"Giving it Away" by Cory Doctorow

Source: The Internet Archive (mp3)
Length: 9 min
Reader: Jan Rubak

The essay: This essay, originally published in Forbes magazine, was reprinted Doctorow's non-fiction collection Content. In it, Doctorow gives his own testimony on how he can make money by giving away some versions of his books for free.  Giving away ebook and fan-made audio versions of his books, Doctorow claims, actually increases the sales of the hard-copy versions of his books. Most of the people who download the books wouldn't have bought a copy anyway, he reasons, so only a small percentage are actually lost sales. Balancing these lost sales are the readers who get the free electronic copy, then either buy a hard copy themselves or recommend it to friends.

Does it work? Well, Doctorow has certainly become fairly successful, but I'm not completely sold on this working for every author on a large scale. I have no problem reading most of my books from a PDA or listening to amateur readings of books. In fact, between free (legal) downloads and borrowing from friends or the library, I rarely buy books any more these days. I do think that, for authors I've never heard of, I would be more likely to buy their books if I had previously read or listened to another work of theirs previously. I have, in the past, bought books that were sequels to books that were given away freely. This "take the first, pay for the next two" strategy, along with the free distribution of a few short works, such as short stories and novellas, would seem to me to be a great strategy for beginning authors trying to convince readers to support them with their money.

Rating: 8/10

The reader: Jan Rubak speaks clearly and distinctly. In fact, this is sometimes too much of a good thing as his over-enunciation may annoy some people, while others might find it helpful. Other than the distinct consonants, there's really nothing to complain about in this reading. He has good recording setup with very little noise. After the initial stilted reading of the title and source, Rubak settles down into a tone consistent with Doctorow's casual style.

Free by Chris Anderson

Source: Wired magazine (Zipped mp3s)
Length: Approx. 6 hr
Reader: Chris Anderson

The book: Many of the online comments about Free: the Future of a Radical Price have completely missed the point of the book. In this book, Wired editor Chris Anderson is not arguing that that internet piracy is good or that everything should be free. Instead, Anderson calls attention to something you probably already know: giving away some things for free helps marketers to get the attention of paying customers.

What's new about this? Anderson points out that in the past, most free giveaways were limited by the cost of the object: a free sample size of detergent, a free toy in the cereal box, a free razor with expensive replacement blades. Now, with the extremely low cost of data storage and bandwidth, online providers can give away lots of free stuff with very little marginal cost. This allows them to give away content to millions of people while expecting only a small percent to ever buy anything. So, we can have free multiplayer online games where only a few people pay for more powerful equipment; free software where a few heavy users will pay for premium features; and a free audiobook for which a few people will pay for a hard copy.

My main criticism of this book is that it focuses on business success stories. I would've liked to hear a bit more about what happens when things go wrong: when does free not work and why? I also was disappointed that Anderson doesn't delve into some of the great non-profits give things away for free. Project Gutenberg, Wikipedia, the Internet Archive, and Librivox are some of the biggest producers of free content on the internet, yet they don't make one cent of profit.

Rating: 8/10

The reader: This is a professionally produced audiobook with high production values and low background noise. Anderson reads his own material with a breezy, conversational tone. The overall effect is that of being at a particularly slick business seminar, but without the sleep-inducing Power Point presentations.

The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling

Source: Librivox (zipped mp3s)
Length: 1 hr, 30 min
Reader: Phillipa

The story: In British-ruled India, the narrator, a correspondent for a colonial newspaper, meets a pair of con-men while riding on the train. Several months later, the two con-men show up at the newspaper office with a wild scheme. They plan to sneak into the border region of Afghanistan with 20 Martini rifles, raise small army of natives, and become kings of the region.

This story enjoyed great admiration when it was first published in the 1890's, but now it is difficult to read without recognizing the racist and colonialist overtones. The view of non-Europeans as so simple as to be swayed by a few Masonic rites and the authority of a white man is a bit difficult to buy. However, these are professional con artists and well-educated Europeans have been taken in by less. What really struck me was the colonialist goal of the story and how it compares to modern news. That one could, with modern weaponry and tactical know-how, train a local army to take over the Afghan mountains seems to be a persistent idea. In fact, I could see this story being adapted to modern times, with only a few adjustments.

Rating: 7/10

The reader: Phillipa has a beautiful British accent. She reads with a steady pacing, slow enough to take in the words easily, though some people may wish for a faster read. Her dialect for the two con-artists' voices adds character to the recording, though at first I found it hard to understand. The recording is as crisp and clear as one could ask for.

