumbles across a pornographic magazine showing images of sadomasochism. Unnerved by the magazine—and the fact that it is in Bob's possession—Darcy finds a secret compartment behind the garage's baseboard and makes a more horrific discovery: a small box containing the ID cards of Marjorie Duvall, a victim of a serial killer called "Beadie." Once Darcy has discovered this and then she researches and finds that all of Bob's out of town trips correspond to other murders by "Beadie." What will Darcy do with this information? If she tells the cops what will the neighbors think? She and her children's reputations will be ruined, after all, how could she be married to him and not know? What she does may surprise even the most avid fan of King's work. Stephen King wrote this after hearing the news reports of the "BTK" murderer caught in Kansas a few years back, and his exploration of how the wife of BTK could not know is what makes this story so realistic.

Definitely a good dive into the dark side from Stephen King.

"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka

"The Metamorphosis"
by Franz Kafka
read by Michael Scott
Publisher: ThoughtAudio.com
Approx 2 Hrs.

I was looking for something to put on my iPod my audiobook supply was getting pretty low and the website Learnoutloud.com provided some filler. Every Fridy Learnoutloud.com provides links for free audiobooks or lectures, most of the audiobooks are public domain productions through LibriVox. I have listened to some LibriVox productions before and was never impressed, LibriVox is a volunteer system, people volunteer to read books and LibriVox releases them. This time around I noticed it wasn't a LibriVox production so I decided to give this one a chance, after all I've always wanted to be able to say I've read Kafka. And it was definitely a step or two above the ones I've heard from LibriVox.

While listening to this audiobook I had to do some research on the book and was surprised to find some of the references to the book, some from "The Simpsons" tv series and in the movie "Flushed Away." Hey, with "The Simpsons" referencing the book, it had to be good, right? Actually finding those references are what kept me listening to the book. The story itself was exactly what I like to read, and the reader, Michael Scott (no not the character portrayed by Steve Carell, although that would have been interesting) read the book well, although he may have intended his reading for a younger audience, judging from his delivery, but he had Kafka's words, or rather a pretty darn good translation, to work with and kept me listening.

Published in 1915, "The Metamorphosis," tells the story of Gregor Samsa, who wakes up to find that he has been transformed into a giant insect. When I first heard about the book I heard that he had been transformed into a cockroach, and that's what many of the pop culture references seem to say, but after reading and hearing Gregor's description of his body in the book, I gather it's more of a beetle of sorts. At one point the maid that teases him refers to him as a dung beetle, but that is out of jest and hard to say that's what he actually is, so let's just go with insect for the sake of this review.

Gregor wakes to knocking at his door, but with his new insect body can't seem to get out of bed, he responds but the sounds he makes are pretty much unintelligible. The person knocking at the door is the chief clerk from the company where Gregor is a traveling salesperson. I thought it was interesting the traveling salesperson and cockroach transformation at this point seemed pretty tongue in cheek, but with the insect form not fully defined this may not have been intentional. Apparantly Gregor is so enslaved by his company that he can't even call in sick. As the family entreats Gregor to open the door, he refuses. Mrs. Samsa insists that Gregor must be ill or he would not be acting like this. The chief clerk loses his temper and tells Gregor that he is shocked by his attitude, insisting that his position in the company is not unassailable because his work has been poor lately. Gregor is angered by this speech, and insists that he is simply feeling slightly indisposed but will soon return to work. He retorts that his business has not been bad lately. Because of the changes in Gregor's voice, no one outside understands a word he says. Fearing he is ill, his parents send Grete and the servant girl to get the doctor and the locksmith. With great difficulty Gregor manages to open the door by himself.

Seeing Gregor, the chief clerk backs away while his father begins to weep. Here's where it gets weird. Why doesn't the family flee in terror? Gregor begs the chief clerk to explain the situation at the office and to stand up for him. He says that he will gladly come back to work and asks the chief clerk not to leave without agreeing with him. Gregor tries to stop the clerk so as to keep him from leaving with such a negative view of things, but then his mother, backing away, knocks over a coffee pot, causing a commotion and giving the chief clerk an opportunity to get away. Gregor's father picks up a walking stick to drive Gregor back into his room. Gregor gets stuck in the doorway, and his father shoves him through, injuring him in the process, and slams the door behind him.

Grete, Gregor's sister, attempts to leave him food, but the food he enjoyed as a human doesn't suit his tastes anymore. Grete sees the food is untouched and experiments with foods to find what Gregor will eat. At this point in the story she seems to be empathetic toward Gregor and tries to help him. All the family seem to be optimistic in thinking Gregor will get better, but he never "gets better."

The family doesn't realize Gregor can understand their speech so no one talks to him directly. He learns what is happening by listening to their conversations through the door. He finds out that the family has money saved from his father's business, which had collapsed five years ago. Gregor had not known about this money, and when his father's business fell apart, he had thrown himself into his work in order to provide for his family. The family's initial excitement of receiving his earnings had worn off, however, and he remained intimate only with Grete, whom he had wanted to send to the Conservatory to study the violin.

Gregor watches his movements carefully, since any noise he makes distracts his family. He learns from their conversations that in addition to money from the business, the family has also saved money from his salary, but it isn't enough to live off of for very long. Gregor feels deep shame every time money is mentioned. He finds that his vision is getting worse, so that he can no longer see across the street. Every time Grete walks into the room, she runs to open the window, which bothers Gregor. Realizing that his sister is uncomfortable in his presence, Gregor figures out a way to cover himself with a sheet to keep out of sight. Gregor's parents never come into his room, and when his mother begs to see her son, the others hold her back.

