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It’s been a while since I’ve written a review of a podiobook, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading… One series of books that have been in my “to read“-que for – well, since I started reading podiobooks really, is the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper-series by Nathan Lowell. The series consists of the books Quarter Share, Half Share, Full Share, Double Share and Captain’s Share. I wanted to read some classical-ish Science Fiction lately, and decided to dip my proverbial toes into this highly praised series of books. I read through the first book, Quarter Share faster than you can say “Planet Ahoy!“, and got stuck in the world like flies on dung.

Quarter Share follows Ishmael Horatio Wang, a land-crab who after losing his mother in a traffic accident takes a job at the freighter space ship SC (Solar Clipper?) Lois McKendrick. In most SciFi-stories he would be a hero, saving the lives of the crew, probably at least one pretty lady in particular, from the fierce attack by gruesome aliens who want to probe, tickle and spit like there’s no tomorrow.

Not so in Quarter Share. Ishmael (Ish) gets a job as a messman apprentice, which means his job is basically brewing coffee and doing dishes. No killing tickling aliens, not even irritating probing monsters… The book tells the story of how this land-crab coffee-maker gets to know his shipmates and the ship they’re on, how to cope with the fact that there are no ogres to spit on, what to do in space-ports and how to pass the weeks in between ports of call. So what does he do? Flea markets and studies. How exciting is that?!

I’m not doing a very good job selling this book, am I, mr Lowell? The fact is, this is an excellent story. Because it follows a regular Joe, without superpowers, it’s a lot easier to identify with the characters – they feel a lot more real than in most SciFi stories, which meant at least I felt more involved with it. It probably wouldn’t have needed much of a rewrite to have been taken place during the age of sails in the 18th century. Having said that, there’s a lot of science between the lines, and not just thrown together to suit the story, everything feels right – like it actually could work. You get to know a lot of this science as Ish studies to climb in rank aboard the ship.

I will definitely carry on reading of the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, and as the first book in the series has been picked up by a publisher for printing, I will be buying a copy of it, especially as I think they made it such a killer cover.

In the continuing battle on piracy (no, not the Johnny Depp-kind) I keep hearing and reading why would anybody buy things which they can get for free? Now that I've dove into the magnificent world of free, serialized audiobooks, or podiobooks I stumble upon the same arguments. In interviews with authors who both sell their books in print as well as record and publish the books online for free – they are often asked if the podiobook-version will hurt the sales of the printed copy. They are also asked if this is the “way of the future” in publishing, this giving away stuff…

To this I respond – do you have any books in your bookshelf? Any at all? If so, did you purchase these? If so, why in god's name did you do this? Because I bet good money that you could have read that book for free! It's a well kept secret that's been around for centuries. Here it comes – libraries! Way of the future? Nope – way it's always been…

So I've read a few of the books from Podiobooks.com and Librivox.org, and I've enjoyed all of them. Some more than others, but I've enjoyed all. Since I started “reading” this way I've have even found a new favorite author. I wanted to thank these writers who trusted me enough to give me their work. So if there was a printed copy of the book I had just listened to, I bought it. Otherwise I sent a donation. And I'm not the only one – in an interview on Rev3 Internet Superstar Scott Sigler, who gives away all his writing, stated he was making about a thousand dollars monthly on donations alone.

So this is my bookshelf of Podiobooks. So far it features, from the left:
- A limited and signed copy of Shadowmagic by John Lenahan
- Infected and the sequel Contagious (which I haven't listened to yet) by Scott Sigler
- Brave Men Run by Matthew Wayne Selznick
- Playing for Keeps (next up on my to-listen-to list) by Mur Lafferty
- Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singin Sword as well as The Case of the Pitcher's Pendant (the latter not available as podcast) by Tee Morris

More of these will come. My podiobook-shelf will continue to grow.

After “reading” through Earthcore, The Rookie and Ancestor – I had become a full-blooded Sigler-Junkie… I placed an order for the print version of, and downloaded the audiobook-version of Infected. It's a page-turner… Wait… Chapter-clicker… No… Podcatcher-updater… Ah, h*ll… It's genuine Scott Sigler.

“Across America a mysterious disease is turning ordinary people into raving, paranoid murderers who inflict brutal horrors on strangers, themselves, and even their own families.”

