SF Story Audiobooks
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
by L. Frank Baum
18 minutes, 34 seconds
Unabridged Fairy Tale
1901
“You haven’t a penny in the world, but you have a kingdom. There are many rich women who would be glad to give their wealth in exchange for a queen’s coronet–even if the king is but a child. So we have decided to advertise that the one who bids the highest shall become the queen of Quok.”
This humourous story by the author of the Wizard of Oz series involves a young, broke king and the quest by his advisors to replenish the treasury. It was published in 1901 with eleven other fantastical stories in a volume entitled American Fairy Tales. In his introduction to the second publication of these stories in 1908, Baum wrote:
My friends, the children, will find these stories quite as astonishing as if they had been written hundreds of years ago, for ours is the age of astonishing things. They are not too serious in purpose, but aim to amuse and entertain, yet I trust the more thoughtful of my readers will find a wholesome lesson hidden beneath each extravagant notion and humorous incident.
This is the unabridged short story, read by J. Winter Collins.
Originally for sale on September 3, 2004, and released free with a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License five years later (though please note restrictions based on internationally diverse copyright standards). See the Mission page for why.
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Tags: 15-30 minutes, 1901, 2004 Release, 2009 Release, 20th Century AD, Fables and Fairy Tales, Fiction, Free, J Winter Collins (reader), L Frank Baum, SF Story, Short Story
L Frank Baum, Podcast
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
by L. Frank Baum
15 minutes
Unabridged Fairy Tale
1901
“An accomplished wizard once lived on the top floor of a tenement house and passed his time in thoughtful study and studious thought. What he didn’t know about wizardry was hardly worth knowing, for he possessed all the books and recipes of all the wizards who had lived before him; and, moreover, he had invented several wizardments himself. “
This humourous story by the author of the Wizard of Oz series, involves a wizard, a glass-blower and a lady of high-society. It was published in 1901 with eleven other fantastical stories in a volume entitled American Fairy Tales. In his introduction to the second publication of these stories in 1908, Baum wrote:
My friends, the children, will find these stories quite as astonishing as if they had been written hundreds of years ago, for ours is the age of astonishing things. They are not too serious in purpose, but aim to amuse and entertain, yet I trust the more thoughtful of my readers will find a wholesome lesson hidden beneath each extravagant notion and humorous incident.
This is the unabridged short story, read by J. Winter Collins.
Originally for sale on July 16, 2004, and released free with a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License five years later. See the Mission page for why.
Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919) was a New York-born author best known for the beloved classics of children's literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and 13 other books in the Oz universe.
J. Winter Collins is a teacher, artist, writer and performer who lives in north central Florida. She is involved in a wide range of creative projects, most of which relate to teaching and entertaining children of all ages.
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Tags: 1-15 minutes, 15-30 minutes, 1901, 2004 Release, 2009 Release, Fables and Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Fiction, Free, J Winter Collins (reader), L Frank Baum, Podcast, SF Story, Short Story, Speculative
L Frank Baum, Podcast
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
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by Mary E Wilkins Freeman
32 minutes, 40 seconds
Unabridged Mystery/Ghost Story
1902
“David gave one stride toward the black veil, but it rose from the floor and moved away before him across the room at exactly the same height as if suspended from a woman’s head…”
First published in Everybody’s Magazine. Performed by Susie Berneis.
Freshwater Seas can be found online at freshwaterseas.com. [new window]
This recording will be released under the Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License on May 27, 2014 or after 100,000 purchases, whichever comes first. Read more.
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Tags: 150 cents, 1902, 2009 Release, 30-60 minutes, Fiction, Ghosts, Mary E Wilkins Freeman, Mystery, SF Story, Short Story, Speculative, Susie Berneis and Robert Bethune (readers)
Mary E Wilkins Freeman
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
by Mark Twain
27 minutes
Unabridged Short Story
1904
“This new creature with the long hair is a good deal in the way. It is always hanging around and following me about. I don’t like this; I am not used to company. I wish it would stay with the other animals…”
The battle of the sexes begins in the Garden of Eden, as humourously told by Mark Twain, who “translated a portion” of “Adam’s hieroglyphics.” Note that the word “Extracts” is actually part of the title; this is the full, unabridged short story. Read by Alex Wilson.
Originally for sale on May 14, 2004, and released free with a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License five years later. See the Mission page for why.
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Tags: 15-30 minutes, 1904, 2004 Release, 2009 Release, 20th Century AD, Alex Wilson (reader), Fables and Fairy Tales, Fiction, Free, Humor, Mark Twain, Podcast, Relationships, Religion, SF Story, Short Story, Speculative
Mark Twain, Podcast
Monday, March 30th, 2009
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by M R James
24 minutes, 24 seconds
Unabridged Ghost Story
1895
An early ghost story by James about a kidnapper/dabbler in the occult who has a keen interest in removing the hearts of children. You’re welcome. Performed by Susie Berneis.
(from Wikipedia:)
Montague Rhodes James (August 1, 1862 - June 12, 1936), who used the publication name M. R. James, was a noted British mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905-1918) and of Eton College (1918-1936). He is best remembered for his ghost stories in the classic 19th century Yuletide vein, which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature...
Freshwater Seas can be found online at freshwaterseas.com. [new window]
This recording will be released under the Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License on March 30, 2014 or after 100,000 purchases, whichever comes first. Read more.