Gregor discovers that he enjoys climbing the walls and the ceiling. Noticing this, his sister decides to give him more space by clearing the furniture from his room, and she asks her mother to help. Gregor's mother says that this will make it look like they are giving up on Gregor's recovery, but Grete disagrees. Hearing his mother's voice, Gregor realizes the importance of the furniture to him. The noise that the women make upsets him, and he decides to come out of hiding to save the framed picture on the wall from being taken. Seeing him, his mother faints and Grete runs out of the room for medicine to revive her with. Gregor follows and when his sister sees him she runs into his room and slams the door, trapping Gregor outside. His father arrives to find him out of his room and begins throwing apples at him. One of these lodges itself in Gregor's back, almost crippling him. As he loses consciousness, his mother begs her husband to spare her son's life.

Gregor's injury makes the family decide to be more accepting of him, and they leave his door open so he can watch them. They are very quiet most of the time and extremely tired from the jobs they have taken. No one bothers with Gregor too much. They have replaced the servant girl with a maid. Gregor, lying in his room, resorts to his memory. The family considers moving, but can't because they don't know how to move Gregor. He becomes angry that he is being neglected. Grete barely cleans his room and doesn't bother very much with his food anymore. When his mother tries to clean the room in Grete's absence, this triggers a family fight.

The maid, discovering Gregor, is not repulsed but rather spends her time teasing him, which annoys him to no end. Three lodgers have moved into the apartment, and the excess furniture, as well as all superfluous junk, is moved into Gregor's room so that he barely has room to move. He also stops eating almost entirely. The door to his room is now usually kept closed because of the lodgers, but Gregor doesn't care any more and often ignores it even when it's open.

The lodgers, who are domineering and receive too much service and respect from Gregor's parents, ask Grete to play the violin in the living room when they hear her practicing. She begins to play, but the lodgers are soon tired of this and move away to show that they are disappointed with her playing. Gregor, however, is drawn to the music and crawls out of his room to get closer, dreaming of getting Grete to play for him in his room and of telling her about his plans to send her to the Conservatory. The lodgers suddenly notice Gregor and give notice immediately, saying they will not pay for the time they have lived there.

Grete steps forward and tells her parents that they have to get rid of Gregor. He is persecuting them and trying to drive them out of the apartment and, if he really were Gregor, he would have left of his own accord and let them live their lives in peace. Suddenly realizing that he feels only love and tenderness for his family, Gregor understands that his sister is right and he should disappear. He returns to his room, waits until sunrise, and dies.

Gregor's family is happy, but they also mourn his passing. At this point the story becomes a weird "happily ever after" story but in an absurd way. You'll have to read it for yourself to find out why.

"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"
by Betty Smith
read by Kate Burton
produced by Harper Audio (2005)
Approx 15 hours

I'm not sure what it is but there is something about reading / listening to books about the early years of America and the struggles it took to live day by day that can put some perspective into your life. Yeah, times were different back then but if they can survive so can we. At least that's what I get out of books like this. "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" not only tells the story of a family's struggle and determination around the turn of the century into the first World War, but also since it is set in that time provides an historical view. This novel approaches many issues that keep this one a book for the ages other issues the book addresses include: Man vs. his environment, Education, Coming-of-age/loss of innocence, Family, and Exploitation of workers and the poor.

The novel is split into five "books," each covering a different period in the characters' lives. Book One opens in 1912 and introduces 11-year-old Francie Nolan, who lives in the Williamsburg tenement neighborhood of Brooklyn with her 10-year-old brother Cornelius ("Neeley" for short) and their parents, Johnny and Katie. The family subsists on Katie's wages from cleaning apartment buildings, pennies from the children's junk-selling and odd jobs, and Johnny's irregular earnings as a singing waiter. His alcoholism has made it impossible for him to hold a steady job, and he sees himself as a disappointment to his family as a result. The only antidote to alcohol Johnny accepts is coffee, which enables him to come out of and sometimes stay out of his alcoholic stupors but gives his behavior a manic quality nearly as closely associated with his alcoholism as the barbiturate itself. Francie admires him, however, and relies on her imagination and her love of reading to provide a temporary escape from the poverty in which she lives.

Book Two jumps back to 1900, with the meeting of Johnny and Katie - the teenage children of immigrants from Ireland and Austria, respectively. Although Johnny panics when Katie becomes pregnant with first Francie and then Neeley, and begins drinking heavily, Katie resolves to give her children a better life than she has known. During the first seven years of their marriage, the Nolans are forced to move twice within Williamsburg, due to public disgrace brought about first by Johnny's drunkenness and then by the children's Aunt Sissy's misguided efforts at babysitting them which is a bit comical but you can see the embarassment of the time. They arrive at the apartment introduced in Book One.

In Book Three, the Nolans settle into their new home and the children (now seven and six) begin to attend the squalid, overcrowded public school next door. Francie enjoys learning even in these dismal surroundings however the at the time the teachers seem to have it out for the poor children. So with Johnny's help, Francie gets herself transferred to a better school in a different neighborhood. Johnny's attempts to improve the children's minds fail, but Katie helps Francie grow as a person and saves her life by shooting a child-rapist/murderer who tries to attack Francie shortly before she turns 14. When Johnny learns that Katie is pregnant once again, he falls into a depression that leads to his death from alcoholism-induced pneumonia on Christmas Day 1915. Money from the family's life insurance policies and the children's after-school jobs keeps the Nolans afloat in 1916 until the new baby, Annie Laurie, is born in May and Francie graduates from grade school in June. The latter occasion allows her to finally come to terms with the reality of her father’s death.

