Quite a while back I reviewed Joe Cottonwood’s Clearheart. I enjoyed it, though it has none of the elements of speculative fiction that I normally find myself gravitating towards. Recently, I wanted something light, not too long and perhaps a bit mellow. I found Babcock on the Staff Picks section of Podiobooks and decided to give it a try.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: A fat boy with the blues. A skinny girl who runs marathons. And a con man on the lam. If you liked Clear Heart, or if you liked Boone Barnaby, you’ll like this one, too. The themes are a bit more grown up than Boone Barnaby, but it’s still family-friendly for reading. For any age it’s my brand of writing: humane, down to earth, good-natured, sometimes funny and sometimes sad.

Babcock plays electric guitar. He’s writing songs – and trying to figure out the true meaning of rock and roll – but he keeps coming up with the blues. Babcock is trying to start a friendship with a girl, Kirsten, who is as different as can be: Kirsten is skinny; she hates insects. And she’s white. Babcock is fat; he speaks to dragonflies. And he’s black.

In some ways Kirsten is like a dragonfly: quick and bright. She never walks; she runs everywhere. Her family has money. Her mother thinks Babcock is a little too “rough.” Opposites attract. But can they make music?

Babcock’s family is struggling for money. Then Babcock’s Uncle Earl moves in – and he moves into Babcock’s bedroom with Babcock’s menagerie of animals (including Martin Luther Kingsnake.). Uncle Earl is a con man on the lam. Uncle Earl used to play drums for Chuck Berry. Babcock wants to be Chuck Berry. Uncle Earl wants to coach a Little League baseball team – as a “business venture.” Babcock hates baseball. Babcock wants to learn “charm” from Uncle Earl. Uncle Earl wants to learn how to live a normal life and marry a normal woman – who happens to be Babcock’s schoolteacher. Maybe Babcock and Uncle Earl have something to teach each other.

Babcock’s father runs a car repair shop. At night, in the kitchen, he draws cartoons. Some day he wants to quit repairing cars and sell his cartoons. But nobody’s buying.

Kirsten is hotheaded. Sometimes she needs protection – from herself. Her mother tries to protect her – from Babcock. For help with his problems Babcock goes to an unlikely source: his Uncle Earl, the man with good charm and bad behavior. But the biggest lessons from Uncle Earl – and, perhaps, from rock and roll – are not what anyone expected.

In short, it’s about character. About making music. About family, hard work, about love and loss. Sometimes there’s laughter. Sometimes the lights are off in the kitchen; papa’s got blues. But always life is rich and deeply moving… (Stolen from Podiobooks.com)

Production: The production of both of the books I’ve listened to by Mr. Cottonwood are bare on frills, but high on value. There isn’t a lot of extras going on here, but what there is, is good quality recordings and an interesting premise where characters in the book are writing songs and you will hear parts of those songs sung between chapters. I enjoyed this approach and found it worked very well for this story.

Grade: B+

Cast: The author is joined by a small cast of voices in making Babcock come to life. Listeners of Clearheart will recognize at least one female voice although there may be more that were in both. My favorite character voice was the actress voicing Kirsten. Yes, the name was stated. No, I don’t remember her name. If you know, let me know and I’ll update the review. All the voices were done separately, or at least it sounds that way, but most of them sound pretty good none the less.

Grade: B

Story: Babcock is the story of all of us at one or another point in our life. It happened to us, or someone we knew. Perhaps we just heard about it happening to someone else. It is a slice of everyday life with all the anger, bitterness, humor and love that we have all experienced. In this case, it happens to a 13 year old boy named Babcock that lives in the town of San Puerco (Saint Pig? If there really is a San Puerco is CA, someday, I’m moving there). But it could have happened in my hometown, or maybe yours.

Grade: A+

Verdict: It has been a long time since I’ve heard a non speculative fiction story that I have enjoyed as much as I enjoyed this one. Throw into the mix that it is a young adult title that I could share with my eldest child and I can only say, listen. Especially if you have a young awkward teen around the house. Listen. Even if you don’t. Listen.

