“The Ringworld Throne” by Larry Niven

“The Ringworld Throne”
by Larry Niven
read by Paul Michael Garcia
Produced by Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Approx 14 hours

I’m not sure what it is but with sci-fi book series there seems to be a hit and miss for each book. The first book in the series seems to always be a hit (I guess otherwise there wouldn’t be sequels) but the next books can range from being as good as the original, sometimes better, or sometimes worse. With the “Dune” series, the sequels and prequels were hit and miss but always had something to contribute to the collection. I think the same could be said about this “Ringworld” series. The first book, “Ringworld,” was phenomenal, especially in the creation of the Ringworld and the physics involved. What also made the first book so good was the mystery behind who created the ringworld and why. Now that I have just read this 3rd book in the series, I think since the mystery of who created the ringworld has been answered it lacks some of that air of mystery. Now the struggles to keep the ringworld alive seem trivial. But nonetheless, this book contains some nice sci-fi and was a nice addition to the series.

I will have to say one of the things that kept this audiobook so enjoyable, was the voicework of Paul Michael Garcia. Garcia did an excellent job of narrating the story, but the best was his ability to give a voice to the vast array of characters representing several different homonid and non-homonid races. At times I almost felt as though I was listening to a multicast performance. His ability to adjust his voice to not only clarify the different characters speaking or thinking but to also represent the sound of the alien species was phenomenal and made the listen a lot more fun.
This is the third book in the series and takes place just a few years after the events in “Ringworld Engineers.” The ringworld has been restabilized after Louis Wu uses a gas expulsion from the sun to knock the ringworld back into proper orbit. The problem with this method that weighs heavy on Louis is that millions died in the process. This book begins with showing that not as many of the ringworld’s inhabitants died as was expected. In this third book in the series the book is actually split into two separate stories that merge into one in the end of the book.

The first story tells of the different species of homonids who are out to destroy a nest of vampires who feed on the ringworld’s inhabitants. The main group is somewhat let by some of the characters Louis met in the second book. The second story continues with Louis Wu and his crew who are taken prisoner by a vampire protector. The Protectors are a race that evolve from the species they protect. The Vampire protector here, who Louis names Bram, uses Louis to regain control over the Ringworld’s defenses.

With some very interesting species and some nice science to create the sci-fi, this book is still a must read in the series, but it does lack that air of mystery that made the first book a top read.

“Death Waits at Sundown” by L. Ron Hubbard

“Death Waits at Sundown”
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multi-cast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio
approx. 2 hours

Holy cow, another month has gone by and it’s time for the next release of Stories from the Golden Age. Galaxy Press and Galaxy Audio have been republishing the pulp-fiction works of L. Ron Hubbard into two awesome formats. In the paperback releases you get that old timey pulp fiction magazine feel with the awesome graphics on the cover and pics on the inside. In the Audiobook format they stick with that old timey feel in that the stories are fully produced with a full cast of actors, sound effects, and music that fits every story. This time around they have taken back to the days where the trails were dusty and the cattle were rustled. Which reminds me of a joke…but I’ll wait until the end of the review to tell you.

Every time I listen to one of these books I’m always amazed at the supreme voice talent and production that goes into each of the stories. You gotta realize that back in the day when writing for the pulps L. Ron Hubbard created over the top characters and to get readers that was a must. In these audio productions this over the top aspect of the characters is carried through with the excellent voice work. Each character in the story has a significant part to play and the voice actors all portray every aspect of the character through their excellent acting. The voices are superb.

I have mentioned him in the past, but I want to talk more about Jim Meskimen. He has performed and directed in many of the stories in these audiobooks and even narrated and a few. Jim Meskimen is a talent that is out of this world, maybe even not of this Earth. He is well known for his impersonations that are nothing shy of astounding (check out his viral youtube video http://youtu.be/j8PGBnNmPgk ). This time around the cast not only includes Jim but also Tamra and Taylor Meskimen. I’m pretty sure I’m right in saying that Tamra is his wife and Taylor is the result of these two outstanding talents passing their extremely talented genes to their offspring. So with this cast, which also includes Fred Tatasciore, R.F. Daley, Shannon Evans, Taron Lexton, Phil Proctor and Michael Yurchak, you are getting some excellent vocal talent that can create a full theatre of the mind experience that these classic stories deserve.