At the start of Book Four, Francie and Neeley take jobs since there is no money to send them to high school. Francie works first in an artificial-flower factory, then in a press clipping office. Although she wants to use her salary to start high school in the fall, Katie decides to send Neeley instead, reasoning that he will only continue learning if he is forced into it while Francie will find a way to do it on her own. Once the United States enters World War I in 1917, the clipping office rapidly declines and closes, leaving Francie out of a job. After she finds work as a teletype operator, she makes a new plan for her education, choosing to skip high school and take summer college-level courses. She passes with the help of Ben Blake, a friendly and determined high school student, but fails the college's entrance exams. A brief encounter with Lee Rhynor, a soldier about to ship out to France, leads to heartbreak after he pretends to be in love with Francie when he is in fact about to get married. In 1918, Katie accepts a marriage proposal from Michael McShane, a pipe-smoking retired police officer who has become a wealthy businessman and politician.

As Book Five begins in the fall of this same year, Francie - now almost 17 - quits her teletype job. She is about to start classes at the University of Michigan, having passed the entrance exams with Ben's help, and is considering the possibility of a future relationship with him. The Nolans prepare for Katie's wedding and the move from their Brooklyn apartment to McShane's home, and Francie pays one last visit to some of her favorite childhood places and reflects on all the people who have come and gone in her life. She is struck by how much of Johnny's character lives on in Neeley, who has become a talented jazz/ragtime piano player. Before she leaves the apartment, she notices the Tree of Heaven that has grown and re-sprouted in the building's yard despite all efforts to destroy it, seeing in it a metaphor for her family's ability to overcome adversity and thrive.

Although the book addresses many different issues--poverty, alcoholism, lying, etc.--its main themes is the need for tenacity: the determination to rise above difficult circumstances. There are moments in the book when I question the reality, but then I have to remind myself it is just a novel. For instance, the Nolans are financially restricted by poverty but yet always seem to find ways to enjoy life and satisfy their needs and wants. Francie can become intoxicated just by looking at flowers. Like the Tree of Heaven, Brooklyn's inhabitants fight for the sun and air necessary to their survival. Sure there are some moments where it is beyond reality but that is what makes the magic of a good book.

The reader, Kate Burton, does a superb job in reading the book and applying the Brooklyn accents at the right moments to keep you in the realistic moments.

"The Power of One" by Bryce Courtenay

"The Power of One"
by Bryce Courtenay
read by Humphrey Bower
Published by Bolinda Publishing (2006)
approx 21 hours

I think I have just listened to one of the most fun and inspirational books of all time. I've always been a slight fan of boxing, okay rather used to be a fan of boxing, mainly a fan of Muhammed Ali. Tyson intrigued me but later in his career he turned out to be pretty much a thug and I lost interest in the sport altogether. What does this have to do with this book? Well this is the story of PK, a young white boy growing up in South Africa, during the 30s and 40s and ends up having the goal of becoming the World Welter-weight champion.

The book is written beautifully in first person and the author even does a few tricks with the storytelling that allows the reader/listener to hear the book from PK's point of view with the view changing as he ages. When he is young all the older characters are exagerated and larger than life and as he matures, his views of the adults becomes more introspective.

He first goes through the ridicule of being an English boy (a rooinek, Afrikaans for redneck). Only being 5 years old the book opens when he is at a boarding school. He was sent away to this school after his mother was sent to a "nervous hospital."

PK gets his name from this boarding school, in that he is called by the other children and staff, pisskop (Afrikaans for "piss head") because he wets the bed. The opening of the book finds PK being tortured in the school's showers for wetting his bed, by the Judge, an older kid and bully, and the jury, the Judge's followers. That christmas PK goes home to his nanny a tribeswoman who was first his wet nurse then his nanny. She calls in the tribal chief (a witchdoctor) to cure him of his night water. The chief cures him and in turn gives PK a chicken as a pet and calls him Grandpa Chook. PK trains the chicken and the chicken becomes inseparable from PK. When he goes back to school, the chicken earns his keep by eating cockroaches in the school's kitchen.

The Judge begins this new term showing off his home made tattoo of a swastika. The Judge as well as the school support Adolph Hitler in this world war. PK is the only rooinek and becomes the subject of all their torment. The Judge makes PK march, hold up an iron bar for hours on end and various other tortures as a prisoner of war. PK eases this by lowering his “camouflage” and telling the Judge he can help him pass his classes. PK being smarter than most of the other boys does the Judge's homework and gets less torture. But when the term ends and the Judge passes, PK gets the worst torture ever. In one of the saddest scenes of the book PK gets the worst humiliation and loses Grandpa Chook.

At the end of the year, traumatized from his experiences, PK is informed that he will not be returning to the farm, rather, he will be going to the East Transvaal town of Barberton, where his grandfather lives after the outbreak of Newcastle disease on his previous home.

On the train to Barberton, PK befriends Hoppie Groenewald, a guard. Groenewald shares his love of boxing with PK. After seeing him win a boxing match, PK is mesmerised with the sport and vows to become the welterweight champion of the world. However, the next day Hoppie departs to fight in a war, and Hoppie's friend Hetty dies on the train PK is travelling on. "First with your head and then with your heart." So says Hoppie Groenewald, boxing champion, to a seven-year-old boy who dreams of being the welterweight champion of the world. For the young PK, it is a piece of advice he will carry with him throughout his life.

