Simply The Best Audiobooks in Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary Popular Titles

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Title: Return

Subtitle: The Five Worlds Trilogy, Book 3

Author: Al Sarrantonio

Narrator: Dave Courvoisier

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-05-13

Publisher: Crossroad Press

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Venus isn't big enough for both of them....

Dalin Shar's dream for the 26th Century is to bring Earth's poisoned Lost Lands back to life and restore his home planet to its former glory. Until that happens, relocation to a more inhabitable planet is his people's last chance for survival. But the last free place in the Five Worlds is desired by more than one warrior of the stars....

Prime Cornelian, alien High Leader and conqueror of Mars and Titan, needs new ground to plant his seeds of evil. And the grand prize of the galaxy is ideal for the tyrant's invasion. To rule it, his ravenous appetite for power must devour everythying in its path - including Dalin, exiled king of Earth. Now they're both hurtling toward Venus, both vying for possession. This is a race that will be won, not by the strong or the swift - but by the lucky....

Critic Reviews:

"Crisp dialogue, strongly drawn characters, and fast action! Space-based action at its best!" (William F. Wu)

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Title: Aquila and the Iron Horse

Subtitle: The Aquiliad, Book 2

Author: S. P. Somtow

Narrator: Andy Caploe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-01-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Equus Insanus, son of the intrepid Aquila, finds the civilized life of Rome tedious. So he is eager to return to his native land of Terra Novo to assist in the construction of Caesars latest fancy - a transprovincial railroad.

But on this alternate Earth where the Roman Empire rules America, things seldom go as planned. Soon the project is beset with savage Indian raids and inexplicable disastersand Equuss father returns from the future with a dire warning: The evil Time Criminal is back and stronger than ever, and even Aquila of the time-trading Dimensional Patrol is powerless to act!

Now only Equus Insanus stands between the Time Criminal and the destruction of the universe!

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Title: Love Conquers All

Author: Fred Saberhagen

Narrator: Jimmy Garcia

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-28-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In a world where zero population growth is strictly enforced and sexual permissiveness is the chief means of control, a young woman's decision to bear her third child makes her the target of concerted oppression.

Members Reviews:

Sci-fi porn.

A nice little addition to the Sci-fi porn prose collection of mine.

An interesting world view of what would happen if all Needs and Mores of society, became inverted. Sexual depravity suddenly means things like abstinence or virginity.

From a male teen's point of view- the world would be heaven.

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Title: Omega Sol

Author: Scott Mackay

Narrator: James James

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-25-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Thought-provoking science fiction from the author of Phytosphere

Dr. Cameron Conrad has learned that the alien phenomenon known as the Moon Towers was designed to accelerate the suns lifespan and turn it into a red giant. With Earth on the brink of destruction, Conrad needs to find a way to convince the aliens that humanity is worth saving...

Members Reviews:

Review - Omega Sol

This book was definitely not the best entry into the realm of great science fiction books. I gave this book one additional star simply because the idea for the story line was phenomenal.

In essence, the book is about a group of scientists who are working in a base on the moon when an alien space ship lands. The lead scientist is taken into the ship and is shown visions of numerical symbols as well as his own subconscious. This leads to him being under suspicion by the government as being a traitor. As the book progresses, the aliens send a message to earth which overrides all of the computer systems on earth causing mass devastation, this is seen as an act of war and the military decided to attack, although such an action does nothing at all. In response the aliens start draining the power from the sun making it turn into a red giant, there by effectively setting it on the path to consume earth. The scientists have to find away to reverse this and save earth... There is a whole thing about hyper dimensional travel, manipulation of space-time, faster than light travel, yati yati yatta..

As I said, the concept is awesome, and is genius. Unfortunately the implementation was crummy. The characters were terribly developed, you had all the regular token clichés. The hard-ass military guy, the by the book, goody two shoe boring ethical scientist, the love story, the quirky Einstein-esque genius who no one believes. What a sucky cast! All of the characters were 1 dimensional, were boring as anything and really were as mundane as you can get. Additionally, the book starts out great, fast moving, intriguing, than it literally dies... Part 1 is great, part 2 is good but convoluted, than part 3 just hits a wall, and goes off on some bizarre tangent about the Chinese, a love story, the main characters parents and get BORING as hell... The author definately needs to FOCUS!!!

