"Ringworld" by Larry Niven

"Ringworld"
by Larry Niven
Read by Tom Parker
Produced by Blackstone Audio
Approx 11.5 hours

If you were to look at a list of the top 100 books in sci-fi, I'm sure you would find this book at least in the top 25, maybe the top 10.  Larry Niven's "Ringworld" has all the makings of a great sci-fi and Niven even turned this book into a series with sequels and prequels.  Niven combines a group of aliens & humans and sends them out to find a way to save the entire population of "Known Space."  The possible safe zone is a place that is called Ringworld that was constructed by unknown beings around a star, to get an idea of the scope of Ringworld, picture a solid band of Earths orbiting the sun.  One solid planet all the way around, that alone would solve the population problem, but with the chance of the center of the universe exploding the Ringworld has a few other secrets to save the population.

An interesting side note the popular video game series "Halo" is based on the ideas created by Larry Niven in "Ringworld."  With a ring like planet but at a much smaller scale.

What makes this a classic sci-fi is not one single thing but the conglomeration of ideas ranging from politics, alien races and their politics/culture and the exploration of a new world.  This book primarily deals with 4 maybe 5 different species, to start out you have the Puppeteers that are a strange two-headed alien culture that is based on the ingrained cowardice, but signs throughout the book show that the Puppeteers may not be all they seem.  The Kzinn are a race of cat like creatures who are a warring species who have lost the wars to the humans on several occasions.  Then the final two species are the Engineers of Ringworld and the barbarian race that now inhabits the Ringworld since the Engineers left.  Each race (including the humans) has something to contribute to the saving of the universe but the adventure of exploring the Ringworld is the only thing that reveals that.

The story stars out with Nessus, a Puppeteer, recruiting a team to travel to the ringworld which is a secret among the Puppeteers to see if it can save the universe from the the center of Known Space exploding out and destroying all planets in the path of the explosion.  The entire race of the Puppeteers have already left known space to avoid the catastrophe.  They didn't leave without ensuring a chance for survival, and that chance lies in Nessus' ability to explore the Ringworld.  Nessus recruits first Louis Wu, a human that thanks to the benefits of booster spice is just celebrating his 200th birthday.  Louis is an adventurer and has just become bored in his life.  Nessus promises Louis the chance to try out and return to the humans a new technology in space travel and immediately Louis is on for the adventure.  The next recruit is a Kzinn whose name is "Speaker-to-animals."  Speaker has yet established his status in his society and this adventure is his chance to make a name for himself.  The third party that is needed to be recruited is Teela Brown.  Due to the population control laws, Earth has had to establish a lottery in order to control births.  With generations of people winning the lottery in order to reproduce, the humans have bred a race of lucky people.  Teela is one of those lucky ones, with a journey like this luck is needed, but it seems her luck is sporadic. 

Once arriving at Ringworld the crew explores the outer sections of the ring and then determine they will have to land, however the Ringworld's automatic asteroid defense systems shoots down the ship and they crash onto the planet.  With only air-cycles to carry them across the ring the crew begins their exploration of this strange world which seems to have been abandoned and the life has gone back to barbarians.  They must work together through several perils (hostile locals, automated defense systems, strange storms created by punctures in the ringworld floor) in order to find a way off the Ringworld and back to civilization. 

Great adventures, lots of thrills and with narrator Tom Parker, the audiobook will keep you on the edge of your seat at times and laughing with some of the fun thrown in.  Parker is able to deliver the story and able to create the different voices for each of the characters and keep you in the story till the very end. 

"Marvel Zombies" Writer - Robert Kirkman Artist - Sean Phillips

"Marvel Zombies"
Writer - Robert Kirkman
Artist - Sean Phillips
Hardcover collection published by Marvel (2006)
136 pages

About 9 years ago I stopped buying comic monthly.  Not any fault of the comic book publishers, but I just had other priorities and I moved to an area where there were no comic book stores (have you noticed it is nearly impossible to find a comic book in any store other than a comic book store, anymore?).   I kept my ear to the ground though so I could keep up with what was going on in my favorite heroes life and some of the other things going on. 

I had heard about the comic book "The Walking Dead" by Robert Kirkman and even read a couple of issues, and loved the story and artwork.  Then when the TV series was announced I immediately commandeered the couch every Sunday night to watch this awesome series.  After all it had zombies, and I LOVE zombies.  The series continues to be great, although this second season had a couple of episodes without seeing a single zombie, so they have me worried.

Anyway this got me intrigued about Robert Kirkman and I looked into what else he had done.  To my surprise he was asked by Ralph Macchio to write a series based on Marvel heroes being zombies, how cool is that?  Well let me tell you pretty darn cool, oh and gory and brutal.   This series was 5 issues long and was hugely popular among the comics crowd.  I of course purchased the hardcover collection which not only features the entire story run, but also includes artwork for all the covers, which are based on classic Marvel comics covers.

The story begins with the heroes in a different dimension having turned to zombies and seeking out flesh to eat for survival.  The problem is, no one is left on earth that has not turned.  Magneto is left behind to fix the situation and he (not a zombie) soon falls prey to the heroes.  With this being their only meal for awhile the heroes fight amongst themselves to get a slice of Magneto meat for sustenance.  The comic then takes a bit of a crossover turn and the Silver Surfer comes to earth as the Herald of Galactus.  With a world of zombies the Surfer decides the world is good for Galactus to devour.  The zombie heroes have other plans, after all eating Galactus would make a great meal. 

The great battle with Galactus and the zombie heroes and even a few zombie villains ensues and well let's just say it gets pretty gory.  Iron Man is only an upper torso, Colonel America (not Captain in this dimension) gets half his head sliced off, but still functions, and the Hulk eats so much that when he shrinks back down to Bruce Banner he bursts his abdomen. 

Fun book and a some good gore for you Marvel and Zombie fans.

"Night of the Living Trekkies" by Kevin D. Anderson and Sam Stall

"Night of the Living Trekkies"
by Kevin D. Anderson and Sam Stall
Published by Quirkbooks(2010)
253 pages

Okay folks it's time to put your "Geek" pants on and get ready to "Go where no man has gone before." We are talking about combining the worlds of Star Trek with a Zombie Apocalypse, Okay actually just a bunch of fans of Star Trek and a Zombie Apocalypse at a Star Trek convention.  Being a huge fan of the Zombie horror genre and a sci-fi nut, this book just screamed at me.  I picked up the book and from page one I was hooked.  The Star Trek references were excellent and the authors even strategically through in some Star Wars references that make this survival from the flesh eaters fun and exciting.    On top of the intelligently placed references the authors even have thrown their own spin into the creation and world of zombies.  In this book there are 3 ways to kill them, but let me tell you the Klingon bat'leth is the coolest in this book.

Another aspect of this book is the mult-genre appeal, the authors have combined Sci-Fi, Zombies, Comedy and adventure to create a quest for survival novel.  This book takes the best of all these worlds and creates a mashup that seems like it wouldn't work but does and with a lot of fun.  To quote one of the characters from this book, Jim Pike (former soldier fresh from Afghanistan), "
Star Trek is all about applying the Federation's high-minded ideals to difficult situations.  No matter how bad things get, you're supposed to play by the don't-shoot-first, don't-mess-with-pre-warp cultures, don't-alter-the-timeline rules. But in the zombie univers it's all about jettisoning everything- morality, sentimentality, weaklings - that might keep you from seeing the next sunrise. Because no matter how impeccably you behave, you'll never bring the other side around to your way of thinking.  They don't think.  They just kill."  But by using the rules of the Federation a rag-tag group of Trekkies in costume, a hotel security Guard, an exo-biologist, a videogame creator, and even a woman in a Princess Leia slave costume that spouts out Star Wars references, all battle zombies hoping to make it to the next day before Houston is nuked.