When PK arrives in Barberton, he realizes both his academic and physical potential. He excels in his grades and fights the children of the school. He trains with the local Prison Boxing team and proves his ability and becomes a frequent winner, never losing a match. PK encounters numerous friends in Barberton, including a professor of music, Prof. Karl von Vollesteen who is placed in prison as a prisoner of war (being German in an anti-nazi town), and a black prisoner, Geel Piet, who coaches him in boxing. They form alliances, and each believe that all humans have equal rights. Along with the librarian, Mrs. Boxall, they establish the 'Sandwich Fund', which helps to supply the families of people in the Barberton prison.

Over the course of his childhood and young adulthood, PK builds confidence in his boxing. He also learns that racism is the primary force of evil and builds compassion and empathy for the mistreated blacks of apartheid South Africa. PK meets Geel Piet while spending time with Doc in prison, who teaches PK several new boxing techniques, furthering his talent. The black prisoners believe PK is a chief, the "Onoshobishobi Ingelosi" or "Tadpole Angel." One night PK discovers Geel Piet has been murdered in the boxing gym by the warder and soon that warder dies of a disease the resembles the injuries inflicted upon Geel Piet.

Book Two of the novel describes PK's experiences at the Prince of Wales school. He quickly partners up with the son of a Jewish multimillionaire, Morrie Levy. PK and Morrie take the school by storm - PK's boxing talent reforms the pathetic Prince of Wales boxing team, and Morrie becomes PK's manager. Soon the two boys have a lucrative gambling business set up, as well as all kinds of other "scams" which bring in enough money for PK to begin boxing lessons with South Africa's top coach, Solly Goldman. PK becomes a stranger to failure, excelling at boxing, rugby, and academics. PK's victory over a distinguished black boxer, who happens to be the son of his Nanny, this furthers the belief that he is the "Tadpole Angel." However, he must face Doc's death towards the end of his school career as well as the disappointment of not winning a Rhodes scholarship to attend Oxford University.

Book Three traces PK's life in Southern Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe) where he takes on a dangerous job as a "grizzly man" in the mines in order to build up his body for his boxing, and to earn enough money to pay his way through three years at Oxford. He forms a close friendship with a Russian miner, named Rasputin, who eventually saves PK during a mining catastrophe, dying in the process. PK recovers but, before leaving the mines, he discovers that he has been working for his old nemesis, Jaapie Botha, previously known as "the Judge". PK fights Jaapie and fights for justice.

This book points out the unfairness in the world from a child's point of view developing into a voyage of hope for mankind. Share this one with your family. I would highly recommend this to anyone over the age of 10. Also, the reader, Humphry Bower does a superb job of creating the atmosphere of this book through his voice.

Field Report: Audio-Technica AT4040

Field Report: Audio-Technica AT4040

A Studio microphone worth looking into.

Click on the link and read my review.

"Over the End Line" by Alfred C. Martino

"Over the End Line"
by Alfred C. Martino
Read by Todd Licea
Produced by Listen & Live Audio (2009)
Approx 6 hours

I don't usually start out an audiobook review talking about the reader, unless it is a multi-cast performance, but this time around I have to jump to it and get it off my chest. The reader of this audiobook, Todd Licea, Is overwhelmingly awesome at presenting this book. The book is told in first person and the author, Alfred C. Martino, provides some beautiful wordsmithing to create the story which in and of itself creates a theatre of the mind effect, but Todd Licea presents the story with such great quality that basically the listener has no choice but to strap in and enjoy the ride.

Martino creates such clear images of everything that it is as if you already know everything as it is happening. For example, when describing the scenes from the soccer practices or games the reader/listener doesn't need to know the rules, they are explained in such a way you feel as though you already know everything about the game. That teamed with the excellent delivery of Todd Licea makes for a superb story worth hearing.

Johnny Fehey has been friends with Kyle Saint-Claire since they started school, but as they enter their senior year, the distance between their obvious social differences could not be clearer. Kyle earns excellent grades and is the school’s star soccer player. Johnny has no interesting quality to own up to but tries. There also seems to be an economic social factor dividing the two also.

Legend has it that the school's social structure has been drawn out into a ladder diagram with those higher on the ladder being the most popular and those lower, the social outcasts. Johnny spends his weekends at the library, where the legendary diagram is said to be hidden, trying to find the Ladder and figuring out how to change where he stands on the ladder. Fate steps in, Johnny shoots the winning goal in the county championships, he becomes part of the popular crowd. At the victory party, Johnny witnesses the rape of a girl by Kyle and a teammate. Kyle and Johnny’s friendship hangs in balance as they ponder what to do and whether their choice will be the right decision. Little does Johnny know that the life of the closest person he understands is also at stake: his own.

The complicated relationship between Kyle and Johnny is very realistic. It is a perfect example of a story in which the characters are not divided easily in to the popular kids vs. social outcasts. The ending is very unexpected, but the lead up will keep you on the edge.

"The Lottery and Seven Other Stories" by Shirley Jackson

"The Lottery and Seven Other Stories"
by Shirley Jackson
Read by Carol Jordan Stewart
Published by BBC Audiobooks America (2010)
Approx 3.5 hours

Shirley Jackson has been called one of the best short story authors, but when she first released her story, "The Lottery," many people did not appreciate the story and she was ridiculed. Luckily we still have the chance to read these stories and be better off for it. I will admit these short stories go against the grain in both the story content and delivery.