I definitely think this book is a skip or at least a library rental. Definitely don't pay full price get it from the $0.01 list.

science fail, not science fiction

When the author makes the mistake of describing an impact on the moon as if it happened in an atmosphere you know you have a loser. That was the first chapter. I took a look at chapter 2 on the off chance there might be something there. There wasn't. The publisher, ROC, needs better editors and proofreaders.

enjoyable read with a sense of wonder

I really enjoyed this book. It takes a premise not unlike the classic Dr. Seuss story "Horton Hears a Who" (not the style of course, just the concept of the microworld not being recognized by the macroworld) and applies it to humanity. The aliens in this book are so unlike us that we barely register as a life form to them--refreshingly different from the run of the mill sci-fi. The cover artist made the moon towers to be similar to the ones in 2001: A Space Odyssey,perhaps to evoke the tone of that book. To me, this book gives the same tone, but in a very different way.

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Title: Homo Sylvanus

Author: Amber D. Sistla

Narrator: Kimberly Jordan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-20-13

Publisher: Amber D. Sistla

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

This novelette originally appeared in Jim Baen's Universe. While traveling on a colonization ship, Brennan is desperate to prevent his daughter Tamsyn from inheriting his genetic deficiencies. The consequences of his efforts to illegally modify her DNA affect Brennan, Tamsyn, and the colonists.

About the Author: Amber D. Sistla was born in Oklahoma and now lives in the Pacific Northwest. She has a degree in computer science and has six U.S. and E.U. patents. Her fiction has appeared in Nature, Jim Baen's Universe, Postcripts, Cosmos, Bull Spec, and Daily Science Fiction. She is an active member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.

Critic Reviews:

"In a future in which genetic research is controlled by a religion, Brennan Candler wants to give his daughter, Tamsyn, a chance to live a long life. He agrees to genetic modification from a Methuselah tree but things will not prove that simple. Sistla creates a believable culture and some good characters and I'll look forward to more from this author." (SFRevu.com)

Members Reviews:

Story needs more work....

At the risk of facing a firing squad at dawn, this book needs further work. It's readable but it's missing the hills and valleys of story-telling that I really enjoy.

The story is a futuristic space story and revolves around Brennan Candler who is dying. Dying is uncommon in this age, Brennan has bad genes that were supposedly passed onto his daughter. Brennan is married to a famous space pilot who has abandoned him, presumably because of his dying. In a multi-year trip to somewhere, Brennan finds a scientist who is specializing in his disorder and works with her to reverse the problem.

The good: There were no grammar errors and it seemed relatively well proofed. The storyline has potential.

The not so good: A). The characters, with their unique names, get confusing, especially in the beginning of the book. B). Significant chunks of years pass without reference. The reader is left to fill in the details on what might have happened in that stretch of time. This could easily be resolved by a sentence or two that references those lost years. C). More importantly, there is no build up to conflict or character development, there are no hills and valleys. For example, a murder is committed in the book. There is no conflict nor hints of problems leading up to the event, just that the character was killed, with a brief, choppy explanation afterwards. If things were alluded to leading up to the various event(s), it would strengthen and tighten the book.

This is only my opinion. The book is short enough that others could read it and see if they reach a different conclusion.

Fun little story.

Intriguing short story in the classic format. The author does an excellent job of building a different world. She uses very little forshadowing but still builds to a credible plot line. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and thought that it could easily be a longer story.

Five Stars

Good Book

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Title: Utter Destruction

Subtitle: Annihilation, Book 1

Author: Amanda Peterson

Narrator: Linda Velwest

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-17-13

Publisher: IMT, LLC

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Annihilation - Utter Destruction Amanda Peterson's Zombie Action and Adventure Series Will Leave You Clinging To The Edge Of Your Seats

Annihilation - Utter Destruction is a Zombie Novella or Episodic series, much like your favorite TV show's episodes.

Clarksville was a quiet community in the mountains of New Hampshire until some of the citizens started dying unexpectedly and then they came back to life as flesh-eating zombies. They are attracted by noise but they also go back to areas that are familiar to them in their past life. The zombies walk aimlessly around until they hear a noise or smell a human.

The community started out being separated but they are working their way together because there is strength in numbers. Join the community on their search for other survivors and a place they can stay that is secure and save. They will run into different obstacles along the way.

Members Reviews:

Zombie apocalypse, sort of.

I am sorry to have to say this, but I do not recommend this book, or its sequel. The writing style is undeveloped. It is what I would expect of a junior high school student, not an adult. The chauvinistic attitude displayed here is beyond belief, especially coming from a female author. The women stay in the car while the men do everything. When there are discussions to be held, or plans to be made, the men do it without the women. The women don't even speak up. The survivors display limited intelligence or survival skills. The only redeeming feature of the story is that the narrator did as good a job as could be expected, given the material she had to work with. My advice, don't waste your credit.

