We’re Alive: Lockdown – A Story of Survival, Book 5 By Kc Wayland

We’re Alive: Lockdown
By Kc Wayland
Narrated by: full cast
Series: We’re Alive: A Story of Survival, Book 5
Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
Release date: 10-18-16
Publisher: Wayland Production

I love audio theatre. The whole We’re Alive series is some of the best audio theatre you’ll find today.  With great writing, nice acting and cool sound effects KC Wayland knows how to put it all together to bring this story to life.

This series started out as a regularly produced podcast, there are 4 seasons of it released.  I’ve listened to all the series and have been waiting for more since the last season ended in 2014.  Wayland did a crowdfunding campaign to create this latest edition of the series.

We’re Alive is a survival story about how to survive the Zombie Apocalypse.  I know, I’m kinda getting tired of zombies also, but I have to tell you this is one worth absorbing yourself into.  I used to think no one could top the George Romero movies, the Robert Kirkman created the “Walking Dead” comic book series and I was sucked in again, when it was launched as a TV series I was hooked before it aired.  So now we have 2 kings of the zombies.   Well KC Wayland comes on to the scene and has his own twist to the Zombie Apocalypse and backed by superior cast he becomes the third in my triple crown of zombie writers.

The audio production quality is top notch.  Not only are the actors superior, but the sound effects will have you boarding up your doors and stocking up ammo, hopefully not in that order.  This is high quality audio theatre that everyone should put on their shelf.

Publisher’s Summary
“Life on the inside” takes on a whole new meaning. A riot has broken out at Twin Towers Jail. Simeon, five of his fellow inmates, and the prison guards assigned to them have found themselves trapped in the inescapable confines of T-block during the lockdown. Boundaries of trust are pushed to the limit, as the survivors must learn to work together if they have any hope of escaping the horde of infected and the deadly secret that lies within Twin Tower’s walls.

We’re Alive: Lockdown serves as both a standalone and continuation of the We’re Alive: A Story of Survival series. It answers questions, asks new ones, and keeps the listener guessing right up until the bitter end.

What is “audio theater for the mind?” Think of it as a type of show that you can play in your head, guided by the narrative but carried by your imagination. Unlike film or television, an audio drama has the power to strike a deeper emotional connection with the audience.

©2016 Wayland Productions (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

“The Life of Galileo” by Bertold Brecht (produced by L.A. Theatre Works)

“The Life of Galileo”
by Bertold Brecht
translated by David Hare
Multi-cast performance
Produced by L. A. Theatre Works
Approx 2 hours

I was getting ready to start a couple of audiobooks that were time consumers (any audiobook over 10 hours falls under that label for me). Not only were they long but they were both going to be espionage/government cover-up type stories and those require a huge commitment, especially since I was going to start them both at the same time. Before I tackled those two books, I wanted to listen to something that swallows you into the story, so I reached for one of my favorite go to publishers of audio, L.A. Theatre Works. I have a list of several go to(s) that I know will entertain me. What I like most about LATW is that they are plays that have been performed on stage and the producers take special care to record all the audio so that nothing is missed.

As a proud owner of a degree in theatre, I have always been aware that theatre is a visual medium, especially if you ask all my theatrical designer friends, but also being a proud owner of a Radio / TV broadcasting degree I know that the theatre of the mind power of radio is a strong power. L.A. Theatre Works takes the time to make sure their performances that are transferred over to an audiobook format take the visual artistry and make it work in an audio format. This is achieved with excellent sound effects, music and of course the great acting. When an actor is describing a prop that is seen by the audience, the production and performance create the image in the listener’s mind that ensures nothing is missed.

This production features a full-cast performance featuring: Neil Dickson, Roy Dotrice, Jeannie Elias, Jill Gascoine, Stacy Keach, Peter Lavin, Robert Machray, Christopher Neame, Moira Quirk, Darren Richardson, Alan Shearman, Simon Templeman, Joanne Whalley, Matthew Wolf

What attracted me to this particular production from the vaults of L.A. Theatre Works is that the part of Galileo is played by Stacy Keach. Every performance I’ve ever seen or heard with Mr. Keach, whether comedy or tragedy, he has owned that role. Not so long ago I listened to an LATW performance of “Death of a Salesmen” in which Keach played Willie Loman and that became my favorite performance of that play. I will always be a fan of his.