Disclosure: I don’t believe Mr. Cottonwood is on Twitter. If he is, I’ve never seen a mention or a tweet from him. I wasn’t offered anything, not even a broken down MG given “as is”, in return for this review.

When I first started listening to podiofiction, my listening appetites were quite voracious. I listened to a bunch of stuff. Good stuff. Bad stuff. Stuff we will not talk about. Ever. One of the things I listened to (and reviewed back in podcast review 44) was Seth Harwood’s Jack Wakes Up, and I counted it as one of the good ones. While I wasn’t as thrilled with the sequel’s I enjoyed it enough that when I heard Mr. Harwood had recently completed a new podcast novel, I decided to give it a listen.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: FBI Agent Jess Harding always gets her man… or woman.

In this thriller, Harding returns to the scene of her first years as an FBI agent to track the still-at-large killer from her first case. Back in 2006, as a young, inexperienced agent, Harding chased leads across Alaska for a full summer without catching up with this killer. Now, after 5 years of honing her skills, she’s back and ready to try again.

But when she starts to see that the killer knows a little something about her, the heat turns up and Harding realizes she may not be the only one getting chased. (Stolen from Podiobooks.com)

Production: As I mentioned in the intro, it has been a long time since I listened to Mr. Harwood’s first novel. In the years since, I don’t know if I’ve become more picky or if Mr. Harwood’s production quality has suffered. Regardless, I did have a few issues with the production quality of In Broad Daylight. There are multiple examples of atmospheric noises making there way into the background of the audio. You will also notice the static. When it disappears. What I mean is, in almost every podcast there is some amount of “static” in the background. Noise we automatically filter out because it is consistent. The only issue is when it isn’t consistent. When someone creates a gap in the editing process and creates a true silence, the static becomes much more noticeable. This happens often in In Broad Daylight. Also, while not overly abundant, the listener will also notice a few repeated lines. Finally, while I won’t count off for this, it has been quite a while since anyone has included a “The Story So Far” in any story I’ve listened to. I have not missed this. At all.

Grade: C-

Cast: Mr. Harwood reads In Broad Daylight as a self read. He does a fine job. Some listeners might feel Mr. Harwood is a bit enthusiastic in his reading, but I feel it adds to the story. If an author can’t get excited about his characters, who can?

Grade: B+

Story: Mr. Harwood writes crime stories. I could easily see Jess Harding as a female Alex Cross. The story is set in Alaska and San Francisco. Whether Mr. Harwood has visited Alaska or not, he does make the reader feel like his descriptions are genuine. The characters all have flaws. Most are believable. I won’t say I like all the characters, but that is fine as long as they live and breath. For the most part, the characters in In Broad Daylight, do just that.

Grade: B+

Verdict: The story wasn’t perfect and definitely felt like a beta version. However, even as a beta, In Broad Daylight, should give any crime action junkie a good fix. In Broad Daylight proceeds at a good pace and was able to hold my attention the entire distance. I anticipate more Jess Harding stories, and if they are as good as this one, I think Mr. Harwood will continue to build his fan base.

Disclosure: I’ve never met or tweeted with Mr. Harwood. I do not follow him and he doesn’t follow me. I wasn’t offered anything in return for this interview.

I have no idea how long I’ve followed Mr. Keeling on Twitter (@synapticjam), but it has been quite a while. I don’t listen to every story that I know the author of. Not even close. However, I usually read the synopsis, and if the story looks like it might interest me, I’ll give it a try. Having a background in technology, and as a network administrator, Compensating Controls piqued my interest.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: Nicholas Edgwood rides a wave of good karma–a job he excels at, a new girlfriend, and a bright future. When he gets framed for a cyber-crime he did not commit, he must run for his life while his entire world crumbles around him.

Betrayal and murder replace peace and hope as he finds himself in unfamiliar territory. He may not be the biggest and baddest guy out there, but he has skills, the kind garnered from a career steeped in computers and code. Now he must leverage these skills to their fullest to stay above ground and breathing. It will take all of his talent, and courage he may not have, just to survive. (Stolen from Podiobooks.com)

Production: I subscribed to Compensating Controls through Mr. Keeling’s own site. I do this quite often because I am not a patient person, and when an author posts to their own site, it often goes up more quickly. That being said, I know that when I subscribe through an author’s site, I might get a bit of chatter or other things that I might or might not want. This is definitely true with Mr. Keeling’s site. I didn’t mind the chatter, but it is definitely there.