Jim Pike is a bellhop for the Botany Bay Hotel in Houston, the Botany Bay is the home of GulfCon, now in its 5th year, which is billed as the largest Starfleet convention in the Western Gulf Coast Region.  He used to be a big Star Trek fan but after two tours of duty in Afghanistan the what-is-it-all-about question has set in and Jim just wants to get by in life not responsible for anything.  Jim's sister is a Trekkie and she's bringing her new boyfriend, a videogame creator, to GulfCon to enjoy the festivities and see her brother.

Meanwhile an accident at a military underground bunker near Houston has released a strange virus that animates the dead.  Many people are calling in sick and the convention is just beginning to go full force with all sorts of activities.  Jim is now being forced to act as security for the Botany Bay and with his un-erring intuition Jim begins to suspect that the world is coming to an end.  When the nightfall comes the zombies begin taking on their prey with more fervor and Jim is forced to lockdown the hotel and gather the few survivors and fight to escape the brain-eating zombies.

With tons of sci-fi/Star Trek and comic book references this book is full of hilarious moments and with tons of zombies it is also full of some thrills that will keep you anxious to read the whole book in one night.  Some  of the fun in this book, if you are a fellow Trekkie are the names used and who they are used for, for example Jim Pike, the lead character, get's his name from Captain Pike, the first captain of the Enterprise (in the original series) and Captain James T. Kirk. And yes there's an awesome "Dammit Jim,.." quote or two.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Read by Allen Davis Drake
Produced by Cloud Mountain Studios (2009)
1 Hour 9 Minutes.

Every so often I find myself going back and revisiting a classic, this time around it was a strange set of circumstances to getting this audiobook.  I have always tried to get my son interested in audiobooks and having to compete with the videogames and television the lack of pictures make it hard for me compete.  This time around I lucked out.  We had an upcoming 2 hour drive and I knew I'd have to find the perfect audiobook.  I know what you're thinking,  if I have a hard time competing with TV and Videogames how is this classic story by F. Scott Fitzgerald going to get his attention.  Well, here's where it gets funny.  We never saw the movie based on this story starring Brad Pitt, and probably never will but my son and I are fans of a TV show based on Mad Magazine.  "Mad" airs on the Cartoon network and just like the magazine features parodies everything including movies.  There was one skit in which he and I found pretty funny titled "The Curious Case of Benjamin Batman," in which Batman was aging backwards. 

So we had that as a start then a friend sent me an email with a link in which I could download several classic stories in audiobook form.  The choices ranged from "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" to "Treasure Island" to "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" and including this story.  So loving the classics I downloaded all I could.  (After all they were all free, and were professionally produced, not the lower quality found on Librivox and others.) 

So with him now curious about the story and the long car trip planned we listened, and we were entertained.   

First of all the gist of the story is that Benjamin Button is born a 70 year old man.  His father is embarrassed and flabbergasted and at first does not know how to accept this medical curiosity.  The hospital wants Mr. Button to immediately remove the abomination and after buying a suit for his new born son takes him home and life begins at the end for Benjamin Button, having to go to school at the proper age (based on birth) Benjamin is a site in schoolboy shorts at the age of 65.  His life progresses backwards as we follow him to college and then marriage where he falls in love with a 20 year old woman as he appears to be 50.  He then goes off to fight in the French and Indian War and comes back a younger man.

The story is based on a quote from Mark Twain, "Youth is wasted on the Young." and a conversation between Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and F. Scott Fitzgerald.  The reader delivered the story with skill, keeping my 10 year old son and myself interested in the story and delivering the comedic scenes with just as much ease as the scenes when trying to be able to live as a married man who is growing apart from his wife due to the reverse aging and the turning over the family business to his son because he is getting too young.

The story is fun and at times and poignant at others and sometimes both.  A great view of the life of man.

"The Dragon Factory" by Jonathan Maberry

"The Dragon Factory"
by Jonathan Maberry
Read by Ray Porter
Produced by Blackstone Audio
16 hours and 11 minutes

I love it when an author creates a character that is so strong that it constitutes a revisit or even a series based on the character.  But only when it is a Strong Character.  Jonathan Maberry has created a Strong Character in Joe Ledger.  In the first book, "Patient Zero," Ledger is a Detective wanting to get into the FBI, what happens is Ledger is recruited to join a new branch of law enforcement called the DMS (Department of Military Science) in which he leads a team to fight off terrorists who have devised a disease that creates zombies.  The DMS is the branch that keeps the country and the world safe from evil that is beyond the scope of reality.  

The second novel in Maberry's Joe Ledger series starts very soon after "Patient Zero" left off, with Joe visiting the gravesite of one of his oldest and dearest friends. The problem is, the DMS has suddenly been targeted by all the other alphabet soup agencies with the search and seizure order issued by the Vice President of the United States. All the DMS offices and teams soon find themselves under attack from their own government.  Forced to fend off NSA and CIA agents alone, ledger escapes and eventually regroups with the DMS to find that while the President is getting open heart surgery the Vice President is officially in charge and has taken this time to shut down the DMS.  The V.P. as it turns is really a puppet and a mysterious group pulling the strings wants 2 things, 1.) The DMS shut down long enough to institute their plan to destroy the world, and 2.) Mindreader, the DMS computer system that can find anything anywhere. 

The DMS soon learns that the evil afoot is 2 groups of genetic scientists that have genetically created mythical creatures, Dragons, unicorns, centaurs and more.  One of the 2 groups creations are a fighting force which are called Berserkers due to their complete loss of control and destructive chaos the creatures go into when a battle begins.  The Berserkers are super strong, and have a very unique body armor that just cannot be real.  The real threat runs throughout the book in the form of a countdown clock known as the Extinction clock which counts down to when a group of genetic diseases which are prevailent in certain races have been turned into viruses which when released will destroy 6/7ths of the world population leaving most of the Earth's inhabitants to be whites only.

From the first word spoken in this book the action begins and never lets up creating a super action story mixed with some horror and some psychological horror.  For the most part the book is told in First person and Ray Porter owns the role of Joe Ledger.  He also creates the voices of the other characters that not only keeps it clear who is talking but he is able to create through superb voice acting a complete persona for each person capturing perfectly their personality and history.  Porter rocks this book, as he did in the first book, "Patient Zero."  I don't think I could listen to these books read by anyone else.

Maberry writes the perfect action/horror novel.  Really! with Nazi clones, genetically created mythical beasts, the perfect evil mad scientist and his 2 mad scientist children (albino twins) (who are pretty creepy in their own right), ethnic cleansing and a race against time this novel will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout every second of the book.  On the good side a team of soldiers that are too cool for words and a young boy hero that shows what pure goodness is all about.

Now let's see if I can find the next book in the series "The King of Plagues."

"Superman on Trial" Written and directed by Dirk Maggs

"Superman on Trial" 
Written and directed by Dirk Maggs
Multicast performance from BBC Radio
Published by AudioGo
1 hour


First broadcast in 1988 to celebrate 50 years of Superman, This BBC production features the "Man of Steel" standing trial for his crimes against humanity.  With Lex Luthor as the prosecuting attorney and with Lois Lane as Superman's defense attorney, of sorts.  In the continuity of the Superman Saga this is based partly on "Superman: Last Son of Krypton" and some early issues of "Adventures of Superman." 

AudioGo has remastered this broadcast and even added in some never-before-heard scenes.  With superb vocal acting, great sound effects and incidental music that pushes the story, this short audio comic book is the perfect way to bring a comic book to audio life.   There are even some fun special guests that make this more than just a story about Superman, but also brings to light how comic books are needed for all ages. 

The trial begins with Superman chained down and unable to move or speak, Lex Luthor insists the trial goes on and Lois Lane is forced to defen Superman.  Luthor brings charges that range from destruction of property to assaulting humans, and with Superman not of this Earth he should be banished to the "Phantom Zone" (negative space created by Superman's real father Jor-El).  Lois brings witnesses to talk about how Superman has done nothing but stand for Truth, Justice and the American Way.