This play portrays Galileo Galilei as he shatters the world’s beliefs which have been dictated by the church for two millennia, in that we are not the center of the universe. When Galileo first lays his hands on a telescope and observes that the Earth is one of a few planets in the solar system that revolve around the sun and that the planets and stars are not held in suspension through crystal spheres, as believed by the church, he becomes a target for the Holy Inquisition. Committing such heresy Galileo is made to suffer torture, mentally and physically under the inquisitor. Galileo provides proof that only needs to be observed but the church stands firm.

In a play that shows how advancements in science are hindered by long held beliefs this production from L.A. Theatre Works, is one that should be heard by anyone seeking truth.

“The Dive Bomber” by L. Ron Hubbard

“The Dive Bomber”
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multi-cast performance
produced by Galaxy Audio
Approx 2 hours.

There are so many things to love about these audio releases from Galaxy Audio. I’ll try to touch on all of them, at least all the things that make these stories from the Golden Age my favorite. But, before I do that I need to explain a bit about these stories.

During the middle of the 20th century, America was treated to short stories by many writers in many genres in the pulp magazine publications. These magazines were nicknamed pulps due to the cheap paper used in printing where the pulp could be seen and felt in the paper. This enabled the publishers to sell them for cheap, usually around a nickel a copy. There were many titles to choose from and many genres. There was science fiction, fantasy, detective stories, westerns and adventures of all sorts. L. Ron Hubbard wrote for all the genres and was one of the most prolific pulp writers.

Audio Press and Audio Galaxy are releasing all these Hubbard pulp stories on a regular basis and are keeping true to the pulp fiction era. With the printed books they have the pulpy feel but the covers are a sturdier stock so they will look good on the shelf and can withstand multiple readings. The audiobooks are where I fell in love with these classic stories. Each book released is also released in audiobook form and the CDs have the same artwork as the books. The artwork on all the books is a great representation of the over the top graphics from the original pulps.

What makes the audiobooks so great is the superb production behind each one. The books are not merely read to the listener, instead Galaxy Audio has brought back that old-time radio thriller genre from the same time period as the pulps. Everything from the narration to the character acting is so well done that as a listener you will feel as though you are in the middle of the story standing next to the over the top characters created by Hubbard.

In each production there is a full cast performance by some excellent voices that are able to capture each character perfectly. The sound effects keep the story rolling and help the listener get lost in the story and the music keeps the mood flowing as the change in chapters or stories come in.

The books can range from novellas to several short stories which come together to make a nice pulp fiction book or a two-hour performance. This book, “The Dive Bomber” is a single story or novella and is full of some great air adventures which will keep you on the edge of your seat through the entire story.

Originally published in the July, 1937 issue of “Five Novels Monthly,” and tells the story of daredevil pilot, Lucky Martin. Lucky has designed a new bomber plane that the Navy is interested in. The only problem is that, during each test run, the plane crashes. When a representative of a foreign nation approaches Lucky to purchase the design, Lucky turns him down. With all the crashes the Navy determines the design is flawed and that they will not be purchasing the planes. This could ruin Lucky, once again the representative approaches but this time when Lucky turns him down the foreign powers flex their might by kidnapping Lucky’s girlfriend and threatening him to finish. Lucky will never allow his design to go to a potential enemy and will do everything he can to save his girl, and his plane.

Daring test flights, air battles and sabotage make this story an adventure to not be missed.

“The Man Who Murdered His Mother-in-Law” by Jeffrey Hatcher

“The Man Who Murdered His Mother-in-Law”
by Jeffrey Hatcher
Performed by Steve Hendrickson
Produced by Audio-Visceral Productions
35 minutes 21 seconds.

Well first let me start out by saying I may have found a new audiobook go-to source. Audio-Visceral Productions, at least if this story is a true representation of their work, does what is needed to keep an audiobook fun to hear.

I was intrigued by the name of the company, it sounds almost creepy. Then when I found out this production was only about half an hour in length, I thought that would be a nice introduction. I’m really glad I gave it a chance. This production not only had an intriguing story but the production behind this audio short-story kept the story flowing and even made it easy to get lost in the story. The sound effects used in the story were subtle enough to not overpower the story but made it sound as if I were right in the middle of the story walking along with the characters and taking part of the story. But what made this even more interesting was the performance of Steve Hendrickson.