This audiobook consists of the following three stories:

“Death Waits at Sundown” originally printed in the October, 1938 issue of “Western Story” magazine tells of Lynn Taylor, a hard-riding, two-fisted Texan who plans depriving the town of Pioneer of its necktie party because just wants to substitute another victim, the real criminal. Taylor’s kid brother, Lee, gets framed for stage robbery, cattle rustling (that joke is coming) and murder, the boy swears his innocence and instead accuses McCloud, head of the vigilante committee responsible for removing the town’s former sheriff. with the help of the former sheriff, Lynn sets up a trap for McCloud.

“Ride ’Em, Cowboy!” originally published in the July, 1938 issue of “Western Story” magazine is a great cowboy competition story between a Cowboy and a Cowgirl. When a champion bronco-buster and the girl he wants to marry, but constantly quarrels with, compete for the same prize at a rodeo, the results are unexpectedly romantic, but still with some good ol’ cowboy action involved.

“Boss of the Lazy B,” originally published in the September, 1938 issue of “Western Story” magazine shows that there’s only one kind of justice for a kidnapper and a thief and the boss of the Lazy B dispenses it with authority. I gotta say that the voice of the Boss is the coolest in this collection, you’ll see when you listen.

So, do yourself a favor and punch some dogies or just get this super awesome audiobook.

Okay now for that joke:

An Arizona cowpoke rides into a small Texas town and notices a gallows being set up in the middle of town. When he walks into the town saloon he says to the bar-keep, “Looks like you folks is gettin’ set for a hangin’.” The bar-keep says, “yep, they’s ahangin’ Brown Paper Pete.” “Brown Paper Pete?” asks the cowpoke, “Why do they call him that?” “Well,” explains the bar-keep, ” He wears brown paper chaps, a brown paper vest, and wears a brown paper 10 gallon hat.” The cowpoke asks, “What are they hangin’ him for?” The bar-keep answers, “Rustlin’.”

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” by Ransom Riggs

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”
by Ransom Riggs
Published by Quirk Books (2011)
352 pages

Okay before we start on this book I have to share some info that took place in the reading of this book. While reading this fascinating young adult fiction, I opened up a store with a friend of mine. While opening the store I started reading this book in hardcover format, that’s important and will be explained later. The store we have opened is True Hideaway Family & Gaming ( http://www.truehideaway.com or find us on face book) The central focus of the store is for gamers especially those that play “Magic; the Trading Card Game,” we have friday night tournaments and are looking at maybe doing tournaments other nights since we’ve become popular.

We affectionately refer to our store as a “nerd store,” because it is home to all things nerdy. My part of the store is comic books and collectibles, the other aspect is we sell books (manga, reprinted pulp-fiction books, sci-fi / fantasy novels and graphic novels) as well as all the gaming materials. We even have regular “old-fashioned” board games and anyone can come in anytime and play a game. Role playing games seem to be highly popular and we have folks come in and play their campaigns. I am liquidating my old comic book collection of around 2,000 or so comics and when I sold an old “Kiss” comic from the mid-70s for $70, I decided to reward myself by finally buying a kindle.

With my rewarded kindle in hand, I loaded up some books that are on my to-read list and took off. The first book I loaded was this book, I was halfway through the hardcover, but I thought what better way to launch than to get this “peculiar” book rolling. I am now in love with my kindle, but every so often I know I’m going to go back to a regular tree killing book, but for now, I’m a kindler.

Okay let’s move on to this book, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.” When I first picked up this book I wasn’t aware that it was a Young Adult fiction, I knew it was fiction, but the goal is for ages 13 and up. The and up is very true, this book is very well written, with a fascinating story and some great adventures thrown in that make this book perfect for all ages.

The book was originally intended to be a picture book with the photographs that were collected by various people from bins of lost photographs found at flea markets and such. But thanks to a genius editor at Quirk Books, Riggs wrote a story based on the photographs. The photos are all peculiar in and of themselves and putting them together to form a story the author shows not only genius himself but a storytelling ability that would put any comic book writer to shame.

The bulk of the pictures feature various weirdness of subjects; a man posing with a rock in the background looking as though he’s lifting the boulder, a young boy’s head on a dog’s body, a young girl looking as though she’s holding a flaming orb. Many of the pictures are a bit creepy and sometimes when the story behind them created by Riggs is told they can seem extremely normal or even creepier.