The premise is promising, and knowing what that sick bastard Sigler can do with themes such as mining, american football and cows – I knew I was in for a ride with diseases… Or two rides. No – wait, actually three.
There's the ride with CIA operative Dew Phillips where he hunts down victims of this strange disease.
There's the ride where CDC epidemiologist Margaret Montoya attempts to figure out what is causing it, where it came from and how to cure it.
And then there's Perry Dawsey…

Dawsey is a giant of a man who was battling demons way before he ever even became infected. He's fighting repressed memories of a violent father, he's fighting his disappointment from his failed football career, which turned into a desk-job in a cubical. And then there are the parasites in his body – they speak to him, and they aren't nice. Dawsey switches from moment of violent insanity to crystal clarity as he's trying to figure out and get rid of his uninvited tenants before they take complete control over both his mind and his body. How to kill something living within him, without killing himself.

The story is exceptionally well written as well as produced. Sigler reads the story himself, with subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle effects and voices to distinguish the characters. Every episode (at least in the Podiobooks-com feed) starts with a plug for the sequel Contagious. That's understandable, but at the same time utterly unnecessary. The story itself is as good an advertisement for the sequel as ever is needed.

Sigler excels in describing gut-turningly bloody events. I don't think I've ever grimaced this much while reading a book (or listening to a story) before. I will never be able to look at a pair of chicken scissors again. Thanks a lot, you sicko! (Now you just have to read the book to know what I'm talking about…)

The book also ends just right for a sequel. The battle is won, but the war is still raging. The printed version of Contagious was released on December 30th, but hasn't reached my bookstore of choice yet. When it does, I'll place an order immediately. Although the audiobook has begun, I'll probably wait (if I can) until it's available in its entirety before I'll start listening, so that I can download the entire book at once and listen at my own pace. As I work in long shifts, I have more days off and more opportunities to listen through several episodes in a succession. I don't want to have to wait a week for the next chapter – Patience is a virtue, I know, but it's my memory that isn't good enough…

It's hard to write a good review of a book such as this without giving away too much of the plot. But if horror and/or sci-fi is up your alley, download the first chapter and give it a listen – it's free. Well, it just might cost you your soul, but other than that, it's free… This novel contains mature situations, language – and lots, and lots of violence!

“Infected will crawl beneath your skin and leave fresh blood on every page.”
No bout a-doubt it…

The Alpha has become Omega. The beginning has ended. I have finally come to the end of the trilogy that started my craze with free audiobooks. I have read through the 7th Son Trilogy by J.C. Hutchins – and I enjoyed every minute of it.

The trilogy starts with Book One: Descent, when the seven people (hence the title) are gathered in a secret government underground lair after the mysterious assassination of the president of the United States. The seven are told that they are all clones from the same man, John Alpha, believed to be the mastermind behind the assassination. Our of all the books this one probably the slowest, but not in a bad way. All characters have to be introduced and the project named 7th son has to be explained. That is not to say the story lacks action – there are moments of intense violence.

The problem here, naturally, is that we as the reader have to take in a whole lot at once. Seven main characters, all clones (although thankfully not identical) with similar names – and that's just the good guys! Add to the mixture the evil mastermind John Alpha and his henchmen and there's quite a lot to keep in mind. At least I had some difficulties early on knowing which is which among the clones. But I just stuck with it – the protagonists will become more familiar with the story, and it's all worth the effort. The clones are well written and all have distinct personalities.

Book Two: Deceit changes the pace a bit. If book one was a strict science fiction-novel, book two is a bit of a treasure hunt. A deadly treasure hunt. John Alpha has the clones running around the country following his breadcrumbs of clues he has spread out. What is his masterplan? Why is he doing what he is doing? And just what is it that he's doing?

This book is a bit James Bond-ish, with encrypted messages sending the clones from clue to clue accompanied by death, distractions and demolition. (see, JC? I can do the D-thing too! ;-)) A bit over-the-top at times, perhaps, but all in great fun.

The trilogy gets the climax it deserves in Book Three: Destruction. Nuclear missiles actually going off and destroying things, no sissy “cutting the wire with two seconds left on the clock”-stuff. Things actually blow up! Naturally I can't go into details about book three without spoilers concerning books one and two – sufficient to say there's more action here than in the two first books combined.

The trilogy is well worth the read – it doesn't really get boring at any time. The audio production is great from the very first chapter, and it improves throughout the story. Hutchins, who reads the entire trilogy, manages to read the text with a manageable level of enthusiasm, not overdoing it. There's just enough variations in the voices between the main characters to set them apart without constant “Thomas said”, and “said Jack”, but no ridiculous accents which would detract from the storyline.

What could be better praise for this book than to say that because of this – I now have a new hobby, and I consume audiobooks on a daily basis. Instead of sending a donation to JC, as I've done to other authors, I hereby pledge to buy the book as soon as I can get my hands on a hardcopy. According to the author – it's on the way.