Steve Hendrickson read the audiobook, but wait, he did more than that. Hendrickson actually performed the story, providing different voices for each character and even acted out the parts with all the emotion and nuances of a full cast performance. At times he was able to change his voice enough that I was fooled into thinking another actor was voicing some minor parts.

The combination of Steve Hendrickson’s excellent voicework and the perfect production make this short story well worth the purchase price of 99 cents. Through the audio-visceral website you can link to the cdbaby website and purchase this for that price. I would probably pay more for this nice of a production, but they are committed to keeping their stories affordable. You go, Audio-Visceral.

As for the story itself, it is very simple in nature, but with a few twists and turns that keep you wondering until the very end. With the title being “The Man who Murdered his Mother-in-law,” you pretty much know what’s going to happen, but I’ll warn you…not quite.

The main idea of the story is that of a man and woman dating and when the woman’s extremely rich mother finds out she is about to die, they all visit the family’s attorney who tells them the problem with such a large amount of money tied up in assets and after the government gets their cut the family would not have much of an inheritance. There is a loophole in which the woman could give leave the estate to her husband and no taxes would cut into the money. This is where the man and the “mother-in-law” decide to get married and that way the man and the woman’s daughter could live happily ever after. However, once the newlywed May/December couple weds, the man finds that the tests were wrong and he is forced to seek out an alternative method.

The end of the story is full of twists and turns that even down to the last second of the story you will be wondering what happens next. Great mystery, great storytelling and excellent production work together to make this a must hear audiobook.

“The Ride Down Mt. Morgan” by Arthur Miller

“The Ride Down Mt. Morgan”
by Arthur Miller
from “The Arthur Miller Collection”
published by L.A. Theatre Works
Performed by: Brian Cox, Jenny O’Hara, Amy Pietz, Kirsten Potter, Gregory Itzin and Saidah Arrika Ekulona
Approx 2 hours

Once again it’s time to listen to another play from “The Arthur Miller” collection from L.A. Theatre Works. I’ve been listening to this collection interspersed with all my other audiobook listening so I can stretch it out. There are ten plays in this collection and this is next to the last, I’m gonna miss having these two hours between books.

What I like most about these audio recordings is that with the superb production quality, I feel as though I’m right in the middle of the performance, and with the great casting, the actors really bring these plays to life.

Most of Arthur Miller’s plays are tragedies, but this one is kinda hard to categorize. The tragedy of this play takes place at the beginning and how the main character tries to weasel out of this tragedy almost turns this play into a comedy.

Lyman Felt is an insurance agent/mogul. He’s made enough money to own two homes one in New York City and one in Elmira, New York. His money has also made it possible for him to support two families. Those two families are his own, you see, Lyman is a bigamist. He has two loving wives one child with each of those wives.

The tragedy that begins this play is that Lyman, while driving down the icy road down Mt. Morgan goes off the road and ends up in the hospital. As he awakens in the hospital he is stuck in bed as the nurse tells him his wife is waiting to see him. As Lyman comes to full consciousness, he begins to realize it’s his wife of more than thirty years, Theo, is the first to visit. The problem is Mt. Morgan is near his Elmira home where his wife of only nine years, Leah, lives. Sure enough both wives end up meeting and the issue of Lyman’s bigamy is confronted head on.

When confronted, Lyman states that the two options in life are to be true to others, which includes a hypocritical world, or to himself, and that he has chosen the himself. He justifies his actions by explaining he has given them good lives, has supported them financially and emotionally, and has been a good father. This is all presented in a series of flashbacks that are so well presented in this performance that I always knew a flashback was happening. Lyman goes on to say that the two women have been happier with this arrangement than they would have been if they had been the only wife. As reasons for this he cites domestic boredom, routine, and the angst of being trapped in the same relationship forever. The play uses flashbacks to take us to previous situations both families have lived.

So this brings up the question; Which wife will take him back? Through the flashbacks and some rather humorous discussions between wives, attorneys, nurses and Lyman this performance will make you chuckle, and, at times, cringe at Lyman’s justifications.