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by Scott Danielson
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Hari Seldon is a psychohistorian. He has developed mathematical methods of predicting the actions of masses of people,
effectively predicting the future. When his calculations predict the fall of the Empire, the Empire moves to protect
itself. The fall is unpreventable, says Seldon, so the next best thing is to protect humanity's knowledge so the period of
approaching chaos is as short as possible. Foundation is a planet on the edge of the galaxy, set up and filled with scientists
in order to create an Encyclopedia of all human knowledge. These books are filled with political intrigue and maneuvering
and are brilliantly plotted.
These three audio versions are all straight narrative readings. Larry McKeever performs the first book, and does an excellent
job. Dan Lazar performs the next two, but I found him a bit difficult, as there was no discernable distinction between
characters. I enjoyed revisiting the trilogy, and Books on Tape has all of the Foundation books (all of the rest
read by McKeever) and some of Asimov's short fiction as well.
The material itself is in the Star Wars tradition -- there is an Empire and rebellion, swords and
technology. Owen Deathstalker, the main character, finds many forces suddenly arrayed against him. His allies are few,
and the Empire is large, but rebellion is inevitable.
The audio is done very well. This is a multi-voice recording, sort of a cross between a straight reading and audio
drama. The main narrator is excellent, as is much of the supporting cast.
This set contains three CD's -- the first if the live recording of Spock vs. Q (1999), the second is a live recording
of Spock vs. Q: The Sequel (2000) and the third contains about six minutes of video footage (in .mpg format) of the performance.
Captain Kirk is now at Starfleet Academy. He's a teacher and a celebrity, which causes him some predictable trouble and
unease. His nephews (George's sons) want to found a new colony, and ask Kirk for his assistance. Kirk readily agrees,
eager as always for some adventure. He calls a couple of friends; both Scotty and Chekov also agree to come.
The rest of the audio is typical Star Trek adventure, with appearances by Spock, McCoy, Sulu (as Captain
of the Excelsior), and Uhura. I enjoyed it because it was Star Trek, but I longed for more.
David Kaye is a wonderful reader. He skillfully brought to life the various and well-known characters as well as a couple
of very interesting new ones. It was well-produced and enhanced with sound effects throughout.
NOTES
A new science fiction talk radio show premiered on the internet on July 18th. It's called I-SCI-FI and
can be found by clicking the link in the link list on the upper left of this page. The show is broadcast live (and accepts
phone calls) on Thursday nights at 9pm Eastern, and each show is archived and made available for listening at any time.
SciFiAudio.com has some free listening material available on their site, including
readings by Robert J. Sawyer from his excellent book Hominids.
Defiance Audio is also planning to release a series of BattleTech titles in the same fashion as the
Deathstalker titles... several volumes, very well-priced. The first of these is due in September.
SciFiAudio will also be at ConJose providing on-the-scene coverage, author readings and interviews, and up-to-the-minute
reporting on the Hugo Awards results.
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Scott discovered the world of SF audio years ago, when he spent hours a day in his car. His commute has since shortened considerably, but his love for audio remains. By trade, he's an electrical engineer. Aside from reading and writing science fiction, his hobbies include community theater, where he can often be found behind the soundboard or (much less often) on the stage. |
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Read by Larry McKeever, Books on Tape, 6 hours
Ah, Asimov. He remains one of my favorite SF writers. The Foundation Trilogy is a science fiction classic, written in the 50s.
New from Defiance Audio is Episode 1 of the Simon R. Green's Deathstalker series. The concept is new in my
experience -- they've taken Green's book and made 5 audio episodes, and are selling each episode for approximately half of
what the same amount of listening would cost if it were a Star Trek or Star Wars audio. The
episodes are published a month or so apart. An excellent idea.
Spock vs. Q is a recording of Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek's Mr. Spock) and John DeLancie (Q) performing
in front of a live audience at a convention. Each one takes on his Star Trek role, and they embark on a
hilarious performance. It's practically stand-up comedy. Spock's logic and Q's emotion appear in stark contrast as they
verbally joust with each other for nearly an hour. I laughed out loud several times. Nimoy and DeLancie appeared to have
great fun doing this -- the live audience certainly enjoyed it. I would have loved to have been there.
Because Star Trek is still evolving on the big and small screens, Star Trek authors often find
gaps to fill in the Star Trek timeline. This story is no exception; it takes place between the
films Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Star Trek: Generations.
 
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