When the World Was Young
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38 minutes, 6 seconds
Unabridged Horror Short Story
1910
"And then the thing happened — the thing unthinkable and unexpected." London's speculative story about the frightening, dual nature of man.
Read by William Coon.
Continue reading "When the World Was Young"
Posted by alex at 12:39 PM
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54 minutes
Full Cast Western Radio Drama
1978
The National Radio Theater of Chicago presents a full cast adaptation of Bret Harte's classic western story. Dramatized for audio by award winning dramatists Carol Adorjan and Yuri Rasovsky (director of Murder at Woodside Village and Frankenstein).
Continue reading "The Outcasts of Poker Flat"
Posted by alex at 11:32 AM
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2 hours, 15 minutes
Unabridged Novella
1915
"One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin." So begins the classic existential tale about the traveling salesman who too late realizes what he's become.
Translation by David Wyllie. Read by Alex Wilson.
Continue reading "Metamorphosis"
Posted by alex at 4:59 PM
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27 minutes, 01 seconds
Unabridged Horror / Science Fiction
1835
What happens when you hypnotize a person in the moments before he dies? The story that began as a hoax (it was first published without the "fiction" label) is one of the first modern science fiction tales.
Continue reading "The Facts in the Case of M Valdemar"
Posted by alex at 7:26 PM
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3 hours, 8 minutes
Unabridged Adventure Novel
1903
"Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing..." The classic adventure novel. Narrated by John Jennens.
Continue reading "The Call of the Wild"
Posted by alex at 12:10 PM
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54 minutes, 13 seconds
Unabridged Horror / Mystery Fiction
1839
"I felt that I breathed an atmosphere of sorrow. An air of stern, deep, and irredeemable gloom hung over and pervaded all..."
Disease (vampirism?) and decay of both man and stone (do they share a soul?) in the master of the macabre's famous tale. Includes Poe's poem "The Haunted Palace" with musical accompaniment.
Continue reading "The Fall of the House of Usher"
Posted by alex at 9:34 PM
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9 hours, 24 minutes
Unabridged Adventure/Humor Novel
1885
Ernest Hemingway wrote: "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn [...] But it's the best book we've had. All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since."
Big-river adventure and biting, laugh-out-loud satire in this classic "Great American Novel." Narrated by John Jennens.
Continue reading "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"
Posted by alex at 12:03 AM
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1 hour, 17 minutes
Unabridged SF-Related Essays on Writing
2003
Science fiction and fantasy author Tobias S. Buckell talks about a much-ignored period in the working writer's career: after one makes that first major professional story sale, but before he or she has turned that exception into the rule. Buckell discusses "the benefits, the experience, and the dangers of being a Joe Blow Neopro," along with "some strategies to move out of this stage in of our careers."
These six columns originally appeared in Speculations in 2003, when Buckell was still a neopro. His advice is likely worth reading because his first novel, Crystal Rain, comes out this month from Tor Books. Columns included:
- An Introduction
- Putting in the Time
- Original Source Creativity
- Professionalism
- Taking it Up a Notch
- Plan Your Career Now
Continue reading "Getting Past Being Joe Blow Neopro"
Posted by alex at 1:25 AM
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1 hour, 18 minutes
Unabridged Science Fiction and Horror Stories
2000-2002
Four science fiction, fantasy, and horror short stories.
The Fish Merchant: (science fiction) Li Hao-Chang struggles to stay one step ahead of starvation or stabbing, selling fish on the brutal docks of Macau. He's too busy to read the headlines in the newspapers that wrap his wares--rumors of non-random signals from deep space. When a gangster named Pepper is gunned down in front of Li's stand, the fish seller finds a computer disk stolen from the Chinese government. Maybe, just maybe, the biggest news in history is enough to make Li's dearest dream a reality: escape to safety in America. First published in Science Fiction Age, 2000. Read by Jonathon "Sullydog" Sullivan.
"The story is interesting for its non-western setting, and its realization that many people in the world would have no care for news about aliens..." -- Locus
A Green Thumb: (fantasy/science fiction) It's a very different USA, where necessity has provoked a very profound change in technology. And yet many things are still the same. Being a teenager is always tough, and there are many choices ahead. One of which is "how and where do you grow your very first car?" First published in Analog Science Fiction & Fact, 2002. Read by Alex Wilson.
"Amusing and heart-warming at the same time, and read with feeling and emotion by Wilson." --Locus
All Her Children Fought: (science fiction) When you fire something into space the cost of that launch is per pound. When you go to war with someone in space, you need to keep the cost down. So you use the smallest available pilot you can. A child. Originally published in Speculon, 2001. Read by Mary Robinette Kowal of the Willamette Radio Workshop.