Of much more notice is the change around episode seven or eight where Mr. Keeling begins using sound effects to a much greater extent. Truthfully, I don’t remember them at all before Pons makes .. well, that would be a spoiler, but when you hear what I’m talking about, believe me you’ll know. I would recommend all authors try to decide whether they will be using sound effects or not before they begin a podcast. I appreciate consistency.

That being said, Mr. Keeling does a nice job of constructing his episodes, and overall I think most listeners would feel the soundtrack enhanced the story.

*possible spoiler – However, there are several scenes of brutality that I really could have done with fewer effects.

Grade: B-

Cast: Compensating Controls is done as a self read, and Mr. Keeling does a decent job with it. All of the characters were given unique voices and characteristics and Mr. Keeling did a good job in keeping each one unique.

Grade: B+

Story: Compensating Controls is a geek story written for an audience needing a minimal (to no) geek background. The characters were pretty believable and the plot, well, I’m afraid things like this happen much to often. And no, I’m not a conspiracy theorist.

Grade: B

Verdict: I enjoyed Compensating Controls. I think Mr. Keeling did an excellent job for his first podcast and, I believe, first novel. Would a solid external editor improve it? Of course. Will you receive many hours of enjoyable entertainment the way it is? I did.

Disclosure: As I mentioned previously, I do following Mr. Keeling on Twitter and count him one of the “good guys” out there. However, I was not paid, bribed, or prodded to provide this review.

A while back I reviewed House of Grey by Colon Earl. As much as I liked it, I couldn’t recommend it, because I felt it didn’t end. So, when I saw that Mr. Earl had completed a new story, this time with co-author Chris Snelgrove, I admit I was a bit elated, but also a bit cautious. Which emotion did I retain at the end?

On to the review.

Synopsis: They built what could not be constructed. A weapon lightyears ahead of its time. A weapon so superior it defied the known laws of physics.

Seven years ago, they were on the verge of unleashing its power. Then… they lost it.

Now they are on a desperate hunt to reclaim what they stole.

Following the trail of unexplainable deaths, they frantically search for what may become their ultimate demise.

But what if the project doesn’t want to be reclaimed?

Join their hunt wading through political power-plays, corporate corruption, domestic terrorism, and the greatest enigma of their time- the infamous assassin known only as: The Magician. (Stolen from Podiobooks.com)

Production: With the sole exception of the exception of the opening music being dramatically louder than the rest of the content, the production of Harmonics is very solid. I don’t recall hearing more than one or two repeated lines in the entire story and all other audio was within appropriate levels.

Grade: B+

Cast: Harmonics was read by Chris Snelgrove. He once again does a commendable job of voice inflection and personalization of each voice. If you choose to listen, you’ll have very little trouble differentiating the characters.

Grade: A-

Story: After having listened, I have to say the synopsis is one of the poorest I’ve read in setting up the story for the listener. In reality, the majority of the episodes follows the story of a teenager, Samantha, who finds a small metal box and has her life changed in dramatic fashion.

Grade: B

Verdict: I had several problems with Harmonics. The first, I alluded to above. Samantha is, for all intents and purposes, the driving character in this story. However, her character is enough of an enigma, that although we’re told she’s gone through dramatic changes during the course of the story, we’d likely be unaware of these facts if the authors had t literally pointed them out to us. Samantha also, although I can’t explain exactly how, didn’t end up fitting the character profile I felt the authors had initially developed for her which left me a bit confused in my reactions towards her.

Harmonics is also billed as the worlds first audio manga. To be honest, it didn’t feel any different than any other future sci fi adventure I’ve heard. This isn’t a bad thing, I’m just unsure, even with the description in the first ep, of how an audio manga should have been different.

