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by Scott Danielson
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All three are produced by Stefan Rudnicki and performed by many different readers, including Harlan Ellison and Gabrielle de Cuir. The
stories were all selected from those published in the 2002 issues of each particular magazine. Each collection contains unabridged
stories and runs between 7 and 8 hours.
I'm looking forward to these becoming annual collections. The range of stories included is very wide and representative of what's
going on in these three magazines. The readers are strong, the production quality excellent. Unabridged short fiction is perfect
for audio and to have such recent and noteworthy material available this way is a distinct pleasure.
NOTES
I recently noticed another fine science fiction talk show called The Dragon Page. I've added them to my link list, along with
Book Crazy Radio, a website that runs their show. The hosts, Michael R. Mennenga and Evo Terra, are interesting and
energetic -- they're just plain fun to listen to. They've had some fabulous guests, including Cory Doctorow, Robert J. Sawyer,
and Michael Moorcock. See their website for listening instructions.
Audible.com, where the Best of 2002 audiobooks are exclusively available, has earned huge kudos from me. I've been using the service for
over a year now and I wouldn't hesitate to urge someone to try it out. They sell many excellent science fiction titles for download
to play on your computer, to play on a digital audio device, or to write onto audio CD's. The whole process is very smooth.
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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 control engineer for a manufacturing plant. 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. Scott can also be found at SFFAudio. |
The Best of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine 2002
How great is this? Here is some of the best and most recent short form science fiction and fantasy on audio. I couldn't
wait to listen when I first noticed them on Audible.com. And Audible.com, by the way, is the only place you can get these.
I particularly enjoyed the eclectic The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction collection. It begins with Harlan Ellison reading
his "Never Send to Know for Whom the Lettuce Wilts". There are nine more stories here: "In Paradise" by Bruce
Sterling, "The Boy's Got Talent" by Albert E. Cowdrey, "Creation" by Jeffrey Ford (my personal favorite), "Watching Matthew" by
Damon Knight, "Shoes" by Robert Sheckley, "Presence" by Maureen F. McHugh, "Our Friend Electricity" by Ron Wolfe, "Just Another
Cowboy" by Esther M. Freisner, and "Leda" by M. Rickert. These stories range from serious to hilarious, and every one of
them make great audio.
Analog Science Fiction and Fact Best of 2002 contains Michael Swanwick's "Slow Life", "The Astronaut from Wyoming" by Adam-Troy
Castro and Jerry Oltion, "The Hunters of Pangea" by Stephen Baxter, and "In Spirit" by Pat Forde. These were all hard science
fiction stories, ranging from Baxter's distant past to Swanwick's not-too-distant future. All four were well performed and
engaging. Even though this one contains only four stories, the running time was about the same as the Fantasy and Science Fiction collection.
Asimov's Science Fiction Best of 2002 includes "The Clear Blue Seas of Luna" by Gregory Benford, "Speaker for the Wooden Sea"
by Ian Watson, "Candy Art" by James Patrick Kelly, and "With Caesar in the Underworld" by Robert Silverberg. Kelly's "Candy Art"
made the best audio here.
 
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