Trinkets: (horror) New England, early 1800s: At the harbor near his jewelry shop, George Petros receives a package from the Haitian merchant ship Toussaint--a sinister link that follows him from a brief stay on the Caribbean island of dark magic. Originally published in The Book of All Flesh, 2001. A Year's Best Fantasy and Horror Honorable Mention. Read by the author.
Continue reading "The Fish Merchant and Other Stories"
Posted by alex at 12:02 AM
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2 hours, 47 minutes
Unabridged Classic Novel
1843
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is the classic tale of curmudgeon Ebeneezer Scrooge and the visitation of three ghosts (four if you include Marley) in the run up to Christmas. Read by James Spencer.
Continue reading "A Christmas Carol"
Posted by alex at 9:55 AM
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2 hours, 20 minutes
Unabridged Free Verse Poetry Collection
1855
"Song of Myself" is the longest and most famous book (of 35 total) of Walt Whitman's legendary poetry collection Leaves of Grass. Song of Myself is a longform poem in 52 parts. Read by Alex Wilson.
Continue reading "Leaves of Grass Book III: Song of Myself"
Posted by alex at 12:01 AM
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1 hour, 19 minutes
Unabridged Military Treatise
600 BC, 1910 (translation)
The classic, definitive Chinese book on military strategies and tactics. For centuries it has influenced generals, rulers, and others interested in military intelligence. More recently it has become required reading for some businesses executives. Translation from the Chinese by Lionel Giles. Read by Alex Wilson.
The free MP3 sample below includes the entirety of Part 7.
Continue reading "The Art of War"
Posted by alex at 3:29 PM
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46 minutes, 51 minutes
Unabridged Science Fiction Story
2002
To live forever, you can copy your mind and transfer it to an immortal robotic body. But what happens to your Shed Skin?
This Hugo Award Nominated short story has appeared in the January 2004 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact, as well as the Bakka 30th Anniversary Anthology. Sawyer's 2005 novel Mindscan is a longer treatment of the themes explored here. Narrated by Stephen Hoye.
Posted by alex at 12:26 AM
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1 hour, 1 minute
Unabridged NIMH Informational Brochure
2003
A detailed booklet describing what you need to know about depression in men: how it looks, how it feels, getting help, and getting better. Read by Alex Wilson.
Full text (including a printable and redistributable brochure) available at the NIMH website.
Have you known a man who is grumpy, irritable, and has no sense of humor? Maybe he drinks too much or abuses drugs. Maybe he physically or verbally abuses his wife and his kids. Maybe he works all the time, or compulsively seeks thrills in high-risk behavior. Or maybe he seems isolated, withdrawn, and no longer interested in the people or activities he used to enjoy.
Perhaps this man is you. If so, it is important to understand that there is a disease of the brain called depression that may be underlying these feelings and behaviors. It's real: scientists have developed sensitive imaging devices that enable us to see it in the brain. And it's treatable: more than 80 percent of those suffering from depression respond to existing treatments, and new ones are continually becoming available and helping more people. Talk to a healthcare provider about how you are feeling, and ask for help.
Or perhaps this man is someone you care about. Try to talk to him, or to someone who has a chance of getting through to him. Help him to understand that depression is a common illness among men and is nothing to be ashamed about. Encourage him to see a doctor and get an evaluation for depression.
For most men with depression, life doesn't have to be so dark and hopeless. Life is hard enough as it is; and treating depression can free up vital resources to cope with life's challenges effectively. When a man is depressed, he's not the only one who suffers. His depression also darkens the lives of his family, his friends, virtually everyone close to him. Getting him into treatment can send ripples of healing and hope into all of those lives.
Depression is a real illness; it is treatable; and men can have it. It takes courage to ask for help, but help can make all the difference.
Continue reading "NIMH: Men and Depression"
Posted by alex at 6:09 PM
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37 minutes, 26 seconds
Two Unabridged Humor Essays
1882,1899
Includes the Telltale Weekly comedic recordings of Mark Twain's "My First Lie (And How I Got Out of It)" and "On the Decay of the Art of Lying." From "My First Lie (and How I Got Out of It):"
"As I understand it, what you desire is information about 'my first lie, and how I got out of it.' I was born in 1835; I am well along, and my memory is not as good as it was. If you had asked about my first truth it would have been easier for me and kinder of you, for I remember that fairly well. I remember it as if it were last week. The family think it was the week before, but that is flattery..."
From "On the Decay of the Art of Lying:"
"Observe, I do not mean to suggest that the custom of lying has suffered any decay or interruption--no, for the Lie, as a virtue, a principle, is eternal; the lie, as a recreation, a solace, a refuge in time of need, the fourth Grace, the tenth Muse, man's best and surest friend, is immortal, and cannot perish from the earth while this club remains. My complaint simply concerns the decay of the art of lying..."
