A Canticle for Leibowitz adapted for radio by Karl Schmidt and John Reeves from the novel by Walter M. Miller, Jr., read by a full cast

Walter M. Miller, Jr.’s 1959 Hugo Award-winning masterwork revolves around the Abbey of St. Leibowitz and the monks there who seek to preserve and rediscover the knowledge of the ancients, most of which was lost in the aftermath of the great Flame Deluge. Beginning in the 26^th Century and covering a span of some 1800 years, with humanity progressing from a new dark age to a new space age, A Canticle for Leibowitz tells a tale of the pursuit and folly of technological advancements and of the cyclical rise and fall of civilization.

The novel is brought wonderfully to life by this captivating radio dramatization produced by WHA Radio and Wisconsin Public Radio (in association with NPR). Carol Cowan, the primary narrator, reads the text in a grim, compelling tone that leaves the listener hopelessly ensnared. The rest of the cast deliver likewise sterling performances, breathing life into Miller’s characters, capturing at once the profundity of the novel’s themes and its sly, dark humor. Sound effects can often hamper an audiobook production, but here they complement the dramatization well; the sound of church bells and the eerie chanting of the Edgewood College Chant Group help fully immerse the listener in this vision of a post-holocaust America.

Genre purists will probably want to first read the novel, or listen to the unabridged audiobook from Books-on-Tape (read by Jonathan Marosz), but for the casual fan (or the purist who has already read the novel), this is sure to delight. Perhaps it’s best to think of this production as an illuminated manuscript—though it can never replace the sacred original, it is a pleasing replica and a fitting tribute.

Originally appeared in Amazing Stories

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The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold, read by Lloyd James

Complex and believable characters and an intricate religious system lie at the heart of The Curse of Chalion. The people of Chalion practice a “Quintarian” philosophy; that is, they worship the five gods: the Father, the Mother, the Son, the Daughter, and the Bastard. To the north of Chalion lies Roknar, whose people deny the Bastard his divine status. This religious schism leads to war, with Chalion victorious, but at a great cost: the heirs of the royal household are cursed thereafter, dooming them to torment and ruin.

Lupe dy Cazaril, a former page, castle-warder, and soldier, returns to Chalion after a harrowing ordeal as a Roknari galley slave and acquires the position of tutor to Iselle, sister to the heir of Chalion. Cazaril soon finds himself in the middle of the political machinations of the royal court, and to save his pupil from an unpleasant marriage, he realizes that he must be willing to sacrifice his own life to protect Iselle’s future. But Cazaril’s service to Iselle does not end there, for he must also find a way to break the Golden General’s curse that’s plagued her family for generations.

One of benefits of hearing, rather than reading, a high fantasy novel like this one is that the actor handles all of those tricky fantasy-world pronunciations for you; in this, and every other aspect of this recording, narrator Lloyd James excels. Subtle tonal shifts distinguish James’s characters, enabling him to voice males and females of all ages, of upper or lower castes—all with equal acumen. Different accents succeed in making foreigners indeed seem foreign, including a wonderful Roknari dialect spoken by the groom Umegat.

Bujold’s science fiction has always adapted well to audio; I present as evidence, the Miles Vorkosigan novella “Borders of Infinity” (download it free at www.dendarii.co.uk/MP3). Now, with The Curse of Chalion, Bujold proves that her fantasy does as well.

Originally appeared in Amazing Stories

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The Draco Tavern by Larry Niven
Tor, 2006, $24.95

The Draco Tavern is a hangout for interplanetary travelers – a sort of Mos Eisley Cantina but without all the droids and blasters. Which is not to say it doesn’t have it’s fair share of drama—It’s got just as much as Mos Eisley, but it’s of a much more intellectual variety. Rick Schumann established the Tavern near the Mount Forel in Siberia, after the Chirpsithtra—humanity’s first alien visitors—set up a spaceport there.

Schumann is the first-person narrator of these tales, which all take place in or around the Tavern, and whose topics run the gamut from religion to interspecies commerce, from the nature of predators and prey to the possibilities of immortality.

Each of the stories is very short—most would be considered vignettes—and as such there is not much room for character development that goes much beyond the surface. Despite that, however, there is much to like about these tales; they are thought-provoking and mostly do exactly what speculative fiction sets out to do—evoke a sense of wonder while making the reader think. The stories are uniformly well-crafted, and though none stands out they work together taken as a whole; the only questionable inclusion is "One Night at the Draco Tavern," which is not a story, but is instead a transcribed skit that was put on an SF convention.

That one minor flaw aside, the book is full of strong, idea-driven SF that’s sure to satisfy Niven’s fans and readers who like their SF hard.

Originally appeared in Shimmer Magazine

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