Finally, there’s the ending. Harmonics is another story built around the idea of seasons. I don’t have a problem with stories doing this, though I prefer a more traditional “book one” title. Regardless, call it a book or a season or whatever you want, I feel like after having listened to 19 episodes there should have been some elements of the story tied up before you end the first season. As I complained with House of Grey the story didn’t set a cliffhanger so much as it just quit in the middle of the story. No plot threads were brought to a logical conclusion. No explanations were given about what’s really going on. On the contrary, I was left wondering why the authors decided to end the first volume at the point where they did. Don’t get me wrong, it definitely does cliffhanger you, it just does so without any carrots that finishing a season usually provides.

So, do I recommend Harmonics? After much consideration, yes. I do. I enjoyed the story up to the part where it quit very much. Mr. Earl and Mr. Snelgrove make a very effective storytelling team. However, I also remind the listener there are precious few answers in this first season and after 19 episodes you might be questioning what is really the true synopsis for the story you’ve just heard.

Disclosure: I do follow Mr. Earl on twitter. I haven’t tweeted with him more than a handful of times and nothing was offered or accepted in return for this review.

As I began my weekly browsing a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that Gillian Andrews, author of the previously reviewed (and Parsec Nominated) Valhai had completed the second in the series of young adult science fiction stories. Having enjoyed Valhai, I was eager to see where the second book in the series took these characters.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: The characters from Valhai are back in trouble again – bright, funny, on the watch for backswampers – and always unforgettable.

Six and Diva fence with each other – and seriously irritate the Elders on Kwaide.

Grace finds out who is on her side – and who isn’t.

And even Arcan’s megabrain can’t predict how far the Sellites will go …

Production: Having previously written and produced a Parsec nominated podcast novel, I was expecting to hear growth in the production of this second story by Ms. Andrews. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The things I liked about Valhai are still present in Kwaide. Ms. Andrews voice is still pleasant and the overall sound of the podcast is still quite easy to listen to. However, the things that were annoying in Valhai became more apparent in the production of Kwaide. Ms. Andrews, in her editing, missed multiple repeated lines. This happened in almost every episode. There are also absurdly long silences during some episodes and this phenomena becomes more regular in later eps. Finally, while I again liked the music Ms. Andrews created for Kwaide, I again can’t say that I felt it fit the feeling of the podcast. (This is of course completely subjective, and I’ve even heard the same of the theme I choose to use in my own podcasted reviews.)

Grade: B-/C+

Cast: Ms. Andrews provides a self read once again as she voices the characters she has created. While this isn’t a small cast, it isn’t huge either and truthfully consists of four basic main characters. In this book, one of those characters takes more of a supporting role leaving Ms. Andrews to “only” regularly voice three characters. She does this well. While Ms. Andrew’s doesn’t provide much in the way of unique voices, her reading is well done and quite pleasant to listen to.

Grade: B+

Story: Kwaide takes the next step in the story of Valhai’s heroes. Six, Diva and Grace reemerge a bit older and try to become a bit wiser. As I previously mentioned, it was my desire to see these character’s further develop that had me readily subscribe to this second book. There are several plot points developed in this book, but the main storyline follows our intrepid heroes as they travel back to Kwaide. The initial goal is to rescue Six’s second sister, and later develops into creating and supporting a revolt of the repressed (“Help, I’m being repressed!”) underclass of the planet.

Grade: C

Verdict: I will always remember going to see Back to the Future 2 in the theater. I had rarely been so disappointed in a movie. I felt, at the time, that the only reason the filmmakers decided to make that particular story was in order to cash in on characters from the original story that so many people enjoyed. If that had been the end of it, there wouldn’t be much to tell. Filmakers do that all the time. (Kingdom of the Crystal Suck anyone?) However, what made this movie different was not this movie at all. It was the way it set up the third. At the time, I had no idea how the third movie would change my  mind about the second movie, because In my opinion, the reason for the second movie was to set up that third movie.

I’ve said all that to say this: I have the same feeling with this story. Once the third in the series comes out I think I’ll probably end up appreciating the second more.