Two humorous essays/speeches read by Alex Wilson.
Continue reading "Mark Twain Lies!"
Posted by alex at 7:55 PM
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1 hour, 14 minutes
Unabridged Story Collection
1891, 1894, 1909
Susie Berneis and Robert Bethune narrate five stories by Bierce, full of vivid characters, precise and evocative language, surprises and suspense.
An Occurrence on Owl Creek Bridge
A life, flashing before the eyes, and a miraculous escape from certain death, suddenly becomes--something else entirely. Bierce's strangest and most famous fantasy. A French film adaptation of "Owl Creek Bridge" won the Academy Award for short film in 1963, and also became the hightest-rated episode of The Twilight Zone.
Staley Fleming's Hallucination
The ghost of a Newfoundland dog with a white forefoot--and hungry for revenge!
The Damned Thing
A wild, ferocious animal determined to drive a man off his land-or or drive him insane, once he realizes the strange truth about the danger he faces.
Diagnosis of Death
A doctor whose incredibly accurate diagnoses are not at all conducive to a long and healthy life.
The Boarded Window
A window forever boarded up; a love forever gone.
Written a century ago, these stories still capture the imagination with vivid, precise language that bites--and may even draw blood. This Freshwater Seas production presents these five classics performed by Susie Berneis and Robert Bethune, with subtle musical underscoring to enhance and enrich Bierce's words.
Continue reading "A Bite of Bierce: Owl Creek Bridge and Other Stories"
Posted by alex at 3:45 PM
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43 minutes, 21 seconds
Unabridged Formal Poem
1820
Shelley at his most playful (starting with the dedication to his wife, Frankenstein author Mary Shelley: "On her objecting to the following poem, upon the score of its containing no human interest."), combining Greek and Egyptian myths into a fanciful meditation on creativity. A longform poem of the fantastic, read by Alex Wilson.
Continue reading "The Witch of Atlas"
Posted by alex at 6:24 PM
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2 hours, 1 minute
Unabridged Science Fiction Novella
2000
Retrieval Artists find people who have Disappeared. But people Disappear for a reason--they don't want to be found. When Anetka Sobol shows up at Miles Flint's office on the Moon, he immediately knows that this case is going to be complicated.
A hard-boiled science fiction mystery. A Hugo Award Nominee, Locus Poll Award Nominee, and AnLab Award Nominee first published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Read by Stefan Rudnicki.
Continue reading "The Retrieval Artist"
Posted by alex at 11:52 AM
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45 minutes, 56 seconds
Unabridged Lyrical Poetry Collection
1913
A Boy's Will is the first poetry collection by Robert Frost. Includes 32 poems, painting pictures of New England and tackling Frost's famously grand themes of isolation, death, coming of age (in literature and in life), and the world's natural spirituality.
Continue reading "A Boy's Will"
Posted by alex at 1:15 AM
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3 hours, 36 minutes
Unabridged Fantasy/ Young Adult Novel
1900
The beloved novel about a quest to see a Wizard. Join Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, The Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion in an adventure that some would call the "first American fairy tale" (and, later, the inspiration for one of the most successful films ever made). Read by James Spencer.
Continue reading "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"
Posted by alex at 12:48 PM
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54 minutes, 33 seconds
Unabridged SF Story Collection
1999-2002
"Brilliant. 'Primordial Chili' is as delightful a debut story as I can recall."
--Mike Resnick
"All four are delightfully bizarre, and are read nicely by Gerencer. His comic timing is spot-on, and his authorial voice is so distinct that when I later read a story by him in hardcopy, I could almost hear his voice in my head."
--John Joseph Adams, Locus
Four short science fiction and fantasy stories, read by the author.
Primordial Chili
Have you ever had one of those days when everything just seems to go ? right? Even when it's wrong? "Primordial Chili" is a laugh-out-loud thrill-ride of culinary perfection, taken to cosmic proportions. The planets align, the gods speak, and supper turns out pretty good, too. First published in Science Fiction Age Magazine.
A Taste of Damsel
Anyone can slay a dragon. Well, provided they are dragonslayers, which Colson isn't. But even clerks from copy shops can have heroic qualities and even the very, very old can learn new tricks. First published in Realms of Fantasy Magazine.
Demo Mode
In the future, schools will be outdated and we'll all have knowledge grafted straight into our heads. Just make sure they configure the innoculotron correctly, or you might wind up contracting Esperanto by mistake! First published in Science Fiction Age Magazine.
Trailer Trash Savior
So the millennia have passed, and the time of the reckoning is once more nigh ... not to mention that you've got a busted velvet-Elvis and the oil heat isn't working. Find out what happens when the owner of a mullet and a used AMC Gremlin becomes "the chosen one," and has to battle demons, various and sundry. First published in Brutarian Magazine. <