The story revolves around Jacob whose grandfather had escaped Nazi invasion by fleeing to a children’s home on an island off the coast of Wales. The children are all “peculiar,” at least according to the stories from Jacob’s grandfather. There is the invisible boy, a teacher that is a bird, a strong man, a girl that floats, one that controls the growth of plants. So at times this school seems to have come out of an issue of X-men comics. But the story goes even further when Jacob witnesses the death of his grandfather at the hands of a shadowy figure. Jacob tells his story and immediately branded as suffering a mental breakdown due to the loss of his grandfather. His grandfather’s last words were to follow the loop to September 30, 1940 and find the bird. Cryptic yes, but after exploring his grandfather’s possessions he finds that the school his grandfather survived the war in exists.

When Jacob and his father make a trip to Wales, the dark secret behind “Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children” is revealed and soon Jacob must save the children and possibly the world.

Superb creativity that will capture the attention of anyone of all ages.

“Damned” by Chuck Palahniuk

“Damned”
by Chuck Palahniuk
Read by Tai Sammons
Published by Blackstone Audio, Inc. (2011)
7 hours and 25 minutes

Ever since “Fight Club” I’ve been a huge fan of Chuck Palahniuk, mainly because of the social commentary thrown into every book. Sometimes it is subtle but most of the time it comes right out and slaps you in the face while kicking you in the groin, screaming “look at how things are or what they could be.” This time around Palahniuk pretty much damns us all to hell. In this book we find out that a person is allowed to use the “F”-word 700 times but use it 701 times and you are damned to hell. Also there are limited numbers of times you can throw cigarette butts out, pee in a public pool and honk your car horn. So I guess it’s hopeless. On top of that every time you spit on the sidewalk the warm saliva trickles down to hell to create a mass ocean, or worse yet do you ever wonder where those fingernail and toenail clippings fly off to? They end up in their own Mountain in hell and I won’t even talk about the lake of sperm. To make things worse “The English Patient” plays on endless repeat, roaming demons devour sinners limb by limb, and the damned interrupt your dinner from their sweltering call center to hardsell you Hell.

So now that I’ve set the stage for Hell, or rather given you a taste of Palahniuk’s Hell, let’s talk about this book. This book grabs you from the onset with the beginning of every chapter starting out with the line; “Are you there Satan? It’s me Maddy. (Or Madison or her full name depending on where in the story the main character stands in discovering her life in hell.) So Chuck seems to be channeling a bit of Judy Blume through this story. He has described the novel as “if The Shawshank Redemption had a baby by The Lovely Bones and it was raised by Judy Blume.”and “it’s kind of like The Breakfast Club set in Hell.” Palahniuk said the novel was written as a way to deal with the death of his mother from breast cancer in 2009.

Wait a minute, “Breakfast Club”? you ask. Yep, when Madison Spencer wakes up in hell dying from what she at first believes to be an overdose of smoking marijuana, she is only 13 after all, she is the nerdy girl, the Ally Sheedy of the movie “The Breakfast Club.” Where as she then meets Babbette, the popular girl, Archer, the rebel, and a jock. So this Hellish Breakfast Club breaks out of their cages and proceed to make their way across Hell battling demons, avoiding all the icky stuff only to lead Madison to Hell’s admin offices where she is interviewed to determine why she is damned. While waiting on the results, she becomes employed as a telemarketer where the phone system is set to call only when people are sitting down to dinner. While talking to the living she convinces them that all people are going to Hell so they might as well make it worth while, thus convincing an elderly woman to burn down a church before she goes and for a dying girl with AIDS (everyone who gets AIDS goes to hell no matter how they contracted the disease) to bring her some Milky Way candy bars when she dies, which will be soon.

Through the adventures of Maddy in Hell, we discover that Maddy is the daughter of a famous actress and millionaire who run an uncanny resemblance to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, especially when they are constantly adopting children from around the world. It turns out that their latest adoptee is a refugee from Croatia (or somewhere around there) and becomes the love interest of the extremely naive Maddy. Madison slowly pieces together the cause of her death and tries to figure out the possible reasons for her damnation all while telemarketing for Hell and conquering the Demons and evil that dwells within Hell.

Tai Sammons does a superb job of reading the story and since it is told in first person from Madison Spencer’s point of view her voice fits perfect to the character, from being a complete naive 13-year-old to a recruiter of her own army to defeat Hell’s demons, Hitler and Idi Amin. All the while stabbing a pitchfork into the Hollywood lifestyle with Chuck Pahlanuik’s words.