This story had a lot going on in it. It had a multiple threads that made me wonder what the real thrust of the story was. There is obviously more to the story, though I have no idea how many more books are in the series. If the pattern continues, each book will take the name of the planet where the main story will take place. I will admit that one of the devices used in the original story, (namely the banter/bickering between two of the main characters) became a bit tiresome to me in this second story in the series.

So, do I recommend it? Yes. There is still precious little young adult science fiction available, and Ms. Andrews continues to tell a good story. I hope I am correct that the stories will continue to build and that some of the devices used in this story were necessary for elements in the third.

Disclaimer: I’ve still never met Ms. Andrews or conversed with her in any manner.

Title:

Serve it Cold has been on my reading list for quite some time. How long? I don’t’ really know. Who recommended it? I haven’t a clue. Why did it take me so long to listen? Well, my preference on most days is speculative fiction of one type or another. Mostly fantasy (in all of its many incarnations) and science fiction. Occasionally though, I enjoy a good mystery, adventure, military action or other type of non spec fic work. I have to be in the right mood for these though, and even when I am, then I quite often have a favorite author or series, such as Dan Sawyer’s Clarke Lantham series, that I choose to fill my time with. So, when I finally got around to listening to Serve it Cold much of the original reasons that I had placed it in my queue had slipped my mind.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis:  Detective Jonny C. Speed’s life can’t get much better. He’s booked into the French Quarter’s most luxurious guesthouse, and his day job as convenience store manager is 104 miles behind him in Catherine, Mississippi. He’s already taken care of one pro-bono missing persons job since he’s been in New Orleans, and his paying client’s cheating wife is a beautiful and very accommodating exhibitionist. Are things too good to be true? Of course they are. Jonny starts to worry when his client turns up dead, but when the suspects start dropping, Jonny and his crack team of beauty queens, recovering addicts, professional athletes, computer hackers, and pampered dogs find themselves caught in a twisted scheme of revenge that threatens to turn the town of Catherine inside out.  (stolen from podiobooks.com)

Production: Dancing Cat Studios is credited with the production of this book. I love a story that introduces me to new experiences outside of the simply the story itself. Serve it Cold had some really, really terrific music in it. The theme was sung by Michelle Malone. After having located some of her music on iTunes, I can say that I’m now a fan; and I owe that to Serve it Cold. The story is told as a full cast audiobook with equal parts narration and dialogue. All voices are at appropriate levels and sound very good. There is a pretty constant sound effects layer that always enhances, and never disrupts, the story. There are few stories I’ve listened to that exude the slick production qualities that Serve it Cold does. I have no idea who Dancing Cat Studios is, (nor did I bother to google it) but this cat has some serious moves!

One final production note. Long time readers of this blog know full well the disdain I hold for “The story so far”. Well, this one got me. It got me good. I was listening to episode 7 and asking myself why each episode since ep 2 had started with a strange non-character phone call to another non-character. All they did was gossip about everything that had all ready happened. Yeah. I’m slow. I admit it. Guys, if you’re going to do a “The story so far”, do it like Tee Morris did with Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword, or as it is done here. Truly, while still not needed, at least I didn’t find myself seething during the retelling of the previous episodes cognizant points.

Grade: A+

Cast: The cast for this story is rather large. I admit I’ve never heard of most of them with the exception of Paul Fischer (whom is credited with a small role). However, this truly could be because I simply haven’t heard the “right” stories, because this merry band of voice actors knows how to get into character and have a bit of fun with a story. I enjoyed each voice and never really found myself distracted by a character that didn’t seem to fit. Kudos to all voices involved.

Grade: A

Story: Serve it Cold is a pretty straightforward mystery. An unusual event happens in the first ep which turns out to be tied into a case that the lead character is drug into along the way. The story moves back and forth between a “small” city (hey, I grew up in a town of less than 5,000) in Mississippi and New Orleans. There are the prerequisite number of larger than life supporting characters and the obligatory hidden backstory that so many mysteries seem to carry.

Grade: C

Verdict: I enjoyed listening to Serve it Cold simply because of the production. I usually put up with production being subpar when the story is good. I rarely put up with a mediocre story because it is “fun to listen to”. Serve it Cold was one of these for me. Mr. Blackwell wrote a story that had, to me, a more interesting back story than the one he wrote. I looked, on three occasions no less, to verify that this was not the second or third book in a series. If it is, I never found that information. Don’t get me wrong, this story does stand on its own, but the listener still might feel (I know I did) that some of the characters mentioned are much more developed than a non seen character usually is.

