Radio Books

Even though it is unfinished, this book is one of the most amazing peices of fiction I have ever read. No one captures themes of wealth, power, and lonliness the way that Fitzgerald does. I have read all of his novels and this one is righ up there with Gatsby. It is structured, it moves quickly and the characters are really written well. It is really too bad that he did not get a chance to finish this. However, just reading a few pages of Fitzgerald at his best is worth the anguish that you will go through when you come to the "end" of the book. If you like Fitzgerald I think you have to read this, just to see whats out there.

The fifties had to be the Golden Age of science fiction. It was the heyday of three of the greatest science fiction writers of all time (Asimov, Clark, & Heinlein, aka the Big Three), and there were many others writing who were almost as good. A goodly number of them are represented in this collection. Only Arthur Clark is missing. The stories, with their writers, and my ratings:

***"Destination Moon" by Robert Heinlein. This story was cutting edge for its day, but it has not aged very well. The science is good, but the characters and motivations are somewhat far fetched.

***"Pebble in the Sky" by Isaac Asimov. Another story based on a very interesting premise, but alas, the science hasn't held up.

*****"The Day the Earth Stood Still" by Harry Bates. Bates is not one of the greats of the early days of sci fi, but this is a great story. Adapted from the excellent movie of the same name starring Michael Rennie, who reprises his role in this radio play.

****"The Man who was Death" by Alfred Bester. This is an episode from "The Shadow." I'm no fan of the Shadow, but Bester was one of the best, and he turns in an excellent effort.

****"Almost Human" by Robert Bloch. A story of robotics and computers. The science hasn't aged gracefully, but the story is still engaging.

*****"There Will Come Soft Rains" & "Zero Hour" by Ray Bradbury. Two chilling speculations for the cold war/nuclear age.

***"Adam and the Darkest Day" by Wyllis Cooper. Another cold war/nuclear age speculation. What might happen if thermonuclear explosions caused the Earth to slip its orbit and begin to recede from the Sun? What if there were only three people left to rebuild civilization?

*****"A Gun for Dinosaur" by L. Sprague DeCamp. DeCamp became more comfortable with sword and sorcery fantasy, but in his younger days he wrote very good science fiction. This story resembles Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder." Both stories revolve around time travel, dinosaur hunting, and what might happen if someone tried to do something to change history. "A Gun for Dinosaur" is the better story.

*****"Colony" by Philip K. Dick, who also wrote "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" which was made into "Blade Runner" and "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" which was made into "Total Recall." In this story Dick explores the dangers of extraterrestrial colonization.

***"Speak no More" by Gordon Dickson, who explores an interesting premise, but goes astray with the denouement.

*****"Green Hills of Earth" by Robert Heinlein. This story was from Heinlein's "Future History" series, about a blind space age poet who longed to return to the green hills of Earth.

*****"A Pail of Air" by Fritz Leiber, who is best known for his Fahfrd and the Grey Mouser series. This tale demonstrates his virtuosity with speculative science fiction. Another post-disaster story which finds the Earth in such a horrific Ice Age that the very atmosphere is frozen. You have to go outside to get a pail of air to thaw out by the fire so you can breathe.

***"Oxychloride X" by Arch Oboler, who was not a science fiction writer, but was something like radio's answer to Alfred Hitchcock. The protagonist invents a powerful acid, but... it's not really science fiction.

*****"The Seventh Victim" by Robert Silverberg. I remember reading this story as a child. I never saw the movie version ("The Tenth Victim"), but if it was as good as this radio rendition, it was very good indeed.

****"No Way Out" by Robert Silverberg. Isaac Asimov is reputed to have said that if Silverberg had been born just a few years earlier, he would have been one of the Big Three rather than Asimov. I don't know if I would go that far, but Silverberg does write an excellent story.

*****"Junkyard" by Clifford D. Simak. Simak has the knack of making you laugh and scaring you at the same time. "Junkyard" deals with the discovery of a junkyard on an abandoned planet. The spaceship's crew eventually discovers the chilling solution to the mystery of how it got there.

***"Mr. Costello, Hero" by Theodore Sturgeon. Sturgeon puts his talent for telling bizarre stories to good use in this speculation on human nature and political science.

*****"The War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells. Well, not really. This is not the Orson Welles rendition of that story which frightened the nation back in the 30's. It is a radio adaptation of the Oscar winning movie which starred Rod Taylor. Dana Andrews stands in for Taylor in this adaptation, and the radio play might just be better than the movie version.

A great collection of Old-Time Radio shows with Jim and Marion Jordan aka Fibber McGee and Molly.
Some of the highlight episodes are: Winning the raffle to their house in Wistful Vista, Mrs. Uppington Disappears, Gildersleeve and Leroy visit the McGees, Lux Radio Theatre Production of "The Whole Town is Talking", and The Screen Guild Players production of "Heavenly Days".
Also comes with a 32-page booklet.

These shows are worth hearing just for the supporting cast members.
Bill Thompson as Wallace Wimple and the Old-Timer.
Gale Gordon as Mayor LaTriva.
Arthur Q. Bryant as Doc Gamble.
Hal Peary as Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve.

Plenty of chuckles!!