The unique aspect of this audio comic book is that the trial then turns to being a message about how comic books in general are important.  This is done with some very cool special guests, Adam West, Jenette Kahn (President of DC Comics) and Dave Gibbons (Co-creator of Watchmen).  These three real life witnesses talk about how comic books, especially Superman comics promote literacy, always teach the reader the difference between right and wrong, and how all ages can and do enjoy comics.  I found it really cool when Adam West was leaving and Batman was entering the courtroom and Batman was delayed getting to the stand.  Very fun subtle context. 

Very nice production bringing an interesting comic book story to life.

"Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome" BBC Radio Drama Written by Simon Bullivant and Dirk Maggs

"Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome"
BBC Radio Drama Written by Simon Bullivant and Dirk Maggs
Multi-cast performance
Produced by AudioGo
45 minutes

One of the many things I love about comic books is that they are a quick read.  I love carrying them with me and when I have a few minutes relax and read an exciting story.  This audiobook gave me the feel of a real comic book, not only was it a full story in 45 minutes but the voice acting music and sound effects brought a comic book story to audio life.  Every aspect of this audio drama gives the full color graphics of a comic into sound.

The story was a 1989 BBC Radio 4 broadcast, produced to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the popular comic book character Batman.  If you are wondering where in the Batman continuity the story falls, it contains references to such Batman stories as Batman: The Killing Joke, Batman: A Death in the Family, Batman: Year Three, and Batman: Son of the Demon.  AudioGo has released the performance as this audiobook. 

On the anniversary of his parents murder Batman is attacked by an old enemy. Then there is an explosion and it seems Batman is no more. With the disappearance of the Batman Commissioner Gordon begins searching for any lead, even going as far as arranging a meeting with The Joker and Catwoman. The commissioner then gets an audiotape which seems to be from Batman, telling the commissioner of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne, and that receipt of the tape verifies the death of Batman.  But when Gordon goes to Wayne Manor finding Bruce Wayne liquidating assets, Gordon realizes something is wrong.  Barbara Gordon the commissioner's daughter and former Batgirl (before The Joker shot her and put her permanently in a wheelchair) begins her computer expertise to hack into the Bat-computer and find out where the real Batman is.

While in Wayne Manor Bruce Wayne informs Alfred and Nightwing (Dick Grayson, formerly Robin) that he is hanging up the cape and cowl forever.  He begins selling off all of Wayne Enterprises and plans to relocate the Bat-computer.

At the same time in some unknown location the true Batman awakens in the same room as Talia (the daughter of Ras' al Ghul) and realizes he needs to regain his strength and awareness before this impostor uses Wayne Enterprises to bring ruin to the world. 

In an exciting audio-comic book, you will feel every punch and smell the dankness of the bat-cave thanks to the expert production fro BBC Radio and AudioGo.

"Old Jews Telling Jokes - The Joke-Off" Sam Hoffman and Eric Spiegelman, Editors

"Old Jews Telling Jokes - The Joke-Off"
Sam Hoffman and Eric Spiegelman, Editors
Multiple performers
Produced by HighBridge Audio.
TRT: 1 hour

Looking for an hour of just pure laughs (and a few groans)?  Check this out: HighBridge Audio has compiled a bunch of jokes from Old Jews Telling Jokes (http://www.oldjewstellingjokes.com) into a one hour audio collection.  The audio is set up like a wrestling/match between the comedians with bells between rounds and an announcer introducing the contenders with some interesting nicknames all telling jokes trying to top each other or in some cases where a joke will remind another comedian of another joke and they snowball from there.

This collection reminded me of some of my old family get-togethers where all the men were sitting around telling jokes and just having a fun time.  Each time the jokes would be funny or you would groan and all would laugh and share good times.  That's pretty much how this comes off, just a bunch of old men having fun telling jokes.  I will warn you some of the material is explicit but not enough to make you stop listening, just be careful as to who else may be listening in, it may not be appropriate for a younger audience, although some of these jokes were ones we told on the 5th grade playground and we would giggle madly then but may groan now in our older wiser years.

The collection also includes jokes that have been phoned in from various sources that seem to be fans of the website oldjewstellingjokes.com.  A couple of these left me wondering where the punchline was, but they were fun nonetheless.

The topics of the jokes range from the old traveling salesmen jokes, plastic surgery jokes, marriage jokes, blonde jokes and lots of golf jokes.  The whole audio collection kicks off with each comedian telling the first joke they can remember and from there the "Joke-Off" is off and running.  This collection could be fun in one straight sitting or spread out when you need a quick chuckle.  Definitely one to have around just for the fun of it.

"Between Planets" by Robert A. Heinlein

"Between Planets"
by Robert A. Heinlein
Multicast performance
Produced by Full Cast Audio
TRT: 7 hours

It's time for some classic science-fiction and you can't get much "classicer" than Robert A. Heinlein.  Yeah, I know I made up a word but when it comes to Heinlein you know you are in store for some sci-fi that is rich in all things that make good sci-fi.  From the author of "Starship Troopers" and "Stranger in a Strange Land" this book is no exception to the excellence that goes into and comes out of a Heinlein story.  He writes the full story.  He doesn't just write a space adventure, he also creates a political and social culture around and throughout the story that keeps the story on pace. 

"Between the Planets" was originally published as a series in "Blue Book" magazine in 1951 under the title, "Planets in Combat" and was serialized in "Boys' Life" magazine in 1978 as a monthly cartoon series.   Scribner published the hardcover version in 1951.  Knowing it appeared as a cartoon series in "Boys' Life" is a hint that, yes, this is a young adult readers book.  With that in mind, I can think of no one other than one of the champions of YA books than Bruce Coville to take command of turning this fun piece of sci-fi into an audio book.  Coville is an author of young adult and children's stories and novels, especially some really fun scary stories.  He is also the founder of Full Cast Audio.  

Full Cast Audio takes a nice approach to creating an audiobook, using a full cast of performers and keeping the productions family-friendly and with age appropriate casting.  Full Cast Audio also throws in some original music for the chapter separations that make this a fine listening experience.  I will admit that some of the younger voices weren't as honed in the acting craft as some of the others, but that was easily forgiven due to the fact that the voice matched the character.  All in all I'd say, a job very well done in bring this Heinlein story to life. 

Don Harvey is about to graduate from his Dude Ranch type High School on Earth when his parents, who are living on Mars send for him to come to Mars before graduation.  They also leave him with the mysterious message to be sure and see a family friend, Dr. Dudley Jefferson, and to bring the package that Dr. Jefferson gives him to Mars.  At this time in Earth's future, there is an uprising from the Colony on Venus who want to end Taxation without representation.   Not being born on Earth, Don has yet to declare whether he is a citizen of Earth, Venus or Mars and all the powers that be treat him with suspicion. 

Dr. Jefferson dies mysteriously after giving Don a ring to take to Don's father.  Don then blasts off for the orbiting space station which is the launching point to all the planetary colonies.  The problem, Venusian rebels have taken over the station and are directing residents of Venus to Venus and those of Earth back to Earth.  Don can't get to Mars so He goes to Venus, knowing that there is something he needs to do with that ring.

A coming of age story in which Don Harvey learns to make life-changing decisions and those trying to keep secrets learn that Don is not the "kid" they think he is.   With Venusian Dragons, and military coups this book will keep you on the edge throughout and with the very nice production from Full Cast Audio, the story will come to life putting you "Between Planets."