I also had issues with one of the larger plot points in the story. *Spoiler alert: At the beginning of the story a rather large amount of an unusually potent strain of marijuana is introduced into the storyline. Throughout the story we follow this drug around Mississippi and New Orleans. Before the end of the story however, it seems that everyone loses interest in where it came from, why it happened to make its way to small city Mississippi and any repercussions any characters might have had because of it. The epilogue also felt a bit forced to me, trying to force the listener to accept rather than just allowing us along for the ride. This is really too bad, because although the drug and adult content was more than I needed, Serve it Cold started with an interesting concept that deserved a better implementation. I believe that a good editor could help Mr. Blackwell take this story, which I felt was no more than average, and help him turn it into a very good mystery novel.

Disclaimer: I do not follow Ronnie Blackwell on Twitter. I do not recognize or follow any of the voice talent either, with the exception of Mr. Paul Fischer. I was not asked to provide a review of this novel and received nothing in return.

Prophecy of Swords is another story I picked up by perusing Podiobooks shelves. I noticed that it was quite a long story and was anxious to hear a good long epic fantasy.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: To End A War Nearly a thousand years ago a great warrior named Lachlan sought to unify his people, using the power of the Three Swords of Destiny. Before his victory, Lachlan was killed by his trusted friend, Allarun. Now, Allarun is still in power but haunted by dreams of Lachlan’s death curse: that Lachlan would return to avenge his death. Allarun’s decision is to destroy the very people Lachlan tried to unite. Only two men have the power to stop the slaughter. Romarin, the last of a line of kings, and a half-blood mercenary named Shadowhelm. One may be destined to be Lachlan, but can they unlock the secret to Lachlan’s power before Allarun kills them? (stolen from podiobooks.com)

Production: For regular readers of this blog it should come as no surprise when I admit that I look for things to like in each story that I listen too. It isn’t that I won’t point out issues, but I also like to find the good that almost every story has. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to like in the production for Prophecy of Swords. There are a lot of episodes in this book. Probably at least twice as many as their needs to be. Each episode contains one chapter from the book, and the chapters are short. Instead of combining chapters, the author made the decision to keep the episode content short. However, the episodes might be twice as long as the content of the chapter. The author always does a fairly lengthy intro, and even more before closing, so a 15 minute ep can (and does) occasionally offer less than 5 minutes of story. If that weren’t enough to drive the casual listener away, the audio quality of the book is very poor. There are many artifacts from the author’s recording environment that made their way into the production, as well as the music being much too loud.

All of these elements produce a listening environment that is not friendly and severely limits the listeners enjoyment.

If there is one saving grace about the production, it is that this podcast was started in 2005. That is very early on. However, as much as the story is appreciated, I doubt more than a rough 10% make it beyond the 1st episode.

Grade: D-/F

Cast: Ms. Bonham reads her own story with A Prophecy of Swords, and she does only an adequate job of it. There is very little in the way of inflection or voice cues to let you know whom is talking. Some might describe the reading as somewhat wooden. I believe that to be a fair description as well.

Grade: C-

Story: Prophecy of Swords is truly an epic fantasy. This is a big story that a listener might become lost in. Not because of the impressive tapestry, but due to the similarity of names and places with other epic fantasies you might have read. It isn’t a bad story, and in some ways it is rather unique. However, is it unique enough to allow the audience to truly enjoy? If you’ve listened, you tell me.

Grade: C

Verdict: Pass. Unless you are desperate for an epic fantasy that is overly drawn out and boils down poorly, I can’t recommend that you take the many hours of effort to listen to Prophecy of Swords. I’m not saying some won’t enjoy it, but for me, the story wasn’t worth the effort.

Disclaimer: I do not follow Ms. Bonham on twitter, nor to the best of my knowledge does she follow me.