“Carmilla; A Vampyre Tale” by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

“Carmilla; A Vampyre Tale”
by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Read by Megan Fellows

first published in 1872

Audiobook production 2002

by BBC Audiobooks America

I’m not sure how I came about loading this audiobook on my iPod but some time ago when my iPod decided to crash, this was one that I managed to salvage. I had originally loaded this novella back in my vampire phase and nearly forgot it was there. I’m glad I was able to save it, because it was a pretty good vampire tale, especially since none of the vampires sparkled.

This gothic novella predates Bram Stoker’s Dracula by 25 years “Carmilla” was first published in the magazine “The Dark Blue” in 1872, and then in the author’s collection of short stories, “In a Glass Darkly” the same year. It tells the story of a young woman’s susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire named Carmilla.

This audiobook production features Megan Fellows as the reader, and is a very nice production in that the reader is able convey this classic tale with ease, and her voice matches how I would imagine the teller of this tale, Laura, to sound. She is also able to convey the suspense through her voice work and thus giving a bit of a haunting tale, that may have you checking under your bed before you sleep.

The character Laura begins her tale by relating her childhood in a “picturesque and solitary” castle in the midst of an extensive forest in Styria where she lives with her father, a wealthy English widower, retired from the Austrian Service. When she is six years old, Laura has a vision of a beautiful visitor in her bedchamber. She later claims to have been bitten on the chest, although no wounds are found on her.

12 years later, Laura and her father are admiring the sunset in front of the castle when her father tells her of a letter he received earlier from his friend General Spielsdorf. The General was supposed to bring his niece, Bertha Rheinfeldt, to visit the two, but the niece suddenly died under mysterious circumstances. The General ambiguously concludes that he will discuss the circumstances in detail when they meet later.

Laura is saddened by the loss of a potential friend, and longs for a companion. A carriage accident outside Laura’s home unexpectedly brings a girl of Laura’s age into the family’s care. Her name is Carmilla. Both girls instantly recognize the other from the ‘dream’ they both had when they were young.

Carmilla appears injured after her carriage accident, but her mysterious mother informs Laura’s father that her journey is urgent and cannot be delayed. She arranges to leave her daughter with Laura and her father until she can return in three months. Before she leaves she sternly notes that her daughter will not disclose any information whatsoever about her family, past, or herself and that Carmilla is of sound mind. Laura comments that this information seems needless to say, and her father laughs it off.

Carmilla and Laura grow to be very close friends, but occasionally Carmilla’s mood abruptly changes. She sometimes makes unsettling romantic advances towards Laura. Carmilla refuses to tell anything about herself or her background, despite questioning from Laura. Her secrecy isn’t the only mysterious thing about her. Carmilla sleeps much of the day, and seems to sleepwalk at night. When a funeral procession passes by the two girls and Laura begins singing a hymn, Carmilla bursts out in rage and scolds Laura for singing a Christian song. When a shipment of family heirloom restored portraits arrives at the castle, Laura finds one of her ancestors, “Mircalla, Countess Karnstein”, dated 1698. The portrait resembles Carmilla exactly, down to the mole on her neck.

During Carmilla’s stay, Laura has nightmares of a fiendish cat-like beast entering her room at night and biting her on the chest. The beast then takes the form of a female figure and disappears through the door without opening it. Laura’s health declines and her father has a doctor examine her. He speaks privately with her father and only asks that Laura never be left unattended.

Her father then sets out with Laura in a carriage for the ruined village of Karnstein. They leave a message behind asking Carmilla and one of the governesses entreated to follow after once the perpetually late-sleeping Carmilla wakes up. En route to Karnstein, Laura and her father encounter General Spielsdorf. He tells them his own ghastly story.

Spielsdorf and his niece had met a young woman named Millarca and her enigmatic mother at a costume ball. The General’s niece was immediately taken with Millarca. The mother convinced the General that she was an old friend of his and asked that Millarca be allowed to stay with them for three weeks while she attended to a secret matter of great importance.

The General’s niece fell mysteriously ill and suffered exactly the same symptoms as Laura. After consulting with a priestly doctor who he had specially ordered, the General came to the realization that his niece was being visited by a vampire. He hid in a closet with a sword and waited until seeing a fiendish cat-like creature stalk around his niece’s bedroom and bite her on the neck. He then leapt from his hiding place and attacked the beast, which took the form of Millarca. She fled through the locked door, unharmed. The General’s niece died immediately afterward.