Field Report: Olympus DM-620

Field Report: Olympus DM-620

"Z E O: A Zombie's Guide to Getting A(Head) in Business" by Scott Kenemore

"Z E O: A Zombie's Guide to Getting A(Head) in Business"
by Scott Kenemore
Published bySkyhorse Publishing Inc. (2009)
254 pages

I have for some reason been on a zombie kick with most of my reading,  I love the movies and now the books are becoming quite fun to read.  The books I've found conatain anything from horror to comedy to a mix of both.  When it comes to the humorous side of zombies, Scott Kenemore has become my favorite writer, so far.  Scott knows his zombie encyclopedia inside and out and in every book he makes reference to nearly every zombie movie made, including some of the ones I thought I was the only one who saw them.

This time around I read one of Scott's earlier writings (earlier by only a couple of years but he has been busy in his short career.  He is the author of the horror novel Zombie, Ohio (2011) and several zombie-themed satires, including: "The Zen of Zombie: Better Living Through the Undead" (2007), "The Art of Zombie Warfare" (2010), "The Code of the Zombie Pirate" and "Zombies vs. Nazis" (2011).  In this book "Z.E.O..." Scott tells how you can take the path of a zombie and become successful in business.  Let me tell you you may be surprised this book actually has some good ideas, except for the eating brains part, but Scott writes how brains can be loosely translated to destroying the competition, rewards for a job well done and more.

It's funny, Scott Kenemore mentions that everyone from sports stars to military commanders have written books about how to become successful in the business world and professionals actually heed their advice, so why not zombies?  So a military commander can wipe out bases with missles how does this make him able to run a business?  So Tiger Woods and C.E.O.s make a lot of money, but the similarities stop there. Tiger Woods can be stopped by knee surgery, lightning on the course and, occasionally, Vijay Singh.  But a zombie is stopped only by a gunshot straight to the head or decapitation.  Makes sense.

But seriously,  this book is full of fun comparisons to the ways of the zombie and how business should work, but it also offers up some pretty sound advice, such as:  Do it your way.  A zombie's pace is slow and steady but every time it gets the job done.  Slow and steady and done right the first time every time.  Zombie time management, don't get distracted by gossip at the water cooler, or knick-knacks in your cubicle, when someone tries to distract you just moan and shamble on to your task.  There are a lot more of these great ideas all intermingled with very funny anecdotes as to how they are all traits of zombies.

The book is divided into two parts with the first part of how to become a zombie power in the work force and the second part a one year plan to become a C...er um I mean... Z.E.O.  Humor and common sense all rolled into one with this very interesting and entertaining book by Scott Kenemore.

"Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death" by Deborah Blum

"Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death"
by Deborah Blum
read by George K. Wilson
Produced by Sound Library (2006)
approx 13 hours


It seems to be a recent trend to go out and try to find proof of the existence of ghosts, spirits and all things paranormal. We have "reality" TV shows showing ghost hunters and search amazon.com for ghost hunting and you can find all sorts of equipment that theoretically aids the hunt for ghosts. But this trend has been with humankind ever since we began burying our dead and trying to find out what happens next. Pulitzer prize winning writer, Deborah Blum takes a look at some 19th Century ghost hunting int the book, "Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death." During this time period Harvard professor William James, remembered more for his contributions to psychology and philosophy than psychical research, was one of the early leaders in scientific research aimed ultimately at determining whether consciousness survives bodily death.

From the mediums speaking to the spirit of a dead girl to find her body to tricksters using various contraptions to fool the audience, several members of society's Intelligencia (both British and American) were looking to prove or disprove psychical arts. William James sought out to apply objective scientific methods to the study of paranormal phenomena. Many times a fraud was found but sometimes during this book you just have to wonder.

Deborah Blum tells this story of intellectuals, philosophers, pyschologists, Nobelists from the 19th Century into the early part of the 20th Century trying to bridge the gap between science and religion when religion was being questioned by the theory of evolution and the the new sciences. I found it quite interesting as to how many folks were out to fool the public in the name of talking to the dead. I had listened to the Mary Roach book "Spook" and she also talked of the the same fakes trying to earn a buck by holding seances. In fact, this book would make a great companion to that book or vice versa.

The narrator George K. Wilson (no relation) does a superb job of narrating the book and even throws in some voice changes and accents when representing quotes from various people in this documentary. I have also heard some other books read by Wilson and I have decided that any documentary or non-fiction audio book I look at I will immediately get the book if he is the reader. He has a way that presents the story or information with no opinion yet keeps the information very interesting to hear.

So, if the study of the paranormal or you're thinking about becoming a ghost hunter like on TV, check out the history of debunking and proof in this book.

smarterer

Being a bzz agent (http://www.bzzagent.com) I get to try out new products and review them. This time around I got to try out the website smarterer. This site is so addictive. You can go on the site and take tests about numerous subjects from html code writing, your knowledge of social network sites like twitter and facebook and see how smart you are about the subject. The test results can be displayed as badges on your website, your blog or even in your resume. This site, therefore can show what you know, but be warned you will constantly want to raise your score and soon you may become addicted to the quiz taking (It almost feels like playing a Quiz Show like game rather than taking a test).

"Ashes, Ashes" by Jo Treggiari

"Ashes, Ashes"
by Jo Treggiari
read by Cassandra Campbell
Produced by Oasis Audio
9 hours and 48 minutes


Time once again to dive into the fiction from the young adult category, this time I listened to a post-apocalyptic dystopian novel "Ashes, Ashes" by Jo Treggiari.    As with most young adult titles this one involves a little romance but lots of action and some despair.  The world has ended but, Treggiari never fully explains why but 99% of the human population is wiped out from a smallpox like plague.  The rest of the world is getting wiped out by floods and drought and the cities are decaying.  What's left of the human population is being hunted down by hazmat suited people called sweepers, armed with tazers they invade encamped populations taking people (especially children) away in white vans to an island hospital never to be seen again.

Lucy Holloway is an anomaly.  When the book opens we find her struggling for her own survival eating only that which she catches and kills.  Relying on acorn mush is not enough and through the help of a survival book rescued from the decaying library as the book opens she is learning to clean and cook a turtle.

While out checking her snares she sees a boy of around her same age (16) who helps her to escape from the sweepers.  The boy, Aiden, stays on her mind and she often thinks of joining his encampent of refugees.  When a tsunami threatens her campsite she litereally runs for the hills and in running away decides to find the encampent.  Lucy decides that she would be better with a group rather than alone, and joins up with the group of survivors.  But the danger follows her and the sweepers raid the camp taking people away.  This time one escapes and leads a rescue party to bring back the other children.  On this rescue mission Lucy discovers the sweepers are looking specifically for her because her blood holds the mystery to surviving the plague.

Through the dangers of a dying world and a mad scientist on the hunt this book is full of adventure that will sweep you away to a world of survival.  The reader Cassandra Campbell does a nice job of presenting the story and with the constant teetering on the edge feel of the story the few mispronunciations are easily forgiven. 

The book does present an interesting end, in that it ends the story nicely but does leave it open for a sequel, which I'm hoping Jo Treggiari has planned.  If you liked the "Hunger Games" series this book will be right up your alley.

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"Enron" by Lucy Prebble

"Enron"
by Lucy Prebble
a full cast audio performance
starring Greg Germann, Gregory Itzin, Amy Pietz and Steven Weber
Directed by Rosalind Ayres.
Recorded before a live audience at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles in October, 2010
Produced by L.A. Theatre Works
1 Hour 51 Minutes

One of my latest treasures I've found are the classic theatrical productions in audiobook form produced by L.A. Theatre works.  I've been listening to plays by Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, Chekov, Oscar Wilde and others.  Listening to the classics is fun but this time around I was curious to see what LATW had to offer in the more modern theatre genre.  I was intrigued by this play, "Enron," due to the fact that as the Enron scandal unraveled I was was working on a Business format radio station and at the time and this was all big news, and I heard most of it unfold live on the air with our in depth coverage on "Business Radio 1190 KPHN."  What I didn't know then was how this would affect our economy today. 