Title:

TIme Stryder by J.W. Kingsley is another one of those stories I’d never heard of before seeing Evo Terra tweet that it was complete and available at Podiobooks.com. I admit, I knew I was going to subscribe almost before even reading the synopsis, because with a title like that, the story simply had to be about time travel, right? Well, being a big fan of the new Doctor Who, time travel is intriguing me more than at any other time of my life. Granted, this story wasn’t penned by S. Moffat, but I could hope for something just as good, right?

So, on to the review.

Synopsis:  Arthur George Edward Stryder, or George as he prefers to be called, is out of place and time, and it’s a struggle for him to keep from going out of his mind as well. He is eleven years old, and ill prepared for what lies ahead when he washes up on a beach in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia, in the summer of 2011.

Alicia Henderson, who is eleven years old herself, finds George, battered, unconscious, and barely alive, and as soon as she touches his hand, a bond is formed. They find themselves adrift in time, but the places they go are oddly disconnected, and the people they see are unable to see them, yet it seems like a grand adventure nonetheless. However, the pull of reality is strong, and George must learn to adapt to his new home in our world, unable to understand how he got here.

It might seem that the strangeness is behind him, but George soon learns that there are still malicious things in the darkness, and they are hunting him. They are relentless, and they can move in and out of reality as easily as a stray thought…  (stolen from podiobooks.com)

Production: The production of Time Stryder was good. There were lots of things going on and for the most part, none of them interfered for with the telling of the story. Although that would seem like a simple leap of logic, I’m always surprised when people don’t get it right. Overall, Mr. Kingsley get’s it right and each episode should provide you with nothing that will be detrimental to your ears. That begin said, I believe a good portion of the way into the story, the closing music changed, and then later changed back. To be honest, I might be wrong about this, but I don’t think so.

Grade: B

Cast: Mr. Kingsley does Time Stryder as a self read. He does an overall fine job with it too. A good number of the characters are British and he does a good British accent. However, he doesn’t do an adult female voice well. Not a huge criticism, as I would not even consider trying, but it should be noted.

Grade: B

Story: I admit, I don’t read reviews before listening to a story. Or before writing my own review. Which generally means I don’t ready very many reviews about podiobooks. I have no idea if one of the reviews mentions that this book should be billed as YA, but if it is in the description anywhere, I am sure I missed it. However, that far from makes this a bad thing in my mind. I enjoy a well written story, and by the inclusion of so many children’s stories into our heritage, I’m far from the only one. Time Stryder isn’t only about tweeners and young teenagers, it is well suited for that audience.

Grade: B+

Verdict: Even if you don’t have any young adults lounging around the house instead of working in order to provide you with an extra present for your birthday or.. ooops.. sorry… um..

Take 2

Even if you don’t have any young adults in your household, if you enjoy stories where young adults play leading roles, and if you enjoy some of the thought that always goes into a time travel story, you’ll probably enjoy Time Stryder.

Disclaimer: I do follow Mr. Kingsley on Twitter (@timestryder), but as he mentions in one outro, he really doesn’t do social media that well. (Hey, I didn’t say it!) I’ve never conversed with him, and no one paid or bribed me for this review. (I really need to get a PR department onto this remuneration thing.)

Title:

Occasionally, I simply go to Podiobooks.com and browse through the stories looking for something I’ve never heard. This might not be the best lead in for a story, but the truth is the truth. Browsing the racks is exactly how I stumbled across Jeremy Robinson’s Beneath. It sounded, from the synopsis, like a story that would be quite enjoyable.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis:  Three thousand years after a chunk of iron the size of Khufu’s pyramid collides with Europa, Jupiter’s sixth moon, an asteroid borne of the collision crashes into Earth’s Arctic ice shelf carrying extraterrestrial microbial life. The first man to come into contact with the microbes hears voices—and then dies.

After determining the meteorite originated from Europa, the Global Exploratory Corporation sends oceanographer and biologist, Kathy Connelly, and her crew to the moon aboard the Surveyor, an experimental spacecraft. They are charged with the task of melting through miles of ice to the hidden ocean beneath, where the search for alien microorganisms begins. But a startling discovery awaits them on the surface of Europa.