To prove my point – here's a picture as proof that I actually do buy books even though I can get them for free, as my copies of Scott Siglers Infected (which I haven't yet read/listened to) and Matthew Wayne Selznicks Brave Men Run, which the postman brought to me yesterday. As I already mentioned in an earlier post, I probably won't ever read them myself, as I've come to enjoy the audio versions too much, but I more than gladly support them for giving me stuff for free.

As I stated in my first post about 7th Son, isn't it awesome when somebody actually gets it? How the internet works? That sometimes giving stuff away for free is the best thing you ever did?

In a word, mr. Hutchins – Thanks

“Imagine a story that combines the intense football action of Any Given Sunday with the space opera style of Star Wars and the criminal underworld of The Godfather.” I don't have to. Not anymore. I've read Scott Siglers audiobook The Rookie. “The Rookie is set amongst a lethal pro football league 700 years in the future. Aliens play positions based on physiology, creating receivers that jump 25 feet into the air, linemen that bench-press 1,200 pounds, and linebackers that literally want to eat you. Follow the story of Quentin Barnes, a 19-year-old quarterback prodigy that has been raised all his life to hate, and kill, those aliens.“

Let's start by coming clean. I don't know a great lot about american style football, least of all why it's called “foot“ball, but that's a discussion I don't want to get into. Needless to say I was quite sceptical when I clicked “subscribe” at Podiobooks.com for this book. The only thing I had was my belief that Sigler is a fantastic writer – based on my experience with his previous work Earthcore. I know the very basics – touchdowns, throws, and folks running on collision courses like crash test dummies.

The Rookie, Quentin Barnes comes from what is called the “purist nation” – a racist world of settlers who left Earth to flee it's pro-alien policies. He's bought by the Ionath Krakens, a football team in the Galactic Football League. Here he – for the first time in his life – comes face to face with a wide range of aliens, both as team-mates and opponents. The story follows both the team and their plays, as well as Barnes and how he copes with his new “friends” – players, coaches and owners he at first is reluctant to even talk to.

Let's get another thing clear. This is not a traditional book. It wouldn't work in printed form, at least not without significant re-writing. But in audioformat, it shines! The aliens all speak differently, with cool soundeffects applied to their voices, even if english is the official language of the Galactic Football League. This is not a book – it's an experience. Sigler very kindly provides us football-n00bies with a primer in how the game works, and the different positions with their tasks – there are post-game shows (a la Best Damn Sport Show Period) with banter and analysis, and if you want more, go to Galacticfootballleague.com and see for yourselves. This bloody thing (and I do mean “bloody”) has wings…

The narration of the games themselves are the only times I fell off the wagon a bit, as it's quite fast and involves a lot of the lingo with which I'm not very familiar, but the atmosphere is spot on, and I caught up on what actually happened in the match during these post-game shows. Both the characters and the races are very well written – and I can certainly see why Sigler is called a master of monsters.

I think one of the best way I can praise this book is by saying that because of it, I now want to watch some American Football (although I fear I would be greatly disappointed with the human players as my first real contact with this sport involved extra terrestials…) to see what the fuzz is about. Which is kind of enerving, as there is hardly any American Football over here. Sure, there's a finnish league, but they get very little visibility in the media.

From one thing to another, which is closely related to the one. I like to support people who don't force me to do so. These folks at Podiobooks.com, for example. It's all free. So are podcasts. And I want to support them, so that they can continue to do so. For free. So far I've sent donations via the podiobooks-website to a few authors (the percentage the podiobooks-crew takes they deserve as well, as they provide a fantastic service!) and I've also sent some cash (I'm no rich man, but I give what I can…) to some podcasts I enjoy.

But how to best support these authors who also have printed media? After I read this book, I went and bought the printed versions of Siglers Infected, as well as Matthew Wayne Selznicks Brave Men Run – a great book I'm in the process of listening to. I do this solely to support them as authors. I will probably never read the books, simply because I enjoy listening to them. With that in mind – it would be more logical to just send the money their way and be done with it. But I understand these writers need to sell physical copies of their books as well, in order to get new and improved book-deals.

Although the authors themselves would probably get a bigger cut of the money I spend if I merely sent a donation over the net (let's say the same amount of money as the cost of a book), I think they benefit more in the long run from my buying a copy of the book. Maybe one day authors can make a living on just releasing audiobooks, but I guess we're not quite there yet. But I'm enjoying the ride. Immensly.

(Image of a Ki Lineman from Siglerpedia)