This play not only points out the greed and political underhandedness of the time and of the company but also gives great insight as to how the world economy today has fallen into the state it is in.  The interesting aspect of this play is that it, at times, takes an absurdist look at the situation and company.  For example, when the company develops a way to make losses seem like profits they illustrate the feature by feeding dollar bills to Raptors, yes in the performance you hear actual dinosaurs eating money.  The raptors soon become too much to handle and must be released or killed.  Another fun feature of the play is that it has song and dance numbers.  A musical about greed...too much.

When Enron slumped into bankruptcy in December 2001, Lucy Prebble was a 20-year-old English literature student at the University of Sheffield in northern England.  She tossed around the idea for a few years and eventually got to do her show making it into this musical adventure that actually puts into plain language the cryptic language of finances and Mark to Market financing that gave Enron the edge.  So with a little British humor the average listener is able to understand the disaster that came crashing down on Enron and the U.S.   Informative, entertaining and frustrating, you'll find yourself laughing with disgust at big business.

"The Chee-Chalker" by L. Ron Hubbard

"The Chee-Chalker"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multi-cast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio (2008)
Approx 2 hours.

It's time once again to go on an adventure with the master story teller, L. Ron Hubbard.  Once again we turn to the stories from the Golden Age, and this time explore the wilderness and outlaws of the Alaskan territory.  Hubbard wrote many stories in many genres that were published in many of the pulp fiction magazines in the mid-20th Century and Galaxy Press has been releasing these stories in their own "pulp" form and have created audio pulps from these releases.  What I call audio pulps are short books (usually around 2 hours in length) that are produced with an excellent multi-cast of performers, special effects that place the listener in the middle of the story and original music that matches the story perfectly.  Each production is reminiscent of old time radio broadcasts with over the top characters and voices to match.

This time I go back to 2008 (the year when Galaxy Audio first began releasing these stories) and listen to the audio pulp of "The Chee-Chalker" which was originally released in "Five Novels" monthly during the months of July and August of 1947.  This story takes you to the Alaskan Territory where FBI agent, Bill Norton and his assistant Chick have been sent to investigate the smuggling of Heroin into the United States via Alaska and Canada and the missing agent that preceded him in the territory. 

Norton is considered at first a "Chee-Chalker," local slang for a newcomer by the locals, but that's their first mistake.  Norton finds not only the smugglers but a string of corpses which are dismissed as "accidental drownings."  Norton doesn't buy it and when a dame gets in the picture the twists and turns in clues abound.  This time the dame is a heart-stopping heiress to the halibut trade, and seems to be behind the murders and smuggling, at first.  But through the typewriter of L. Ron Hubbard things are never what they seem. 

With hard hitting punches and excellent detective work, Norton will get to the bottom of it all,but at the expense of whose lives?  Yet another fun adventure that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Field Report: Blue Microphones Yeti Pro

Field Report: Blue Microphones Yeti Pro

"The Adventures of Mr. Maximillian Bacchus and His Travelling Circus" by Clive Barker

"The Adventures of Mr. Maximillian Bacchus and His Travelling Circus"
by Clive Barker
read by Bruce Donnelly
Published by Crossroad Press
Approx 2 hours

The first thing that grabbed me about this audiobook was that it was written by Clive Barker, I have always loved horror novels and Barker's horror novels are some of the best.   I knew this was a fantasy book, and was prepared for this because I have read a few of his fantasy books including the young adult fantasy series "Abarat."   What I wasn't prepared for, once I started listening was the depth of the language and the way the story completely engulfed me.   What is more amazing is that these stories were written in 1974 when Clive Barker was only 17 years old.  At first listen it is an amazing book by a young author, but more to it, it is an amazing book that will take you on a magical fantastical journey in and of itself, regardless of the age of the author.

On a side note regarding this audio book version, I think the non-emotional, straight forward read actually works.  I have recently become a fan of audiobooks where the author actually acts out the book and even provides different voices for the characters, or even better yet a full dramatization with a full blown cast of actors.  These types make the audiobook more of an exciting experience, but for this book, where the language used by Clive Barker is the star, the nearly monotone emotionless reading by Bruce Donnelly works.  This approach took some getting used to but once the book was rolling I found myself completely lost in the language.  The words used by Barker in this book flow like poetry.

Maximillian Bacchus is the ringmaster and owner of what he considers the greatest show in the world. Traveling with a Crocodile named Malachi, a trapeze girl named Ophelia, a strong man named Hero, and a clown named Domingo de Ybarrondo.  All travel in a wagon pulled by a giant "Ibis bird," the troupe wanders from adventure to adventure.

The book consists of four interwoven stories beginning when Indigo Murphy, the best bird handler in the world, leaves the show to be married to the Duke Lorenzo de Medici.  During the feast where this announcement is made Maximillian Bacchus announces the circus will travel to the fabled Xanadu built by the Khan named Kubla.  From there, the magic never stops. On the road they meet a young apple thief named Angelo with glowing eyes who tries to redeem himself by helping to find a lost girl.  The troupe next rescues an orangutan named Bathsheba from what seems like the evil and opposite form of the travelling circus.  The Circus then arrives at the end of the world where the people living in a town on the edge of the world are terrorized by a band of trolls. Finally arriving in Xanadu the troupe sets to perform for Kubla Khan.  After the troupe performs the daughter of the brother of Kubla Khan is abducted and the sun is stolen from the sky, the Khan gives in to the sadness of the event but Maximillian Bacchus and his travelling circus volunteer to rescue the girl and bring back the light of the sun by venturing into the crystal caves beneath Xanadu.

With magical prose and fun short stories, this is one book that is great for all ages.  This would be the perfect bedtime story book, and in audiobook form would be the great travelling companion.

"Macbeth" by William Shakespeare

"Macbeth"
by William Shakespeare
Multi-cast performance starring James Marsters
Produced by L.A. Theatre Works
Approx 2 hours

While getting my degree in Theatre from Southern Illinois University, I learned to appreciate the works of Shakespeare.   The first thing I learned is that the plays are meant to be performed not just read.  Once I started performing scenes from Shakespeare's collection I saw how much fun and in depth the stories were.  Yes, even the tragedies were fun, from a performance perspective.  So now when I hear of students having to read Shakespeare I cringe a little knowing they may never learn to appreciate Shakespeare.  In comes  L.A. Theatre Works and their releasing in audiobook format theatrical performances.    I've had the chance to listen to several of these and, to be honest, I was leery at first.  I was thinking, how can you turn such a visually dependent medium into an adequate audio book? 

L.A. Theatre Works goes well beyond the adequate, and are able to produce superb audio versions of some great performances.  Most of this lies in the excellent production using sound effects that make sense in the right places and with even more excellent casting.  The many plays always feature accomplished actors, not just famous ones but ones that are capable of filling the role to perfection.  In the case of this release, James Marsters is cast in the lead as Macbeth, and just knocks it out of the park.  There is one scene where the ghost of Banquo sits in Macbeths chair at a dinner party and the issue is that Macbeth begins yelling at the spirit and the other members of the party don't see the ghost.  In his vocal gymnastics alone on this recording, Marsters is able to explain to the listener that only he sees the ghost.  Great performance throughout by all the actors. 

As for the story of "Macbeth,"  this is one of Shakespeare's shortest plays and carries with it some baggage.  "Macbeth" is considered a cursed play, so much so that theatre tradition does not allow one to mention the name of the play within a theatre,  many refer to it as "The Scottish Play" and when referring to the main characters, just call them "Mr. and Mrs. M."  The reason behind this superstition goes back many years, the origin is that Shakespeare used some actual witches' spells when writing it, and as revenge for giving out the secrets of the craft some real witches cursed every mention of the play.

The play is about a General in the Scottish army who becomes king, but not in a traditional happy sort of way.  Two generals, Macbeth and Banquo are returning from a battle and stumble across three witches in the forest where the tell the two of their fortunes.  Macbeth will be king and Banquo will have his children for many ages become King. 