When they arrive at Karnstein the General asks a nearby woodsman where he can find the tomb of Mircalla Karnstein. The woodsman relates that the tomb was relocated long ago, by the hero who vanquished the vampires that haunted the region.

While the General and Laura are left alone in the ruined chapel, Carmilla appears. The General and Carmilla both fly into a rage upon seeing each other and the General attacks her with an axe. Carmilla flees and the General explains to Laura that Carmilla is also Millarca, both anagrams for the original name of the vampire Countess Mircalla Karnstein.

The party is then joined by Baron Vordenburg, the descendant of the hero who rid the area of vampires long ago. Vordenburg is an authority on vampires and has discovered that his ancestor was romantically involved with the Countess Karnstein, before she died and became one of the undead. Using his forefather’s notes he locates the hidden tomb of Carmilla. An Imperial Commission is then summoned who exhume and destroy the body of the vampire on behalf of the ruling Habsburg Monarchy, within whose domains Styria is situated.

A truly haunting tale that may have been the launching point for all vampyre stories.

“Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning” by Gary Marcus

“Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning”by Gary Marcus
read by (and with music performed by) the author
published by Penguin Audio
5 hours and 33 minutes

I wasn’t really sure what I was in for when I decided to give this book a listen but I’m very glad I did take the time. All my life, I’ve wanted to learn how to play a musical instrument, I’ve tried the guitar, I’ve tried the keyboards (yeah I would say piano, but when I wanted to be in a new wave band, we called them keyboards), I even tried the harmonica. But like the author Gary Marcus, I had a bad sense of rhythm. Even when I tried breakdancing, I was good until the rhythm became an issue. So what’s a fella to do? After all they say that If you want to become a musician you have to start out when you’re younger, because your brain is wired in such a way at younger ages you can learn and absorb. Gary Marcus, is a research psychologist whose work focuses on language, biology, and the mind at New York University, sets out to find out whether that myth is true. Marcus wants to learn guitar and thinking he has no sense of rhythm, he can’t even play the video game “Guitar Hero” without getting booed off the virtual stage.

What turns out to be one man’s search for whether or not he is too old to learn guitar turns out to be a very unique book that discusses the science of learning and then develops into the science behind music, creativity, thinking and training. As I listened to the book each chapter would engross me more and more when topics would be explored. Marcus used many musical examples and interviews in the revealing process. Some of the items mentioned are how Jimi Hendrix would modify his guitar to make it do what he wanted, how Hendrix spent every living moment with his guitar. How Pat Metheny says he never stops learning and practicing. How Bob Dylan decided to go away from the traditional folk music scene and start writing unique lyrics.

Lots and lots of great modern music history references as well as examples in studies as to how the mind works and what all is involved in becoming musical. Basically it all comes down to all you folks that play Guitar Hero or even Rock Band and think, “Hey, I can do this for real,” and then go to pick up a real guitar only to get frustrated, Gary Marcus explains why you can press colored buttons in perfect rhythm but may not be able to master a real guitar anytime real soon. First of all the body and the mind have to learn many things. The body needs to learn to press down strings on a fret board in positions the human fingers weren’t meant to be in. There’s also the varying amount of pressure it takes to hold down the strings to get the right sound, the memorization of different notes and chord placements. Then there’s the ear training, what each note sounds like and what notes work with other notes (same with chords). Very different from colored buttons on a plastic guitar mold controller.

Not only does the author cover the science behind playing instruments but he also discusses the science behind creativity. There is a section when talking about the difference between being musical and being creative where Steve Vai says that while he can play every single not Jimi Hendrix played and make it sound exactly like what Hendrix did, what gets him is how he was able to come up with the ideas in the first place. Which brings up another aspect of being a musician, whether one is born with the ability or if it is learned and if so why are some people more apt to be musical.

This book is perfect for the professional musician or the novice and better yet for anyone with just the slightest interest in music. Another person that would benefit from this book would be anyone in the education field. So I guess just about anyone would find something in this book that would pique their interest, especially if personal re-invention is in the works and someone is seeking to reach their full potential.

What I got out of the book is not only the old adage of “practice makes perfect” but how to make that practice more perfect for me.