On the delivery, I was always taught that good fiction has a beginning and and end with tension building to a release. Jackson doesn't follow that line and that the end of the stories don't release any tension, instead they leave the reader/listener with even more questions and a big void wondering what happened? Whether wanting to know what happened to the character or the events, you are just left on edge with no promise of easing that tension. When writing reviews I don't like to talk about the end of the story because I want to leave that up to the reader. I still won't break that policy with myself, but I will tell you that really the ending of each of these stories will only leave you wanting to know more and even to the point of frustration. Yes, I was frustrated at the end of some of the stories, but after I got over that tension and frustration I realizid I had just been taken on a journey and while the ending is somewhat pessimistic it was definitely an escape, which is all I ask from good literature.

The stories included in this audiobook are:

"The Lottery"
In a small village of about 300 residents, the locals are in a strange and nervous mood on 27 June. Children gather stones as the adult townsfolk assemble for their annual event, that in the local tradition has been practiced to ensure a good harvest. In the first round of the lottery, the head of each family draws a small slip of paper; One man gets the one slip with a black spot, meaning that his family has been chosen. In the next round, each Hutchinson family member draws a slip, andhis wife gets the marked slip. In keeping with tradition, which has been abandoned in at least some other neighboring communities, she must meet the fate of the lottery.

"Flower Garden"
A woman comes from New York City and purchases a cottage in a small town. When the New York woman asks a young African-American boy to help with her garden the town begins to shun the newcomer.

"Come Dance with Me in Ireland"
Three women are visiting and watching baby at home and indulging in gossip, when the doorbell rings. An elderly man, who looks extremely poor if not homeless, attempts to sell one of the women old shoelaces. Suddenly he nearly faints, and the women all try to help the man. The feed him and help him out and see him on his way, all the while criticizing him. This may not seem to intriguing as a summary but the story has more including the response the man has at the end, pretty interesting.

"Men with Their Big Shoes"
Mrs. Anderson, who works in Mrs. Hart’s home, engineers a conversation where she leads Mrs. Hart to believe that the neighborhood is gossiping about her relationship with her husband, and that to protect herself from further gossip she needs to let Mrs. Anderson live in her home.

"Trial by Combat"
An older woman is stealing things from Emily Johnson and is thus stealing her identity. When Emily realizes that they have parallel lives, she feels enough empathy for the thief that she does not react with any antagonism. I found this to be a very intriguing story especially in the twist at the end.

"Pillar of Salt"
A woman trying to cope with the change of visiting New York City after living her life in rural America. At first the sights and sounds are exhilarating but soon become overwhelming after witnessing a house on fire, a human leg washing up onshore and the death-defying feat of crossing the street in the middle of the day.

"Like Mother Used to Make"
A man is very meticulous with his apartment from the type and color of drapes to the look of the silverware, but his girlfriend seems to be, well in short, a slob. His passiveness is his downfall after he invites her over for dinner and she seems to have invited someone else.

"Colloquy"
A woman goes to the doctor to inquire about her husband’s possible insanity. The doctor’s response is so confusing that she becomes hysterical and might be the crazy one herself, though she thinks she might be the only sane person around. This one was definitely fun to hear.

"The Last Days of Krypton" by Kevin J. Anderson

"The Last Days of Krypton"
by Kevin J. Anderson
Read by William Dufris
Produced by Tantor Media, 2007
Approx 15.5 hours

I have only recently become a fan of DC comics, "Make Mine Marvel" was my slogan, but after tackling audiobook novelizations of DC heroes I've received a more in depth knowledge of what makes up the DC Universe. The only problem is that after almost a century of heroes it's hard to keep continuity. There have been many stories, for example, told of the destruction of Superman's home planet, Krypton. Did the sun go supernova, did something strike the planet,did the planet implode? An answer to each of these questions has appeard as a bit of an explanation throughout the run of Superman comics and if someone were to read all the comics from the beginning they may get a bit confused. There are other questions I've had such as where did Supergirl come from, some versions she's the cousin of Superman other's she's an angel. Well if Krypton was destroyed how did she survive? Remember the Superman movies with Christopher Reeve? How did General Zod and his two assistants come to be trapped in the neutral zone? Then there's Brainiac, what's his story?

Kevin J. Anderson has tried to sum up all these problems and write a history of Kal-el's (Superman's) home planet, Krypton in the days just before the little baby that would become Superman was blasted off toward Earth. Kevin is not a stranger to taking an established piece of work and adding to it, he has teamed up with Brian Herbert, son of Frank Herbert, to add stories to the "Dune" universe of novels. Having read and appreciated the work he has done in that realm I knew this would be a good book. The interesting aspect of this novel is that it is really not a superhero story but rather a piece of science-fiction with some superhero potential added to push the story along. This story not only explores the destruction of Krypton but also reveals the politics of this planet that just wanted to stay alone in the universe.

The reader, William Dufris, did an adequate job of reading the book, but there were times when some of the characters seemed parodies in the vocal changes. It's like Dufris wanted to turn this into a superhero story from with similar vocalizations to the '60s "Batman" tv series. There was no campiness to the writing but some of the dialogue was read that way. But it was not enough to keep me from enjoying the fun sci-fi story from Kevin J. Anderson.

The novel explores how Jor-el (Superman's father) discovers the planet and its sun is dying, and through the xenophobic politics of the elders is constantly sent packing when he is trying to save the planet. Soon alien forces invade some friendly some not so friendly and change the way the council works but it is too late and soon Commissioner Zod takes over and is determined to rule Krypton. In doing so, Zod, sacrifices many lives needlessly and puts the planet at risk, it is up to Jor-el and Zor-el (Jor-el's brother) to save Krypton. Are their efforts to late?