Putting the thought of becoming King into Macbeth's head leads to the murder of King Duncan and the fall into madness that surrounds Macbeth.  Soon he must go to the witches again to find out more of his future.  This time around the witches tell him that no man born of a woman can kill him, leaving Macbeth with the false belief that he is invincible.  Tragedy ensues and another classic has been engulfed.  Enjoy this classic performed by wonderful cast.

"Doctor Who: Hunter's Moon" by Paul Finch

"Doctor Who: Hunter's Moon"
by Paul Finch   
read by Arthur Darvill   
Published by BBC Audiobooks
Approx 6.5 hours

Okay before we talk about this particular audio book I've gotta point out something I just found out and it has me stoked; there are like a bazillion Doctor who audiobooks.  I was looking around for something to shove into my iPod and remembered having listened to a couple of Doctor who books and thought that would be cool let's see what else is out there.  'Lo and behold there are several for the latest 3 Doctors and many more for the older series.  BBC Audiobooks has been busy. 

This time around I've picked up another audiobook featureing the 11th Doctor (portrayed by Matt Smith) and in the continuity it takes place just before the 5th season episode of "The Impossible Astronaut."  The Doctor's companions are still Amy and Rory and their adventures takes them to a region that is pretty much like a gambler's heaven, Leisure Platform 9.  Before he can join Rory and Amy, the Doctor has to go and visit an old friend, Kobal Zalu, who is head of the police force in this sector.  Zalu mentions that the last time he saw the Doctor, the Doctor had white hair, so this is digging out an old friend from way back, the first or second Doctor.   It seems Zalu doesn't as much act as a police officer but more of a peacekeeper between gamblers and vilians and as long as the locals aren't harmed all else is ignored.

This book is ready by Arthur Darvill, the actor portraying Rory in the series, and not only is this a good choice because the bulk of the story is told from Rory's point of view, but because Darvill has a great delivery.  His voice is flexible enought to change between different characters talking in the story, but he does a pretty good impression of Matt Smith (the Doctor). 

While on the platform Rory notices a game of chance that he's pretty good at, well least the Earth version (craps).  While observing a player at the game Rory remarks that the game of chance is chancing more to the players benefit.  When he remarks outloud about this the player then challenges Rory.   Rory plays ends up winning but on the final throw loses, and loses big, in fact he loses the TARDIS to the player (it doesn't matter that Rory isn't the owner.)  So as payment the player, Xorg Krauzzen, kidnaps Rory and takes him to the planet Gorgoror, where Rory and other kidnapped earthlings are part of a hunt, not as hunters but as hunted. 

The Doctor and Amy go undercover to save Rory and end up uncovering a fiendish hunt that has been going on illegally for years, so now the Doctor must stop this evil, rescue his friends and get the TARDIS back.  In a non-stop thrillride this story will keep you on the edge of your seat, have you chew down all your fingernails and keep your adrenaline up until the very end.

"Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs" by Hunter S. Thompson

"Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs"
by Hunter S. Thompson
Published by Modern Library (1999)
originally published by Random House (1966)
265 pages.

I have been a fan of Hunter S. Thompson ever since I saw the movie "Where the Buffalo Roam" starring Bill Murray, which was loosely based on the book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."  After seeing that movie I read the book and realized why it was LOOSELY based, because of the craziness that is Gonzo reporting that Thompson did best. 

I decided to go back again recently and tackle another Thompson book and this Hell's Angels documentary seemed a good way to go.  In this book you don't get as much craziness that makes the gonzo, Gonzo.  Instead with this book you get the early forms of gonzo reporting where Thompson placed himself at the heart of danger.  It is still told in first person as Thompson did best and with some great descriptive narrative that puts the reader pretty much on the back of a Harley and making some runs with the most dangerous group of the 60s.

During this period of American history, The Hells Angels were a violent bunch, at least according to all the major newspapers.  Hunter S. Thompson, thought they may be getting a bad rap and decided to put himself in the middle of it all.  He approached Sonny Barger, the head of the Hells Angels at the time and told him of his plans to follow them as a reporter, a dangerous move in and of itself due to the Angels not trusting reporters because of the bad press.  But soon Thompson was mildly accepted into the fray and follows them for about a year.  Thompson's relationship was ended with the Angels after they nearly beat him to death for making a remark to a fellow Angel that the club didn't appreciate.  The remark was made when Thompson saw an Angel beating his wife, to which Thompson said, "Only a PUNK beats his wife." 

The whole nature of the Hells Angels motorcycle club at the time always teetered on the edge of violence, whether it was  running out of beer or locals wanting to chase the club out of town.   This documentary not only shows the constant chance of violence, but Thompson also sheds some light on the idea that the Angels just wanted to be left alone.  Left to themselves they just wanted to have a good time on weekends and in many cases work their jobs during the week.  As with any large group there are individuals that would do something that would get the negative attention and that is what everyone focused on.  Thompson presented all the stories during his time with them good and bad. 

Some of the fun stuff in the book is when Ken Kesey and his Merry Band of Pranksters invite the Angels over for a party and the two cultures converge and the police are the ones that create the clash.  Many exciting adventures in this book and at times you feel you are reading a thriller with an exciting ending rather than  a documentary.  Great writing and interesting cultures make this book a good read.

I'm writing lenses on Squidoo and would love you to join me

I'm writing lenses on Squidoo and would love you to join me and maybe you could earn some cash.

"The Hounds of Artemis" by James Goss

"The Hounds of Artemis"
by James Goss
read by Matt Smith & Clare Corbett.
Produced by BBC Audiobooks
approx 1 hour.

Not sure why it took me so long but not until the 5th season and the 11th doctor did I get into the return of the series "Doctor Who."  I loved it as a kid especially the Tom Baker version of the Doctor.   But before I got into the series I had to start from the 9th Doctor and work my way back up to now...I'm now caught up with the TV series and, well, I'm impressed.  Great storyline, and the special effects are awesome.  The BBC even has 2 spinoff series, on for kids, "The Sarah Jane Adventures" a series for young adults (which ended due to the death of Elizabeth Sladen) and "Torchwood," which went for 3 seasons, each on a different BBC channel and then coming to America on a subscription cable channel for a 4th season.

So now I'm caught up on the series and all the side series' I'm doing my best to wait for each new episode.   So what does an audio book lover do?  Find Doctor Who audiobooks, and let me tell you the BBC has done their best to make sure there is a plethora of them available.  So far I have liked all 3 of the new doctors (David Tenant was my fave, but the latest, Matt Smith is really growing on me.   He's my son's fave so hey, there's that.)  This audiobook is a one hour release from BBC Audiobooks and features the 11th Doctor, Matt Smith, and his companion, Amy Pond.)  In the continuity of the series this audio falls before the "Big Bang" episode because it features the smiling crack in reality that is always following Amy.

In 1929 Lord Woolcroft and his team break open the fabled Tomb of Artemis, sealed for thousands of years, they are astonished by what they find inside...A man and a woman.  The man is wearing a bowtie and introduces himself as The Doctor.  He then tells them they are in great danger, and  thus begins the adventure. 

As are many things in time this event is a fixed moment and cannot be changed, however maybe the casualties can be lessened so that is what the Doctor and Amy set out to do.  The Tomb of Artemis is opened and soon wolves/hounds begin to terrorize the archaeological team.  Once entering the tomb, the priestess of Artemis is there and presenting a feast of what seems to be each person's favorite food.  So it seems Artemis is feeding off the mental energy of the humans.  Soon Artemis reveals her plan to escape and take over the world, but the Doctor decides this cannot happen. 

Just as with the tv series this audiobook features excellent writing that makes the adventure one that will keep you wondering what will happen next the book is read by the star of the series, Matt Smith and by Clare Corbett.  Clare Corbett's reading sections are when the story is being told from Amy Pond's diary and as the teller of the story, a descendent of one of the archaeological team.   Matt Smith delivers the rest and gives the story that extra Doctor Whoishness.