“Doctor Who: The Eye of the Jungle” by Darren Jones

“Doctor Who: The Eye of the Jungle”
by Darren Jones
read by David Troughton
Published by AudioGO
Produced by BBC Audio
Approx 2 hours

Okay first I have to start out with a bit of a sob story. My iPod died recently, I was able to defibrillate it back to life, but at the cost of all my audiobooks, maybe not all but 75% of them. I had all of the 11th Doctor Who audiobooks and all of the Torchwood audiobooks and many more but all were lost. except for 2 Doctor Who books. I did manage to save some of the other books, and thanks to iTunes remembering my previous purchase I was able to re-download the audiobooks I purchased from them. So While I lost many books, I haven’t given up, and am in the process of reloading with as many of the titles I had before. It’ll be a slow process to get the ones I had planned on listening to back, but that doesn’t mean I’ll run out of books, I’ve got more and will always get more. In fact I’ve got about a 4 foot stack of audiobooks from publishers that were sent in cd format that I’ll start diving into.

Okay, so this is one of the 11th Doctor books I salvaged, and thanks to the Doctor my spirits were raised up from the loss, due to this being not only a fun Doctor Who story, but also a really cool sci-fi story.

This audiobook is read by David Troughton, and his performance of the book is very well done. He is able to change-up his voice perfectly between the characters and, this is important, he is able to fully represent the attitude and nuance of the 11th Doctor.

The TARDIS lands in the Amazon rainforest in the year 1827. The Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive in the jungle near a hurriedly abandoned campsite, where they are surrounded by hungry black caiman – huge lizards. The fire in the campsite is still warm but there are no people around. Only the arrival of a man with a rifle scares off the giant beasts. The man is a big-time game hunter known as Oliver Blazington.

Blazington has come to the forest to bag big game with his companion Garrett, a naturalist, to collect exotic creatures for the London Zoo. But the Doctor soon discovers that another very different hunter is stalking the Amazon. Animals and people have been disappearing without trace, and local villagers speak darkly of ‘The Eye of the Jungle’. Amy senses that the all-seeing Eye is watching them, but she and Rory are powerless to intervene when the Doctor and the TARDIS disappear.

The Doctor discovers that the animals and people are being transported to a ship in Earth’s orbit, whereupon the occupants are collecting material to fight their war. All forms of weaponry no longer work in their war so they are splicing the creatures of Earth to create unique forms to battle their enemy. Finding the Doctor to be beyond human they soon begin to use his DNA to create other life forms. Now the Doctor, Rory & Amy have to free the Doctor, and they all must team up to stop this evil.

Once again another great audio adventure with Doctor Who.

“Across the Universe” by Beth Revis

“Across the Universe”
by Beth Revis
read by Lauren Ambrose and Carlos Santos
Published by Penguin Audio
Approx 10 hours

Once again I venture into the world of Young Adult fiction, and this time around it’s a really cool science fiction book, “Across the Universe.” The story is a simple, yet very intriguing, tale of love and power.

Scientists of Earth have discovered a planet that is capable of supporting life, the problem is that travelling to the planet would take 350 years. To solve this problem the ship Godspeed has been created which will carry a generational crew that will for several generations support the ship on the long journey and a special cargo of several specialists frozen in cryogenic boxes that will be unfrozen when landing on the new planet.

Amy, a 17-year-old girl, is one of the members frozen but only because here mother is a genetics specialist and her father is military, both of whom are essential in the mission. Amy is listed as non-essential, because she serves no purpose in the mission. During her Cryogenic stasis, Amy is treated to dreams that haunt her during the 300 year journey. Finally she is unfrozen, but awakes onboard the Godspeed, that is still travelling to the planet. In fact her premature thaw is part of a mystery that has plagued the ship for some time.

To keep the ship running the ship’s generational crew is led by a leader called Eldest. Eldest leads the current generation in its mission to take the ship to the new planet and at the same time is teaching Elder, who will be the next Eldest when that generation “dies-off.” Elder is around 18 years and the generation he will lead is yet to be born.

Before I go more into the story I’d like to talk about the audiobook itself. The book is told from the point of view of Amy and Elder and this production casts the part of Amy read by Lauren Ambrose and Elder by Carlos Santos. Each of the readers does a great part in reading their part as well as voicing the other character’s dialogues. With the dual cast aspect this audiobook is very smooth flowing and definitely attention grabbing. Each reader is strong in their performance, and able to effectively portray all emotions and attitudes of the characters.