This story is full of adventure, excitement, passion and glory and is a perfect read for comic book and science fiction lovers alike.

"Cargo of Coffins" by L. Ron Hubbard

"Cargo of Coffins"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multi-cast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio, 2009
approx 2 hours

My audiobook excursion into the Stories from the Golden Age continues with more pulp fiction from the master story-teller L. Ron Hubbard. This time around I gave another Sea Adventure a listen.

While Hubbard knew how to write in the twists and turns in a story to keep a reader on the edge and eager for more, the folks at Galaxy Audio know how to take these exciting stories and produce them into audio dramas that not only keep the story true to the original form but also seem to push the listener even closer to the edge. With superb voice acting, dynamic sound effects and original music, these audio books could easily be promoted as audio dramas and find a place on the radio waves. In fact with the fun character actors and excellent narration these audio books have the feel of the old radio dramas of the mid-20th century.

This time around the Sea Adventure takes us across the ocean. "Cargo of Coffins" was originally published in the November, 1937 issue of "Argosy." Lars Marlin is out to seek revenge on Paco Corvino, he vows Paco will die at his hands, but a fluke of a moment finds Lars as Captain of an ocean going yacht where Paco is working as chief steward. The wealthy family on-board all wish they could meet someone of royalty. Paco fakes an illness and eventually his death. He has expressly forbidden anyone to open certain envelopes in his cabin unless he dies. With what seems like his death the crew opens the envelopes to find Paco is actually royalty, at least that's what he wants them to believe. After a day Paco "comes back to life" and is immediately treated according to his new-found position.

Lars knows this is a scam but under threat, by Paco, does not wish to expose his background, having escaped from a penal colony island. Paco orders the ship to dock at the same penal colony where he loads aboard the yacht some coffins, under the guise of returning the dead men to their home soil. It turns out Paco has alternate plans for the yacht and passengers and Lars is set to prevent that from happening before the ship can pull into Casablanca.

In an exciting story that will keep the listener wanting more, Galaxy Audio will place you on an ocean going yacht with action that seems so real you will be ducking bullets and hoping not to get seasick.

"A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry

"A Raisin in the Sun"
by Lorraine Hansberry
Live Cast recording
Produced by L.A. Theatre Works
Approx. 2.5 hours

Wanting to revisit my theatre days, I set myself to listen to a few plays turned into audio books. I read several plays while earning a degree in theatre from Southern Illinois University and I know that plays are meant to be performed but now residing in an area where live theatre just doesn't happen on a regular basis, I decided to go back and listen to some audio performances as part of my constant audio book stream. I first tried some Shakespeare, I actually love Shakespeare, but the audio performance wasn't clicking with me at the time. So, after a while I find this treasure L.A. Theatre Works' Production of "A Raisin in the Sun." I remember reading this play in my Theatre History class and seeing a couple performances with some great actors and knowing I have enjoyed the play in the past, I gave this one a shot.

I was in for a couple of treats when putting this cd into my player. First that one of the performers, Rutina Wesley is one of my favorite actors from the TV series "True Blood" (she plays Sookie's friend Tara). And second that the recording is superb. Every subtlety of the voices is captured and it seems as though the actors have been doing audio only acting for a while because events that may be seen in the performance and not necessarily heard were clearly communicated. The recording was superb and the acting was excellent in this audio version. Even the sound effects were captured perfectly, things such as shutting of doors, flushing of toilets and clinking of glasses were heard when needed. This makes for the perfect audio book experience that I have come to expect. I know I will be searching for more productions from L.A. Theatre Works.

The story covers a struggling African-American family in Chicago, the Youngers. The Youngers represent the 4th, 5th and 6th generation of their family brought to America via slavery. The family is struggling to make a go at living out the American dream. Mama Lena Younger's husband has passed and the family is expecting a $10 thousand check from the insurance company. Mama Lena has plans to move into a better home, however, her children have other plans. Son, Walter Lee wants to buy a liquor store and daughter, Beneatha wants to go to medical school.

On the day the check arrives, Lena goes out and comes back that evening having used the money as a down-payment on a house in a white neighborhood. Eventually she entrusts Walter with the remaining amount. She tells Walter to put $3 thousand into the bank for Beneatha's school and use the rest as he sees fit.

This story is full of ups and downs as the family is told they are not wanted in the white neighborhood, Beneatha gets a marriage proposal, and Walter invests all the remaining money (including Beneatha's share) and loses it. How the family handles the good and the bad creates a play that is a true testament to hope, not only to African-Americans, but to anyone. Virtues and vices are explored and true hope is found.

A classic play produced with excellent quality create this great audio masterpiece.

"The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle" Graphic Novel by Jim Butcher

"The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle"
Graphic Novel
by Jim Butcher
Illustrated by Ardian Syaf
Published by Del Rey (2008)

Jim Butcher confesses in the preface to this collected edition, that when he writes a Harry Dresden story he pictures the action in comic book form and I found it interesting that as I read each new novel my mind immediately interprets into a comic book /animation format. Jim says it's because he collected Marvel comics for a large part of his life, maybe that's my reason also. I find it amazing that he and I shared the same passion, if only I had turned that passion into great writing like he did.

Anyway, these stories were originally published in comic book form in four issues. This edition collects those comics into one graphic novel and includes a section with extra artwork representing the covers and character development sketches. Reading this story in comic book form allows the reader to enjoy the action with some great artwork.

This story is a prequel to the Dresden files taking place just before the first book , "Storm Front." A side note here "Storm Front" has since been adapted to graphic novel form.