Great little audiobook that may get you hooked into the Doctor Who world if you aren't already.

"Branded Outlaw" by L. Ron Hubbard

"Branded Outlaw"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multi-cast performance
produced by Galaxy Audio
Approx 2 hours.

Once again I venture into another story from the pulps of the mid-20th Century and this time I do it with a western.  It's been a bit since I've listened to a tale of cattle rustlers and gunslingers, so let's check out "Branded Outlaw."

Before we get into the story, I've got to explain why I'm listening to this book.  I got introduced to the stories of L. Ron Hubbard that appeared in the many pulp fiction magazines of the early - mid 20th century via Galaxy Audiom and it all started with Hubbard's sci-fi/fantasy stories.  I'm a huge sci-fi fan, and listening to these classic stories produced by Galaxy Audio would blast me off into several universes and realities.  I then got curious and started listening to the other genres, from air adventures, mystery, sea adventures and westerns.  I've never been a fan of westerns but after hearing the great production in the others I gave them a chance with this collection.  I was amazed, they were fun and with the great sound effects, music and superb voice acting Galaxy Audio got me interested and since then I look forward to the next one.  

This story is yet another superb production, in which you'll be ducking bullets and hiding behind rocks to get your next shot in.  "Branded Outlaw" was originally published in the October, 1938 issue of  "Five Novels" monthly and tells the tale of "Suicide" Lee  Weston, who returns to Pecos, New Mexico from Wyoming, to help his father who has written Lee telling him of an enemy by the name of Harvey Dodge.   Weston is thinking Dodge is trying to take over his father's land and stealing his cattle.  When he arrives he finds his father murdered and the homestead burned to the ground.  Weston then heads into town seeking revenge on Harvey Dodge. 

The Sheriff tries to calm Weston, but as Weston leaves the Sheriff's office a gunman challenges him upon hearing he is seeking out Dodge.  Weston narrowly escapes but manages to kill the gunman.  The problem is one of the stray bullets from the gunfight has killed a passerby.  Weston is now wanted for murder, he heads for the hills and a private fishing lodge he stayed in as a kid.  At the lodge Weston is found by a woman who nurses him to health, and in classic Hubbard style the twists begin in that the woman is the daughter of Harvey Dodge. 

Weston sets out to stop the man responsible for the series of cattle rustlings and land grabbing after finding out that Dodge may not be behind it.  But trouble ensues as well as the gunfights.  Can Weston prove his innocence before meeting up with the lynch mob out for him?  In a tale that is a CLASSIC western, you'll need to tighten up your spurs because you are in for the long ride until justice prevails in the old west.

Just to show how detailed of a western this story is here's a quote from the book:

"A leather-faced, sun-dried individual with a star on his chest was drowsing over a stack of reward posters, waking up occasionally to swat at a fly which buzzed around his ear. But the instant a shadow appeared in the door, Tate Randall, through long and self-preserving habit, swiftly came to life, one hand half stretched out as a welcoming gesture and the other on the Colt at his side. His bleached eyes squinted as he inspected Lee."

Just plain classic western writing with a very visual description.

"Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller

"Death of a Salesman"
by Arthur Miller
a full cast audio performance
starring Stacy Keach and Jane Kaczmarek
Produced by L.A. Theatre Works
approx 2 hours

Once again I'm going back to my theatre roots and listening to an audio performance of a classic play, "Death of a Salesman."  While in college I acted out a scene from this play and from that moment I fell in love with it.  Not sure why, I mean, it's not really a happy play, but something about this play grabbed me.  I think mainly because it was the first play I'd read and performed and that it seemed to tell it straight.  Life does not always turn out like you want. 

When I ran across this audio performance from L.A. Theatre Works (LATW), I knew I had to give it a listen mainly because of Stacy Keach.  He's a subtle actor yet can give you a larger than life performance.  In this performance he knocked it out of the ball park.  I had seen a version of the play on television with Dustin Hoffman as Willie Loman and thought at that time I had just seen the only person who I could ever picture as Arthur Miller's salesman.  But now I have to shift that to Keach.  Mr. Keach performed the role to perfection.  As you can see, I was highly impressed.

Everyone in this performance was great, Jane Kaczmarek (you know, the mom in TV's "Malcolm in the Middle") did a wonderful job as Willie's wife, Linda, but let's face it the play is about Willie Loman, and the star shined brightly.  Actually while were talking about being impressed, this makes the 4th or 5th performance from LATW that I've heard and each time they impress me, not only with excellent casting, but the productions are superb.   Each release places the listener directly into the audience of the performance, with excellent sound effects, music and just a dash of the audience response to remind you you are listening to a performance. 

"Death of a Salesman" is the story of an aged salesmen who was always wanting the best for his family.  He wanted his boys to grow up and be well liked, not just liked, but WELL liked.  The problem is that the reality of Willie Loman's life never really matched up to his dreams.  He is full of regrets, such as missed opportunities, never knowing his father and his son, Biff who was a High School football star that could have gone on to play in college.  The problem is that Biff flunked out of Math and refused to go to summer school and never went to college. 

The play takes place in Willie & Linda's home when Biff is back from "out west."  Hap, the other son, who is trying to follow in his father's footsteps still lives near to home, is also visiting.  Willie cuts short his trip from Boston because he nearly runs off the road while driving.  Wille has lately become a victim to his mind wandering and he starts revisiting his memories out loud.  

The play is told with a constant barrage of flashbacks from Willie's point of view as he begins to see the reality of his dream.  Linda tells her sons of Willie's troubles and that she believes he is trying to kill himself.  It all builds up to a scene, where to make their father happy, Biff and Hap attempt to go into business together, but reality comes crashing down on everyone leaving a tragic ending. 

This performance from L.A. Theatre Works is superb in every manner and this classic play is one that should not be missed.

"Under the Black Ensign" by L. Ron Hubbard

"Black Mask 1: Doors in the Dark -And Other Crime Fiction from the Legendary Magazine" Edited by Otto Penzler

"Black Mask 1: Doors in the Dark -And Other Crime Fiction from the Legendary Magazine"
Edited by Otto Penzler
read by Eric Conger, Oliver Wyman, Alan Sklar, Pete Larkin, and Jeff Gurner
Produced by High Bridge Audio
Approx 7 hours

When I say the words "Pulp Fiction," what comes to your mind?  Maybe the movie of the same name?  Keep that in mind because I've got a surprise for you.  For me the movie was the first thing that would come to mind, but recently I've been listening to audio books of stories from the days of the Pulp Fiction magazines.

This latest audio book is a real gem.  "Black Mask 1" is the first in the series of stories turned to audio books from the "Black Mask" pulp that was printed between 1921 -1950.  These stories all have that great film noir/gumshoe detective feel and make for some great short stories.  In its hey day, "Black Mask" printed stories from some prominent authors of the day, and this first edition starts out with a bang with some great and fun stories.   Before we talk about those, remember the movie "Pulp Fiction?"  The movie was, in its early days, actually titled "Black Mask," because Quentin Tarantino drew his inspiration from the pulp magazine.

Each of the stories is read by a different narrator and each one does a superb job of reflecting the story's emotion and the sound of the time.  If you close your eyes while listening to "Black Mask 1..." in your mind you can easily visualize a film noir gumshoe detective movie from the same era of these stories. 

The introduction to the audio book is written  by Keith Alan Deutsch and read by Eric Conger.  It gives a very nice history of the age of the pulps and especially that of "Black Mask" magazine.