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Tags: 100 cents, 1895, 2009 Release, 20th Century AD, Fiction, Ghosts, Horror, M R James, Mystery, SF Story, Short Story, Susie Berneis and Robert Bethune (readers)
M R James
Thursday, March 19th, 2009
by H G Wells
22 minutes, 2 seconds
Unabridged Fantasy Story
1903
Every speculative fiction author sooner or later writes about a trip to a magic shop. Here’s the short story that might have started that trend by “The Father of Science Fiction” H.G. Wells. Read by Alex Wilson.
Originally for sale on March 19, 2004, and released free with a Creative Commons Attribution License five years later. See the Mission page for why.
Because of internationally diverse copyright laws, Telltale can only license/give away this audiobook in the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. The text on which this audiobook is based is still protected under copyright in the European Union and many other countries (where pre-1923 copyrights last until 70 years after the author’s death) and will remain so protected until 2017. Thank you for your confusion.
Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) was a British author often called "The Father of Science Fiction." Even before the 20th century began, his fiction and articles explored invisibility, interstellar travel, time travel, and genetic experimentation. His novel, The War of the Worlds was serialized in the American magazine Cosmopolitan, and later turned into a famous radio drama by Orson Wells.
Alex Wilson is a writer and actor from northern Ohio and now based in Carrboro, North Carolina. His stories and comics have appeared/will appear in Asimov's Science Fiction, The Rambler, Outlaw Territory II (Image Comics), Weird Tales, Futurismic, LCRW and elsewhere. Locus has called him a "promising new writer," and Publishers Weekly also has nice things to say. Website)
Alex has performed lead roles in the North American premiere of (Richard Taylor's musical) Whistle Down the Wind and (Emmy-nominated director Jack Lucido's film) The Third Cord. He has recently appeared in the Deep Dish Theater productions of Hedda Gabler and Moon for the Misbegotten, and recorded narrations for Escape Pod and Night Shade Books. (Acting Resume/Reel) On early Telltale recordings, Alex is sometimes credited as "Alexander Wilson." He founded Telltale in 2004.
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Tags: 1903, 2004 Release, 2009 Release, 20th Century AD, 30-60 minutes, Alex Wilson (reader), Fantasy, Fiction, Free, H G Wells, Podcast, SF Story, Short Story
H G Wells, Podcast
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
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by Rudyard Kipling
1 hour, 14 minutes
Unabridged Story Collection
1894, 1895
Two classic Rudyard Kipling stories of the Indian jungle:
The King’s Ankus (1895)
The python Kaa takes the manchild Mowgli to the ruined city of Cold Lairs, seeking treasure but finding something far worse.
“These are the Four that are never content,
that have never been filled since the Dews began:
Jacala’s mouth, and the glut of the Kite,
and the hands of the Ape, and the Eyes of Man.”
The Miracle of Purun Bhagat (1894)
A rich man casts away all possessions in the quest for (or from?) his true identity.
“The night we felt the earth would move
We stole and plucked him by the hand,
Because we loved him with the love
That knows but cannot understand.”
Performed by Robert Bethune.
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Tags: 1-2 hours, 1894, 1895, 2009 Release, 20th Century AD, 300 cents, Adventure, Class, Fables and Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Popular Author, Rudyard Kipling, SF Story, Speculative, Susie Berneis and Robert Bethune (readers), The Longer Stuff
Rudyard Kipling
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008
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by F Scott Fitzgerald
55 minutes, 44 seconds
Unabridged Short Story
1921
Benjamin Button is born as a grown man of seventy years. He spends the rest of his life growing ever younger.
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Tags: 1921, 200 cents, 2008 Release, 20th Century AD, 30-60 minutes, Alex Wilson (reader), F Scott Fitzgerald, Fables and Fairy Tales, Fiction, SF Story, Short Story, Speculative
F Scott Fitzgerald
Sunday, November 30th, 2008
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by John Kendrick Bangs
21 minutes, 41 seconds
Unabridged Christmas Ghost Story
1894
A humorous ghost story in which a particularly damp apparition appears on Christmas Eve.
“Far be it from me to be impolite to a woman, madam, but I’m hanged if it wouldn’t please me better if you’d stop these infernal visits of yours to this house. Go sit out on the lake, if you like that sort of thing; soak the water-butt, if you wish; but do not, I implore you, come into a gentleman’s house and saturate him and his possessions in this way. It is damned disagreeable.”
Performed by Susie Berneis.
Freshwater Seas can be found online at freshwaterseas.com. [new window]
This recording will be released under the Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License on November 30, 2013 or after 100,000 purchases, whichever comes first. Read more.
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Tags: 1894, 19th Century AD, 2008 Release, 75 cents, Christmas, Fiction, Ghosts, Humor, John Kendrick Bangs, SF Story, Susie Berneis and Robert Bethune (readers)
John Kendrick Bangs
Sunday, October 26th, 2008
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by M R James
29 minutes, 53 seconds
Unabridged Ghost Story
1923
Probably the most famous of the ghost stories of M R James. Commissioned by Queen Mary for her doll house library, which is still on display at 1:12 scale in Windsor Castle. Performed by Susie Berneis.
(from Wikipedia:)
Montague Rhodes James (August 1, 1862 - June 12, 1936), who used the publication name M. R. James, was a noted British mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905-1918) and of Eton College (1918-1936). He is best remembered for his ghost stories in the classic 19th century Yuletide vein, which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature...
Freshwater Seas can be found online at freshwaterseas.com. [new window]
This recording will be released under the Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License on October 26, 2013 or after 100,000 purchases, whichever comes first. Read more.
Share/Bookmark this thing:
Tags: 100 cents, 15-30 minutes, 1923, 2008 Release, 20th Century AD, Fiction, Ghosts, Horror, M R James, Mystery, SF Story, Short Story, Susie Berneis and Robert Bethune (readers)
M R James