After a security guard at the Lincoln Park Zoo is found dead at the zoo, the police immediately think that a gorilla named Moe is to blame. Special Investigations Lt. Karrin Murphy, doesn't think it fits that the gorilla escaped, killed the guard and locked himself back in the cage. So she calls in the only guy capable of handling the world of the weird, Chicago's own wizard, Harry Dresden. Harry has to find what actually happened and present it to Murphy so the officials can somewhat swallow the story. Harry is soon attacked by several jungle cats, a black dog and a hag. With some help from Bob the skull, Harry finds out what is killing but now he has to figure out how to stop them or more than just the zoo will be in trouble.

With excellent Jim Butcher storytelling and beautiful artwork "Welcome to the Jungle" is a great introduction to the Dresden files series.

"Sabotage in the Sky" by L. Ron Hubbard

"Sabotage in the Sky"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multi-cast performance
produced by Galaxy Audio
2009
Approx 2 hours

It's time once again to go on an air adventure with the master of story-telling, L. Ron Hubbard. As always make sure you're strapped in because this one will keep you on th edge of your seat. (Or as the the old monster truck rally commercials used to say, "You'll pay for the whole seat but you'll only need the edge, edge, edge.")

Hubbard wrote many stories for the pulps in the mid 20th century and every one was meant to captivate the reader in only a few pages. His writing achieved this but Galaxy Audio's production of these stories into audiobooks pushes this audience captivation further. Each of these books released by Galaxy Press and Galaxy Audio are produced with excellent character acting, realistic sound effects and original music to fit the genre to transition between chapters.

This time around I listened to "Sabotage in the Sky." This story was originally published in "Five Novels Monthly" August, 1940 and tells the story of test pilot Bill Trevillian. None of the fighter planes test pilot Bill Trevillian flies are hotter than the BCA 41 pursuit ship, so he takes it up. But someone has deliberately rigged it for failure and destruction—and for Trevillian's death.
France and Great Britain are looking for the best fighters to use in the war against the Nazis and they must choose between different American plane designs to outfly the newest and deadliest Nazi fighters, the competing companies send their two best test pilots . . . Kip and Bill. Kip turns out to be an old friend of Bill's but not one he remembers at first. Kip is a dame, and according to Bill, "Dames can't fly." But Kip is out to set him straight.

Kip and Bill grew up together, Bill was always the best pilot, and Kip looked up to him. But when Bill ridicules her on her crash landing she sets out to get back at him. But what is worse is that the Nazis have sent a saboteur to Bill's crew in order to keep the Europeans from gaining the air advantage.

Soon Kip and Bill suspect the other of sabotage, problem that not only threatens their already electric relationship but their very lives. The contract is to be decided in a mock air battle, but soon turns deadly when the Nazis sneak a saboteur onto each plane and plan to highjack the planes for their own use. What soon turns out to be a sea and air battle the two pilots' skills are put to the test.

"The Code of the Zombie Pirate" by Scott Kenemore

"The Code of the Zombie Pirate"
by Scott Kenemore
Published by Skyhorse Publishing (2010)
248 pages

Okay to be honest, I've never really been a fan of pirates, however, give me a good zombie apocalypse and I can't refuse, but having read a couple of other books by Scott Kenemore, I saw no harm in reading this, in fact I knew I was going to have some fun. That's exactly what I got some fun and some zombies and you will to if you pick up this fun handbook on how to sail the seas pillaging with a crew of zombies.

Scott Kenemore taught us how to get ahead in the business world in "Z.E.O," how to win a war with "The Art of Zombie Warfare" and has a novel about what it's like to be a zombie during a zombie apocalypse called, "Zombie, Ohio." So Scott knows what he's talking about when it comes to zombies.

Scott gives you the secrets to selecting, customizing and managing a crew of zombie pirates, including such important decisions like how to find the right vessel, where treasure chests are buried, how to create your pirate zombie flag and when to fly it. Taking the various assortment of zombies; fast, slow, voodoo created, brain eating and others, he plunks them down in the Caribbean during the 1700s hey day of piracy. You would think that placing the zombies in that era would hinder some of the arrangements and motivations but that just makes it more fun.

So whether you are a fan of pirates or a fan of zombies or both Scott Kenemore will tell you how to combine the two and be successful at your plunders and be able to retire to your own desert isle when all is said and done.

This book is full of some supernatural undead fun so check it out.

"A Touch of Dead" Short stories from the Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris

"A Touch of Dead"
Short stories from the Southern Vampire Mysteries
by Charlaine Harris
read by Johanna Parker
Produced by Recorded Books (2009)
Approx 3 hours

"A Touch of Dead" is a collection of short stories from Charlaine Harris's series "The Southern Vampire Mysteries." For those of you that are fans of the HBO series, "True Blood" this is the series that started it all. This title was released on October 6, 2009. and only contains the short stories Harris has published in which Sookie Stackhouse is present. Harris has written other stories in the Sookie Stackhouse world that don't include Sookie and are worth checking out.

The first story is "Fairy Dust" from the book "Powers of Detection" (October 2004). It introduces Sookie's fairy cousins Claudine, Claude, and the deceased third triplet Claudette. Claude and Claudine are recurring characters in later books of the series. "In Fairy Dust," Sookie is working at Merlottes when Claudine the fairy comes in and asks Sookie to read the minds of some human guests of her brother Claude. When Sookie arrives at Claude and Claudine's home in Monroe, she finds three people tied up in the house. Everyone involved (except Claudine) is associated with Hooligans, an exotic dancing establishment. Claude, who dances, tells Sookie that they believe that one of the people murdered their triplet Claudette while she was working at the club earlier that night. Claude explains that Claudette came to her siblings in spirit form to tell them of her death. Using her telepathy, Sookie interviews each suspect to discover the guilty party. If only Sherlock Holmes had Sookie's talent (or "disability" as Sookie calls it).