The stories included in this collection are:

    “Come and Get It” by Erle Stanley Gardner; read by Oliver Wyman.
Erle Stanly Gardner was a self taught lawyer who took on the extra job of writing for the pulps to make up for the lack of money he earned as a lawyer, after a few years he turned his writing into full time and created the character, Perry Mason.  This story "Come and Get It" ran in the April, 1927 issue of "Black Mask" and features the character, Ed Jenkins.  Ed Jenkins is known to many as the Phantom Prowler, because he can never be caught.  This time around Jenkins is warned by a crook that a woman with a mole on her hand will try to kill him.  In trying to track down this woman, Jenkins discovers a plot by the local crime boss to steal the city's best jewelry.  Jenkins sets out to foil the plot of the crime boss and the lady with a mole.

    “Arson Plus” by Peter Collinson (Dashiell Hammett); read by Alan Sklar.
Peter Collinson (Dashiell Hammett) worked for the Pinkerton Detective agency and was one of the folks that brought down actor Fatty Arbuckle.  Published originally in the October, 1923 issue of "Black Mask," and tells the story of a detective that comes in to investigate a shady arson which the local sheriff has considered the case closed.  The best part of this story is the reader in this case.  Alan Sklar's voice fits the story perfectly and keeps you listening with what his cigar and gin soaked voice.

    “Fall Guy” by George Harmon Coxe; read by Pete Larkin
George Harmon Coxe wrote in the sports, romance and sea stories but his best known works are his detective stories.    This story first appeared in the June, 1936 issue of "Black Mask," and tells of newspaper photographer "Flashgun" Casey who gets called on to deliver ransom money for an old gal pal who had some photos taken when she was younger that she doesn't want released.  You know the story, she was young, needed the money, so nude photos were taken.  Casey helps her out but finds out things are not all on the up and up.

    “Doors in the Dark” by Frederick Nebel; read by Pete Larkin
Frederick Nebel created the stories featuring the tough detective Steve McBride and the wisecracking Newspaper reporter Kennedy.  Warner Brothers bought the McBride series and made nine films, in the movies Kennedy was turned into a woman by the name of Torchie Blaine and the object of her affections was McBride.  This story was originally published in the February, 1933 issue and tells the story of an apparant suicide of one of McBride's friends.  But something doesn't sit right with McBride so he investigates deeper even though every single clue only leads back to suicide.

    “Luck” by Lester Dent; read by Jeff Gurner    Introduction by Keith Alan Deutsch; read by Eric Conger
Lester Dent created Doc Savage under the name of Kenneth Robison and was very successful with this series.  After Savage, Dent created the loner boatman Oscar Sail who is the subject of this story.  Originally published in the October, 1936 issue and is an earlier draft of one the Oscar Sail stories.    In this story Sail sets out to find some seedy characters, all the while setting up slot machines to pay off to some lucky gambler, never himself. 

Each one of these stories has its twists and turns that keep you guessing as to what happens next, which is what makes them so fun to hear. I know I'm looking forward to the next edition.

Reed 091611 1am

Reed 091611 1am by Gil T. Wilson Baker Cemetery where the First woman in Illinois to be hanged is buried.There are lots of reports of evps at Elizabeth "Betsy" Reed's gravesite...so we decided to check it out.we had just spent some time by the grave and were walking around looking at other gravestones many from the 1800s in here and we came back to Betsy & her husbands to check the years in relation to the other graves.We didn't hear these two sounds when we were there..but they are on the recorder.

091211 1am

091211 1am by Gil T. Wilson

091211 12am

091211 12am by Gil T. Wilson

Hr091511moan paranormal investigation

Hr091511moan by Gil T. Wilson

090611 3am

090611 3am by Gil T. Wilson

"The Unexpected: Volume 1" released by Radioarchives.com

"The Unexpected: Volume 1"
released by Radioarchives.com
Multi-cast Old time Radio Shows
Approx 5 horus

Being a 25+ year veteran of Radio Broadcasting I may be a little biased here, but I love old time radio, or as is commonly referred to as "otr."  OTR has that classic theatre of the mind feel that is nearly forgotten.  Today's radio is ruled by top 40 pop songs or talk radio and these lack the creativity that the early years of radio represented.  The stories were told on the air and the audience created the images in their mind.  Today I try to keep this up with every commercial I write or produce, when you feed off the audience's imagination, you have an unlimited supply of material.

Radio great, Stan Freeburg, once drained Lake Michigan and filled with hot cocoa, whip cream and had U.S. Air Force jets top it all off with a giant cherry.  He then said, I'd like to see you do that on television.  Sure now with CGI we could do it, but it would take hours and I could do that in a radio studio in just a few minutes, so still a win for radio.   The old time radio shows used to be the main source of entertainment and had to keep the audience coming back each week.  This was usually done through simple great entertainment, and sometimes cliffhangers that the listener had to come back next week to find out what happens next.

Radioarchives.com has recently released a this series of "The Unexpected" radio programs
that were originally aired in 1947.  Each time the audience would keep coming back with some great stories that would not end with the expected.  With this release you don't have to wait a week for the next mystery.  Volume one contains 20 of the 15 minute episodes that have been restored from the original transcriptions from what were probably acetate pressings.  Radioarchives.com have restored these recordings to perfection, the sound quality is superb and equal to any modern audio production.  

 Every episode begins with: "Who knows what drama may happen tomorrow...or an hour from now...or in just a moment? Who knows what destiny has in store for the lady down the street, the fellow at the next desk, or you yourself? Who knows?"  Each story is then presented  with superb acting from actors of radio/screen and stage of the time.  Some of the actors that rang familiar with me were; Barry Sullivan, Lyle Talbot, Marsha Hunt, & Jackie Cooper.  The story genres range from Mystery & Suspense, to Drama, and there's even a bit of comedy thrown in.  And just when you get to the end of the story, a voice comes in and says, "You think the story is over, don't you? But wait! Fate takes a hand. Wait...for the Unexpected!"  then the story continues with an ending that is unexpected.  Great title and great gimmick to be different in the golden age of radio.  For today's listener this is a treat of nostalgia and original storytelling at it's best. 

Some examples of  the stories include; a man convinced that an old prospecter has struck silver in a ghost town, a woman who embezzles money from her company to buy a fur coat, a boxer who throws a fight to make some quick cash, a woman whose horoscope warns her she will kill a man and many more, but they never end as you'd expect. 

At this point I feel I need to point out or re-emphasize that these are restored directly from the original transcriptions.  The shows were originally meant to be sent out to radio stations and the radio stations would insert commercials in the allowed sections.  This is a good and bad feature.   Good in that you don't get the commercials, unless you are a fan of the old time commercials.   The bad is that you get a minute or two of dramatic organ music in the place where the commercials would have gone.  At first I loved the old dramatic organ that helped pushe the story, but after a while I found myself fast forwarding through the  commercial insert areas, glad to have had that luxury.

This collection is perfect for any fan of mystery, thrillers, suspense and old time radio.  If you are just plain curious, check them out they are a lot of fun, especially because the end of each story is Unexpected.

Just to help out here are the titles and the lead actors of each episode  in Volume 1:

#100 Mercy Killing
starring Barry Sullivan

#101 Birthday Present
starring Marsha Hunt

#102 Solid Citizen
starring Tom Neal

#103 Finale
starring Lurene Tuttle

#104 Cargo Unknown
starring Lyle Talbot

#105 Find the Man
starring Binnie Barnes

#106 Revenge
starring Barry Sullivan

#107 The Cripple
starring Marjorie Riordan

#108 Fool's Silver
starring Barry Sullivan

#109 Horoscope
starring Marjorie Riordan

#110 Eavesdropper
starring Barry Sullivan

#111 Legacy
starring Lurene Tuttle

#112 Museum
starring Jackie Cooper

#113 Understudy
starring Lurene Tuttle

#114 King Champion
starring Jack Holt

#115 The Mink Coat
starring Lurene Tuttle

#116 Easy Money
starring Steve Cochran

#117 Free Passage
starring Lurene Tuttle

#118 Re-Match
starring Jackie Cooper

#119 Sweet Sixteen
starring Lurene Tuttle