Life.

Vast fields of red, plant-like organisms fill the cracks crisscrossing the moon’s surface, surviving on nutrients welling up from the waters below. Intoxicated by thoughts of what might lie beneath, Connelly and her crew activate the Thermal Exploratory System and melt through the ice—toward a world that does not want to be found, toward a force that will do anything to make sure they never leave.

They search for life. They find death.(stolen from podiobooks.com)

Production: Beneath is put together quite well. I enjoyed listening to the story. The audio was neither to loud nor to quiet. The quality of the recording was better than average and the editing was well done. Sometimes, it is best to just not notice the production. That means it didn’t interfere with the story. This is the case with Beneath.

Grade: B+

Cast: Beneath is a self read podcast with voice work provided by Jeffrey Kafer. I’m unfamiliar with Mr. Kafer’s work, but after having heard him in this story, I would not be reluctant to call upon him if I needed any voice acting done. He sells the characters without going overboard. The reading was fluid and his reading voice was mellifluous. Both greatly enhanced the story.

Grade: A-

Story: When I started listening to Beneath, I was really hoping for a scary space horror story. What I got instead was an episode of The X Files. Not that that is bad, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. The creatures could have been truly scary, or evil, or just malevolent in their pursuit of their own survival. (Minor spoiler ahead) Instead what I got was a sentient race just wanting to be left alone. Again, this is far from bad, it just wasn’t what I expected.

Grade: B+

Verdict: If you like a good science fiction story that will keep you guessing, Beneath will most likely fit that bill for you. However, if you’re looking to be a bit spooked and for a story that you best not listen to in the dark, keep looking, there is nothing for you here.

Disclaimer: I’ve never met Mr. Robinson, nor do I follow him on Twitter (to my knowledge). I have never discussed this story with anyone and received nothing in the way of remuneration for this review.

This book, The Starter, written by author Scott Sigler is the sequel to the Science Fiction/Football novel The Rookie. If you haven’t heard/read The Rookie, I strongly suggest you do so. The Starter continues the story begun there. You don’t necessarily need the previous story to understand this one, but since The Rookie has always been my favorite of Scott Sigler’s books, I recommend you don’t miss it.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: Last season, 19-year-old rookie quarterback Quentin Barnes overcame his racism and unified his team. Now, he and the Ionath Krakens have to compete against the greatest football teams ever assembled and do far more than just survive each game. As he rebuilds the team in his own image, Quentin truly begins his life-long quest for a Tier One Championship. (stolen from podiobooks.com)

Production: The production of The Starter lives up to the remarkable standards that Mr. Sigler has become known for. I’ve always preferred a rather minimalistic approach to production unless you have the skills of someone like Dan Sawyer. Mr. Sigler (or his production team of A Kovaks and Arioch Morningstar) keeps the production simple but clean. Seriously, if you’re considering podcasting your novel, you could do much worse than trying to replicate Mr. Sigler’s sound.

Grade: A

Cast: Mr. Sigler, as always, performs The Starter as a self read. Mr. Sigler has always gone above and beyond when it comes to reading life into his characters. I especially love his personification of the Galaxy Sports show trio. If you haven’t enjoyed Mr. Sigler’s reading of his other stories, you probably not need waste your time here. If you, however, have enjoyed any of Mr. Sigler’s other works, and you especially enjoy an extra dose of wit and sarcasm, you’ll probably like the reading Mr. Sigler provides here.

Grade A

Story: As the synopsis states, this is the story of Quentin Barnes. What happens in his second season in the GFL? Will Quentin become a team player? Well, those answers are definitely answered here. Unfortunately, all those answers will do is leave you wanting more.

Grade A

Verdict: I can no longer say that The Rookie is my favorite story of Mr. Sigler’s. The series continues to ramp up with each story. One isn’t necessarily better than another, but the entire package is one you shouldn’t miss. With the completion of The Starter (on Mr. Sigler’s site at least) there is no reason not to dive in now.

Disclaimer: I do follow Mr. Sigler on Twitter (@scottsigler). I tweet at him occasionally, but more because I just enjoy reading his stream.