The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers

Source: Librivox (zipped mp3s)
Length: 12 hr, 24 min
Reader: Gesine

The book: In 1903, the German Empire had grown into a political and military power in Europe and was looking to expand its influence around the world. Britain, meanwhile, was confident in its separation from mainland Europe and its strong navy to defend itself from any enemies. Childers, an Englishman, wrote Riddle of the Sands to wake his countrymen up from their complacency and recognize the threat of the German navy. The story revolves around two Englishmen, based on Childers himself, who discover a German plot as they cruise in a small sailboat around the waters off the Baltic Sea coast.

Although the novel is a direct influence on later spy novels, I found much of the book not the exciting, suspense-filled yarn like those of John le Carre or Frederick Forsyth. Instead, the first part of the book reads like a travelogue of the Baltic coast mixed with a introduction to nautical terms. This part of the book highlights its difficulty as an audiobook; it relies heavily on the reader following the boat's progress on a map provided in the print editions. Later on in the novel, Childers delivers suspense and intrigue as the two friends creep through fog to spy on the German plans and find their earlier explorations pay off with their knowledge of high-tide paths through the treacherous estuaries.

Rating: 7/10

The reader: Gesine speaks in a pleasant British alto. She reads in a measured pace, with only a little variation. It's not the type of performance that enhances the text, but in my experience, this type of no-frills reading fades allows the listener to pay attention to the words while the reader fades into the background. As I mention above, much of the book relies on reference to a set of maps. The LibriVox catalog page includes a link to these maps so listeners aren't completely left in the dark, but the constant referral back to maps may make this an unwelcome book for some listeners who prefer to listen untethered from a screen.

Best of Escape Pod

Speaking of Escape Pod, the blog Diabolical Plots has a list of "The Best of Escape Pod".  While you're there, also check out "The Best of Podcastle" for short fantasy fiction, and "The Best of Pseudopod" for short horror fiction.

"Sinner, Baker, Fablist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast" by Eugie Foster

Source: Escape Pod, episode 214 (mp3)
Length: 57 min
Reader: Lawrence Santoro

The story: As always, I've selected a story connected to the audiobook review. This week, the connection is that the author of the audiobook, Mur Lafferty, has taken up the reins as editor of Escape Pod, the source of this week's story. For 5 years, Steve Eley did an admirable job producing, editing, and hosting the best fiction podcast anywhere (see Escape Pod 100 for a reason why). Every week, I would look forward not only to the story being presented that week, but also Steve's commentary on the story and bits about his own life. Steve, you will be missed. I'm glad you've left Escape Pod in such capable hands.

This story describes an alien race which uses high-tech masks to take on a different identity every day. Foster uses this culture to explore issues of identity and the faces we show in different situations. The story is the winner of the 2009 Nebula Award for best  novelette and is currently a nominee for the 2010 Hugo Award for best novelette. For those of you who don't keep up with these things, those are the two biggest science fiction awards.  I chose this story not only for its excellence, but also because the themes of a persona that is changed out for another can apply many of the people I "know" through the internet, such as Steve Eley. I realize I may never know the real person (if such a thing exists), but I've had a great time getting to be friends with that one particular persona. Thanks.

Rating: 9/10

The reader: Santoro sounds like a professional audiobook narrator. His voice is deep and clear, with a standard American accent. He speaks not as if he's reading, but as if he actually is the character. The tone, pacing and emotion of his voice are as close to perfect as I've heard. This is a great reading of an excellent story. As always, Escape Pod is introduced by a host, which this time is not Steve, but another host, Alistar. His recording set-up isn't as clear, so if you're new to Escape Pod, you may want to fast forward to about the 1:05 mark where the story begins.

Warning: This story contains explicit descriptions of sex and violence.

Playing for Keeps by Mur Lafferty

Source: Podiobooks.com (or zipped mp3's)
Length: Approx. 8 hrs
Reader: Mur Lafferty

The story: Keepsie Branson has a superpower. This alone should make her a superhero: fighting crime, wearing a costume, and waving to her adoring public. Right? Well, that's not exactly the case, for three major reasons. First, Keepsie lives in Seventh City, a metropolis with lots of people who have superpowers of one sort or another. Second, Keepie's superpower isn't all that useful when it comes to fighting crime. Third, the superheroes of Seventh City, the ones with actually useful superpowers, tend to be jerks. So, instead of donning a cape and tights, then going out to fight crime, Keepsie owns and manages a bar, one that caters to other people with mostly-useless superpowers.

What I enjoyed most about this book is that Keepsie and her friends are likable characters with real human flaws. The worldbuilding is interesting, but borrows heavily from other "superheroes aren't what the public sees" worlds like Watchmen and The Incredibles. The plot often relies on characters acting stupidly or impulsively, but this can be forgiven since real people do sometimes act in these ways. This is a fun, funny novel that isn't a great work of fiction, but is an entertaining story.