I read this book many years ago and it's been the only book that I have dosified because I did not want to finish reading it: I enjoyed it so much, I would read a couple of pages at a time. Absolutely entertaining, so cunning... the effect of being the hidden spectator, the only one who knows what's really going on because the entire book consists of personal letters from one character to another. It's delightful to be reading a letter in which one of the characters doesn't know yet what you know... I gave my copy to a friend, bought the original in French, read it, and lent it to another friend...it's okay, she can keep it, she's my best friend. I will buy it again.

This review refers to Audio Cassette edition of "Les Miserables", presented by Focus on the Family/Radio Theatre(Tyndale Entertainment)and Philip Glassborow....

A brillant cast led by Brian Blessed as Jean Valjean and the wonderful music composed and directed by Jared DiPasqual bring Victor Hugo's powerful tale of the human spirit to life in this stirring radio performance of "Les Miserables".

Enter the soul of Jean Valjean, an ex-convict,who suffers and sacrifces on his journey to redemption. Experience his love and devotion for his adopted daughter Cosette, who he protects at all costs. The French Revolution, the years of being stalked by Javert,the lawman obsessed with capturing him,and the intense young love of Cosette and Marius are all brought to life in this outstanding performance and will stir your imagination to it's fullest.

Brian Blessed gives a powerful performance. You will know him from his work in several of Kenneth Branagh's Shakespearean productions. He was The Ghost in "Hamlet", Seigneur Antonio in "Much Ado About Nothing" and also portrayed Lord Locksley in the Costner version of "Robin Hood". Geoffrey Palmer("The Madness of King George"/"As Time Goes By") turns in a superb performance of Javert.Also included in this marvelous cast is Tony Robinson,Leo McKern and Gina Beck as Cosette.

The tapes are beautifully packaged and the quality is top notch. The Dolby B Mastered sound is incredible. Every voice, every sound,from the rain, to the horses, to the sounds of the revolution, and the music will sweep you away to another time and place.There are 3 tapes(6 sides), each in their own case, running about 25 minutes per side.The beginning and end of each side nicely open or close a scene. The box cover opens up to 3 pages of information about the story and includes the entire cast and crew.

Follow the long road to forgiveness with Jean Valjean in this beautiful radio production performance of Victor Hugo's timeless tale.

Enjoy.....Laurie

"Les Misérables" is tale I just can't get enough of. There are so many wonderful versions of this beautiful tale, and I try to experience this story in all forms. This audio book is superb.

A brillant cast led by Brian Blessed as Jean Valjean and the wonderful music composed and directed by Jared DiPasqual bring Victor Hugo's powerful tale of the human spirit to life in this stirring radio performance.

Enter the soul of Jean Valjean, an ex-convict,who suffers and sacrifices on his journey to redemption. Experience his love and devotion for his adopted daughter Cosette, who he protects at all costs. The French Revolution, the years of being stalked by Javert,the lawman obsessed with capturing him,and the intense young love of Cosette and Marius are all brought to life in this outstanding performance and will stir your imagination to it's fullest.

Brian Blessed gives a powerful performance. You will know him from his work in several of Kenneth Branagh's Shakespearean productions. He was The Ghost in "Hamlet", Seigneur Antonio in "Much Ado About Nothing" and also portrayed Lord Locksley in the Costner version of "Robin Hood". Geoffrey Palmer("The Madness of King George"/"As Time Goes By") turns in a superb performance of Javert.Also included in this marvelous cast is Tony Robinson,Leo McKern and Gina Beck as Cosette.

This performance is also available on cassette. Enter the ISBN in search 1561799696 for that edition. And if you love this story, I would also recommend "Les Miserables (Original French Version)" on DVD starring Gerard Depardieu(Valjean) and Malkovich(Javert). It's just a little different take, and a most enjoyable view.(ASIN:B0002VJIGY)

Follow the long road to forgiveness with Jean Valjean in this beautiful radio production performance of Victor Hugo's timeless tale.

Enjoy.....Laurie

This authorative book on the vast subject of Business Communication is easy to read and understand. The style of presentation allows enjoyable reading such that my appetite has been whetted for further investigation. The authors have managed to turn a mundane topic into an absorbing subject. Regret that I have only discovered this illustrative book whilst busy completing my Doctorate in Psychology as it would have been useful during my earlier degrees. The publication is applicable to all serious literature students, writers and authors and general business personnel. Well illustrated with actual examples and surprisingly up to date with the newest trends and covers every conceivable aspect about the subject. The publication is interspersed with useful hints and insight. The contents initiate much thought and initiative within the reader's cognitive abilities. So glad I found it. It shall always accompany me where I work and think. Such an item should be part of everyone's library and would make a useful gift. I hope to soon be the proud owner of such myself. Congratulations to the authors on a fine team effort. Please keep it updated. Roy K Els. MSc (Psycho)

I collect old-time radio shows as a hobby. I purchased this series for my childern. They love the series and the stories. The tapes were especially useful on the long driving trips. I am now searching for more childerns OTR programs.

If you can find this title in a used bookstore and are a fan of Lewis, this is worth getting. Shame it is out of print now.

I've only just discovered Keillor's wit in the past few weeks, but already the words, "It's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon," make me listen intently. This is a great collection that I'm only half-way through b/c I want to savor each story. "Gladys and the Raccoon" is my favorite so far, followed closely by "The Risk Takers." There's no dull moment, thus far, and the stories hold their allure even in repetition.