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Title: Journey

Subtitle: The Five Worlds Trilogy, Book 2

Author: Al Sarrantonio

Narrator: Dave Courvoisier

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-12-13

Publisher: Crossroad Press

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Interplanetary War

The Five Worlds of humanity were powerless to stop Prime Cornelian, High Leader of Mars, from decimating Venus with his legions of plasma soldiers. Now he turns to the settled moon of Saturn under the control of Wrath-Pei. Millions of lives face a horrible fate as the forces of these two madmen battle each other across the vastness of space...

The Exiled King

Imprisoned on the remote and savage ice world of Pluto, Dalin Shar's destiny lies on the usurped throne of Earth. But the methane atmosphere whipped by violent storms and prowled by mutant beasts makes escpae nearly impossible. Yet escape he must with the Five Worlds teetering on the brink of oblivion, the solar system has never been in greater need of heroes...

Members Reviews:

Too Slow!

I read the first book, and enjoyed it. It stops on a "cliffhanger". So I bought this book. Boy it is slow. A paper book you can skim or skip sections. This was slow for several chapters - so much so I gave up on it. Too bad. Like I said, I really enjoyed the first book.

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Title: Fathers and Sons

Subtitle: Blackguard, Book One

Author: Edward R. Morris

Narrator: Scott Peterson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-11-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

On the West Coast of the United States in the mid-21st century, several decades after an ill-fated Secession, a young solder is chosen to lead the Security team for a mile-wide dance club. Lt. Sean Mallory's "Blackshirts" as they're dubbed by the customers, find themselves embroiled in a bitter turf war with several gangs on their own grounds. Though Sean's worst enemy is pulling most of the strings, someone from much further out of town is actually responsible-light-years further out, in fact.

Members Reviews:

High quality Speculative Fiction!

I am a sucker for many things this novel does well. Blackguard does not fit in to one speculative fiction subgenre perfectly but what it does is blend a lot of them together. Edward Morris is an extremely well read genre writer. He wears his influences on his sleeves like patches sewn on on punk rock leather jacket. What we end up with is an edgy novel that is not quite cyberpunk, military sci-fi, First Contact story or dystopia. It is all those things and more.

Written in the similar non-traditional structure as Brunner Classic "The Sheep Look Up," don't expect they same tired tropes of sci-fi structure. It is the story of several characters who lives are somewhat connected by the mile long uber dance club that future downtown Portland Oregon has been turned into. Sean Mallory is our primary character and after being upgraded mentally and physically by the military creates a new life for himself by starting a team of bouncers called the blackguards. It is their job to secure a dance club the size and scope of which is beyond anything we know.

One of the best characters of the novel Kano is a man Mallory met in the japan during a future war, Mallory also has a son who is fascinated by the life his dad leads as a bouncer. Character wise we learn a lot about Mallory philosophy of bouncing which is informed by experience and eastern philosopher. This suggests a direction in the future books in the series, Mallory likes samurai books and The Art of War.

Morris forces you to get to know the characters before he includes us in on the future history, he avoids the traditional science Fiction disease of "info-dumping" by spending 78 pages building the world. So don't expect this new world to be dumped in your lap. The strangest part is a subplot about first contact with extra terrestrial species that has been watching us.

Morris appears to hiding the direction of the next books in plain sight. The Aliens have arrived but it doesn't seem to be much of a big deal at first. Is this an author slight of hand? This appears to be one of few weaknesses of the novel, the non traditional structure might turn off some readers. I hope not the The characters are strong and the action is exciting.

Morris is a gifted writer that never wastes a word. This brilliant work blurs the many sub-genres of speculative fiction in to a potent cocktail. A work of high literature that explores characters forced into the chaos of an all to possible future. A punk touch on a gritty style makes this novel a MUST-read.

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Title: Heritage of Flight

Author: Susan Shwartz

Narrator: Ana Mercedes Torres

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Humanity is inextricably torn in an interplanetary war that could lead to the death of human society. Project Seedcorn is probably the last and best hope for the human race. A small group of refugees, scraping out an existence on the edge of human-occupied territory, has been given orders to live as though everything were ordinary and there were no war. Now, everyone's lives depend on the children.

Members Reviews:

First contact future sci-fi, more social content than action.

First contact sci-fi. A woman leader of a derelict pioneer settlement on a new world demands punishment after her colony befriends but ultimately kills off the local population of winged sentient beings. A large chunk of this novel reads like a claustrophobic Puritan New England village beset by food poisoning. Rambling. Easy to read. Best for fans of the social side of sci-fi.

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Title: Newton and the Quasi-Apple

Author: Stanley Schmidt

Narrator: Kirby Heyborne

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 1 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

What if Newton was wrong - or just seemed to be wrong? What if visitors from an advanced civilization accidentally made it seem as if the Three Laws of Motion didnt work as advertised - and thus got Newton in very serious trouble with the authorities?

And what if that was just the start of the trouble?