So where were we? Oh yeah, Amy has been thawed out prematurely. She soon finds out that the ship still has about 50 years left on its journey and realizes that by the time the ship arrives on the planet she will be older than her parents. Add to that horror she finds that the ship’s crew are mono-ethnic, meaning that as a pale-skinned redhead she stands out in a population where everyone has brown hair, dark eyes, and olive skin. Add on top of that, other bodies are being thawed out but their thawing process is not done right and they drown in their cryo-chambers. Amy only survived because Elder was exploring this part of the ship that is hidden from all other members, and managed to find her before she died. Elder was exploring this section of the ship under the suggestion of Orion, the records keeper, who has a dark mystery.

Everyone on the ship has a job to do and there are no people under the age of 20. Each generation’s population is strictly controlled by the ship’s mysterious doctor and Eldest. Amy is unfrozen around the time of “The Cycle” when as if going in heat the current generation suddenly begins acting as animals do and the urge to mate overwhelms all senses of decency.

Elder soon learns the big secret as to why the structure of Eldest/Elder was formed. It seems the ships engines weren’t all they were cracked up to be and the ship is actually further than 50 years from its final destination. To keep this secret the Eldest have been controlling the population with mind control drugs in the water to keep them obedient. With this dark secret, Elder and Amy are faced with the decision of what the population needs to know and how to keep the ship on course, no matter how long it takes.

A great story, some very well thought out Sci-fi, and great performances from the readers makes this young adult fiction something everyone should put on their must listen list.

“WE’RE ALIVE: SEASON 2″ Written by Kc Wayland

WE’RE ALIVE: SEASON 2
Written by Kc Wayland
created by Shane Salk and Kc Wayland
Multi-cast performance
Published by Blackstone Audio
Approx 14 hours

Wow, I couldn’t wait to get to the next season of “We’re Alive,” and this second season is just as good as the first, maybe better.  First of all let me recap a little.

“We’re Alive” is a podcast audio drama about a zombie apocalypse.  The story was written by Kc Wayland who took a hiatus from his film studies at Chapman University, to enlist in the US Army shortly after 9/11.  While in the Army he trained as a broadcast specialist.  Shortly after training he returned to Chapman to continue his education but halfway through the first semester back he was deployed to Iraq.  He did manage to make it back from the deployment and finish his education.  I mention this because, in the series “We’re Alive, three of the main characters are active duty military and a fourth is an old marine.  Wayland is able to create actions and dialog for these characters with such realism, that you know he’s pulling from his experiences in Iraq.

The main idea behind “We’re Alive” is that something has created zombies and the survivors must fight some way every day for their survival.  The three active duty soldiers realize that in order to survive they must create a base.  The officer in the group has a girlfriend who lives in a 14 story apartment building and they decide that is the place to make as a safe zone, or rather a base.  In season one survivors come to the “tower” and set up residence in the apartments that are now empty thanks to whatever has turned the people into the walking dead.  Also in Season one the survivors in the tower learn that they not only have to survive a world of flesh eating zombies, but also other humans.  A prison which held some of the most dangerous criminals has been opened and the inmates avoid being turned and take over a mall and set up their base there.  When the tower survivors need fuel for their generators, they go to an old pumping station and take a tanker filled with diesel.  The “mallers” as they become to be know, consider the pumping station theirs and soon a war between the two sets of survivors is waged.

At the end of season one the tower survivors have managed to fight off the mallers but their tower is on fire and the zombies are trying to get in.  That’s where we begin in Season 2 of “We’re Alive.

After a lot of work and sacrificing their water supply the tower survivors manage to save the building.  Soon some of the survivors come to the conclusion that the tower is no longer safe.  Some want to stay and fortify but some want to leave, but to leave some things need to happen.  First medical experts are needed.   Two of the soldiers are injured, one, Saul, has a bullet wound that because of only having the most basic of supplies available is not healing well.  Same goes for the other soldier whose broken arm is not healing.  Now the group is run by Burt, the old marine and while he keeps the group together he does it only barely.  One group heads out to find a medical expert, and other go out to find food, water and ammunition.

The group heading for medical experts is led by Michael, the soldier with the broken arm and former leader of the survivors.  Michael and his group discover that there are different types of zombies and encounter a couple different types.

On this I have to speak about this concept of different types of zombies.  There is a video game that is hugely popular called “Left 4 Dead,” in which a group of survivors perform missions and have to fight the various types of zombies.  It’s interesting to note that some of the types encountered in that game closely resemble the types mentioned in this story.  I am by no means saying this is a negative thing, in fact, quite the opposite.  This adds a whole new layer in the story possibilities and that is what makes the game popular.  It was just nice that I could relate the two and almost picture them in the same alternate world.  Basically the battle plans have to change when you know the enemy is not just a mindless brain-eater, but rather, they each have different strengths and weaknesses, keeping the story more than interesting.