Rating: 6/10


The reader: This novel was originally podcast in installments, so there's a bit of talk, promotions and music that you may want to fast-forward through at the beginning and end of each episode. The audio is well-produced, with only a bit of volume-clipping at the top ranges. Lafferty is an excellent reader of her own work. She puts emotion into her characters' voices and changes her pacing and tone to improve the novel beyond what it would be in print.

"The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allen Poe

Source: Voices in the Dark (mp3)
Length: 41 minutes
Reader: Sean Puckett

The story: The Prefect of Police for Paris comes to the great amateur detective C. Auguste Dupin with a seemingly simple mystery: A woman of some great importance has lost the possession of a letter containing embarrassing information, presumably concerning an affair. Minister D---, a high-ranking official, has stolen the letter from her and appears to plan to use it to blackmail the noblewoman in the near future. The police have thoroughly searched Minister D---'s residence and even staged a fake mugging to search the man himself, but so far have not been able to recover the letter. Where is the missing letter? Will Dupin be able to get it back?

I enjoyed this Dupin story more than the "Murders in the Rue Morgue", not because the mystery was so much better (it's not), but because Poe gets right down to the story immediately, rather than introducing the plot with a long philosophical treatise. Poe seems more comfortable with his characters this go-round, allowing them to show some wittiness. He even makes a joke at his own expense, when the Prefect says of M. D----, "He's a poet, which I take to be one removed from a fool." With Poe himself being a poet, we can see a bit of the author in Dupin's tactful reaction: " Yes . . . but I admit to a bit of doggerel myself".

Rating: 7/10

The reader: Puckett reads with a sleepy drawl, which while not entirely suited to this piece, is pleasant and understandable. He provides slight inflection to each of his characters to differentiate them without performing voices for each. The recording itself is clear and well-produced. If you find Puckett's narration not to your liking, there are several versions of this story available at LibriVox and at Lit2Go.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Source: Librivox  (Zipped mp3s) 
Length: 25 hr, 34 min
Reader: multiple


The book:  As the book opens, artist Walter Hartright is about to embark on a new job: he'll be the drawing master for the heiress of Limmerage House, Miss Laura Fairlie and her half-sister Miss Marion Halcolme. While out for a stroll before leaving for Limmerage, he chances to meet a young woman, dressed all in white and behaving very erratically. The extremely long novel that follows this encounter starts out as a standard English romantic tragedy, but then takes a turn into a exciting yarn about hidden identities, secret agendas, and a intriguing mystery.

In its own day, The Woman in White was apparently a blockbuster bestseller, and it's easy to see why. Modern audiences may grow annoyed with Marion's constant lamentations that she would be better if she were a man, but she proves herself more heroic than any of the male characters in the book. Laura, on the other hand, I found to be weak, shallow, and unworthy of all the love and attention spent on her. Walter Hartright is an appropriately good-hearted hero, while the villains are self-centered and casually evil, but not so evil as to be cartoonish.

For all the book's length, it managed to hold my attention as an interesting read. To play the "If author 1 and author 2 had a baby" game, I would say it's like what would happen if Charlotte Bronte and Arthur Conan Doyle collaborated on a novel: you get the mystery and outre villains of Sherlock Holmes with the dark backstory, frustrated romance, and class inequality of Jane Eyre.

Rating: 9/10

The readers: Collins writes in his introduction, "the story here presented will be told by more than one pen, as the story of an offense against the laws is told in Court by more than one witness."  The story unfolds as an epistolary novel, with the viewpoint switching between diaries written by protagonists, statements for the court from minor characters, and "documents" procured by Hartwright. The readers for LibriVox take up this theme by having different readers voice the different narrators of the story. Most of the readers are very good, with none being absolutely unlistenable. Especially talented are Tim Bulkeley as Walter Hartright and Ruth Golding as most of Marion Halcolme's parts. Since these two make up most of the narration for the book, many of the other readers have only a chapter or two. Of these minor characters,  Glen Halstrom is truly chilling as Count Fosco.

(This review was entered in a Book Review Party Wednesday contest at Cym Lowell's blog.)

Free Listens returns!

I've been away for awhile. When I started Free Listens, it was a fun way for me to share all the great audio I had heard on the internet with people who were looking for high-quality free audiobooks. Work, a move, and lots of new things in my life got in the way, and I decided to end it last December after a full year of blogging.

But now, situations have changed again. I will be starting Free Listens back up at the beginning of June. So tell your friends, blog about it, and subscribe to the RSS feed. You'll be seeing a whole new set of great audiobooks and audio stories reviewed every week.