"One Word Answer" from the book "Bite" (2005), introduces the topic of Hadley's death, which kicks off the events in the sixth Vampire Mysteries book, "Definitely Dead." The mysterious Mr. Cataliades shows up in a limousine at Sookie's home bringing the news of her cousin Hadley's death. The rebellious Hadley had not been in touch with the family in years, so they did not know she had become a vampire several years ago. Nor did they know that she was the lover of the vampire Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne Leclerq. It seems that Waldo, a former lackey of the Queen, was jealous of Hadley's position, so he lured her to a cemetery and killed her. Mr. Cataliades informs Sookie that Waldo has been caught, and that his punishment is in Sookie's hands - she must decide. Her answer surprises him, and Sookie notices that it also surprises the hidden occupant of the limousine: the Queen. In this one there were some continuity problems that were incongruent with how the story played out in the series, but this is definitely a story worth hearing or reading, especially since it's another one involving the dimwitted vampire, Bubba, who is a famous King of rock and roll turned vampire.

"Dracula Night" is from "Many Bloody Returns" (September 2007) and is just a fun story from the southern vampire mysteries series and occurs some time after Sookie's tryst with Eric sans memories. Eric's vampire bar, Fangtasia, throws a party each year for the vampire observance of Dracula Night, in honor of the infamous Count Dracula. According to legend, the Count will choose one lucky party from all over the world to grace with his presence. The book characters are amused by Eric's childlike hope that the Count will appear at his party, just like Linus of the Peanuts comic hopes in vain to greet the Great Pumpkin. This was a funny story due to the references to the Great Pumpkin.

"Lucky" is from the book "Unusual Suspects" (December 2008) and spotlights one of the many supernatural yet not vampire characters from Sookie's hometown of Bon Temps, Louisiana. Insurance agent Greg Aubert asks Sookie (and her witch friend Amelia) to investigate a break-in at his office. He is concerned that someone will discover that he uses magic spells to protect his property and his clients. Amelia and Sookie discover that the break-in was just Greg's daughter and her secretive boyfriend, who is actually a newly-turned vampire. However, Sookie learns that two other agents in town have had break-ins, and all are getting excessive amounts of claims which may drive them out of business. It seems that Greg's spells have been using up all the luck in town.

"Gift Wrap" is from "Wolfsbane and Mistletoe" (October 2008) and finds Sookie alone for Christmas. Her brother and closest friends each have their own plans, and she perversely chose not to ask other friends for an invitation. She recalls that she heard a noise in the woods the night before, so she trudges out to investigate. She finds Preston, a naked, muddy and bloody man, who is nevertheless very attractive. To save him from further injury, she brings Preston back to her house and shields him from the Weres who come looking for him. When he starts kissing her, he tells her to pretend she found him gift-wrapped under the tree, and she succumbs to his charm. On Christmas Day, she is relieved to find a note saying he is gone. Her great-grandfather Niall Brigant turns up on her doorstep, surprising her with his company. In the woods behind the house, Preston and a Were chat about Niall hiring them to give Sookie a pleasant Christmas Eve, tailoring the scenario to her personality, and using a bit of fairy magic to attract her. This to me was a dull story in that there was no real mystery to solve, just a fling with a werewolf/fairy or whatever.

If you're a fan of "True Blood" or of the Sookie Stackhouse books, this may not be a "must-read" but it is a fun one to pick up while waiting for that next book from Charlaine Harris.

"Man-Killers of the Air" by L. Ron Hubbard

"Man-Killers of the Air"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multi-cast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio (2009)
Approx 2 hours

I've said it before and I'll say it again, these audio performances of the works of L. Ron Hubbard's pulp fiction era are magical. The stories are great adventures and fun by themselves but when Galaxy Audio does their magic in producing them into audio books they spare no talent in creating what sounds like an old time radio drama. Being a radio professional, I have a strong sentiment toward audio drama and these guys really know how to create the entire atmosphere of adventure as written by L. Ron Hubbard. They use superb voice actors who not only move the story along but through some nice vocal athletics create characters that are fun and intriguing. The Special effects are superb, these guys even duplicated the sound of an experimental aircraft from the 1930s. The music definitely keeps you in the mood between chapters.

This time around it's another air adventure called, "Man-Killers of the Air," originally published in the June, 1935 issue of "Five Novels Monthly." This story introduces the daredevil air racer, Smoke Burnham and his pet Cheetah, Patty. Patty usually rides co-pilot with Smoke and in combination with the name "Smoke Burnham" creates what could have easily been turned into a regular series in the funny papers.

Smoke has won his chance to be entered in an international air race, he really needs to win this one because of a bet he's made with a newspaper mogul who has been trying to sabotage him. If he wins the mogul will rebuild Smoke's hanger, but if he loses he has to give over plans to a new aircraft which the newspaper man will then turn over to the military to help prevent the rumored attack from the Japanese. This will make the mogul look good, and sell papers.

The race will carry Smoke across the Brazilian Jungle and the Andes and will be his most dangerous flight ever. Not only does he have to fight the stressful flight but someone is trying to sabotage his planes. On top of this, there's a dame involved. Smoke is in love but the woman resents his love of flying. So on top of beating the odds and winning the race he must win over the gal.

Great adventure to keep you on the edge of your seat for this one...so check it out.