Back to the story, Michael and his group discover a rescue center turned into a survivor camp where they have it all going on and it looks like it is to good to be true, and, spoiler alert, it is.  This group has a doctor and Michael will do anything to get help to his friends back at the tower.

Another side mission is that a couple of the survivors are pilots and soon the search for helicopters begin so they can evacuate the tower and find a safer place, but not before the Mallers threaten again.

“We’re Alive: Season 2″ carries on with the superb audio production.  The sound effects are so real that there were times when driving in Hummers I felt my little compact car was a Hummer and I wanted to go off-road while listening on my commute to and from work.  The acting is superb as well as the dialog.  The dialog is very real, and very engaging.  If you are looking for an audio adventure, go on this one.  If you are a zombie fan make sure you don’t overlook this audio performance.

“Autumn: Disintegration” by David Moody

“Autumn: Disintegration”
by David Moody
Published by St. Martin’s Griffin (2011)
352 pages

Okay, I’ve made it through the fourth book in the David Moody series of walking dead books, “Autumn: Disintegration.”  While Moody doesn’t have your typical zombies in these books, they are re-animated dead people, and they are actually just as scary as the flesh-eating zombies in other books or movies.  In all the books no one actually refers to them as zombies, but merely, “bodies.”  There is a moment in this book where the “Z” word comes in but only for  a brief moment.  While Moody’s zombies don’t eat flesh, they still are a threat to the surviving humans by sheer numbers, and as time goes by they seem to be getting just a little bit smarter.

To catch you up on the storyline, some strange virus or maybe an antivirus has caused about 90 percent of the world’s population to die off within seconds, the survivors are all in shock and not knowing what to do next.  While trying to figure out what happens next the bodies get up and start walking.  At first, they just walk and only react when touched.  Eventually the bodies begin to react to sound and when enough bodies react the threat of being crushed by the dead bodies becomes a danger.  Then the walking cadavers begin to act violently toward the living, not eating the flesh of the living but clawing and pounding the living.  In the previous 3 books some of the survivors manage to find an island and rid it of the remaining bodies and begin starting over.

This book takes place parallel with the other 3 books but begins 40 days after the virus has hit.  This time around David Moody introduces the reader to a group of survivors who have cordoned off a section of flats by building a barrier of cars and trucks and only going out for supplies when needed.  Each time this group goes out they notice that the bodies are becoming more violent, and even smarter.  Another problem is introduced in this book and that is one of disease.  With all the rotting bodies and the remains of the twice-killed bodies (yes, you can still kill them by destroying the head/brain) one of the group of survivors dies from an illness contracted from the germs left by the rotting flesh.

After the animated corpses learn to breach the fence of vehicles put in place by the survivors they all decide they need to find somewhere new, and maybe just maybe get away from the new threat of the germs.  One thing about this group is that they are a loosely led band that almost reminds me of a motorcycle gang and how they would survive a zombie apocalypse.  They always go out wearing several layers of clothes, including leather, to protect against the bodies.  The group boards their vehicles, one of which is a double-decker bus and head out to find a safer place.

I have to pause here and just comment on the fact they have a double-decker bus.  How cool is that?  I used to work for a radio station that had a double-decker bus as one of the station vehicles and thought it was the coolest ride around.  For you Brits, that ride one all the time you probably don’t see my thrill here, but I just think if you are going to ride around the countryside during a zombie apocalypse, a double-decker bus is the way to go.

Anyway back to “Autumn: Disintegration.”  The group accidentally find a resort hotel in which a small band of survivors have managed to get by, barely.  The hotel group has a sound system set up on a nearby golf course keeping the bodies away from the hotel, as well as a nice fencing system keeping the undesirables out.  The city group, used to going out and foraging daily, get restless and when they do they begin to make noise which attracts more bodies and soon the hotel is under threat of attack.

Another thing i should mention is that the hotel group has a single body locked in a windowed area near the hotel pool.  This body is a barometer of sorts to let those inside know how the bodies outside are changing.

Once again David Moody has created nightmares for me, and for that, sir, I thank you.  Very chilling stuff, and now I hear he’s got another book in the series coming out.  I can’t wait.